HomeMy WebLinkAbout2011-05-10E IDIAN~--
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CITY COUNCIL WORKSHOP
MEETING AGENDA
Tuesday, May 10, 2011 at 6:00 PM
1. Roll-Call Attendance
X David Zaremba O Brad Hoaglun
X Charlie Rountree X Keith Bird
X Mayor Tammy de Weerd
2. Pledge of Allegiance
3. Adoption of the Agenda (Pg. 1-2) Adopted
4. Proclamation
A. Proclamation for Mountain View Mavericks Day (Pg. 2)
5. Consent Agenda (Pg. 2-3) Approved
A. Approve Minutes of April 26, 2011 City Council Meeting
B. Approve Minutes of May 3, 2011 City Council Regular Meeting
C. Award and Approval of Construction Management Agreement
with Kreizenbeck Constructors
D. Award and Approval of Bid #PW-11-101726 for Waterline
Replacement to McMaster Construction & Development, Inc. in
the Not-to-Exceed Amount of $167,520.70
E. Sanitary Sewer and Water Main Easement Agreement with
Robert and Nedra Carpenter
F. Approval of 2011-2012 Beer and Wine License Renewal for
Fuddruckers, Located at 3421 N. Eagle Rd.
Meridian City Council Meeting Agenda -Tuesday, May 10, 2011 Page 1 of 2
All materials presented at public meetings shall become property of the City of Meridian.
Anyone desiring accommodation for disabilities related to documents and/or hearing,
please contact the City Clerk's Office at 888-4433 at least 48 hours prior to the public meeting.
6. Community Items/Presentations
A. Meridian Development Corporation: Presentation and Update
Regarding the Boise Online Mall and Desire to Feature a
Meridian Page (Pg. 3-9)
7. Items Moved From Consent Agenda (Pg. 9)
8. Department Reports
A. Fire Department: Deputy Chief Joe Silva's Final Address to
Council as Fire Marshall (Pg. 9-11)
B. Police Department: Officer Recognition (Pg. 12-13)
C. Police Department: Strategic Plan Update (Pg. 13-19)
D. Parks Department: Park Dedication Plaque Discussion (Pg.19-
22)
E. Development Services: Pre-Directional's for Numbered Street
Signs (Pg. 22-33) Approved Dual Pre-Directional on Numbered
Streets
F. Building Services Division: Budget Amendment for Air Cards
for the Accela Project for aNot-to-Exceed Amount of $3,654.00
(Pg. 33-35) Approved
G. Mayor's Office: Budget Amendment for State of the City Costs
for aNot-to-Exceed Amount of $13,420.00 (Pg. 35) Approved
H. Planning and Public Works Departments: Airport Road -
Overland Road Corridor Study Update and Discussion on Land
Uses and Serviceability (Pg. 35-40)
I. Planning Department: Transportation Update on Projects,
Priorities and Studies - Includes a Discussion on Ada County
Highway District's (ACRD) Cost Share Policy, Updates on
Future and Current Highway Projects, and Discussion About
Agenda Items for the Upcoming ACRD-Meridian Joint Meeting
(Pg. 40-51)
9. Future Meeting Topics (Pg. 51-53)
Adjourned at 9:02 p.m.
Meridian City Council Meeting Agenda -Tuesday, May 10, 2011 Page 2 of 2
All materials presented at public meetings shall become property of the City of Meridian.
Anyone desiring accommodation for disabilities related to documents and/or hearing,
please contact the City Clerk's Office at 888-4433 at least 48 hours prior to the public meeting.
Meridian City Council Meeting May 1 ~, 2011
A meeting of the Meridian City Council was called to order at 7:04 p.m., Tuesday, May
10, 2011, by Mayor Tammy de Weerd.
Members Present: Mayor Tammy de Weerd, Brad Hoaglun, David Zaremba, Keith Bird
and Charlie Rountree.
Others Present: Bill Nary, Jaycee Holman, Caleb Hood, Rick Dees, Jeff Lavey, Scott
Colaianni, Jae Silva, Steve Siddoway, Bruce Freckleton, Robert Simison, and Dean
Willis.
Item 1: Roll-call Attendance:
Roll call.
X David Zaremba X Brad Hoaglun
X Charlie Rountree X Keith Bird
X Mayor Tammy de Weerd
De Weerd: Thank you for your patience in waiting for us and welcome to the Meridian
City Council meeting. For the record it is Tuesday, May 10th. It is ten minutes after
6:00. We will start tonight's meeting with roll call attendance. Madam Clerk.
Item 2: Pledge of Allegiance
De Weerd: Thank you. Item No. 2 is our Pledge of Allegiance. If you will all rise and
join us in the pledge.
(Pledge of Allegiance recited.}
Item 3: Adoption of the Agenda
De Weerd: Item No. 3 is adoption of the agenda.
Bird: Madam Mayor?
De Weerd: Mr. Bird.
Bird: Seeing no changes yr anything on the agenda, I move that we adopt the agenda
as published.
Rountree: Second.
De Weerd: I have a motion and a second to adopt the agenda as published. Ail those
in favor say aye. All ayes. Motion carries.
MOTION CARRIED: THREE AYES: ONE ABSENT.
Item 4: Proclamation
A. Proclamation for Mountain View Mavericks Day
De Weerd: I do have a proclamation as our next item and I will go ahead and move
down to the other mike. Could I get the basketball team to come forward and join me.
Actually, I should have you guys read this thing. Thank you for joining us here today.
We have the state champs with us tonight. These young men are the state champions
for the basketball and I have a proclamation to read in your honor and I will present this
to your coach at the tail end of it. You guys make me feel petit. That's a good feeling.
Okay. Whereas the City of Meridian recognizes and commends the Mountain View
Maverick High School boys basketball team for having an outstanding season and
whereas the Mountain View Mavericks high school boys basketball team achieved an
unsurpassed level of success during the 2011 season winning the boy's 5A state
basketball championship and whereas Mountain View championship would not have
been possible without the supreme knowledge and astute leadership of Coach Nettleton
and whereas the Mountain View High School basketball team is Brock Rule -- and when
I say your name will you just kind of indicate who you are? So, Brock? All right. Zach
Cooper. Tyson Percifield. And I will apologize if I say your Warne wrong. Dylan
Williams. Tanner Percifield. Jesse Endicott. Chase Rowley. Alex Stewart. Michael
Lewis. Spencer Berg. Brandon Luedtke. Randall Robinson. Max Curtis. And whereas
the members of the Mountain View High School basketball team epitomize all that is
good in today's student athlete as they have achieved a premier level of success in
competition, white exhibiting the highest degree of character in all aspects of life,
therefore, I, Mayor Tammy de Weerd, Mayor of the City of Meridian, do hereby proclaim
May 10th, 2011, as Maverick's Day in Meridian, Idaho, and do encourage all citizens to
support local athletes in all skill levels. I would like to congratulate these young
athletes. We know that it takes a lot of dedication and certainty good coaching skills.
Certainly -- how did I say it? Supreme knowledge and astute leadership by the chief --
by the chief -- by their coach. And we appreciate their dedication to their sport and
congratulations.
Nettleton: You know, it was a very fun and
the Mayor for allowing us to come and be
So, thank you very much for your time.
rewarding season and we wanted to thank
acknowledged as part of the proclamation.
De Weerd: Now, isn't that what it's all about? Pretty cool.
Item 5: Consent Agenda
A. Approve Minutes of April 26, 2011 City Council Meeting
B. Approve Minutes of May 3, 2011 City Council Regular Meeting
C. Award and Approval of Construction Management Agreement
with Kreizenbeck Constructors
D. Award and Approval of Bid #PW-11-10172B for Waterline
Replacement to McMaster Construction & Development, Inc. in
the Not-to-Exceed Amount of $167,520.70
E. Sanitary Sewer and Water Main Easement Agreement with
Robert and Nedra Carpenter
F. Approval of 2011-2012 Beer and Wine License Renewal for
Fuddruckers, Located at 3421 N. Eagle Rd.
De Weerd: Item No. 5, our Consent Agenda.
Bird: Madam Mayor?
De Weerd: Mr. Bird.
Bird: I move that we approve the Consent Agenda as published and for the Mayor to
sign and the Clerk to attest.
Rountree: Second.
Zaremba: Second.
De Weerd: I have a motion and a second to approve the Consent Agenda. Madam
Clerk, roll call.
Roll-Call: Bird, yea; Rountree, yea; Hoaglun, absent, Zaremba, yea.
De Weerd: All ayes. Motion carried.
MQT14N CARRIED: THREE AYES: ENE ABSENT.
Item 6: Community Items/Presentations
A. Meridian Development Corporation: Presentation and Update
Regarding the Boise Online Mall and Desire to Feature a
Meridian Page
De Weerd: Item 6-A under Community Presentations, the Meridian Development
Corporation, Sandy Johnson? Good evening.
Johnson: Hello. Thank you for having me.
De Weerd: Well, welcome. If you can also state your name and address for the record.
Johnson: I'm Sandy Johnson and I work for Boise Online Mall and Meridian -- MDC
invited me to come speak, so I don't actually work for them, but we are just sort of doing
some work with them right now, so --
De Weerd: Okay.
Johnson: Bear with me while I figure out the technology here. I can get started while
he's loading that if you want, just to save time for all of us. Again, thank you for letting
me speak and present tonight. So, again, I work for Boise Online Mall, which many of
you may be familiar with. We are a showcase of local area businesses, literally a virtual
mall online. So, we are not just a phone book listing -- you know, phone books,
obviously, serve their purpose, but we provide really detailed descriptions of local area
businesses, what they do, what they sell, products they make that, kind of thing. We
have been in the Treasure Valley for 11 years -- perfect. Okay. Thanks. Easy enough.
We have been in the Treasure Valley for 11 years. Kind of two purposes. Obviously,
number one, the merchants and businesses that we work with. We have worked really
hard to maximize their presence, which is, obviously, very important in this day and age
and to route online shoppers to them. The most important element, though, is the
service that we provide to the online shoppers, which is pretty much everybody these
days. The Online Mall provides assistance to the local residents and visitors in finding
things to do, things to shop for, services, everything from where to have your car
washed to where to see a movie to where you can find an attorney if you need one. So,
the main reason for being here tonight in working with several Meridian businesses,
who are a part of the Boise Online Mall and have been for years, have been very happy,
but in working with them, in meeting lots of new -- new to me anyway -- new Meridian
businesses, sort of listening to the vision of what the City of Meridian has for itself for its
community, and just us increasing our awareness of what's going on in Meridian -- and,
of course, I'm a Meridian resident and have been for 14 years, so --
De Weerd: I was waiting for you to say that.
