HomeMy WebLinkAbout2001 04-24Meridian City Council Meeting April 24, 2001
The regularly scheduled meeting of the Meridian City Council was called to order at 6:30 PM on Tuesday April 24, 2001 by Mayor Robert D Corrie.
Members Present: Robert Corrie, Tammy De Weerd, Cheri McCandless, Ron Anderson, and Keith Bird.
Others Present: Gary Smith, Bill Nichols, Janice Smith, and Bill Musser.
Corrie: I will open the regular meeting of Meridian City Council Tuesday April 24, 2001 at 6:30 PM and roll call attendance please.
Berg: Thank you Mr. Mayor members of the Council
Item 1. Roll-call Attendance:
X Tammy de Weerd X Ron Anderson
X Cherie McCandless X Keith Bird
X Mayor Robert Corrie
Berg: All are present.
Corrie: Okay. Thank you. First off I want to welcome especially welcome to the troop 62 from the Meridian Group. If it wasn’t for you guys we might not have too many people here tonight.
Thank you for attending and I hope we do some civic classes for you and see how the City C Council does the business of the city.
Item 2. Adoption of Agenda:
Corrie: Item No.2 is the adoption of the agenda. I would like to add one thing if I might. Tom has requested under Parks and Rec. department to talk to you about the bid of the tiling
and the 56 acre park. He had a new one come in and he would like to talk to you about that. Then also to set a time on the agenda to give the county – I think Will was that the date
of our Public Hearing? – date of our Public Hearing and we need to set that tonight. Is there any other additions or corrections for the (inaudible)?
De Weerd: Mr. Mayor
Corrie: Mrs. De Weerd.
De Weerd: If the rest of the council would agree if we could move No.4 up above department reports.
Corrie: Okay. Do I hear any objections to the request? Okay, hearing none, so be it. Okay. I’ll entertain a motion for the adoption of the agenda.
Bird: Mr. Mayor
Corrie: Mr. Bird.
Bird: I move that we adopt the amended agenda by adding under Parks and Recreation and item 5 bid on tiling of 56 acres of ditch. Item 5 Public Hearing date for the taxation and changing
item 4 to between two and three.
De Weerd: Second.
Corrie: Okay. Motion’s been made and seconded on the motion to adopt the new agenda. Any further discussion? All in favor of the motion say aye.
MOTION CARRIED: ALL AYES
Item 3. Presentation by Idaho Power Company - Future Power Needs by Layne Dodson:
Corrie: Item No.4 will be No.3 at this point and we will have the presentation by Idaho Power Company Future power needs by Layne Dodson.
(inaudible discussion amongst Council)
Dodson: Mr. Mayor, members of Council, members of the staff and honored guests. It’s a pleasure. My name’s Layne Dodson with Idaho Power the community relations representative for this
area. We appreciate the opportunity to come out and speak with you. You for the problem third or fourth times. Mr. Mayor we appreciate your patients with this presentation. With all
the news that’s going on with the energy situation in the west and also locally with a new generation being proposed for the area, new substations, new facilities being erected all around
the area, we thought it was prudent to get in front of the folks that have the jurisdictions to let them know what our future plans hold as far as this essential piece of infrastructure
that we’re providing out there. We rely on you folks at times to make decisions on improving and facilities and routes and working with the continuants out there to approve these things
and make this electrical system work to the benefit of everyone. What we’ve got today for you is a discussion on the kind of the regional picture of energy. Some of the local concerns
and plans we’ve got going forward and we’re going to look out a number of years out to an ultimate build up of the Treasure Valley. And also look at some of the short-term projects that
would be effecting the Treasure Valley here within the next, well starting immediately and going into like the next ten years. Kent McCarthy is kind of the driving force behind the presentation
tonight.
He is an engineer in our distribution-planning department and so he’s in charge of putting these plan together and meeting the electrical needs of the region. At this point I’m just
going to turn it over to Kent and let him go through his presentation. Thank you.
Corrie: Thank you.
McCarthy: Mr. Mayor, Ladies and Gentlemen of the Council thank you for having us to show this presentation. If you’ll hold on for just a second, I’ll get this thing turned on. We set
out 2 years ago to put together a plan for the Treasure Valley how we’re going to serve the Treasure Valley far into the future and we looked out much further into the future than most
people have looked out into the future. We wanted to see what we wanted this valley to look like when we were finished building it or what we wanted our power system to look like when
the valley is finished growing. I want to start out the presentation though, before I get into talking about our plans, I want to talk about the energy issues in the United States right
now. I think that’s of interest to everybody here. The United States is divided up into ten separate regions. Idaho belongs to the western systems coordinating council. These regions
are – their purpose is to handle the reliability of the electrical system throughout the United States. This is a voluntary membership of power companies, power providers, generators,
power marketers, anybody that has anything to do with electrical systems belong to these reliability councils. They are voluntary at this time but there’s a big move and it’s being driven
by the North American electric reliability council to bring them under the Department of Energy which will probably be done fairly soon. In the west, the western system coordinating
council is made up of all the states west, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana and west of there. It also includes the 2 provinces of Canada, Alberta and British Columbia. Plus, it’s not shown
here but it includes northern Baja California and Northern Senora State in Mexico. These are all interconnected by high voltage transmission lines. Anything that is done in Idaho can
effect the power in Mexico. If we lose a major transmission line through Idaho the power can go out as far as south of San Diego and Mexico and as far north as British Columbia. We trade
power over those same powerlines. We can buy power over those power lines. We sell power over those lines. It’s a great interconnection and if one part of it, hopefully we have enough
redundancy in the system that it stays together. But with the power system the way it is now, with the lack of generation that’s been built, it’s becoming much more fragile.
Anderson: What do the colors indicate on the map?
McCarthy: Those are the voltage to the lines. These are the actually extremely high voltage lines. The red lines would be 230,000 volts. The blue lines are 500,000-volt DC lines. The
green lines are 500,000 AC lines. This is Idaho Power system cute little cartoon that shows you – the light bulbs up there are our major load centers of Boise and Twin Falls and Pocatello.
You can see, we have the hydro facilities on the Snake River. That’s really the only generation Idaho Power
has in the state of Idaho. We have 1300 megawatts on the Snake River that’s actually in the state of Idaho. We also have the oxbow dam and the hells canyon dam that are on the snake
river but they are actually in Oregon. The reset of our power is from our ownership in three coal fire plants. One in Wyoming which is the Jim Bridgert plant, we own a third of that
plant. The Balmy, which is in northern Nevada, we own half of that. Boardmen, we own a tenth of that and that’s in Oregon. We trade and sell and receive power through these different
transmission lines. You can see up there Pacific Core from the west and Sierra Pacific from the south and on around. We’re well interconnected with everybody. We depend on their power
to help us keep our system up. Our generation resources in Idaho, this is Department of Energy information. There’s 3,000 megawatts of generation in the state of Idaho, This isn’t Idaho
Power generation, this is everybody. This is us and Vista and any other co-generators that are in the system. There’s 3,000 megawatts in Idaho. Between 1988 and 1998 there was 360 megawatts
of generation added in the state of Idaho and a lot of that was improvements to our hydro facilities plus Vista added a gas turbine up in northern Idaho and some more co-generators came
online. The important point is Idaho is a net importer of energy. We don’t produce enough energy within the state to provide our means. We have to draw it in from the outside to provide
our needs. I just wanted to quickly compare it to California. California has 52,000 megawatts of generation and between those same ten years they’ve lost 2,785 megawatts of generation.
I think that’s mostly due to retirement due to old age on plants. One nuclear power plant there and some old oil fire plants went down. The point is they didn’t replace that generation.
They’ve actually gone down well the rest of the west has pretty well stayed stable or added a little bit. It’s interesting to note that California’s decrease nearly equal to our entire
generation base. Energy market, in the summer of 1999 the cost for energy on the market was 2.9 cents for a kilowatt-hour, compare that with your residential rate of 5 cents a kilowatt-hour.
Prices this summer are predicted to be 47.5 cents a kilowatt-hour to buy on the market. We need to buy about 20 percent of our energy on the market so that’s where our upper rate pressure
is. Going back to that last slide I want to point out, you notice in 1999 the price of power was 2.9 cents per kilowatt-hour. It made it much more economical to buy power on the market
than to build a generating plant because that power out of a gas turbine power plant might cost 6 cents a kilowatt hour. During those market times, it was much better for us to be on
the market than to be building our own generation with the turn around in the market at this point it makes much more sense to build our own generation. Now I’ll get into the Treasure
Valley system. In the study that we undertook, we see that Treasure Valley as everything excluding the areas east of Caldwell. We go down south into the Birds of Prey and the public
lands there and then east over into the Boise foothills and then north but not quite as far as Emmett. The 700 square miles of usable land ion that area. When I say useable that green
area actually represents over 900 square miles but there’s golf courses and highways and different things within that 900 square miles that we’ve subtracted out. We think there’s 700
square miles of useable land and our peak last year was 1,620 kilowatts, or megawatts, I’m sorry was our load. Remember that last
number there. We have 28 existing sub stations in the Treasure Valley. I don’t have a pointer but that little triangular shape right there in the middle is Meridian sub station. You
can see it’s kind of chopped off. The rest of them are diamond shape. Meridian’s is kind of constrained. We’re trying to keep that constrained north of the freeway.
(inaudible discussion amongst Council members)
McCarthy: This is the Meridian Sub station. The new sub station we have planned coming up this year will be down to cover this area down here and that will actually fill this out to
be a diamond because these are both considered partial sub stations. They’re not fully built. We don’t have the space to actually make these into a full-scale 80-megawatt sub station.
It’ll be smaller than that. Each one of these diamonds represents 8 square miles. That’s a service territory assigned to each sub station. When we get into the higher density urban areas
the substations but up right against each other. When we get out here further, that same sub station can serve a much larger area because there’s a lower load on the transmission lines
and distribution lines. The higher the load is on the distribution lines, the less distance they can carry the energy. This is our existing transmission system. We’re bringing power
to the valley on these 230,000-volt lines which are the gold color. It’s interesting to point out in the Treasure Valley the only two generation sources we have are Lucky Peak at 80
megawatts and swan falls which is 40 megawatts. Every other ounce of power into the valley is transferred via high voltage transmission lines.
Anderson: You guys don’t own Lucky Peak do you?
McCarthy: No but it goes into the pool.
Anderson: That power, you buy it, or does it go to Seattle?