Johnson: So, I have been sort on board, but on my -- not on board, just a little more
aware of what goes on in the community. I, you know, have two children, like I said, I
have been here for 14 years, raised my kids here -- or still in the process of raising
them. But my coworkers who live in Boise -- it's -- through all of these things it's
become obvious that, you know, Meridian is its own community with its own things
going on that don't necessarily have anything to do with Boise. So, anyway, we kind of
came to realize that it seems bringing commerce and -- commerce and awareness right
to the City of Meridian, not only to the folks that already live here, but to people in Boise,
through a Meridian Online Mall and, hence, our new logo that we are working on, would
be a huge benefit to the city, the residen#s and the businesses in the area. And not that
we get a vibe that everybody wants to keep it so separate, because, obviously, we are
one huge community, the Treasure Valley, but at the same time there are some really
awesome things that go on in Meridian that I know for a fact a lot of Boise people don't
know about and so, again, not to totally separate them into two different communities,
but at the same time acknowledge that they are two different communities with two
different sets of things going on that everybody should know about. So, we, like I said,
thought it would be a huge benefit to the city and members of the community and
merchants in the area to come up with something that would help specifically Meridian,
not just Boise, and sort of take -- take our identity as Meridian community and have it be
a little bit separate. So, through doing other online malls, which the company has been
doing for a lot of years, there is definitely five categories or elements that we have found
that kind of make up a community, sort of ingredients in the recipe so to speak.
Shopping, which everybody shops for something. Services. Everybody's in need of
services at some point. Professionals. We are all in need of professional help at some
point. Entertainment. We are all looking for entertainment. And community. We are all
looking for some connection with our community, whether it be involved or just knowing
what's going on. So, those are the five elements that Boise Online Mall has been based
off of, these are the same five elements that Meridian Online Mall would be based off of.
A person shopping, obviously, that one is pretty -- pretty obvious for everybody who is
shopping online, just wants to browse, do some window shopping, maybe do research
online before they actually go out to the stores and make purchases, especially for
major purchases. It also gives shoppers a place to purchase gift cards yr gift
certificates directly from the merchants. I just copied and pasted a picture of an
example of one of our Meridian businesses and the gift cards we sell on there for her.
Services. You know, things such as auto repair, oil changes, appliance repair,
computer repair, the and grout cleaning, document spreading -- any kind of services that
you might need as an individual or as a business you find them in the services part of
the online mall. Professionals. Here is where you find such things as mortgage
lenders, investment brokers, insurance agents, legal services, web designers, that kind
of thing. Again, for personal or professional use. Entertainment. Definitely the
backbone of Boise Online Mall -- and I imagine it would be for Meridian Online Mall as
well -- this is things to do and everything going on in the town. Obviously, in this town it
would be to highlight things like the Meridian Urban Market, upcoming concerts in the
plaza, festivals, holiday events, you know, Dairy Days, kids and family friendly activities
that are going on, like the Cable One movie nights and you guys know the list goes on
and vn and on of the things that are going on in Meridian. Again, just one huge
showcase, one place to go for everyone to see what -- what's going on in town.
Restaurants and night life, that kind of stuff, would be found in this area as well. And,
believe it or not, Meridian does have a little night life. Community. This is kind of my
favor section for a number of different reasons. This is where we highlight charities,
nonprofit organizations, and service clubs. It just gives one place in the mall where
everyone can see the great things that these organizations are doing in the community.
It also let's everyone know what their upcoming events or fundraisers are and ways that
community members in Meridian can get involved, whether it be through donations or
volunteer efforts. And the list -- you know, as you know, the list goes on and on and on
for the organizations that would benefit from this. Meridian symphony, the Chamber of
Commerce even, Junior Achievement, the animal shelter, PAL -- there is so many great
things in Meridian that would be wonderful for them to have more of an Internet
presence. Coupons. We are sort of going with the times and doing what customers
want and that is coupons. This is an example of a coupon that I just pulled off of the
Boise Online Mall. Obviously ours would be called Meridian Bucks instead of Boise
Online Mall Bucks. Shoppers do not need to log in, do not need to set up an account,
it's a simple click, print, bring that coupon directly to the Meridian merchant and bring
your dollars directly to the Meridian merchant. We have no exchange of money
whatsoever with the coupon program that we have set in place. This is just an example
-- this is, actually, a partial screen shot from our services page from the Boise Online
Mall, just to give you an idea, so if you were on the home page and you clicked on the
services link, part of the page would look like this. It's just a big long listing of everyone
who fits into our services category, who is part of the online mall. They all get the
rotating banner ad, a brief description of the merchandise, products and services that
they provide and from this link -- or from this listing there is two links to their merchant
page in the mall, which looks like this. This is an example of a merchant page. This
just happens to be Meridian Cycles, who has been a great customer for a long time of
ours. On their merchant page in the mall, which is, basically -- this is their store. This is
their -- their store in our virtual mall. A customized image, which the merchant helps us
pick out or we will pick for them if they don't have one. Detailed contents specified by
the merchant, exactly what their business is all about. On this page there is three
external links to the merchant's website directly. So, again, we are just there to guide
traffic right to the businesses. A banner ad, which is that small picture up in the top that
has the guys on the bikes, that actually flips through. if you were online you would see
that it rotates through that picture and Meridian Cycles' logo and that same banner ad
also rotates all throughout other places in the mall. So, if somebody is in the mall
shopping for something else they will see the other stores, so to speak, while they are in
there. So, they might not directly be looking for a bicycle at the time shopping for
something else, but see, oh, there is Meridian Cycles, I might want to check that store
out, too. Also on here is a contact form, which goes directly to them if a customer clicks
on that. Maps to the merchant's location or locations if they have more than one.
Merchant services listed off to the right there in that yellow box as well. And, then, they
also have the option to do a video advertorial, which is -- it can be in the form of a
commercial or it can be in the form of a -- more of an elevator speech that the shop
owner makes and we do all those for them as well. We have a video department.
Some of the other fun things that we do just to keep shoppers attracted to the virtual
mall, we have a monthly newsletter that goes out to several thousand people that opt
into it. We have a weekly dinner and a movie giveaway on KBOI radio, which is a great
little plug for restaurants in the area, which, with the economy picking up, I know that
restaurants are really trying to pick back up. So, it's a great way for them to get some
advertising and, again, just get people in their door. We are, of course, active with
several of the prove social media services and sites online as well, as most people are
nowadays. And just to give you a rough estimate on the numbers -- we could speak all
night about numbers, but I knew that this is one of the top things that people want to
know. So, just to give you an estimate, I put some statistics this morning -- between
2007 and 2009 we had just over three million shoppers in the Boise Online Mall in that
two year period. So far this year, since January 1, we are averaging between 40 and 45
thousand shoppers a month, which to me sounds like a huge number. I know that
looking at other statistics these numbers might pale in comparison to say numbers of
people who use Facebook and that kind of thing. But keep in mind these are numbers
that are Treasure Valley consumers only, Right. Shopping in the Treasure Valley.
Let's see. I apologize for having to talk so fast and be so quick, but I know you have a
lot on your agenda tonight. If anyone has any questions at this time I would be happy to
answer them if i can.
De Weerd: Thank you. Council, any questions?
Rountree: Not right now.
Bird: I have none, Mayor.
De Weerd: We have no questions.
Zaremba: Madam Mayor?
De Weerd: I do really like your logo.
Johnson: Yeah. Our graphics guy, he -- I swear he jumped right in my head and kind
of took -- the Boise online Mall is a, you know, city skyline, which in going to every high
hill I could find around Meridian I still couldn't quite find a skyline, but the elements of
Meridian -- you know, obviously, the water tower, the clock, the mock up of the building
that we are in right now, the speedway, you know, those are all kind of things
associa#ed, but, then, the speedway kind of took its own look like it looked like traffic
being directed into the town and the logo, too, and I kind of liked it. It's definitely rough
draft at this point, but we are getting there. And, again, you know, we just want to make
it clear that everything is sort of in rough draft form now, it's just an idea that I had that
my boss was definitely on board with and, you know, at this point we just want to fine
tune this great idea that we have and what we are hearing from shoppers, what we are
hearing from business owners that -- that we know in the area and (just think #hat
Meridian kind of deserves its own.
De Weerd: Councilman Zaremba?
Zaremba: Thank you, Madam Mayor. This sounds like a great idea. How is it funded?
Johnson: Well, Boise online Mall has always been funded by the merchants who
choose to be, you know, part of the mall. Yeah. And, obviously, a huge undertaking
like this to start a whole new online mall is not acheap -- not a cheap venture for the
company that I work for. And, obviously, nothing can be done without funding. It will
just depend on merchant participation at this point, so --
Zaremba: Well, it would seem like you have a good track record for you to take to
merchants and say this could be valuable to you.
Johnson: We have a very good track record. Yes. Yes. And a lot of local area
businesses already know us, know who they are. We have several Meridian
businesses who we already work with, but we definitely got the vibes from them and
other merchants who aren't quite on board yet, but if we could gear it more towards
Meridian, specifically for Meridian, it might appeal to more Meridian merchants, so --
and, you know, just through talk of, you know, people I know and -- we weren't sure at
this point if it was anything that the City Council would want #o be involved in at
whatever level -- I mean, obviously, it's something you will have to think about and talk
about, but we would certainly be willing to come back and talk more details if it was
something you needed.
Rountree: Madam Mayor?
De Weerd: Mr. Rountree.
Rountree: You have obviously done some market research. What would be your
projected timeline for something like this being up and running?
Johnson: We figure we could -- between the graphics department and the web
designers and all the people involved, we figured once we got started we could have it
published as an active live website within 6D days.
Rountree: And what would be the trigger?
Johnson: Well, the trigger would be to have the funding to get started, honestly. I
mean, unfortunately, that's, yeah, how the world works, but --
Rountree: When you asked about the Council's interest -- and we obviously -- I think -- I
won't speak for all of us, but probably -- we are interested. I think anytime we have an
opportunity to showcase Meridian and our small businesses and our retailers, we want
to do it.
Johnson: Absolutely.
Rountree: As far as the Council goes and information there, I'm not sure anybody really
shops for a councilman, but if that helps that's fine, too. I like the idea of the MOM
Buck, as opposed to the BOM Bucks.
Johnson: I know.
Rountree: It just makes more sense to me.
Johnson; Well, it makes sense to me, because, yeah, that's generally what they are for,
the mom shopping. Yeah.
Rountree: I look forward to seeing this.
Johnson: Thank you. Yeah. I'm really exci#ed about this. And, again, just, you know,
it's a lot to think about and it is a huge project, but this is what Boise Online Mafl does
and does it well and, you know, the people that I work with have been doing this kind of
stuff for years. I mean they have really got it fine tuned. So, they -- they are excited for
the opportunity to just make it happen now. And, of course, me as the Meridian resident
of the -- of the staff I'm very excited to get it started, so --
De Weerd: Well, Sandy, I would like to thank you for being here and sharing more
about MOM with us and so we look forward to hearing updates on how it's progressing
and when you're ready to launch.
Johnson: Sounds good. Thank you. Thank you for the opportunity. I appreciate it.
De Weerd: Thank you.
Bird: Thank you.
Item 7: Items Moved From Consent Agenda
De Weerd: Okay. There were no items moved from the Consent Agenda.
Item 8: Department Reports
A. Fire Department: Deputy Chief Joe Silva's Final Address to
Council as Fire Marshall
De Weerd: So, we will move to Item No. 8 under Department Reports. And chief.
Joe, thank you for being here. I see you have two shoes on.
Silva: Thank you, Mayor, for having me. First of all, I would like to thank the Meridian
Police Department for coming out en mass to support the fire department doing this
public recognition for Council. We can always count on our police department.
De Weerd: It's a great sign of support.
Colaianni: It's your escort out.
Silva: Do I have to have both hands behind my back on my way out? Okay. Mayor
and Council, I would like to just take this moment to kind of publicly thank you for the
ongoing support you have provided the Meridian Fire Department over the years. I
know that support has come based on the support we have garnered from our fire
chiefs that have worked with you to make sure that we have adopted the most modern
codes in our city and, actually, it's paid off in terms of minimizing our fire loss in 2010.
We actually only have had a -- when you look at our assessed value throughout our --
ourdistrict within the Meridian Rural Fire District and the City of Meridian, we only had a
270,000 dollar loss city and district wide, which is minimal when you compare that back
against our assessed value within our community. So, we are really pleased about that
and I just wanted to take a moment to publicly thank you for your ongoing public support
when we have brought code enforcement issues in front of you. Part of that process,
though -- and this will only take maybe 25 more minutes, but I would like to thank some
of the other agencies that have helped us within the community, within our -- within the
city I should say. Meridian Police Department. We have to acknowledge that they
helped us tremendously, but also Public Works in terms of making sure that we have
adequate fire flow in areas and strategically placed hydrants, they have been very
cooperative in helping us. Also the Planning Department working with access issues
that sometimes get a little developer sensitive. And Development Services far the code
enforcement. But one other unrecognized component that helps us with code
enforcement -- and you won't hear this very often -- is the support of the legal
department. So, I would just like to thank also the legal department for their support in
code enforcement issues. Thanks very much.
De Weerd: I think before you take off you might have a couple of councilmen who
would like to make comment and I realize that you do have an upcoming retirement
celebration. We will be prepared with burning remarks at that time. But we certainly
appreciate your involvement. You have seen the city develop into something that is
quite different from when you first came and we appreciate what you have done with the
program in putting greater structure to it and working with our business and
development community and in trying to walk that fine line between code interpretation,
time frames, costs and life safety issues for the long term viability of our community.
So, I personally would like to thank you and also on behalf of the city thank you for your
leadership, your service to our community.
Silva: Thank you, Mayor.
Rountree: Madam Mayor?
De Weerd: Mr. Rountree.
Rountree: Joe, I just express my appreciation and thanks for all you have done and the
work you have done in not only representing the city, but as well as the fire department
itself in the enforcement of code and that's a difficult job in any activity. You're not
always everybody's best friend. But you have done a good job or a great job and I
appreciate the time, wish you well in retirement, look forward to the roast next week and
hope you're able to use both feet a little better by next week, you might want to run
away, I don't know.
Silva: Well, thank you. Thank you, Councilman Rountree.
Bird: Madam Mayor?
De Weerd: Mr. Bird.
Bird: I'd just echo that, Joe. You have done a great job. You have helped bring the fire
department -- excuse me -- up to what it is today, to the finest in the state, so thank you
for all your service. We appreciate it.
Silva: Thank you, Councilman Bird.
Zaremba: Madam Mayor?
De Weerd: Mr. Zaremba.
Zaremba: I would comment that I -- I first got to know you when I was on the Planning
and Zoning Commission and you were a faithful member of those meetings and, you
know, every time you were asked a question I learned things and you come across as
very quiet, but there is so much depth there and so much that people are able to learn
from you and I certainly did and appreciated your tutelage, if that's the right word to use
there. And since then I have also heard from a few business owners that they have
enjoyed working with you. I mean you may be coming in to tell them they need to do
something different, but what they tell me is you always had an excellent explanation
and before you ordered them to do something they understood why and really
appreciated your calmness and your thoroughness and I know I personally have
benefited from that and the city as a whole has benefited from it. So, we will miss you.
Silva: Thank you, Councilman Zaremba. And after 33 years on the job I will tell you it's
an ever -- you learn something every day about -- about the job and you -- it's that
education that makes that idea and concept work and that's the key thing we have to
always keep in mind, but thank you again for your support.
De Weerd: Well, we know that your job has not always been easy and needless to say
it's not always the favorite position in the city.
Silva: Well, it's my favorite, Mayor.
De Weerd: We love the fact that sometimes we are not always the bad guy, you are.
Silva: Thank you.
De Weerd: We have great competition.
Silva: We do. We do. And the police officers are the ones who typically take that more
often than I do. The development community tends to be a lot more friendly. Thank
you.
De Weerd: Thank you, Joe.
Silva: Thank you, Mayor.
B. Police Department: Officer Recognition
De Weerd: Okay. Item 8-B. I will ask Chief Lavey to, please, come forward.
Lavey: Madam Mayor and Council, you know that Joe is ready for retirement when he
can actually give a speech and it only lasts five minutes.
Zaremba: In the Navy we called those short timers.
Lavey: I would tell him last week that maybe I would be interested in your job, but I
realized that more people hate you than that hate me, so -- and, Joe, Lieutenant Leslie
and I have a few words for you, but we are going to share them next week, so we will
leave you in anticipation.
Silva: Thank you, Chief Lavey.
Lavey: Madam Mayor, Council, it is my privilege to be in front of you today to do
something that's rather special. On May 5th of this month we had two officers that
actually were -- they would probably say just doing their job. We had one officer that
was looking for a DUI driver up on Chinden near Black Cat Road and in the process of
looking for this DUI driver almost got taken out head on. This officer had to take
evasive action to avoid a collision and what brought him to that area was another citizen
that~actually reported almost being hit head on by this drunk driver -- or suspected drunk
driver. Before the officer could get turned around and attempt to stop this car, we -- or
he saw the headlights and, then, the headlights disappeared. As the officer got closer
he realized that the vehicle had rolled into a canal, ejecting the driver. The driver could
not be located. A second officer showed up and helped the first officer look for the
subject and they located him in four feet of water face down. I would like for Officer
Karen Ziolkowski and Officer Craig Hoodman to come forward and I'm going to read a
little something for them. Craig first. Craig Hoodman, on Thursday, May 5th, 2011, you
assisted in the rescue of a suspected DUI driver who had crashed his vehicle after
putting your life and the life of a private citizen. in danger. This DUI driver crashed his
vehicle in a canal in the area of Chinden and Black Cat Road. Upon arrival you
discovered the vehicle upside down in the canal and, then, you and Officer Ziolkowski
noticed the driver floating face down and semi conscious. Officer Ziolkowski entered
the canal and the two of you pulled the driver to safety averting a potential drowning.
The actions of you and Officer Ziolkowski are deserving of recognition for meritorious
action. I believe the wording is similar on Officer Ziolkowski, but I'm going to read it
anyway. They can hear it more than once. Officer Ziolkowski, on Thursday, May 5th,
2011, you assisted in the rescue of a suspected DUI driver who had crashed his
vehicle. The DUI driver crashed his vehicle in the canal area of Chinden and Black Cat
Road. Upon arrival you discovered the vehicle upside down in the canal and you
noticed the driver floating face down and semi conscious. You entered the canal with
the assistance of Officer Craig Hoodman and the two of you pulled the driver to the
safety, averting a potential drowning. Your actions and the actions of Officer Hoodman
are deserving of recognition for meritorious action. It also is my pleasure to tell you that
we received a phone call from St. AI's this morning and the driver is now alert and wants
to thank the officers for saving his life. So, he is going to survive. For several days we
didn't know if that was going to be possible. So, congratulations.
De Weerd: Thank you -- both of our officers for being here. And, chief, I realize that
your officers would -- as you have noted in the first comment, they would think that this
is part of their job and I would say, no, it's not. I appreciate the heroism that you
showed that night and certainly appreciate the above and beyond approach that you
give your jobs. This was a great example of it and we are very proud of our Meridian
Police Department and what you do to serve and to protect. So, thank you.
Lavey: Madam Mayor, we don't often see the results being positive like that and so
when we got that phone call today it just made it extra special.
De Weerd: Thank you. Again, we appreciate you being here. I will go ahead and let
you launch into your item.
Lavey: Now, watch, they will do a fast exit now.
De Weerd: And you're more than welcome to do a fast exit. You do not have to stay.
Lavey: You can leave now.
De Weerd: Nor does your family.
Lavey: I saw Brian Lueddeke napping back there, so he better get on the road.
De Weerd: And here we thought they were here for your strategic plan.
Lavey: Yeah. I think that is their strategic plan to escape.
De Weerd: The strategic exit.