McCarthy: That goes to Seattle but it does help us with our voltage support in the valley so it can be considered in our control area as a generator that supports the area. The blue
lines are 138,000-volt lines and the pink ones are 69,000-volt lines. We see four growth drivers in the Treasure Valley or really any place, customers, population, industry, transportation
and natural resources. Those first three are very interdependent. Once you bring in industry, you bring in more population, needs transportation, brings in more population. It’s a circle
and of course we’re in the middle of that circle right now. We grow with no reason. In the Treasure Valley we don’t even have to have new industry show up and we still grow. In the Treasure
Valley we see land as a limiting resource. Some people see water as limiting resource. We don’t think water is necessarily the limiting resource in this valley. I personally believe
that if a population moves to an area they can find the water if it has to be shipped in they can find water to make an area grow. The projected Treasure Valley population in 75 years
is 1.6 million people using a 2 percent average annual growth rate. That’s off the Boise
metropolitan study area data. Over the past 20 years it projected out another 20 years, the average growth rate was 2 percent. We just projected that out over 75 years and said on average
we’re going to have 2 percent. Sometimes we know its going to be 4 percent, sometimes we know it might go negative but on average it’ll be 2 percent. This gives us an average 10 megawatts
per square mile over the entire valley over that density which brings us to a total build out load at 7,000 megawatts. Now remember that number back there was 1620 megawatts so that’s
a tremendous growth or a tremendous amount of power we have to provide. Supply requirements to serve that 7,000 megawatts we’re going to need a lot of high voltage transmission lines
or a lot of locally sighted generation. In my mind the locally sited generation is the best answer. If you put in a generator you’re going to effect a couple dozen homes in the area
that you’re putting the generator. If you put in a transmission line to carry that same amount of energy, you’re going to effect thousands of people along that transmission line route.
As a society we have to decide do we want to effect thousands of people or do we want to effect a couple dozen. The effects individually on each one is probably the same but you have
to stand back and see which one is better for society as a whole I guess. This is our future sub station territories. 75 years from now, building up to that we see 66 new sub stations
in addition to those 28 sub stations we already have. This is just again the diamond showing the service territories. The red ones are all urban type sub stations packed in close together.
There’s no land underneath not shown there. The green ones are suburban and blue ones are rural sub stations on the edges. You can see that as we move out that they go further apart
because we start ending up having some farms left over hopefully and a lot of ranch adds 20 acre parcels, 5 acre parcels so that the land density or the low density is much lower. Treasure
Valley transmission strategy. This is a, kind of a drug-crazed spirograph here. We’re looking at building a number of hub sub stations which would be these yellow ones served by these
high voltage 230 or 345 volt transmission lines and the actual transmission out to the distribution sub stations which are the ones we have in our neighborhoods, would be 138,000 volts
served on a loop so there’s redundancy. If part of that loop goes down it can still receive power. Now the green is our extremely high voltage transmission lines would be required to
bring more power into the valley. These stars at the end that I’ve labeled as generation those are just fictitious points for our study. We don’t know where the generation would be or
if it’s just going to be transmission points. For 2001 we have budgeted nearly 40 million dollars for Treasure Valley projects, 130 projects total. That number’s going down a little
bit because of all of our troubles with the power supply right now. We’re having to decrease cost and cut things where we need to. It’s staying quite high because the projects that we
have budgeted for this year are quite necessary. We really need to have these projects in place. So, if it’s a really necessary project for reliability or safety or just to serve new
customers, we have to put it in. In 2001 we are putting in tow new sub stations. One of them of course is this what we’re calling right now Stoddard sub station located down near Roaring
Springs and this one up here is Joplin sub station located at the corner of Chinden and Cloverdale across from Hewlett Packard.
You notice this is a weird shape too. The reason for that is it’s kind of a fill in sub station. It’s a sub station that we never intended to really put there but we were forced to put
in a new sub station to fill in some of the needs.
Anderson: Is that where they leveled that lot right by that cemetery? I was wondering what that was. It looked like a parking lot.
McCarthy: Yeah.
Bird: I’ve already got –
McCarthy: Wait until you see that. It’s going to be pretty. We’re having to put up a whole bunch of – a lot berming and fencing and trees, full grown trees in the sub station. It’s going
to be a very nice looking sub station.
Bird: Is that a big enough area for, well that ain’t a very big area for a sub station.
McCarthy: We can put a sub station in a, you know one and a half acre plot.
Bird: Is that one and a half acres?
McCarthy: I don’t know what that one is. Is that one two?
Bird: Just short? Is it that big? It didn’t look that big.
McCarthy: Yeah.
Bird: It is a very odd shape.
McCarthy: Which makes it more difficult to build it too.
Bird: I’ll bet.
McCarthy: In 2002 we’re going to add an additional 2 sub stations one at Harris Ranch and one southeast of Caldwell. The one at Harris Ranch is a little bit in question right now. We’re
having a little bit of a battle with the developer out there right now. In 2003 a Kuna sub station which we’re tentatively locating just south of the railroad tracks in Kuna. Between
2004 and 2010 we have a scattering of other sub stations. These two in the foothills we’re very reactionary on those ones. If we don’t know what’s going to happen with foothills development.
Those might come and if they do we’ll build the sub stations. We need more in the, more foothills type sub stations because it’s hard to run transmission lines or distribution lines
through the foothills. So, we have to put in more sub-stations to feed a smaller load.
Bird: Where’s that one, that 5 one in Meridian, is that out by –
McCarthy: Yeah That Is Ten-Mile sub station.
Bird: -- Ten Mile sub station?
McCarthy: Yeah. This up here is Star sub station.
Bird: Okay.
McCarthy: Then 2010 and beyond we have another scattering of sub stations. This one will be the corner of Amity and Eagle, is that correct, Layne?
Layne: That’s been proposed.
McCarthy: Proposed, I’m sorry.
Bird: At Amity and Eagle?
McCarthy: Amity and Eagle would be the desired location for that. Then over here, I’m not sure if that’s been designated exactly yet. (inaudible) As you can see, as we’re close to the
urban density up here where it’s the higher density, we really need to have these sub stations cleanly butting up against each other, other wise we have to do some kind of extraordinary
means to connect it together.
Bird: If you can’t put them up together, you’ve got more cost in transmission lines and stuff don’t you?
McCarthy: Yes.
Bird: Quite a bit more expensive?
McCarthy: Right. We prefer to build as close to a corner as possible too because each one of these sub stations will have 8 feeders coming out of it and 2 going in each direction. So,
if we’re right at a corner, it’s ideal. We could head each direction. If we’re within a quarter of a mile of that corner’s still okay. If we get into the middle of the section then all
of a sudden we have to run four lines and additional half a mile and that’s many hundreds of thousands of dollars in addition to the original concept. In closing, Idaho Power will make
significant investments in generation, transmission and distribution in the coming years. In the Treasure Valley alone, we’re growing about 30 to 50 megawatts. Compare that to our system
we’re growing about 70 megawatts in the entire system. We’re definitely the lion’s share which is no surprise to anybody here. We know it’s imperative that we work with all the regional
planning and city councils and all the different planning clients to get these things put in. As regional infrastructure improvements Idaho Power would really like to be involved in
these way up front
if we can. It takes a lot of years to build anything. In closing, it is our desire that Idaho Power be that our transmission and distribution lines be considered transportation components.
We don’t transport or people or goods but we do transport energy just like the gas company does. As I was pointing out yesterday to Mayor Corrie that when we drive down to Salt Lake
City, the ideal corridor to me is just north of Salt Lake City, there’s a 10 lane freeway going down and right next to that freeway is a railway line and right next to that railway line
is a transmission corridor with 3 or 4 high voltage transmission lines and there’s a communication line going through there. I’ve got to believe that there’s also a gas line so it’s
an ideal transportation corridor, something like what I would envision our Union Pacific right-of-way through here would be an ideal resource for that. Is there any questions?
Bird: I’ve got a question.
McCarthy: Yes.
Bird: It might not be Kent, why can’t most of your high power lines go underground? How come they still have to stay overhead?
McCarthy: If it’s the very high voltage power lines, the 230 you can put those underground for a very short distance but it’s an absolutely tremendous cost.
Bird: Okay.
McCarthy: Where a 230,000 volt line might cost you 3 or 4 hundred thousand dollars per mile to build, if you put it underground you’re talking 10, 20,30 million dollars per mile. The
same is actually true with 12,500 distribution lines too but it’s not quite as extreme in cost difference. I don’t believe there’s any real good way to transmit power underground with
500,000 volts yet. There are some concepts out there, there are some cables out there that can do that but they’re high-pressure cables. They have to put a fluid around them to keep
them cool and keep them under pressure. They generally tend to put those under the ocean as a submarine cable.
Bird: Is it the heat build up that does the underground?
McCarthy: Yeah.
Bird: That’s what I kind of thought. It was heat build up.
McCarthy: There’s a very special dielectric on the cable and again you can also put the high-pressure hydraulic fluid around the cable to keep it cool but that’s a big failure component.
Bird: Then I suppose it’s a lot more costly to any service, any breaks or anything if it’s underground.
McCarthy: Absolutely. A lot of people would like us to put power lines underground and we would like to put power lines underground except that the cost of those power lines would have
to be paid for by the people wanting them to be put underground. Otherwise that would be driven against our rate base, our ratepayers right now.
Bird: Okay. For generation, Idaho Power ever looked into these little nuclear plants or anything like that? I understand they’re very very safe. They don’t use that much nuclear energy.
McCarthy: That’s actually a good question. I use to work at the INEL, the INEEL now. I’ve always been a proponent of nuclear power other than I hate working at the power plants. They’re
a big hassle to get anything done at. But I really don’t see that happening very near in the future and maybe never in Idaho.
Bird: California has had some success with a small nuclear plants as I have heard. Is that true?
McCarthy: No. I don’t believe that is true.
Bird: That isn’t true?
McCarthy: No. They’ve been losing power plants. They haven’t been building any nuclears.
Bird: Okay.
McCarthy: We lost 40 megawatts of nuclear power when President Clinton took office in the state of Idaho because he shut down the experimental reader reactor at the INEL that was actually
producing 40 megawatts on to the grid.
Bird: So, what is Idaho Power’s plan, coal fired?
McCarthy: Right now it’s –
Bird: Hydro is, or natural gas –
McCarthy: Right now it’s natural gas.
Bird: Hydro is out of the question with –
McCarthy: Yeah. Certainly. I don’t think we can find very much –
Bird: for right now.
McCarthy – there are some plans to increase the production at existing plants adding a generator or improving the efficiency of existing plants.
Bird: Is Lucky Peak? I think they’re generated out, aren’t they? Can they add another generator?
McCarthy: I don’t know. That’s a city –
Bird: How about yours on the Snake? Hells Canyon –
McCarthy: Swan Falls?
Bird: Well, Hells Canyon and them?
McCarthy: I believe we have some plans on adding a generator up in Hells Canyon --
Bird: Okay.