C. Police Department: Strategic Plan Update
Lavey: Madam Mayor, Council, a couple days ago I actually received an a-mail from
my Council liaison to inform me that he would not be here this evening and I said, well, I
have something special in store. I, actually, was going to award these officers and give
you a presentation of my update and everything else and he said, sorry, Washington
DC calls. So, really tonight I got some good news is I don't have a major PowerPoint
presentation. I don't have 40 slides. I don't have 35 minutes on the agenda scheduled
and so it should be rather short. I will say that I will not beat Joe tonight, because, like I
said, is he -- he surprised me with only five minutes. But really I want to take the time
tonight to just give you a few highlights of what's going on and, then, give you an
opportunity to ask me any questions that -- that you would like. First and foremost is
what we got to do tonight doesn't happen often and being able to recognize these
officers doing something heroic, having great results, makes me so proud of the men
and women that work for the Meridian Police Department and as you already said, we
should be proud of the department that we have. With that being said, it is also my
pleasure to tell you that on Friday we had another opportunity to witness something
great and we had the pleasure of graduating three additional police officers from the
police academy who will be joining us here -- well, actually, they joined us on Monday in
advanced academy. They are not here this evening. We worked them real hard today.
But I would like to call the attention to congratulate Officers Arnell Caddick, officer
Benjamin Sterling and officer Brian Eslinger, who are anxiously in their next phase of
training. With that being said I also would like to let you know that we currently are in
the process of backgrounding four lateral officers with the hopes to add them to our
Meridian family as well. Those -- those officers -- three of them -- correction. Two of
them are from the Treasure Valley and, then, two of them are from out of the area. one
in Magic Valley and one from EI Paso, Texas. As you know or may have been advised,
we have -- we either have had or are having several retirements in the police
department this year. Officer Kathy Kerby retired last month. She was the first female
officer for the Meridian Police Department. Kathy left us with a smile on her face and 20
years of service in law enforcement. May 31st is bringing -- Detective Ray Chopco is
retiring. He -- he's kind of been that on again, off again. He actually was due to retire
two months ago and when he realized that we were having some staffing issues he
volunteered to stay on longer. He actually promised me until April of 2012 and I'm not a
math major, but I can realize that that does not add up. Due to some unfortunate
circumstance and some family emergencies he's had to call that in a little bit earlier, but
we are so proud that he was able to give us that few extra -- few extra months. And he
will be retiring on May 31st. But the most special one -- they are special, but the most
special one that we have is Jean Moore. Jean Moore is the administrative assistant to
the chief and as you recall she started her career April 1st -- yes, on April Fool's Day --
April 1st, 1974. So, after 37 years working for this city and after nine chiefs she's final
had enough. And I --
De Weerd: You did it.
Lavey: I can proudly say -- I was going to save this for the 20th, but I can proudly say
that I'm the one that did her in. She will say that she just got tired of training us and so
she couldn't handle ten. But I believe it's already gone out and we have been so careful
to not advertise it to her, because she doesn't like to be the center of attention, but I'm
inviting everybody to City Hall on May 20th at 1:00 p.m. We have reserved the Council
Chambers, the two meeting rooms, and everything else, really, in the hopes of
everybody that shows up on the ground floor of City Hall at that time frame are there to
see her. We won't have additional meetings going on and I wish to invite personally
everybody in this -- in this chambers, but especially Mayor and Council to be there for
that special event. I promised not to embarrass her, but we do have many gifts and a
lot of people that want to say goodbye say best luck in -- in your retirement. I'm not sure
I want to talk about this item, because it -- it still makes me tremble a little bit, but it's the
precious metals. I realize that the Mayor had gave an update last week on precious
metals on the focus group and I'm just here to let Council know that through the,
coordination of the Mayor and I and her staff we are going to really kind of set that first
meeting up with why are we here, what have we accomplished, what do we think we
want to address, really kind of get a couple of the detectives to go from start to finish.
This is what occurs in a situation like this. And, then, hopefully, collaboratively we can
present a -- a final draft to Council in the near future. Hopefully, I can convince one of
those people on the -- on the group to be the one that actually presents it so I can be in
the back of the room, instead of the front of the room. The -- we call it the MIT, the
Meridian Impact Team. We -- you might have heard this called the street crimes team,
you might have heard it called by other names, but we -- the official name is the
Meridian Impact Team. This is the team that we put together when we got the
community services grant for the four officers really. And, really, that -- that team was
designed to do some pro-active law enforcement out there. So, you're going to see a
couple of things that have been coming down lately that the team has been a real part
of. one is you're going to see an increase in our crime statistics in crimes against
society and at first I was really alarmed and I realized, well, you're going to have an
increase in those types of crimes because we are out there looking for them, we are not
ignoring them. And one of those exposures that you may have seen last night and is
also on the news tonight is the prostitutions in Meridian and I'm here to say that they are
not just in Meridian, they are in the entire Treasure Valley. They are probably in the
entire state. But the reason why they are being highlighted in Meridian is Meridian is
taking apro-active approach and is addressing the problem and says not in our city.
So, when you see it tonight, if you have the opportunity, it should be a little bit more
entertaining than it was last night, because tonight are the clients that partake in those
activities and they have to explain why they were there and it should be fairly humorous,
at least to us that have never been involved in a situation like that. But one thing to
realize is -- is they are the ones that got themselves there. Unfortunately for them there
was anice -- a nice camera going at the time as well. So, I just wanted to caution
everybody is that as you -- as you hear that tonight it's -- really it's not about just
Meridian, but Meridian's pro-active approach in addressing it. I'm here to tell you that
Meridian continues to be a very safe and enjoyable place to live. Yes, I'm biased. But I
will tell you that we have one of the lowest crime rates in the state. We continue to have
the lowest crime rates in the state. Dur officers continue to pro-actively address crime,
while our clearance rate steadily increases. The clearance rate is the number of
offenses versus the number of crimes that we have actually solved and as early as
2007 our clearance rate was about 38 percent, which, basically, meant we were solving
about 38 percen# of every crime or 30 percent of the crimes. I'm here to tell you today
that the -- the unofficial clearance rate is 46.8, but I have been advised that with the
updated statistics that have not been published yet, our clearance rate is 48.5 percent.
So, we are increasing. I do have a -- a handout I'm going -- going to give Council just --
just to give you an idea of how we are doing compared to cities around the area as far
as offenses and clearance rates and such, but I will hand that out in a minute. I'm here
to tell you that in the near future I will be coming in front of Council for several financial
issues not related to the 2012 budget. And part of that is going to be a request to move
46,000 dollars from the capital budget to the professional services budget and that
really goes into that strategic business plan that we discussed for the public safety
training center, but I will get to more of that in just a minute. The other thing that -- we
had the pleasure of going through the -- next year's budget today and discussing
amendments and whether that was emergency and whether we should do that now or
do that later and they asked me about the parking lot -- the state of our parking lot and
said, you know, that's not critical, I said it needs to be done, but it's not an emergency,
don"t believe in doing an amendment, we will go in front of Council for an enhancement
and if -- if that doesn't work we will do it next year. And, then, I got back to the office
and an amendment fell in my lap, which I do think that this is an emergency. And one of
it has to do with forensic evidence with our recent homicide and I will get into more of
that later, but I'm going to have a request to -- for up to 9,000 dollars for a forensics
analysis. The good news is is that the Attorney General's Office is going to pay for the
-- the expert testimony up to 12,000 dollars, but the main reason behind this is that our
crime lab here in the state doesn't have the expertise to do this critical analysis. Back to
our strategic business plan for the training center. Just to give you a quick update, we
have a conference call to negotiate a contract with this company on May 16th. We have
picked a vendor and it -- it -- we are really going to sit down and discuss or negotiate the
contract and, then, the scope of work. I think there is some proposals in there that --
that went beyond what we were looking for and so we are going to try to get that
expense down. The original quote was for 46,000 dollars, I believe. Once we get that
figure negotiated and the contract awarded, we have a 90 day deadline for completion.
So, it would be my hopes is that sometime around mid September they are going to
come in front of Council to give you a presentation. And, really, I think it's -- it's going to
be the answer to those questions that we have been asking for a long time. Should we
do it, if we do it how big should it be, where should we have it, who is going to be
partners, everything else. I will also tell you that over the last couple of weeks I have
been recontac#ed by two groups, one being the Optimists Club, who still wished to be a
partner with us, and, two, with Idaho POST, who although the state doesn't have a
whale lot of money, want to be some sort of partner with us and I said, well, the first
thing that you can do for me, then, when this group comes to town is meet with -- with
the focus group and explain to them really what your -- your current needs are and what
your future needs are and maybe we can discuss how that might come into play later
on. I will tell you that I really wrote that I anticipate no additional staffing for FY-12, but I
guess I should be more specific and say that I did not request any staffing for FY-12, so
it's probably -- that's the first time in history I think the police department did not ask for
more bodies. 1 will tell you that I have been accused of being greedy last year and said,
no, I just -- I didn't cut anything when everybody else -- I just went last and when you
guys cut everything I didn't have to cut anything, so -- we always struggle with filling
positions. I will tell you a story that we had nine positions open and I worked very hard
to fill those positions and we filled seven of those positions, being two of them Ididn't --
didn't have a suitable person, you know, without taking chances. So, we said, you know
what, we will do with seven. I'm thinking seven people through -- through the process,
that's going to be easy for me to fill two. Next thing I know it I have retirements, I have
people quitting the academy, I have people not making training, and I don't know how
many openings I have right now, it's somewhere between five and six. So, I realize that
there is a couple things that are a give me. One is we are never going to be at full staff
and, .two, I'm always going to continue to lose my hair. It's just -- it's just a give me.
will tell you, though, that as the Ten Mile interchange opens that looking at the
Comprehensive Plan out there, if the economy ever turns around to the point where --
did I do that or is someone playing with that? That's not my presentation. If it ever
builds out to the point that we think it's going to, we are going to need an additional 30
to 35 officers to -- to fund that, but -- or to staff that. But I'm not here to ask for that
today. And, really, that figure is based on keeping our current levels of service or
improving our levels of service. Now, I will tell you that we -- we started this evening
with recognizing a couple of officers and I would really like to end the evening -- or let
you -- end my evening with acouple -- recognizing a couple more employees. And only
one of them is an officer. And I see he has left. I'll tell you a little bit of a story is --
Lieutenant Jamie Leslie had got to the point where he wanted tv come up with a
software program that would better log our audio recordings from -- basically law
enforcement traffic stops. Instead of going in there to the -- to the -- to the server and
not being able to find it again, he wanted some method to kind of categorize it and be
able tv pull up recordings rather easily. And in the discussion with IT he was put in
touch with IT software programmer Mike Tanner. And as you may or may not know,
Mike Tanner came from Micron -- their loss, our gain -- when they were having some of
their difficulties. And, of course, that can do attitude of Mike Tanner, who doesn't say
many words, but actually puts it into action, says I can do that. Now, when you put
together Lieutenant Leslie and Mike Tanner, they are about the opposite extreme -- or
opposites of the spectrum that you can think of and I'm thinking why do you guys get
along so well, what makes you connect, and, then, I realized they grew up together in
Emmett and I figured that's -- that's the connection. But, really, this blossomed into
something more major, is not only did it blossom into a -- a storage facility for our audio
and for our photographs, it's turned into a report writer, it turned into a -- a place to log
or categorize our suspects that we deal with out there, it connects into our agencies
where we can actually run cars and run subjects and it also turns into the case
management system for our detectives where everybody is operating on the same
program, everybody knows what everybody is doing, everybody knows what the status
of the case is and, most importantly, the -- the supervisors and the commanders can
keep track of those cases to alert our victims. Even beyond that, what we didn't
envision at first is that we have gone paperless. We don't print a report off to be
approved. We don't print a report off to be submitted. We submitted electronically. And
what does this do? Not only does it save a number of trees, it really saves in printer
cartridges and I don't know who is -- who is picking out the printers now, but you get the
printers for 200 dollars and the cartridges cost 400 dollars and you have to replace them
every --- every month and in our case even sooner than that. We don't have to do that
anymore. My printer bill dropped drastically. The other thing is is that we often
misplace the reports as they were getting submitted to the prosecutor or the prosecutor
would misplace the reports and we would send over copies of the reports two and three
times and we would send over copies of the pictures two and three times. We would
send .over copies of the audios two and three times. Now we only do it once
electronically, and if they want to print it off it's on their dime, it's on their time. If they
lose it they go back and print the file off. The unique thing about that is it not only goes
to the Ada County Prosecutor's office, it goes to the Boise prosecutor's office. So, it
addresses both misdemeanors and felonies. Well, we are not done there. I can't really
quantify how much money we save, how many trees we save, but I will tell you that this
system is so hot that we have the other agencies that want to come on board and so we
are in partnership with Ada County Sheriffs Office, Boise Police Department, and
Garden City Police Department, to use the same program. The uniqueness is that
you're going #o have four law enforcement agencies working together and doing the
same thing. I think that's a miracle in itself, but, two, is we were looking at a third party
program for a report writer and depending on which program you chose, it was going to
cost somewhere between 500,000 and 750,000 dollars. Due to a very small vision
turning into something major between Lieutenant Leslie and Mike Tanner, that is
probably one of the finest examples of fiscal responsibility that I have seen in a long
time and that, too, makes me proud. So, with that being said, I promised to keep it
short, I am done. I will stand for any questions on anything we have covered this
evening or anything that I may have left out. Mayor?
De Weerd: Council, any questions?
Bird: No. Just a fine report.
Zaremba: Madam Mayor?
De Weerd: Mr. Zaremba.
Zaremba: I would say congratulations for the excellent things you have been able to
report on. I would also think that working together with the sheriffs department and the
two other police departments, that I'm sure the criminals that we deal with don't respect
the city borders and we are probably finding that people that commit crimes here
commit crimes in other places and to be able to merge our data bases and ferret those
people out, I think is probably going to be another benefit of this system as well.
Lavey: Madam Mayor, Mr. Zaremba, you are so right. I have often said that we arrest
the same people and we do the same reports, we should be sharing those reports with
everybody. And it really -- it really took some patients and I'm not good at that, to sit
there and say, okay, well, we have this report writer and it works for us and if you don't
want to use it, we are fine with that, but we are going to continue doing what we are
doing and we just held strong and they said we like what you are doing and I said you
can come on board, but you have to change a little and -- and it's our program and so
we are going to decide as a group how to change it, instead of having, well, we want it
this way and they want it this way and they want this change -- we said, no, we got to
decide together, so we are -- when we open up that report we all know what we are
looking at, we are dealing with the same people, we are dealing with -- with the same
report. It really comes down to consistency and I can drag my feet all day long,
because I got the report. 1f they want it they need to come on board and that's where
we are at.
De Weerd: Any further comments or questions?
Rountree: Just thank you, Jeff, for the report and all of your officers for their fine job
they do and the great face that they provide for the City of Meridian.
De Weerd: Thank you, chief.
D. Parks Department: Park Dedication Plaque Discussion
De Weerd: Okay. Our next item under 8-D is our Parks Department and Mr. Siddoway
and Phil.
Siddoway: Thank you, Madam Mayor, Members of the Council. It's going to be a bit of
a hard act to fallow, but kudos to the chief for all the great things they are working on.
Really I just want to take a brief moment and introduce Phil. He's the vice-chair this
year of our Parks and Recreation Commission. He also sits on the Parks Amenities and
Signage Committee. We have three committees within our Parks and Recreation
Commission structure and Phil has been a great asset to that committee and has been
coming up with new and innovative ideas that they bring forward to our department as
part of the work that they do. Gne of the ideas they have developed in that committee is
-- is an idea for some park dedication plaques in our existing parks and Phil will present
that idea tonight for discussion and seek any Council feedback that you might have as
they develop this idea further. So, with that out any further adieu from me, I will just turn
the microphone over to Phil.
De Weerd; Thank you, Steve.
Liddell: Thank you, Steve.
De Weerd: Good evening.
Liddell: Madam Mayor, City Council, greetings. I have got a handout here I'd like to
give to you.
De Weerd: okay.
Liddell: About a year ago we began the process of trying to determine a way to
commemorate and historically document each of our city parks. Through most
discussion and reviews and so forkh we decided upon paying recognition via a plaque
and we envision that as being something very similar to what we see on the front of this
building at the entryway, a metal plaque of that type. Perhaps not that large, but of that
style. So, I'd like to present our findings to you this evening and get your feedback and,
hopefully, your blessing to proceed with this endeavor. But to begin with, the whole
purpose of this is to dedicate and bring suitable recognition through this dedication
plaque to Meridian's many wonderful and existing and future parks for recreation where
all manner of family and friends gather. Many hour -- many hours of planning and
meeting by individuals and corporate bodies, as well as city staff and the public at large
have contributed to the success of Meridian's outstanding park facilities and it's for this
reason that the parks amenities and signage committee, under the Parks and Rec
Commission, have been working towards developing this plaque that would pay tribute
and memorialize each of Meridian's parks. The reason for the City Council presentation
is to secure your blessing and general approval to continue our efforts to further this and
fine tune it as a way of recognizing those parks. The idea has already been presented
to the Commission and they have approved it. I know that the Parks and Recreation
Department, Steve Siddoway, is behind this and we feel it's time to present that to you
for your input. This plaque would be displayed at a prominent or central location at
each park. The exact location is yet to be determined. We don't know exactly, but at
this time we are considering mounting this plaque on either an existing structure or
perhaps the restroom wall or a concessions building if that's available at a given park or
any other structural or monumental type mounting that we may consider that hopefully
would already be existing or that we can tailor and make it work with that to keep costs
down. It's a cast metal dedication plaque like I described on the front of the building.
We have envisioned it as being roughly 11-by-17 in size and attached to the handout
you will see two 11 by 17 inserts there. one is the park -- it's the generic plan mock up
of this plaque and we have tailored that particular mock up to each specific park. The
second one there, the second attachment, is the Bear Creek park plaque and we pretty
much honed in on the information that would be included in that, so you can see it for
yourself right there. The plaques would include the park name at the top. It would be a
single dedication date right beneath that and I know that some parks have multiple
dedications, whether it's far different sections of the park, different venues there,
whatever the case may be, but I think we are looking towards the initial ribbon cutting
ceremony dedicating the park. So, probably be that date. There would be a brief
dedication statement tailored to that particular park, which would -- which would pay
tribute to the creation, the development, how the park came into existence, those
prominent noteworthy situations. But we would also like to probably exclude individual
names or corporations for perhaps neglecting somebody and somebody may feel
slighted because of that. So, we will have to tailor that statement, you know, it could be
two or three brief sentences type of thing. Also underneath that we would list the -- the
Mayor who was sitting at the time of the dedication. We would list the City Council
members' names at the dedication date. Park superintendent. Park director. And,
then, Commissioners that sit on the parks and recollection -- parks and recreation
commissioners themselves. So, that the make up of each of the plaques, the amount of
information that would be on there. The next thing would be the preliminary cost
estimates and right now this is very preliminary, so it's not written in stone, but based on
the 11 by 17 and some of our initial outreaches, we are looking at as low as five to nine
hundred, but to be safe, if the plaque has to grow slightly in order to get the text to stand
out and look right, it could -- it could exceed a thousand dollars, but we are hoping that
that would be the tops, but we would keep you informed about that. Also, if we were to
do multiple plaques atone time we may realize some sort of a cost reduction. We don't
know how significant that would be, but the fabricator would have to work with us on
that. It's also anticipated that not all the parks would receive a plaque in any given year,
that we could break that down into, you know, a couple each year, maybe more. So,
that in a period of four or five years we might have all the parks with a plaque. Budget,
of course, dictates all of that. So, assuming that you're in agreement with that and the
confirmation this evening to proceed, we are just looking for your input, your feedback,
and any comments that you have, whether it's a good idea to proceed or not and we will
-- like I said, we will keep you abreast of things as they develop, both cost and size and
the final thing would be as we develop the individual plaques for a given park we would
bring that back before you, so you can see the final -- the finished product before we
place any kind of order. The mounting of the plaque, like I said, could be on a building
or anything else, but that would be our -- on our dime. So, the cost that I'm quoting here
is just for the fabrication of that plaque. So, with that in mind I'm open for any questions
or feedback, comments you might have.
Bird: Madam Mayor?
De Weerd: Mr. Bird.
Bird: I think it's a great idea. I think it's time that we have plaques like this in our parks.