McCarthy: -- some tentative plans –
Bird: How many kilowatts or megawatts –
McCarthy: It wouldn’t be very big.
Bird: How much does a generator bring out?
McCarthy: It depends on where it’s at. One of the big hydro generators might be 120 megawatts. Some of the smaller ones get down to 2 or 3 megawatts.
Bird: What kind of foot pressure water do you have to push through to get those to turbine out?
McCarthy: I don’t have a number on that. I don’t have a number on it. There’s are all fairly high head pressure or high head turbines. A lot of falling water on those. I want to point
out that we are going to be adding gas generation in the valley. A lot of people say well with the price of natural gas being so high isn’t that a stupid decision? I come back to say,
it’s the best decision is to have a large diversification of your portfolio just like your stocks and bonds so we have hydro and we have coal. Now we’ll have natural gas so as one goes
up, generally the other two don’t go up at the same time except this year when we have no water and no gas at the same time. Pretty unique year.
Bird: Where are you going to put these? Where’s the plants for the gas generation?
McCarthy: Of course we have the one plant for Middleton, the Idawest plant –
Bird: Yeah the one that they’re going to –
McCarthy: -- and we have 90 megawatts of gas turbines just today being approved to be put in down in Mountain Home. You know I would like to see more small gas turbines sprinkled throughout
the region as opposed to large plants located where we need high voltage transmission bringing power to us.
Bird: That’s what I was just going to ask you, why wouldn’t it be more feasible where the Treasure Valley is where most of the growth is going within your Idaho Power area, why wouldn’t
those plants be better served in Kuna, that area where you wouldn’t have to be bringing those high voltage transmission lines in so much?
McCarthy: That would be the ideal, I believe. It’s extremely hard though to get through the public pressures and the permitting, especially in the Treasure Valley since we’re not a (inaudible)
area. We have to go through a lot more permitting to actually put any kind of generation resource here if it’s a permanent resource. With our diesel engines we’re putting in this summer,
we got a variance on those on the permitting because they are just temporary. If they were going to be permanent we’d have to go through an awful long period of permitting to get those
put in.
Bird: Do you have – do you like to keep those close to the natural gas, the main natural gas line?
McCarthy: Certainly and also high voltage transmission lines so you look for a convergence of both natural gas and transmission –
Bird: See that’s why I was going to say south of Kuna, out there by swan falls. You have the lines already lined out there. I don’t know if the gas line goes that close. I think it does,
I think it comes down in that area. I don’t know.
McCarthy: I don’t think it’s quite down in there. I think it’s east of there.
Bird: East of there? Okay.
McCarthy: I think it’s in the Birds of Prey area where you have to be careful building anything.
Bird: Yeah. That would be impossible.
De Weerd: Mr. Mayor.
Corrie: Mrs. De Weerd
De Weerd: Kent, in locating your sub stations, it looks like you have a pretty forward thinking plan. Do you work with the municipalities on specific locations as well as the development
community to let them know where these are located so those can be noted on plats, or, you know – I guess probably the most difficult thing you run into is public acceptance of where
you’re going to locate these. Even though you’ve had the land before the subdivisions that surround it, no one knows they’re going to be there.
McCarthy: We’ll learning that lesson. Especially with the turn down of our Eight Mile sub station down south. The one that was at Eight Mile and Victory. We’ve learned that we really
have to be out for, we knew that some day it was going to start happening, that we’d get permitting turndowns. We didn’t expect it ever to happen in that particular location. So, From
that point forward we’re being more forward with our plans. We’ve had these plans for a long time but we haven’t shared them out very far. We’ve been fearful of competition quite frankly.
People getting hold of the information and saying awe, they’re going to put a sub station here so I’m going to buy this land and hold it and sell it to them. Well, that’s turned out
to be pretty ridiculous since people want to sell us an acre of land for $200,000 anyway. So, now we’re going more forward and trying to share out as far as possible and we are meeting
with the P&Z Commissions. We haven’t met with Meridian yet but we’re planning on doing that. We have met with Ada County Commission. We have met with Boise City Planning Commission.
This Stoddard site was actually an agreement with Ada County. We went to them and said okay we did this wrong. We didn’t come to you first. Tell us where’s a good place to put this in
this general area and where can we run the transmission lines and they suggested that we put it down at that corner, that general corner and run the transmission lines down Overland
was their suggestion. That fit in with our plan. It was actually a fairly good site for us to build at. So, we’d like to do that from henceforth to do exactly that. (inaudible) Now one
of the staff at Boise City P&Z said that he use to work in Las Vegas and they had a regulation there that anytime you purchased a house the realtor had to disclose any future facilities
near to that house. He had to tell you if there was a transmission line planned or a sub station planned and they would kind of like to move that same direction. Make sure that when
somebody buys the land, they know something is planned so that when that thing starts to get built, they really don’t have anything to say about it because it was already planned. The
faster we can move that direction the better.
De Weerd: That’s kind of like I was talking to Layne prior to the meeting is in Las Vegas, those sub stations are very well concealed. In many cases you can not really tell it’s there.
That’s how well they hide them.
McCarthy: Certainly. We’re learning those lessons too. We had a large staff of people and I think Layne might have been one of them, that went on a tour of three different locations
this past winter or past late fall. They went down to Las Vegas and Salt Lake City and Phoenix to look at their sub station and transmission line and distribution line permitting processes
and their building processes. What they look like and how they hid them and everything. We’re trying to pick up lessons on the other urban areas that are going, have already been where
we’re going. We’re learning our lessons.
De Weerd: Well, good. There’s one last thing, we’re in the middle of updating our comp plan and I know Layne participated in many of our Public Hearings but it might be good to contact
our staff and kind of share ideas on locations and make sure we plan for land use around those areas in the most low impact on the residential areas.
Corrie: Absolutely. We’ll do that.
McCarthy: Just as an addition, we are as a company finally have made the decision to spend those resources and purchase sites if advance. More or less banking sites. So, we are in the
process of identifying these sites as you can see the planners have indicated we want to go out, purchase those sites, get long-term permits or development agreements for those. Identify
the corridors through the public process to get to connect those with the transmission and then that pulls right into what you’re suggesting, have those on the comprehensive plan so
everyone’s going to know well in advance of in service dates where these facilities are going to be. We’re just getting started in that process but that’s our goal.
De Weerd: Thank you.
Anderson: Mr. Mayor.
Corrie: Mr. Anderson.
Anderson: I just had one more question. With the power shortage a lot of people are stepping forward and doing co-generation. I was aware of amalgamated sugar company has just put
in a co-generation plant and I know they’ve got another plant over in Nyssa. How much will that relieve some of the burden for you guys?
McCarthy: We’re not sure yet. We use to receive about one interconnection request a year. Right now, we’re averaging 30 to 60 per week. Everybody wants to come on our system and some
of these are quit large plants. They’re over a thousand megawatts in our service territory. But most of those, there’s no chance they could be built by the middle of summer; it’s just
too quick. Some of them can come on but they’ll be the very small ones and they really won’t have much of an
effect. They’ll help those people that are actually putting them on line but the system as a whole they won’t help very much. Next summer there might be a lot more and the very large
plants, maybe a 500 megawatts or 1,000 megawatts that’s going to be 3 or 4 years out.
Corrie: Okay. Layne thank you very much. Nice presentation, thank you.
Bird: Thank you guys, very nice.
Item 4. Department Reports:
Corrie: Okay. Item No. 3 now will be department reports. We’ll start with the treasurer’s report, Janice Smith.
A. City Treasure – Janice Smith:
1. Treasurer’s Report:
J. Smith: Thank you Mayor and Council members. You received last week the investment cash summary and also the monthly signet of revenue and expenses. On accounting notes we had indicated
that all of the funds are in the black right now. Our revenue came in on our property taxes in late January so we got together with our investment committee, which is Mayor Corrie, Councilman
and President Keith Bird, and City Clerk Will Berg and myself. We met and also via telephone with Councilman Bird. We decided to invest, to take out 4 million out of our checking account
and invest it to money market account, which would bring in 5 percent interest versus the 4.31. In a money market we can take out at any time with out any – also the Farmer’s and Merchants,
it’s with Farmer’s and Merchants, and they are not charging us any fees. At that time we feel, we’ll probably put one and a half into the building fund, one and a half into the enterprise,
and one million into the general. We’re still watching the enterprise account. They’re working on some projects and as they come due we’ll be able to take that money out and pay any
contract on those capital projects. With that closing on the investments did you have any questions on the investment cash summary?
Bird: It looks pretty good.
2. Draft Budget Schedule:
J. Smith: I also put on your desk tonight just your monthly quarterly financial report that goes in the Idaho Statesman. I also enclosed a tentative budget calendar and it’s just a draft
copy. I understand that you guys are going to bring up tonight the notice of the budget hearing which I just wanted to make sure that’s on the agenda because it needs to be in no later
than the 30th. So this is just a tentative calendar and enclosed in the second page is last year’s calendar.
The financial director will be coming on the 30th so she’ll be getting a copy of this. I just want to make sure you guys had it so that you can check your calendars for vacations and
maybe ear mark those and get with the financial director the 30th. I also had the City Clerk put on your desk a report that I’d given to Mayor Corrie on all of the Idaho cities population,
market value and levy rates and I sorted it by City size. I think he’s put that together, the Mayor has put that together for the upcoming workshop for the mill levy election.
(inaudible discussion amongst Council members)
J. Smith: Did you have any questions on that printout?
Bird: I have none.
J. Smith: We are still working with Councilman Ron Anderson’s request to do some bar graphing which should be able to get that done at the time he requested. The last thing I enclosed
on your desk tonight was a service agreement with Copier Expert. The accounting department had some left over audit money that we had an audit done on all of the departments’ copiers
and so this is a contracted service agreement that I wanted you to review. The Mayor, myself, I think the City Clerk, I’m not sure if the City Clerk was sitting in on that agreement
but we reviewed all of the copiers, each department got their audit report. What we’d like to do is get in a maintenance contract with them. The Copier Expert will be the person to go
after those companies that aren’t putting in the parts that they’re suppose to be putting in the parts with and servicing the machines when they’re suppose to. I think the department
heads have enough to do than to manage the copier when the wheel needs changed or just like a car, it’s not flagged so they would do this and it would also be on the website too so we
could track that also. This is just for you to review. We could set up a workshop to go over this in detail and I think the Mayor was quite pleased with the report as I was. It was well
worth the money in the audit of this.
Corrie: Any questions in the Treasurer?
Bird: Janice, Mr. Mayor.
Corrie: Yes, Mr. Bird.
Bird: Janice, all this agreement is is this guy’s going to look over who we have agreements with and make sure that we get everything done right. I’m not sure if I’m right.
J. Smith: That’s correct. It’ll be less than $25 a month.
Bird: How many different agreements do we have on copiers with different businesses?
J. Smith: Some of our machines have no agreements at all. There’s a couple that don’t have any and then to get the life of the machine, it’s just like a car you want it to last five
years you’re going to get the oil changed in it. There’s a couple machines we do need to get some service agreements on it otherwise the machines will not last the five years we would
like it to.
Bird: This isn’t a service agreement.
J. Smith: Just maintenance. He’s going to audit the service agreements.
Bird: Audit the service agreement with somebody else. He’s not going to do it?
J. Smith: No. We’re paying already service agreements that are –
Bird: But you just told me some of the machines do not have agreements.
J. Smith: Right. There’s a couple machines that do not.
Bird: Well, so we’re going to have to hire somebody there to do the service maintenance and this guy is going to come in and make sure they do it right?
J. Smith: That’s correct. We could have him come in during a workshop at a later time and go over this. You could also see, some departments have machines bigger than they need so they’re
paying more than 3 cents a copy.
Bird: I just –
J. Smith: We could set up another workshop on this. This is nothing that needs –
Corrie: I think that, I talked to Janice today that we need to have it in a workshop base it whether he can come into what his investment for 2520 it’s a guarantee that he would save
you more than that –
Bird: Yeah. I like his warranty. I just read his warranty.
Corrie: -- The thing is I felt the council should be appraised all the program here what he’s doing so that you understand up front what it’s all about rather than just say what’s on
the paper here.
Bird: Mr. Mayor.
Corrie: Mr. Bird.
Bird: Let me ask you. You can answer this, is all our copiers different brands, or are we buying all one brand?
Corrie: It depends upon the copies per minute that’s needed by the different ones. There’s a state bid that has different copiers and the cost of them. Some of them have bought; some
of them lease them. It depends upon what they’ve done, whether they’re leasing them. A lot of times they’re not coming in and service them correctly. Those say they’ll last about five
years, am I not correct Janice? Most of the copiers, five years?
J. Smith: Yes. Five years.
Corrie: Some of them if they don’t get the work done on them they won’t even last that long. Sometimes he’ll come out and make some replacements on it. That’s where they make their
money in the service. I don’t quite understand all of it but I think most of it I do. I wanted him to come out and explain it to each one of the Council because it’s a definite advantage
to us to have that but they are different machines. There’s some that’s breaking down all the time. We got one in the City Clerk’s office that, way more copies than it’s designed to
do and so we need to – that’s what the audit came out and told us. They’ve got one that they could lease now that’s a digital that –
*** End of Side One ***
Corrie: -- They put it in and it just automatically gives these packets that are just automatically put out (inaudible)
Bird: For the City is where we have no tax purposes is it better to lease or to buy?
Corrie: In most cases, lease.
Bird: Lease is better? I know in a city –
Corrie: Some it is –
Bird: -- in a private business, yeah lease because you can write off all this, where you just get the depreciation over the years.
Corrie: Any other question?
Bird: I have none.
Corrie: Yeah. We’ll set that up for a workshop and I’ll get with the –
J. Smith: Okay. Thank you Mayor and Council.
Bird: Thanks Janice.
B. Public Works Department – Gary Smith:
Corrie: Okay. Public works, Gary Smith.
G. Smith: Mr. Mayor, Council. I’m going to have City Engineer Brad Watson present these items for this department.
Watson: Thank you Mayor and Council. Three items that we have tonight are contract awards, or agreement awards for consulting services. The first one I think you’ll find my memo in the
front of the packet is for the design of a Great Basin UV disinfection and effluent disposal facilities at the wastewater treatment plant.
1. Grit Basin, UV and Effluent Disposal Project – Agreement for Professional Services:
Watson: The construction of these three items will expand those specific processes to the year 2020 peak flow. Public works’ recommended action on this is to award the agreement for
the wastewater treatment plant Great Basin UV and Effluent Disposal Project to Keller Associates. Lump sum amount for the design is $81,210.00. The additional services such as construction
management, (inaudible) and review, surveying, and miscellaneous other stuff is $44,040.00 on a time and material basis not to exceed and we would recommend that that be awarded to Keller
Associates. Is there any questions?
Bird: Mr. Mayor.
Corrie: Mr. Bird.
Bird: The 44,000, is a not to exceed but what if – they’re going to be the construction manager on this project too?
Watson: Yes. They are providing a half time on site inspector who reports to the project manager who is with Keller Associates.
Bird: Okay. They’re going to hire the construction manager that’s going to get all the subs and all that and actually run the job?
Watson: No. They’re just putting this out for bid. They –
Bird: So, there will be a general contractor, but they will over see the construction and have a man 20 hours a week or whatever on site?
Watson: Correct. Up to this point the City had been providing day to day inspection and the staff out there is too busy to provide that anymore.
Bird: Oh yeah.
Watson: The construction management part of this contract is higher than we’re use to seeing because they’re assuming the inspection duties.
Bird: Okay.
Corrie: Any further questions?
Bird: I have none.
Corrie: Discussion. Okay. Hearing none, I’ll entertain a motion on the recommendation from council.
Bird: Mr. Mayor.
Corrie: Mr. Bird.
Bird: I move that we approve the, award the agreement of the wastewater treatment plant grit basin UV and affluent disposal project to Keller and Associates Inc. in the lump sum the
amount of $81,210.00 for design and a time and material basis no to exceed the amount of $44,040.00 for additional services listed and described in the agreement and authorize the Mayor
to sign and the clerk to attest.
De Weerd: Second.
Corrie: Okay. Motion’s been made and seconded to approve the recommendation of council from the public works department. Is there any other discussion? Then the motion is made. Hearing
none, Mr. Clerk roll call vote please.
Berg: Thank you Mr. Mayor, members of Council roll call vote.
Roll-Call: Bird, aye; de Weerd, aye; McCandless, aye; Anderson, aye.
MOTION CARRIED: ALL AYES
2. 2001 Wastewater Treatment Plan Water Line Project – Professional Services, Construction Staking Agreement:
Corrie: Item No. 2.
Watson: The item No. 2 is simply a time and materials contract for construction staking for the wastewater treatment plant waterline project with Civil Survey
Consultants. They have provided a lot of construction surveying and staking for us over the years. We recommend that Council award the consultant contract to them on a time and materials
basis not to exceed $1,000.00. Are there any questions?
Corrie: Questions, Council?
Bird: I have none.
Corrie: Okay. I’ll entertain a motion on the request.
Bird: Mr. Mayor
Corrie: Mr. Bird.
Bird: I move that we award the agreement for construction staking for the 2001 wastewater treatment plant waterline project to Civil Survey Consultant Inc. on a time and material basis
no to exceed $1,000.00 and authorize the Mayor to sign and the Clerk to attest.
De Weerd: Second.
Corrie: Okay. Motion’s been made and seconded to approve the 2001 wastewater treatment plant waterline project of $1,000.00. Any further discussion? Mr. Berg roll call vote please.
Berg: Thank you Mr. Mayor members of Council, roll call vote.
Roll-Call: Bird, aye; de Weerd, aye; McCandless, aye; Anderson, aye.
MOTION CARRIED: ALL AYES
1. Black Cat / Ustick Water Line Loop Closure Project – Agreement for Professional Services:
Watson: Thank you. Item No. 3 is an agreement for professional services with Earl and Associates for a waterline loop closure in the area of Ustick Road and Black Cat Road. My memo summarizes
the limits of that project. The primary purpose of this is to provide another main transmission line to the Autumn Faire, Turnberry, Ashford Greens area. At present there’s only one
main transmission line. Earl and Associate was contacted because they have existing survey information because they’re doing Autumn Faire Subdivision. They provided us a proposal to
do this work and public works would recommend that council award the agreement for professional services to Earl and Associates. The design amount is a lump sum of $11,339.00 with additional
services such as construction management, although we will be doing the administration, they
provide some (inaudible) and review and are available to answer questions that come up. That would be on a time and material basis not to exceed $3,500.00. The estimated cost of this
project is around $80,000.00. Are there any questions?
Bird: Mr. Mayor.
Corrie: Mr. Bird.
Bird: Brad I think I know the answer but for public record, they will do all the engineering and everything. We will not have to hire somebody to do that. They will do this complete
engineering and have it all set, ready for bid.
Watson: They prepare the project manual and plats.
Bird: For the $11,330.00?
Watson: And run it through DEQ.
Bird: Yes. I have no further.
Corrie: Any other questions? Okay. I’ll entertain a motion.
Bird: Mr. Mayor.
Corrie: Mr. Bird.
Bird: I move that we award the agreement for the Black Cat Ustick waterline loop closure to Earl and Associates Inc. in the lump sum amount of $11,339.00 for design and a time and material
basis not to exceed the amount of $3,500.00 for additional services described in the agreement and for the Mayo to sign and for the clerk to attest.
Corrie: Okay. Do I hear a second?
De Weerd: Second.
Corrie: Okay. Motion’s been made and seconded to approve Earl and Associates on the motions made. Any further discussion? Hearing none, roll call vote please.
Berg: Thank you Mr. Mayor members of the Council, roll call vote.
Roll-Call: Bird, aye; de Weerd, aye; McCandless, aye; Anderson, aye.
MOTION CARRIED: ALL AYES
Watson: Thank you Mayor and Council.
Corrie: Thank you.
Parks and Recreation Department – Tom Kuntz:
Corrie: Item No. C parks and rec department Tom Kuntz.
1. Storey Park Master Plan Update:
Kuntz: Thank you Mayor and Council. The first item I have is a request for approval for the Storey Park master plan update. Information contained in the memo dated 4-20. We plan to make
some changes in the front portion of Storey Park next fiscal year. In order to proceed with that we need to do a master plan update. We’ve selected CTA Landworks Group to provide that
service at a cost of $4,425.00. This will assist us in having estimates and making requests at budget time for next fiscal year. The recommended council action is to approve the agreement
with CTA Landworks to provide that Storey Park master plan update at a cost of $4,425.00 and authorize the Mayor to sign and the City Clerk to attest.
Corrie: Any questions from Council? Okay. Hearing none, I’ll entertain a motion to approve the recommendation of Storey Park master plan.
De Weerd: Mr. Mayor.
Corrie: Mrs. De Weerd.
De Weerd: I move that we approve the agreement with CTA Landworks to provide the Storey Park master plan update at a cost of $4,425.00 to authorize the Mayor to sign and clerk to attest.
Bird: Second.
Corrie: Motion’s made and second to approve the recommendation of the parks and rec department Tom Kuntz on the Storey Park master plan update. Any further discussion? Hearing none,
roll call vote Mr. Clerk.