We are one of the few cities that don't. I think it's a great idea. I would proceed. I
would be one for proceeding ahead with it, getting all of it up on all the parks we have
got right now.
Liddell: Thank you.
Rountree: Madam Mayor?
De Weerd: Mr. Rountree.
Rountree: I have already told Phil and Steve this, but I think it's a good idea. I agree
with Keith. There are a couple parks that are going to be a little bit interesting to try to
figure out who did what when, but other than that, yeah, I think we have to be sensitive
to that, but I think the recognition is great and I think it would be very nice to have this
recognition in each and every park.
Zaremba: Madam Mayor?
De Weerd: Mr. Zaremba.
Zaremba: I not only like the idea, but I would like to suggest an addition to it, maybe,
depending on what it would cost to do that. Visualizing what you have, you have kind of
an introductory section and, then, you have a line and, then, you list the officials, I would
suggest drawing another line and having some kind of a tag line, whether it just says
live, play, laugh or whether it's the parks department's mission statement -- I like what
you have and, I don't know, maybe that adds 500 dollars to the sign and it's not a good
idea, but I think it would be neat to have -- this is kind of dry.
Liddell: Oh, it is.
Zaremba: You know. And it's -- it says what it needs to say, but I just think it would be
nice to have had some kind of a tag line at the bottom.
Liddell: Okay.
Zaremba: Personal opinion. Go forth.
Liddell: Okay. We will take them -- great.
^e Weerd: Okay. Anything further from Council?
Rountree: No. Thanks for doing it.
Liddell: You bet. My pleasure.
De Weerd: Thank you, Phil. Appreciate you being here.
E. Development Services: Pre-Directional's for Numbered Street
Signs
De Weerd: Okay. Under 8-E is our Development Services, Meridian Numbered
Streets. We have been looking at this presentation, been waiting for it all night.
Ricks: Good evening, Madam Mayor, and Members of the Council. My name is Terri
Ricks and I'm here representing Development Services. I'm the addressing technician.
De Weerd: Terri, can you pull the mike -- thank you.
Ricks: I'm the addressing technician for the city. My name is Terri Ricks. I want to
thank you for the opportunity to address you this evening. If I'm technically capable of
doing this. As the City of Meridian has grown and changed aver the last few decades
so has the need for a more consistent standardized method of assigning addresses and
street names. The issue I would like to discuss tonight and look to Council for direction
on is the inconsistency with the prefixes or pre-directional street names that appear in
our databases and on our street signs. The prefix or pre-directional, as we will refer to it
hereafter, can be the indicators of the street's direction, such as north, south, east and
west. It can also refer to its location within the city's addressing grid on a street that
bears a standard name, as opposed to a number it is sufficient to attach only one pre-
directional. Regarding Linder Road, for example, we recognized North Linder as any
segment of the street appearing north of Franklin Road. Franklin being the dividing line
in our north-south addressing grid. South Linder, in turn, would be anything south of
Franklin. On Ustick Road it is again sufficient to assign only one pre-directional. We
recognize East Ustick as any segment of the street appearing east of Meridian Road,
with Meridian being the dividing line of our east-west addressing grid. West Ustick
being anything to the west of Meridian. For numbered streets, however, one pre-
directional is insufficient. In reference to 5th Street, for example, it could be Northeast
5th Street or it could be Southwest 5th Street. These are completely different streets,
not in alignment with one another, located in opposite sections of the city. As Meridian
has grown and both software and personnel have changed, so have the methods of
assigning. and entering addressing information. Therefore, the differences in ACHD's
labeled street signs. It is this inconsistency we would like to draw your attention to
tonight. In the following photos you will see some good examples. Yesterday I drove
north from Cherry Lane on Northwest 11th Street and these are just a few of the signs I
saw. You will see in the first example we have north indicated by the letter N, west
spelled out, 11th Street. West when it's spelled out like this no longer is a pre-
directional, it becomes a name of the street, which is not allowed according to standard
addressing guidelines. In the second example we have the letter N indicating north.
We have an 11th Street. And, then, we have west. Again west is not apre-directional,
it's apost-directional. The third example we have West 11th Street. Now, we have
north not appearing on here at all. We don't know which section of the city it's in.
Driving a little further north now we have two pre-directionals, which is what we want.
However, now it says 11th Avenue instead of 11th Street. So, that's something we will
have to address a little later down the road. As I was trying to find asign -- excuse me
-- indicating what we are recommending, which is just a simple two pre-directional for a
numbered street, I had to drive a few streets over to 14th S#reet and this is what we
found. This is what we recommend. You can see it's very simple, easy, there is no
question what street you're driving on. Regarding this subject, the Meridian Fire
Department has issued the following memo. In it Joe Silva states: As upgrades have
been completed to our Ada County dispatch software and additional ones are soon to
be scheduled, problems have been identified with the many inconsistencies regarding
pre-directionals on our numbered streets. Northwest 11th Street is a prime example.
The street signs along Northwest 11th vary considerably, some having one pre-
directional, West 11th Street, some having two, Northwest 11th Street. But none are
the same. The same is true in our city databases, as well as the 911 Ada County
dispatch software. The problem occurs when the dispatcher is provided with multiple
choices to verify the location of an emergency. If the wrong location is entered by the
dispatcher the potential for delay in emergency response is greatly increased. This also
surfaces as an issue with our firehouse records management system for the identical
reason. For consistency purposes the Meridian Fire Department supports the
recommendation of assigning two pre-directionals for each numbered street, as
recommended by the City of Meridian addressing coordinator.
De Weerd: What a nosy fire marshal we have.
Ricks: This might be his last memo.
Silva: No, it won't be.
Ricks: So, with five addressing grids within Ada County an attempt is currently being
made to coordinate our addressing and street naming ordinances to avoid confusion.
We anticipate coming back to Council in the near future with these revisions. Tonight
what we seek from you is direction or a decision on how to proceed. Ada County is
happy to make the needed changes in their databases only after the Council has
rendered its decision, In conclusion, as with all changes, we can anticipate some
related costs. ACRD has consented to change the signs at no cost if nothing other than
a small sticker overlay is required. If a new sign is required, ACRD will charge us 90
dollars per sign. We estimate no more than 60 signs -- probably not that many, but no
more than 60 signs, totaling 5,400 dollars, will be needed. And, lastly, the signs can be
replaced in phases, rather than all at once if needed. If I may, I'd like to return the -- or
turn over the remainder of the time to Robin Jack from the Planning Department and
she will address how these inconsistencies are affecting our city and county databases.
Thank you.
De Weerd: Terri, before you leave, can you tell me who -- who determines what is
listed on the sign? .
Ricks: Generally it's how the street is named and ACRD is the one who makes our
street names for us. They put the -- they are responsible for putting the signs up.
Generally once a street is named they take that information off the plaque and they put
it -- put it on the sign as such. Over the years we have been very inconsistent in our --
ourmethods of naming streets. This is what we are trying to correct at this time.
De Weerd: Now, is that street naming set at the local level or at the county level or are
we going to see this -- is this happening all over the county?
Ricks: Well, it is happening all over the county. We have an Ada County street name
and addressing committee, of which I'm a member. Normally we make decisions
regarding street names throughout the county. On this particular one the county was
very nervous about weighing in. Several years for some reason you notice the -- this
one right here, the first one, for some reason several years ago we went to this -- this
way of naming our streets -- our numbered streets and west written out 11th Street. As
we researched it we couldn't figure out -- we couldn't figure out who authorized --
authorized that change. The county changed all of their data, we changed all our data,
the people I have talked to historically say they thought the county was insisting upon it,
the county says we insisted upon it. So, that's our reason for coming to you tonight and
rendering a decision once and for all our method of -- of naming these streets and, then,
we will go forward and be consistent in the future.
De Weerd: Well, will they write that into some policy form so it is consistent?
Ricks: Yes. In the last few months we have been going over -- we have five addressing
grids in Ada County and because of that we have five ordinances, all very -- very
different. So, the last few months we have been working together to draft a county
ordinance, which has recently passed. Now that that has passed we are hoping that
each individual agency, each individual city draft our own city ordinances, you know,
along those same lines, so we are consistent in our methods of addressing, so we don't
have anymore confusion like the ones we have discussed tonight.
De Weerd: And I guess l have just one other question and I know it's been a concern
for our fire department as well and that's primarily in the south end of our community
where you have the -- the Kuna-Meridian concerns where we have South Linder and
they are North Linder and they have annexed a pocket, so now it's called North Linder
in Kuna and the parcel next to it is South Linder in Meridian. Is that being addressed as
well?
Ricks: Actually, I haven't heard that addressed, but we are having a meeting tomorrow
and I can certainly bring that up.
De Weerd: Okay. Chief, that continues to be an issue, doesn't it? Or have they figured
that out through emergency response?
Silva: Madam Mayor, Members of the Council, that is a problem, because we do have
the duplication in the addressing grid does -- you're exactly right. That does happen. I
can't identify that with specifically that street, but I know that does exist where the
addressing grids come up and abut one another. That is a real problem. I was just
having an offline conversation with Scott about that very -- that very issue, ironically
enough, but one -- two things after I wrote that memo, actually, that I would like to just
kind of emphasize, that when we had hard lines into each home and less relying upon
cell phones, you had that -- in the dispatch center it had an address verification screen
that came up and they would ask that the person calling in the emergency to verify their
address -- and that would -- should correlate if they picked up that hand set in their
home to that -- to that address where the call is originating. This becomes a little bit
mare difficult in the -- now that we have cell phones and they are -- they are saying --
they will say I'm at the corner of, you know, Northwest 11th -- I'm at West 11th -- you
know what I'm saying? They are coming off what they remember and seeing on the
street sign, so with the enhanced use of cell phones in our society, it's actually become
more of a problem, because when people are panicked and they are calling in an
emergency, you know, whatever is -- whether or not it's a building fire or an EMS call,
those details are extremely important, so we get units going to the right -- routed to the
right spot. So, this is very important to us.
De Weerd: Thank you, chief.
Zaremba: Madam Mayor?
De Weerd: Mr. Zaremba.