Roll-Call: Bird, aye; de Weerd, aye; McCandless, aye; Anderson, aye.
MOTION CARRIED: ALL AYES
2. Storey Park Topographic Survey:
Kuntz: The second item is related to the first item. After discussions with public works director Gary Smith and scanning our files in our office and having discussions with Walt Murrow
of Western Ada Recreation District, we are unable to locate an accurate topographic survey of Storey Park, which is necessary to provide base information on the master plan. We’ve selected
WH Pacific to provide this service and there is a change in the cost. I’ve got a memo, actually email from David Short whose their representative, their survey director. He obtained
some electronic files I believe from Compass but I could be wrong. It was either Compass or the Ada County auditors. Yeah the Ada County GIS. It shows the property pins for the outline
or the outer areas of Storey Park but it does not show anything as far as Western Ada’s property, the pool and the area around the pool. So, he has suggested, originally he suggested
and additional $1400.00 to provide that. I indicated that seemed a little steep to me so he came down to an additional $600.00 to provide that service. I’ll pass this email out real
briefly.
Bird: Mr. Mayor.
Corrie: Mr. Bird.
Bird: Tom I think if you want to find the Western Ada’s deal in that go get the plat of the Meridian Speedway, the Meridian Dairy Show board. That acre was taken off of theirs in 1973
I believe it was. I don’t know why we would need that in Storey Park. (inaudible) That is not part of Storey Park. Why would we need that in part (inaudible)
(inaudible discussion amongst Council members)
Bird: I think you could find it all because the Dairy Show board give the original part of Storey Park to the city and Hanz should have the property lines for the back part when we purchased
that in 68. ((inaudible)
Smith: Mr. Mayor, Council.
Bird: (inaudible)
Corrie: (inaudible)
Smith: There is a survey that was done by Hubble Engineering for the back part where the baseball field, where the American Legion field is and the softball field. Those pins are in
and they’re there. I think the one Tom is concerned about is the property around West Ada Rec, the swimming pool.
Bird: That should be on record because that was deeded to Western Ada in 71, I think 71 and it should have been, the pins for it should have been surveyed and put out. It should be the
original part, well it’s part of the original, the front part is
the original land of the Meridian Dairy Show board and they should have that split out too.
Smith: I think the legal descriptions for both those parcels are available. I think what Tom’s looking for is a drawing that would show that legal description and the parcel itself in
order to split that out from the city property for this topographic map.
Bird: Mr. Mayor. Gary, being an engineer, it seems a little high $4100.00 when you’ve got all that stuff at your disposal.
(inaudible discussion amongst Council members)
Anderson: It’s only 600 for what he’s wanting to find out about the Western Ada’s property (inaudible).
Bird: Right.
Anderson: The rest of it’s for doing the rest of Storey Park.
Bird: Yeah. I know.
Corrie: I think if you need to find out and you need it, I think $600.00 is well-spent money for everybody’s concern.
Smith: Mayor and Council. I know in this day and age it doesn’t take long to eat up 600 bucks with a survey crew –
(inaudible discussion amongst Council members)
Bird: You’re right. Well said. I pull my argument.
Corrie: Any other discussion?
Bird: No.
De Weerd: Mr. Mayor.
Corrie: Mrs. De Weerd.
De Weerd: I move that we approve the agreement with W H Pacific Inc. to provide Storey Park topographic survey at a cost of $4,100.00 and to authorize the Mayor to sign and the clerk
to attest.
Corrie: Do I hear a second?
Anderson: Second.
Corrie: Motions made and second to do the recommendation of the parks director in the amount of $4,100.00 to WH Pacific Inc. Any further discussion? Hearing none, roll call vote Mr.
Berg.
Berg: Thank you Mr. Mayor, members of Council roll call vote
Roll-Call: Bird, aye; de Weerd, aye; McCandless, aye; Anderson, aye.
MOTION CARRIED: ALL AYES
(inaudible discussion amongst Council members)
3. Chateau Park Construction Design:
Kuntz: Thank you Mayor and Council. The third item is in regards to Chateau Park construction design. In this years budget there was funds for constructing phase 1 of Chateau Park. The
master plan for the park was approved by the City Council. We’ve selected CTA Landworks Group to provide the design specifications necessary to bid the construction of phase 1. The fee
for that service is $10,172.00. That does not include the architectural services for the design of the restroom. We are anticipating using the restroom design from either Boise City
or the state parks department at a cost of about $5,000.00. The initial estimates for just the design of the restrooms was $14,000.00. We don’t feel like that’s prudent to invest that
kind of money in a restroom that will be fairly small in size. The reason that this has taken this long is that we initially were negotiating with another landscape architect company.
There was about a $6,000.00 difference between their estimate and this estimate so we are bringing this for your consideration tonight.
Bird: Mr. Mayor.
Corrie: Mr. Bird.
Bird: Tom, what’s the estimate on the cost of the construction on phase 1?
Kuntz: It was between 250 and $350,000.00 and I did not look at what the budget approval was. I think it was in the area of $350,000.00.
Bird: We’re just getting the design services, or are we getting CM of it and bidding –
Kuntz: Bidding documents but no construction administration for this.
(inaudible discussion amongst Council members)
Kuntz: You should have in your packets attached is a letter dated April 19th from CTA outlining each individual item and the cost related to those. Do you have those in your packet?
Bird: Uh-huh.
De Weerd: Mr. Mayor.
Corrie: Mrs. De Weerd.
De Weerd: Tom what is the time frame for this part?
Kuntz: As far as starting construction of phase 1? It would be 60 days.
De Weerd: And how long will it take to complete?
Kuntz: I don’t have an estimate on that.
Anderson: Are you asking for the additional 5,000 to that 10,000 for the restroom design in addition to this?
Kuntz: No sir. Tonight all I’m asking for is the 10,172 that would be the fee for CTA Landworks Group. Included in that would be $2,048.00 that would cover that engineering of site
utilities required to make the restroom facility operational. The 5,000 I will come back to the Council, once I have a firm figure on what that cost will actually be.
Anderson: Okay.
Bird: Mr. Mayor.
Kuntz: We’re hoping to get it for less than that.
Corrie: Mr. Bird.
Bird: Tom, you know where the restroom’s going to be in the plan so the utilities and stuff is in this phase 1 right? So, all we have to do is put the thing up when we do it?
Kuntz: Yeah.
(inaudible discussion amongst Council members)
De Weerd: Mr. Mayor
Corrie: Mrs. De Weerd.
De Weerd: I move that we approve the award of the contract to CTA Landworks Group to provide design specifications for phase 1 at Chateau Park in the amount of $10,172.00 for the Mayor
to sign and the clerk attest.
Bird: Second.
Corrie: Okay. Motions been made and second to approve the recommendation to the Council on the contract to CTA Landworks Group $10,172.00. Any further discussion? Hearing none, roll
call vote Mr. Berg.
Berg: Thank you Mr. Mayor, members of Council, roll call vote.
Roll-Call: Bird, aye; de Weerd, aye; McCandless, aye; Anderson, aye.
MOTION CARRIED: ALL AYES
Corrie: Motion stated as approved. Item 4.
Kuntz: Mayor with your consent I’d like to move No. 5 next if I could.
Corrie: That’s fine.
5. 58-Acre Park Ditch Tiling Project:
Kuntz: You should have in your mailboxes a memo dated 4-23 requesting an additional one item for tonight’s consideration. Did everyone get that?
Anderson: That was the one that wasn’t in our box by Friday wasn’t it?
(inaudible discussion amongst Council members)
Kuntz: Council member Anderson I think it was in your box on Monday.
(inaudible discussion amongst Council members)
Kuntz: Friday, Monday
De Weerd: Friday night.
Kuntz: If you’d like to delay action on this until the next meeting I certainly understand.
Corrie: (inaudible) go ahead.
Kuntz: We opened the bids on the tiling of the irrigation ditches on the 58-acre park on March 19th. There was only one bidder from Paul Construction of Meridian at $81,012.00. Four
days prior to the opening of that bid, we received a letter from the JUB Engineers indicating their client Kevin Howell was no longer willing to allow excess irrigation water run north
across his property to the white drain. We have documentation from two prior meetings with WH Pacific and numerous farm owners and landowners at those meetings that the best situation
as far as dumping that excess water would be up along north of Meridian Road into the white drain. For some reason, the developer chose to change his mind mid stream and as you can see
the design and bid specifications were laid out around to draining the excess water to the north. What we’re asking for at this time is to reject the only bid on that project from Paul
Construction of $81,112.00 that will allow us time to renegotiate with the developer who now has turned 180 degrees the other way and said he will now allow us to run that drain water
up to the north. So, we met with our city attorney today and we’re working on an easement agreement to make it all legal. Thank you.
Corrie: (inaudible) any discussion?
Anderson: Mr. Mayor.
Corrie: Mr. Anderson.
Anderson: Let me get this straight. You want us to accept or reject this bid now?
Kuntz: Reject please.
Anderson: But if it’s going to go north anyway now –
Kuntz: W e will be outside the 60 day time period.
Anderson: It’s just the timing then?
Kuntz: Timing plus there was only one bidder. We think the reason there was only one bidder is we were trying to get this done prior to the irrigation water coming into the ditches.
What we’ll do at this point is go out. First, get the easement in place. Two is we will do some minor redesign. Three is we’ll put the system in dry and then we will hook up tot he irrigation
system over a period when farmers down stream from us have alfalfa that'’ cut and don’t want their water. So, we’ll use that window there to hook up the system that’s been put in dry.
Then we’ll be coming back to you at some point in the near future when we’ve re-bid the project.
Anderson: Okay.
Corrie: Any other questions? Hearing none, I’ll entertain a motion on the recommendation of the parks director.
De Weerd: Mr. Mayor.
Corrie: Mrs. De Weerd.
De Weerd: I move that we reject the bid submitted for the tiling of 50 whatever acre project. It’s 58 or 56.
(inaudible discussion amongst Council members)
Kuntz: 68.84 minus 2 acres for a water tank.
Bird: (inaudible) going to say 56.
De Weerd: okay.
Corrie: Yeah. We got two acres that are taking up by a big (inaudible).
Bird: And we paid for the whole thing for just that 2 acres what he charged us.
Corrie: Okay.
De Weerd: Sorry I ask.
Corrie: Is there a second to the motion to reject the bid?
Anderson: I’ll second.
Corrie: Okay. Motions made and seconded to reject the bid of Paul Construction of $81,112.00. Any further discussion? Hearing none, roll call vote Mr. Berg.
Berg: Thank you Mr. Mayor members of Council roll call vote.
Roll-Call: Bird, aye; de Weerd, aye; McCandless, aye; Anderson, aye.