Zaremba: Two things, actually. I had one to begin with, but your comment about North
and South Linder, McDermott is the same thing. One side of it's in Ada County, one is
in Canyon county and there are signs that say east side is these numbers, north or east
or south -- I mean I have tried to read those signs and I don't understand what they are
telling me, but I do know it's an issue that the addresses on the opposite side of the
street don't match. So, that would be one example of that. What we are looking at -- it
would be intuitive to me to address them the way the upper left one is. That, in fact,
West 11th Street would be the name that's different than East 11th Street and you
would spell west and eas# out and only abbreviate the N. You gave some reason why
that can't be done and I missed what that reason was, but I'm -- it would seem intuitive
to me that what we are looking at on the upper left would -- that would be the way I
would choose to do it.
Ricks: Right. And -- and I can see why that would be so, but standard addressing
guidelines say that directionals cannot be part -- directions cannot be part of the actual
street name. So, 11th -- 11th is the actual street name. When we put west on there,
then, we are adding direction to the street name without it being apre-directional, if that
makes sense. So, the direction needs to be in apre-direction or post-direc#ion, but it
can't be part of the street name. So, these are -- we have plenty of signs like this that
they need to be corrected. So, it will just be -- so, when someone is looking at it they
are going to be -- they are not going to say -- they are not going to look at that and say,
oh, we are on West 11th Street, they are going to look at a sign more like this and say
we are Northwest 14th. That's very -- you know, very simple. That's our hope.
Rountree: Madam Mayor?
De Weerd: Mr. Rountree.
Rountree: In that particular instance if you were Mr. West you could not have a street
named after you, David.
Ricks: That's true.
Rountree: My question is do any of these changes result in an addressing change from
a postal service standpoint and do we impose by moving forward with this another issue
for our citizens that they have to change their addresses on their checks or on their
envelopes or stationery and those sorts of things?
Ricks: No. Councilman Rountree, it does not -- it does not require any kind of street
name change. The street name will still remain. All these street names will still remain
intact. The only thing we are changing is the way we are -- we are assigning the pre-
directionals to a name and we were entering it in our databases. So, the street will
remain the same, no -- no change of address is necessary to do this to the post office
and no cost or inconvenience to the residents.
Rountree: Other than they will be confused when they see a new street sign that they
always lived on N West 11th Street or N West 11 Avenue, same street, it's going to
change.
Ricks: And you would be surprised how many calls we receive from title companies and
from residents questioning -- questioning their -- their official address, because our data
might be different than Ada County's data. Title companies' data might be different than
what appears on vur building services certificates of occupancy. So, this is going to be
a way to remedy -- to remedy all that. We hope to become consistent and that there is
no question. The other thing I wanted to point out is -- is our residents assume that
whatever appears on their street sign is accurate and they probably shouldn't do so.
Many times it's incorrect. So, we are hoping to correct that, so that when someone
looks at a street sign and they say we are Northwest 14th Street, we know that's exactly
where they are. So, any further questions?
De Weerd: No. Thank you, Terri. I don't know, I think we are just more confused,
but --
Jack: ~h-oh. And I'm up next.
De Weerd: Well, in terms of what is the official -- if I lived on North 11th Street West,
that's how I would have it on my checks or if -- if you looked at the sign and determined
that's how -- I guess that's what I understood from Councilman Rountree's question
and --
Ricks: And it is the same. I mean we are not changing that street name, but it's how we
are characterizing that street and how we are entering it in our databases. Just on a
personal note, when I go here to pay my water bill I happen to live on Southwest 8th
and I go in and I say this is my name and I live on Southwest 8th and nine times out of
ten they can't located it until I say, oh, 8th Avenue or -- yeah. South 8th Avenue -- or
West 8th Avenue South and, then, they can find it in their database. 50, even within the
city we have troubles locating this information and just standardizing it between all our
databases is going to be a world of difference.
De Weerd: And that's what Robin is going to comment on. Okay.
Ricks: Right.
De Weerd: Good. That's the rest of the story.
Nary: Madam Mayor?
De Weerd: Mr. Nary.
Nary: Madam Mayor, Members of the Council, before Robin adds more, we discussed
this -- I mean we raised the very same question that Council Member Rountree raised.
Are we really changing the name of the street and the reality is we are not changing the
name of the street. But we probably do need to help educate the public for the exact
reason Madam Mayor raised, is that they may just presume the name of their street was
N West 11th, even though it really is Northwest 11th and, you know, as Chief Silva was
just reminding me, too, that the plats when they are determined with the streets, is really
the official street name. So, the name hasn't changed. How it's being depicted is and
so we probably do need to help educate the public on you really live on a street, not an
avenue, you really live on an avenue, not a street, it really is Northwest 8th, not N West
8th. So, there will probably be some education as part of this process. But the -- we did
-- we were comfortable that we weren't changing the name of the street, because we do
actually have a process for that, which would provide notice, but, again, the street name
isn't really changing, it's really just getting clarified, so --
De Weerd: Okay. So, we know that these are correct on the plat. We know that.
Nary: We believe that.
Bird: They are supposed to be.
Rountree: They are supposed to be, yeah.
De Weerd: Okay.
Ricks: Sometimes plats can vary. You know, it will say on one side it's avenue, one
side it's street. Now with the -- the Ada County street name committee we are going
over preliminary plats and one of the things we are doing to avoid confusion, aside from
making sure that street names are correctly depicted, whether it's avenue or whether it's
north or south, east or west. And we are also looking for sound alikes or spelled alikes
or unable to pronounce street names and rejecting those and asking for resubmittals, so
we are doing our best to avoid confusion in the future.
De Weerd: Based on who? You know, I may not be able to say something and Mr.
Zaremba can. How many people can say de Weerd.
Ricks: Actually, I didn't know. I worked here for two years before I knew it was de
Weerd and not de Weerd, so I apologize.
De Weerd: My point.
Ricks: In our street name committee there are representatives from the different fire
departments and addressing committee members and we have a representative from
Ada County sheriffs dispatch and GIS and we have quite a few people -- quite a few
agencies represented and so as the area is growing we are trying harder, mare
diligently, to -- to take care of things before they become a problem. Right now we are
trying to problem solve and, then, going forward and be all on the same page, so --
De Weerd: Just to point out, I wasn't suggesting aname -- a street name should be
after my name, because no one wants to live on The Weird Street. Just thought I would
clarify that.
Ricks: Okay.
De Weerd: Okay. Thank you, Terri. Welcome, Robin.
Jack: Hi.
De Weerd: Hi.
Jack: Madam Mayor, Council, I'm Robin Jack, I'm with the Public Works Department.
think Terri said the planning, so I wanted to clarify that. So, I do the GIS for the city and
I'm the one that kind of stirred the pot on this issue. I sit on the board for -- with
COMPASS called the Regional Geographic Advisory Committee. It's a very long name,
so we shortened it to something very nice and sweet, like RGAC.
De Weerd: RGAC. Okay.
Jack: And the board -- what we work on with this board is regional GIS data sets and
addressing is perhaps one of our most important addressing sets, because once you
have a good addressing set you can tie additional information to it, like daycares,
businesses, you can start tying back to the address once you have it. We are in the
process of building that and with RGAC we are working on a dual county addressing
layer. Dr our GIS data will be shared with Boise and with Ada County and, then, all of
Canyon county's data will also be compiled with it. And it's -- it's going to be a very
useful data set. And this decision that we are asking for tonight will be implemented in
all of these databases, but the northwest, of course, it only applies to Meridian. And so
when we have a decision, then, Ada County will change their data to accommodate the
decision that comes out here, because it's very important with GIS data to have it all
saying the same thing. If you have your parcel data saying one address and, then, you
have your Ada County centerline data saying something else and, then, you have an
addressing point layer that says something else, software doesn't run very well that
way. We will just put it that way. It makes it really hard to find an address and all the
software that's been purchased may not function properly, so -- so, this is what happens
when we have inconsistent data and, then, we try to enter it into a database. We will
have the house number as you can see here and, then, the pre-directional, which is
what they have been talking about the most this evening and, then, the street name.
And we can also have apost-directional, which is what we saw on one of the street
signs that Terri Ricks showed earlier. And in the past this was entered very
inconsistently and so you can imagine if someone is trying to locate a street and
somebody says, well, I'm on 11th Street, well, West 11th Street North, Northwest -- you
know, it can be hard to find in a database when it's written out like this. So, we are kind
of preferring that it doesn't go that way, but to be honest, GIS can deal with whatever is
decided, as long as we can get our data consistent. That's the most important part is
getting the data consistent. So, the consequences would be, you know, with this
inconsistent data is it could be confusing for EMS trying to locate a house. It could take
a little longer for a dispatcher to find the house in a database and right now we have got
so many pieces of GIS integrated software that are being implemented, not only in the
city -- in the city we have Hansen coming on, we have got -- well, it's actually -- we are
actually using Hansen now. Accela, which is on its way, which will also need this
addressing layer. And, then, this New World RMS is what the police department will be
using for their reports and the Northrop Grumman is what the fire department uses in
their emergency trucks and their fire trucks for their MDTs. So, this is data that should
be shared with all of these different pieces of software and it's really important that we
get it consistent, so we don't have software that doesn't function properly because of
inconsistency. So, this is what we are recommending is the highlighted in yellow where
it would be a dual pre-direction of northwest with the street name being 11th Street type
of street. And like I said, for GIS it's more important that we get it consistent and
whether you choose the dual pre or whether west is spelled out in the street name.
De Weerd: Any questions?
Rountree: Madam Mayor -- and this is just a -- for my own interest in terms of your
database, but do you assign a coordinate to a particular address or is your database
sorted by address?
Jack: Yes. The addressing layer will have coordinates.
Rountree: So -- but that -- wouldn't necessarily -- would somewhat address the
question or the information that Joe brought up in terms of his cell phones where they
broadcast coordinates from where the call is being made, 1 would assume that can be
received by EMS and, then, that could be put into the GIS address layer and find where
you need to go, plus or minus a few feet, I suppose. I don't know how you -- how you
pinpoint a lot with a coordinate, but it seems to me that there is way to make that work.
Jack: Yeah. Our addressing will be -- the goal of it is to get it to where it's on the front
door of properties, but it's going to take some time to get it there right now. We have
got a lot of addresses that are in the center of the parcel or that are on the tops of
buildings.
Rountree: Yeah. Well, I'm not too concerned about the Z I don`t think, but at least with
your X and Y you kind of know where you are.
Jack: Yeah.
Zaremba: Madam Mayor?