MOTION CARRIED: ALL AYES
Corrie: All ayes it’s approved for rejection.
4. Skate Park Site Selection:
Corrie: Okay. Item No. 4 Skate park selection.
Kuntz: The last item for your consideration is the site selection for the skate park. I tried to get all the council members out this week to see Tully Park as well as the 58-acre
site and where our concerns are in regards to pedestrian safety and walking along Ustick Road. I know the police department had some concerns about the 58-acre site as far as the distance
out from the core of town. I’m not sure if they had any concerns about pedestrian safety but maybe I can let Captain Musser speak to that. The parks and recreations commission discussed
this topic at their April meeting and took a vote. It passed to recommend to the council the 58-acre park site. As a result of the staff’s concerns we have re-contacted some of those
parks commissioners and they are willing to adjust their vote or they would like to we able to discuss this issue at this Thursday workshop coming up if the council would like to delay
a decision on this. Staff feels very strongly that because of the unsafe walking conditions along Ustick Road, because of the close proximity to the middle school and the high school,
that Tully Park even though it will be a little more crowded than it would definitely be at the 58 acres. That Tully Park is the best site for that skate park at this time.
De Weerd: Mr. Mayor
Corrie: Mrs. De Weerd.
De Weerd: Tom, have you gone out and talked to the neighbors in the area surrounding that park?
Kuntz: Council member De Weerd, Mayor, and Council. We have not done that. We certainly can do that. I guess the reason that we didn’t feel like it was necessary is because where we’re
siting the Skate Park is dead center in the middle of the park. To the south is our parking lot prior to the row of houses to the north is a space of green area and then the new five
mile creek pathway will be there. That’s the reason we haven’t done it yet but we certainly could do that.
De Weerd: I know in the original plans, in the inception of the parks and recreation commission they did run a public hearing for the neighbors to look at that plan. It didn’t include
a skate park and I, it would be my strong recommendation that they be notified and given a chance to comment on having that sort of amenity in that park.
Corrie: Any other comments?
Anderson: Mr. Mayor.
Corrie: Mr. Anderson.
Anderson: Tom, in your memo you’d indicated that the parks and recreation commission had recommended the 56/58-acre park. Have you had a chance to
talk to them to see if any of those members would have any problem with this Tully Park site?
Kuntz: Council member Anderson, Mayor, Council. We were only able to actually get in touch with two of them. We did send emails to all of them today after being unsuccessful reaching
them yesterday. The chairman of the parks commission Shari Baker and Craig Steele both were willing to reconsider and reconsider their vote to Tully Park.
Anderson: And how many members are on there?
Kuntz: There are seven.
Anderson: So, you got a hold of two of them?
Kuntz: Yes sir. That’s why if the Council chooses to delay this it would give us an opportunity to talk to them Thursday night. I don’t have a problem with that.
Bird: Mr. Mayor.
Corrie: Mr. Bird.
Bird: Tom, I would have no problem with delaying it. The only problem I see is you know we budgeted for a skate board park and we were going to get it in this year and here we are. I
know the sites have been odd. I was the one that was in favor of the 58 but I have to agree with your staff and yourself after driving out there. Without the sidewalks and stuff it isn’t
real safe but I also agree with Tammy on the Tully Park. I know the location of it isn’t bad. It’s not next to houses. In the same token, when we did get the final plan when Tammy and
I were sitting on the parks and recreation commission we did have the public input on that and not having a skate board park in that it would probably be fair to the people around it.
I don’t think they would object to it. Of course I didn’t think my neighbors would object to the middle school either so I might be wrong there. I would have no objections to delaying
it. I’d just like to see it get built this year.
Corrie: Tom, I think that’s probably a good idea to talk to them. I also would suggest there’s I think there’s 6 youths set back here and you kind of talk to those young people and
kind of get their idea of where they would – We’re talking now between two areas and if they have some friends that would like to put their input in there I think if you would talk to
Tom or come to my office and tell you which you’d like to see. We’d like to have your input too because you’re the ones’ that’s going to b e down there. So, either the 56 acre park or
at Tully ark, we’d like to hear your comments if you’d either come to my office or Tom’s or bring your friends into my office. We’d like to hear from you as well.
Kuntz: Mayor did you want to hear from the police department on this issue?
Corrie: Sure. Sure
Musser: Mr. Mayor and Members of Council. At this point the Police Department’s recommendation would be to avoid any increased pedestrian traffic on the Ustick Road site because it’s
not improved, no sidewalks and it is relatively thin country road still at this point in which hasn’t been improved. If you spend any time out there as well, you’ll see that the traffic
is fairly heavy at this point with the north end growth that we’ve had. So, our recommendation would be that, unless we do have improvements that are on the board and in hand with it
that Tully would probably be the better option at this point.
Corrie: Tom, once they get started how long do you think it’ll take to have it built?
(inaudible discussion amongst Council members)
Kuntz: I’d hate to answer that without talking with our design architect but I could certainly get you an answer.
Bird: Mr. Mayor.
Kuntz: I guess I would, we could have it open by September.
Corrie: Mr. Bird.
Bird: I think he just answered my question but, Tom, we don’t have the drawings for, I mean I realize we haven’t got an exact location of it but we have some kind of an idea what we’re
going to have in it aren’t we?
Kuntz: Council member Bird, Mayor, Council. The land group who designed and over saw the construction of the Eagle site has conceptual drawings and concepts from Eagle. As they indicated
to me when I ask why the price was so high to design it, each site has it’s own peculiarities. I know one thing that possibly is a plus at Tully. I talked with Brad Watson is that we
may be able to access the drainage area that’s already in place there at Tully for the parking lot without having to have the additional cost of building additional you know drainage
pit and pond in that area. So, there’s some plusses there. I guess to answer your question, the experience that the land group has with the Eagle Skate Park we’re hoping is going to
cut down the amount of design time.
Bird: Good.
De Weerd: Mr. Mayor
Corrie: Mrs. De Weerd:
De Weerd: I think there are going to be a number of kids on that design committee I’m sure have some ideas what they’d like to see in it. Tom and I did discuss the Ustick problem because
I agree we did March For Parks there last year and thank God for the Police Department and their help in getting the walkers through there. That is no the place to walk but Five-Mile
Creek pathway is opening in June and it is a great alternative. It’s not too far off of Ustick to cut from Linder to Meridian Road, so it is an alternative route to get up to the site.
Bird: (inaudible)
Kuntz: Mayor and Council. You don’t want to take time tonight to listen to the young people who came did you?
Corrie: Sure, if they want to.
(inaudible discussion amongst Council members)
Corrie: It’s not a public hearing but it’s their park. Anybody like to say a few words to us?
Bird: They just want a skateboard.
(inaudible discussion amongst Council members)
Corrie: Okay. Come on up.
(inaudible)
Corrie: I’m sorry. Come on up here where we can hear you.
(inaudible)
Bird: Okay.
Corrie: Maybe they (inaudible)
Bennett: I know a while ago we had –
Corrie: What’s your name?
Bird: Give your name.
Bennett: Shawn Bennett. I’m not a skate boarder; I ride my bike. I’m a BMXer, and I know a while ago we had a meeting out at the fire station and there was a whole bunch of us there.
We discussed where it was going to be at and we
actually discussed it being at Storey Park. I was just kind of wondering whatever happened to it being over there because that’s where like me and all my friends that I associate with,
my friends and I that’s where we kind of look forward to seeing it at. It’s a little bit closer to where everything is. You can go get food. Like out at Tully Park we have to drive all
the way, or ride all the way to the other side of town to find something to eat or something. I was just kind of wondering what happened to whatever was going there.
Corrie: Okay. I can give you to Tom. You want to –
Kuntz: That recommendation was taken to the Council and Mayor. Really only for discussion. The Council felt like one of the key issues in sighting this Skate Park is visibility from
a main thoroughfare and they felt like the site at Tully, or excuse me Storey Park was some what buried in the inside of the park and was not really highly visible from Franklin or First
Avenue. Especially since that area around Storey Park is going to be developed with probably a couple story buildings that the visibility into that site is going to be less than it is
right now.
Bird: Our police chief also recommended that it was not the safest place down there at night.
Bennett: Okay.
Bird: Thank you.
Kuntz: We’ll build some new restaurants around Tully park for you.
De Weerd: I don’t know. I think Maverick considers itself a destination restaurant.
Corrie: If I recall, I believe (inaudible)
(inaudible discussion amongst Council members)
Corrie: One of our Council people lives close to it. They might have barbecue.
Bird: I was just going to say, we’ve got a councilperson maybe they’ll put up a portable barbecue out there for you.
Corrie: Okay then –
De Weerd: If the payments right.
Corrie: I assume that the Council would like to have a little bit longer –
Bird: Yeah, I would really.
Corrie: Okay Tom. Thank you.
Kuntz: Thank you.
De Weerd: You’re going to get it though guys.
Bird: Don’t hold your breath, you’d be blue but we’ll get it.
D. Mayor’s Department – Mayor Robert Corrie:
1. Participation in the Meridian to Boise Shuttle Bus Program by ACHD
Corrie: Oh boy. Okay. Item D last on the agenda the participation in Meridian to Boise shuttle bus program by ACHD. I ask that this be put on so that I could talk to council. I did
get a bill from the ACHD for 17,500 for the commuter shuttle and then we participate in another mid day shuttle for 12,500. In December 2000, we talked about that and it mentioned that
in that they were asking for the 15,000 which we didn’t already pay and it said that we can vote to give her the (inaudible) here at the April through September on the 15,000. I believe
then we can see how it goes and then the 30,000 for the following year. In going through all the pages of the hearings that we did motions and that we didn’t make any motions to approve
the request the 17,500 and the 12,500. I though we’d better bring that up and have you discuss that if you wanted to continue with the service. I think we all understand what the service
is and the people had it liked it. Ridership has been more than we anticipated. I’ll open it for discussion and request that the 30,000 that’s coming up for the year 2001 and then I
think they’re in the year 2002 another 17,500 beginning the fiscal year of 10-1-01. Well that’s what they’re asking for, I’m sorry.
Bird: Didn’t we agree to pay that, Mayor?
Corrie: I couldn’t find anywhere in the minutes that we had a motion to do so.
(inaudible)
Bird: I think you’re probably right we all agreed to it.
Corrie: But I don’t think we did the motion that I could find.
De Weerd: We included it in the motion didn’t we?
Corrie: No.
De Weerd: I mean in the budget.
Bird: Budget.
Corrie: I think yes we did but we didn’t vote on it as such.
Bird: But we included it in the budget though didn’t we?
Corrie: It’s in the budget but you didn’t approve it.
Bird: Was it 17,500?
Corrie: 7,500 then there’s 2,500 later and then another one –
Bird: 8750? We paid that already didn’t we?
Corrie: We paid all that. We paid the 6,250 and the 8750. Now it’s at 12,500 and 17,500 which is the --
Bird: What’s the 12,000 Mayor? I don’t –
Corrie: That’s the – 12,500 is for the midday shuttle then the other was 17500 for the commuter shuttle. That would total us in the 30,000. We kicked that price around and we said
yeah we would look at it and then see how it goes and then for the 30,000 for the following year. Then the motion was made to approve the 15,000 so we put it in the budget but we didn’t
vote on it. That’s why I hesitate to say okay pay the 17500 because we don’t have that a back up from the Council to approve that. We put it in the budget but we just didn’t put in a
motion to pay it.
Bird: Participation from our citizens has been more than we even thought.
(inaudible discussion amongst Council members)
Bird: I think we owe it to the citizens to as long as it used to continue it.
Corrie: One of the things that Bob Hawn has stated that they were going to put in some money to also have it go into the Corporate Park. Jabil, the whole bit around there as well.
Bird: Great.
Corrie: That will be extra on top of all this other.
Bird: Great. That’ll be neat.
Corrie: That wasn’t in writing but it was verbal.
De Weerd: Mr. Mayor
Corrie: Mrs. De Weerd:
De Weerd: Do you just need a motion to authorize payment of the 17,500?
Bird: 29,500.
Corrie: Actually, --
Bird: If it’s –
Corrie: -- 30,000. 12,500-midday shuttle and 17,500 for commuter shuttle total contributions. We already paid the 15 for the year 2000. 2001 be a total of 30.
Anderson: Mr. Mayor
Corrie: Mr. Anderson:
Anderson: I’m fuzzy on the whole issue about exactly what Pat asked us for and how much we budgeted. Is there any way we can verify how much we budgeted before we –
Corrie: Yeah. We can pull that from –
Anderson: -- do a vote because I don’t think we budgeted that much.
Bird: I don’t think we did either.
De Weerd: I thought we budgeted –
Anderson: Stick in my mind.
Bird: Wasn’t it 30,000? I thought we budgeted 15.
Anderson: When I read these minutes, I mean it looks like Keith was specifically trying to pin her down and she was saying 17,000 and then she said here it was for the year 2002. I’m
not sure we budgeted that amount.
Bird: I didn’t think we budgeted that 30,000 but I think, this isn’t all, some of this goes to the Treasure Valley too don’t it? The one that comes from Nampa.
Corrie: Oh yeah.
Bird: I mean it’s not just the one ACHD this is to service the whole from Caldwell to what is it?
Corrie: Boise.
De Weerd: Treasure Valley Transit (inaudible) said 12,500.
Bird: That’s the 12,500. Then the 17,500, and Tammy you might be right. We might have budgeted 30,000 but I’m like Ron I don’t recall it.
Corrie: We can pull it back. It’s stated in here that we’ll be asked for 17,500 the entire year next year. It’s 15,000 this year total so that total with two system and $30,000 for
the following year, which would be 2001, which is the one we’re in now.
Bird: That’s right.
Corrie: That’s the one Keith was questioning about. I’m trying, I couldn’t find where it was but you did mention that. We could certainly make sure we’ve got it in the budget.
Bird: Mr. Anderson, would you agree to make a motion that if it is in the budget go ahead and pay it and if not bring it back so that we can get it paid? They probably could use the
money.
Anderson: Yeah. I’m just concerned that we budgeted that amount and –
Bird: I don’t think we did.
Anderson: -- there’s a –
Bird: Tammy thinks we did.
Anderson: -- when I read these minutes it’s confusing to me what she was even asking us for.
Bird: That’s why I questioned her.
Anderson: If the 17,000 was one thing and then she was asking for an additional dollar amount to cover something else, I mean there’s so many figures thrown around In these minutes
that I’m not sure what she’s asking for.
Bird: I’m too sure those extra figures are thrown around is not, because they lose the federal funding from the Wye once it is completed.
*** End of Side Two ***
Bird: -- then the federal dollars go away. That kind of sticks in my mind. It’s only been a year though.
De Weerd: Mr. Mayor
Corrie: She’s only asking for right now in this letter February the 8th 2001 for 17,500 for the fiscal year 2001. Mrs. De Weerd:
De Weerd: I believe that when she came and made the presentations those both last February and this last December, she did bring handouts. If the City clerk’s office doesn’t have it,
I believe I still may. If you want me to find mine I certainly would be willing to try and find it. It was very nicely put out in the literature that we received both times that she
came and spoke.
Bird: Mr. Mayor
De Weerd: I really do believe we did budget for it because it was that and the senior request that we make sure to get in specifically in the budget. It might be, Will is that in your
budget?
Bird: He wouldn’t (inaudible) How much did we budget, Mr. Clerk?
Berg: I believe (inaudible) because it consisted of three different (inaudible)
De Weerd: Mr. Clerk, will you please talk in your microphone?
Berg: Sorry.
(inaudible discussion amongst Council members)
Berg: No comment.
Bird: Council with your permission I would make a motion that we pay the 17,500 to Ada County Highway District and 12,000 –
De Weerd: 500
Bird: -- no. It’s 12,000.
Corrie: 12,500
Bird: -- 12,500 to Treasure Valley transportation if it has been budgeted for that amount in our 2001 budget. If not, bring it back and we’ll address it.
De Weerd: Second.
(inaudible discussion amongst Council members)
Corrie: There was a second? Okay. Motion has been made and second to pay the 17,500 for the commuter shuttle for the October 2000 September 2001 and the midday shuttle at 12,500 as
long as it was in the budget and approved for that. Any further discussion? All those in favor say aye.
MOTION CARRIED: ALL AYES
Corrie: We’ll need to get tomorrow and find that out. If there’s any discrepancy on that (inaudible). Okay. I guess we voted on the agenda. I did have one thing real quick for the
council. The letter that I wrote to the Meridian City residents, there was some few errors that was pointed out to me. We’ll get those changed. One of the things that the letter to go
out in our water bill would be this letter and also if you would like we can put on the Treasure Valley levies like we did on the back of it so it’s one page. Then maybe a map underneath
that of the four polling districts in the city (inaudible)
Bird: I think that’s a great idea Mayor.
Corrie: Okay. Is there any other problem with that?
De Weerd: Mr. Mayor
Corrie: Yes.
De Weerd: In Star and Eagle, they both have fire districts that are taxing (inaudible) don’t they? You know these figures it’s hard to compare to ours when their fire districts are separate
from their – can they be asterisked and maybe adjusted to include their fire district?
(inaudible discussion amongst Council members)
De Weerd: Well, yeah but we have the Fire Department is funded –
Bird: It’s funded just like – they don’t have to fund. Their district is a separate entity. Their fire districts, so they’re just funding, what you see. They’re not funding as much.
Their mill levy isn’t funding as much as we have to because they don’t have to fund a Police Department –
De Weerd: Keith, I understand that. What I’m saying is add their fire district levy to theirs to adequately reflect that cost. If you’re going to compare us to Star and Eagle and we
fund our fire department out of the mill levy that we collect I would like that reflected and I would like to compare apples to apples.
Anderson: I agree with Tammy, Keith. What she’s trying to say here and I know we’ve talked about it a number of times –
Bird: Yeah
Anderson: -- is we need to show, just like when you look at this levy comparison on the back. When you look at Boise and Caldwell and Meridian and Nampa, they’re all funding a fire
department in this mill levy. Then you look at cities like Eagle and Garden City and Kuna and Star, they’re not. So you need to add that mill levy of their fire districts so that you
can adequately show that they’re actually paying more taxes.
Bird: Also you’ve got to show what we’re paying Ada County Highway District if you want to compare to Nampa Caldwell and that because they’re all financing their own districts.
Anderson: I agree with you.
Corrie: But we’ve got that one don’t we?
Bird: No, not in this one.
Corrie: Not in this one but we can put it in this one.
Bird: I think you need, if you want to do that, I mean myself Kuna, Star and Eagle, stuff like that isn’t my worry it’s Nampa Caldwell, cities that are up around our size. Boise, which
isn’t around our size.
De Weerd: Well, then don’t include those.
Anderson: Then maybe we ought to drop out some of those smaller cities and just compare it with cities that are comparable in size.
Bird: I realize they’ve got a contract Star, Eagle and Kuna all have a contract with Ada Count Sheriff department. I’ll guarantee you they couldn’t finance their own police department
for what they’re paying the sheriff department. But they don’t get the coverage either. I’ll agree with you but that’s part of the deal but I would like to compare apples to apples with
people and all we have to do in Boise and Meridian just like Ken Harward did on our, like the Mayor did on that chart we had last week was show what our Ada County Highway District assessment
is and then put Nampa Caldwell in there because they’ve already got it in there.
Anderson: I think that’s the basic thing that Tammy’s asking for. Let’s compare apples to apples so it does adequately reflect –
Corrie: Yeah. We want --
Anderson: -- some of these don’t do that.
Corrie: We want to be right straight across so that it shows that. I think AIC one does that and we could put that one in there. That wouldn’t be any problem. I think it’s probably
better if we did.
Anderson: Okay.
Corrie: (inaudible) and I will put that together tomorrow morning and have it in your box by noon so you can take a look at it because we don’t have to get it there until Thursday for
the water bills.
Berg: Mr. Mayor
Corrie: Yes.
Berg: If I could interrupt, the printing of that, Anita was saying that she needs to have that by Wednesday midday to give to the printers to print that.
Corrie: By Wednesday? I thought she said Thursday.
Berg: Thursday to the people that send out the bills –
(inaudible discussion amongst Council members)
Berg: Wednesday for the printer to print the how many thousands of copies.
Corrie: Well, if you happen to make it in here in the morning, it’ll be there in your box by noon. If you come in my office I’ll show it to you. I need your corrections on this one
(inaudible). Okay.
Berg: Mr. Mayor.
Corrie: Yes.
Berg: You added an item No. 5 for the public hearing.
Item 5. Public Hearing Date for Budget –
Corrie: Okay. We need to decide either the 28th or the 29th for the Public Hearing. That would be by what August?
Berg: Mr. Mayor. August 28th is a Tuesday, which is the fourth Tuesday of the month. The 29th is a Wednesday.
Bird: Go for the 29th.
Corrie: 29th, Public Hearing on a Wednesday? Okay. Okay does everybody agree to that 29th of – I think we’ll be through, that’s Wednesday.
(inaudible discussion amongst Council members)
Corrie: So, August the 29th on the Public Hearing on the budget. Okay.
Berg: I’ll notify –
Corrie: I’ll notify them because you have to do that by the 30th, don’t you?
Berg: Okay. Thank you.
Corrie: All right. Well, with that –
Bird: Mr. Mayor
Corrie: Mr. Bird
Bird: I’d ask your permission if any of the Scouts would like to ask any questions or give us any information. I love this turn out of the Boy Scouts. Come on up –
Corrie: Come up here.
Bird: -- give us your name and the Mayor will answer all the questions.
Corrie: Okay.
Linntown: Mayor, Council –
Corrie: Name?
Linntown: I’m sorry, Bryce Linntown. I’m sure a lot of the Boy Scouts are wondering where would this 58 or 56-mile park be located in the Meridian area?
Corrie: Okay. I think I can handle that one. Meridian Road and Ustick Road. Do you know where the big round water – right there. The big field that’s in there is 56 acres.
Linntown: Okay. Thank you.
Corrie: You bet.
De Weerd: By the way in that 56 acres, phase 1 of that park will begin this summer. Phase 1 is about 25 acres of park land that will be developed.
Corrie: One of you wrote me a letter about the Catholic Church being a kindergarten – there he is right there. I will be sending that letter to you this week in reference to that.
Good question, very good question. Just for the Council’s edification he wanted to know if the Catholic church there on Cherry Lane was going to make that into a school for kindergarten
through I believe it was the 8th grade, 8th grade and wanted to know if they could do that with their property. It’s very, very good questions and I’ve looked into it. I’ll give you
my answer on that in writing and we’ll be ready to go on it. Very good question. Any other questions?
De Weerd: be careful of the arms you know –
Bird: The arms of these chairs are a little temperamental.
Bartin: My name is Josh Bartin. I was wondering why Idaho had decided not to use nuclear power?
Bird: Nuclear power deals. Let’s just get one of these gentlemen here up.
De Weerd: Kent, can you answer this?
(inaudible discussion amongst Council members)
McCarthy: I don’t think that Idaho has decided not to use nuclear power. To permit a nuclear power plant, to design, permit and build one would probably take about 15 to 20 years. To
address our present crisis, it really wouldn’t help us out at all. Down the road in the future, I think we’re seeing re-surgance of nuclear power in the United States and I think we
might some day come around to having some in the state of Idaho.
Bird: Thank you Kent.
De Weerd: Thank you.
Bird: Come boys you’re not bashful. Your Scout leader will tell us that.
Corrie: Okay, back here. Now you’re on the 3-minute clock.
Unidentified: I was wondering what all will be included in the park and are there any other park projects planned for the Meridian area?
Bird: Where’s Thomas at?
Corrie: Parks director --
Bird: Thomas.
Corrie: Tom Kuntz would you like to. Thank you. I hated to pull you out of there but he wanted to know what was going to be planned for the 56 acre park and any other new parks that
have been planned.
Kuntz: Okay. Who am I addressing this to?
Corrie: The whole troop.
Kuntz: The master plan for the 56-acre park which we would like to name some day, if you have any ideas you could submit those to the Mayor and Council I’m sure. The master plan for
that is available as a colored drawing at the parks and recreation office one block down Meridian Road here if you would like to see it. We’re open from 8 to 5. Included in the park,
maybe I’ll start with phase 1 because that’s going to be built this summer. Will be about 25 acres of green space that can be used for picnicking or soccer practices or those type of
things. It will include a 350 to 400 car parking lot. Will include a perimeter pathway. It will include a restroom facility. It will include a playground facility and we’re actually
working with a volunteer community group that’s trying to design a special playground facility for all abilities. Then of course, the most expensive thing in phase 1 is all of the utilities
from tiling the irrigation ditches that go through the middle of the park to meeting all of Ada County Highway District requirements as far as widening the road and turning lanes, getting
all of the water and power and sewer to the right places. Those things that you sometimes don’t see or that go underneath the ground are fairly expensive. Those are all included in phase
1. Phase 2 is a little more exciting in that everything will be above ground. That will include a 5 plex little league / softball facility, an additional 400 car parking lot, a water
feature that will be a zero depth type of thing with different kind of spray heads and that type of thing located next to the playground facility, a roller hockey pad. The plan has a
Skate Park in it right now, basketball courts. Then in phase 3 will be some tennis courts and an open-air market which will be located right on the corner of Ustick and Meridian Road
where that small white house is now. There’ll be different colored canopies with a restaurant facility, maybe a kitchen and stage area. Those things can be used for farmer’s markets,
flea markets, arts and crafts shows, weddings. Those type of things. I’ve kind of gone through it real quickly but that gives you an idea of what’s there. The other parks that are on
line for construction this summer are Chateau Park, which is a small 7-acre neighborhood park located on west Chateau Drive between Linder and Ten Mile. Right now there’s a portion of
that that’s already greened up because the Homeowners Association deeded that 2 acres to the city to go with our other 4 acres. There’ll be a park there. That includes small parking
area, playground facility, small picnic shelter, some basketball rounds we call them, which are circular in nature and more apt for 3 on 3 play, a perimeter pathway and then a large
grass expanse area that could be used for picnicking or frisbee or those type of things. Then of course Generation Plaza. We’ll be opening that up June 1st. It’s almost complete downtown
here. The five-mile creek pathway is being
built now. That is along Five-Mile Creek. It starts at Meridian Road and proceeds west all the way over to Linder road. We’re hoping to have that open in the end of June. Then the last
one is Bear Creek, which is an 18-acre park south of the freeway just off of Stoddard road, which is in the area of where Roaring Springs is now. That’s an 18-acre site. Phase 1 of that
includes parking, grassing the entire area up. Phase 2 will be a couple of baseball fields, playground equipment, picnic shelters and possibly a couple tennis courts.
Corrie: Thank you Tom.
(inaudible discussion amongst Council members)
De Weerd: It’s great that you have something to report.
Corrie: Mr. Berg, did you have something?
Berg: Yes. Mr. Mayor members of Council, just a reminder of our joint meeting with ACHD on April 30th at noon. They would like some more items added to the agenda and I put a draft agenda
in your box to look at. I need to get those to her tomorrow so she can put them in her announcement. A time before that I put a notice about their impact fee ordinance that they are
amending. There is going to be another hearing on May 7th. I don’t know if there’s any input that you want to give them concerning that. If you do think of something, if you’d get that
to me tomorrow morning first thing I’d appreciate it.
Corrie: Okay. Thank you.
De Weerd: Mr. Mayor
Corrie: Mrs. De Weerd:
De Weerd: Is that here or there?
Corrie: There.
De Weerd: We never meet here.
Corrie: It’s easier for everybody to go there. We pay for our part and they pay for theirs.
(inaudible discussion amongst Council members)
Corrie: Mr. Anderson:
Anderson: Mr. Mayor. I would like to request a short executive session to discuss some personnel matters.
Bird: I would second it.
Corrie: Okay. Motion’s been made and second to go into executive session for personnel matters. Any further discussion? All those in favor say aye.
MOTION CARRIED: ALL AYES
Corrie: Before we go, I wan to thank the scouts for being here tonight. Next time come in another time and we’re glad to have you and maybe we can answer some more questions for you.
You had one? Yes.
Bird: We missed one.
Batallia: My name is Matt Batallia. I’d like to wonder about high schools because I’ll be in high school in 2 years. So far my high school I’m scheduled to go to so far, it’ll take at
least 45 minutes for my bus to get there. I was wondering if a new high school will be built soon?
Corrie: Hopefully the one on Locust Grove will be built in 2003. You might be able to hit that one. I don’t know. That depends upon the school system. We don’t have any control over
that. You’ll either go to either to Meridian high or Eagle high or maybe Centennial or the new one. I know that’s not a good answer but hopefully they’ll have it done by the time you’re
a senior.
Batallia: Thank you.
Corrie: You bet. One more. Yes
(inaudible discussion amongst Council members)
Hoffsign: My name is Dave Hoffsign. I’m wondering on Meridian BMX track. The closest one that we have is Kuna. That takes a lot of gas mileage going to there from here, take about a
half an hour to get there. Going there 7 days a week takes a lot of money and that. I was wondering if there could be any possible way to construct that track in Meridian?
Corrie: That’s going to be a good question. I don’t think it’s on the drawing board as such. It might be that we could add it to one of the parks that we’re doing and planning for.
I think it’s probably a good question the Council needs to put in their minds. We can talk to the parks director and see if he can put it in one of the parks or that. There has not been
a plan for that at the present time. Good point, good question.
Anderson: Mid term there’s a make shift one down on Pine street. I don’t know if you’re familiar with that one.
Hoffsign: Yeah, an official one.
Anderson: Okay.
Bird: How many, excuse me Mr. Mayor. How many acres do you need for a BMX park?
Hoffsign: It would just be a large arena –
Bird: Two , three acres or what?
Hoffsign: About maybe five.
Bird: Five acres. Would that include the parking or would that just be the participant’s area?
Hoffsign: Five to 10 acres.
Bird: Because you need the parking for the people coming?
Hoffsign: That would all be included.
Bird: You evidently are a participant of the BMX races and stuff. Who owns most of – are these tracks that you’re going to privately owned, organization owned or city owned?
Hoffsign: This is nation wide owned. All the tracks are owned by a committee, but they lease like Happy Heart Arena and they lease a lot of tracks. It’s all like the ABA and nationally
owned.
Bird: Do they help fund any of the buying of some of these tracks. I know some of them don’t have the arenas to go like Happy Heart and all them like Kuna has out there, you do the indoor.
The Meridian Lions Club has a rodeo yearly and they have to look for. Luckily they haven’t built out there on the corner. I know that their rodeo group is looking for land too. That
might be a very good marriage between a rodeo grounds and a BMX. You could put the BMX inside the rodeo grounds. You might approach the Lions Club too.
Hoffsign: Just saying you know for consideration.
Bird: Thank you.
Corrie: Okay. With that we will adjourn into executive session.
De Weerd: Do we need a vote?
(inaudible discussion amongst Council members)
De Weerd: Oh, did we?
(inaudible discussion amongst Council members)
Corrie: Okay. I’ll entertain a motion to come out of executive session.
Anderson: So moved.
De Weerd: Second.
Corrie: Okay. Motion’s made and second to come out of the executive session. All those in favor say aye.
MOTION CARRIED: ALL AYES
Corrie: Let the record show that no decisions were made other than discussion of personnel issues. At this time I’ll entertain a motion to adjourn.
De Weerd: So moved.
Bird: Second.
Corrie: Okay. Motion’s made and second to adjourn. All those in favor say aye.
MOTION CARRIED: ALL AYES
MEETING ADJOURNED AT 9:07
(TAPE ON FILE OF THESE PROCEEDINGS)
APPROVED:
ROBERT D. CORRIE, MAYOR
WILLIAM G. BERG, JR., CITY CLERK