De Weerd: Mr. Zaremba.
Zaremba: I may have missed it, but another -- before you mentioned that this was at
some point going to cover both Ada and Canyon counties.
Jack: Yes.
Zaremba: There was something said about finding conflicting names and Ada County I
think has been fairly good about that, but when you combine the counties there is three
Franklins that go different places. Is there any thought of trying to change those
names?
Jack: Of trying to change Franklin? That's kind of a street naming thing. GiS kind of
ends up in the middle of a lot of this s#uff, but, you know, that's a decision for the street
naming committee.
Zaremba: Okay.
Jack: Does Terri want to come up and talk about it?
De Weerd: Probably not. I'm sure we are changing enough right now.
Ricks: There is no -- there is no intention of changing Franklin. And those are in -- in
different cities and so that would be -- that would be helpful.
De Weerd: I think the better example is Cherry Street and Cherry Avenue. I know
that's been a real bugaboo with emergency responders, but we decided it seems like
several years ago not to go down that street or avenue. Whichever.
Colaianni: Madam Mayor, Council Members, Mr. Rountree, just to clarify some stuff,
when we get a call from a cell phone, if it meets certain emergency criteria we can
contact the dispatch center or we could, if we wanted to. Then, in turn, we will contact
the cell phone carrier and we can do what we call ping the phone and by pinging the
phone it allows us to triangulate within a certain distance to the closest tower and give
us a general area of where that call is originated from. It's not an exact location, but it
can get us a general location and it's not in all cases, it's only -- the cell phone
companies are really reluctant to give general location and it's not in all cases, it's only
-- the cell phone companies are really reluctant to do that for privacy issues, but if it is
an emergency they will do that and we do have that capability.
De Weerd: Thank you.
Colaianni: You're welcome.
De Weerd: Okay. Any other questions from Council?
Bird: I have none, Mayor.
De Weerd: So, I'm sure, Terri, you're looking for direction on how to proceed forward
with this?
Ricks: Yes, please.
Rountree: Madam Mayor?
De Weerd: Mr. Rountree.
Rountree: My preference is to move forward with it, but there is a component that you
don't have outlined in your presentation and that's a public educational piece. I think
when people start seeing their street signs change, the phones are going to come off
the hook and we need to pre-expose what's going on and be set up to address those
questions and take care of the -- the upsetness of folks thinking that their name has
been changed and their -- all of their documents need to be changed and, et cetera.
So, to me that's an important part of this.
Ricks: Ckay. Thank you for bringing that up and we will do that prior to the change.
Zaremba: Madam Mayor?
De Weerd: Mr. Zaremba.
Zaremba: And my thought would be if -- if we are talking a cost in the range of five to
six thousand dollars, it would make sense to me to pull all the teeth at once, so to
speak, and -- I mean if this were going to be 50,000 dollars I could see phasing it, but I
-- I'm in favor of doing it, it makes sense to be consistent. I think it would be wise to get
it over with and do it all at once. Personal opinion.
Bird: Madam Mayor?
De Weerd: Mr. Bird.
Bird: I concur with Councilman Rountree and I think the public -- we have got to get it
out to the public. They are -- there is confusion already. I have lived on West 8th for 46
years, now I'm on Northwest 8th. Never heard of it before. Just last month. It's
ridiculous.
De Weerd: You should have looked at your closing papers.
Bird: Forty-six years go I did. It says West 8th. The last street in the City of Meridian.
De Weerd: Okay.
Freckleton: Madam Mayor, Members of the Council, the -- Terri had a discussion with
the -- her counterparts at Ada County this morning or yesterday, I can't remember
which. Anyway, they were good to go with copies from -- so, we need to just make sure
that the -- I realize this isn't going to be a motion, but we just need to make sure that the
direction that you're agreeing to is clearly stated, if -- if it is your intention to go with the
recommendation as put forth tonight, we just need to make sure that that's clear.
De Weerd: Apre-directional.
Freckleton: The dual pre-directional.
Bird: Yeah.
De Weerd: Uh-huh.
Rountree: I would suggest to make it official that you prepare a letter for the Mayor's
signature.
Bird: Second that.
De Weerd: Okay. I have a motion and a second with a direction that Council prefers on
the pre-directional.
Rountree: Dual directional.
Bird: Dual directional.
De Weerd; Dual pre-directional. There you go. On numbered streets. Any
discussion? Madam Clerk.
Roll-Call: Bird, yea; Rountree, yea; Hoaglun, absent; Zaremba, yea.
De Weerd: All ayes.
MOTION CARRIED; THREE AYES: ONE ABSENT.
De Weerd: I do think, though, that the question will remain and -- on making sure we
know what street is called what per the plat and that public educational piece will be
certainly.
Freckleton: Absolutely. Thank you.
De Weerd: Okay. And we will need a budget amendment how we are paying for it.
Okay.
Freckleton: Thank you.
De Weerd: Thank you.
Ricks: Thank you.
F. Building Services Division: Budget Amendment for Air Cards
for the Accela Project for aNot-to-Exceed Amount of $3,fi54.00
De Weerd: Okay. Our next item under S-F is our building services division.
Nary: Madam Mayor?
De Weerd: Mr. Nary.
Nary: Madam Mayor, Members of the Council, actually, this an IT request. The money
for this is 3,654 dollars, is money that is currently in IT's budget in regards to the Accela,
it needs to be divided out to the various departments for the purchase of air cards for
the use out in the field for the Accela project for the testing and the use and in next
year's budget in FY-12 the money is already put into those department budgets. So, the
determination and the Accela project process that we are in now, was to move the
money to the various departments, so finance originally recommended that we run them
as separate budget amendments for each department and seemed kind of unusual. So,
it seemed to make more sense that it came from IT, since the money is already housed
in the IT budget and it's just being essentially redisbursed back to Building Services and
Planning and -- I forgot to pull it up. Building services, Planning, Fire, so -- so, anyway,
it's contained in that, but it's an IT request, not Building Services, and I don't think we
just caught that when we set the agenda, so I apologize.
De Weerd: okay. Council, any questions?
Rountree: Madam Mayor, just -- we talked about there being multiple disbursements.
Is this the first of the three or are the other two being done or --
Bird: This is it.
Rountree: -- are they just -- this is just one?
Nary: It's just one. We felt it would be easier to do it as one budget amendment from IT
to disburse it to those other accounts.
Rountree: okay.
Bird: Madam Mayor?
De Weerd: Mr. Bird.
Bird: 1 move that we approve the budget amendment for air cards for the sum of 3,654
dollars.
Rountree: Second.
De Weerd: I have a motion and a second approving the budget amendment under 8-F.
If there is no discussion, Madam Clerk.
Roll-Call: Bird, yea; Rountree, yea; Hoaglun, absent; Zaremba, yea.
De Weerd: All ayes. Motion carried.
MOTION CARRIED: THREE AYES: ONE ABSENT.
G. Mayor's Office: Budget Amendment for State of the City Costs
for aNot-to-Exceed Amount of $13,420.00
De Weerd: Under 8-G we have a budget amendment and I'll turn this over to Robert.
Simison: Thank you, Madam Mayor, Members of the Council. Council, you have
before you tonight is what has become our annual State of the City budget amendment,
which we bring to you after all the bills have been paid for the State of the City and all
their receipts for those that have agreed to sponsor have come in. All the money has
come in for the year, so what you have is a budget amendment authorizing the
spending of the difference between what was budgeted in this year and what has
actually been collected for the year. And with that I would stand for any questions.
De Weerd: Thank you, Robert. Council, any questions? Okay. If there is no questions
do I have a motion?
Zaremba: Madam Mayor?
De Weerd: Mr. Zaremba.
Zaremba: I move we approve the budget amendment for the State of the City costs for
the not to exceed amount of 13,420 dollars.
Rountree: Second.
De Weerd: I have a motion and a second. Any discussion? Seeing none, Madam
Clerk.
Roll-Call: Bird, yea; Rountree, yea; Hoaglun, absent; Zaremba, yea.
De Weerd: All ayes. Motion carried.
MOTION CARRIED: THREE AYES: ONE ABSENT.
H. Planning and Public Works Departments: Airport Road -
Overland Road Corridor Study Update and Discussion on Land
Uses and Serviceability
De Weerd: 8-H, under Planning and Public Works Department. I will turn this over to
Caleb for discussion on Airport Road. Airport Road and Overland.
Hood: Thank you, Madam Mayor, Members of the Council. I'm going to take a little bit
more time than the last two items, but hopefully not too terribly much. During the April
19th meeting I was in front of you and the Mayor asked -- I think it was at the end of that
meeting, as a future agenda topic, to bring back the -- excuse me -- Airport Road in
Nampa and the Overland Road in Meridian, Ada County, corridor study and
serviceability being the main one and future land uses and the impacts that our future
sewer and water services may have on determining a preferred alignment on the study.
I have already done two, if not three updates to you -- given two or three updates to you
all before on the current work on the study. All of you, I think, except for Councilman
Bird, were at the meeting that we had here at City Hall a few weeks ago with members
from the Ada County Highway District and Nampa City Council -- Nampa Highway
District on this study, so I won't go into too many details on that, but I will just bring up to
speed. The two alternatives that are still on the table are alternative 2-B and 2-C. So,
what you see on the screen it's the -- starting in Nampa it starts in brown, then, goes to
yellow and, then, purple, are kind of the two alternatives, the purple and the yellow
being the two alternatives that are still on the table. So, just a little bit more background.
The eastern #erminus of both of these -- of all these alignments, actually, is the same,
it's at the new Ten Mile-overland intersection where the signal is -- has been relocated
to. There was some -- some criteria that were developed in order to look at all the
alternatives that you see on the screen now. Staff has taken those alternatives and we
did a little bit more detailed research into some of the additional screening alternatives,
like topography, improvement values, property improvement values, and some other
environmental impacts and what the clerk just handed out, actually, is seven sheets of
kind of that analysis. I don't know that I will go through it page by with you, but I just
want to show you that we did look at both the alternatives for, again, topography,
values, other impacts that may not -- that may not have been looked at originally with
the environmental scan that Parametrics did and, then, we took a couple of those
elements and dug a little bit deeper. Another major component which doesn't show up
in the seven handouts that you have, but were in the memo, was I worked with Public
Works Department on master planning for sewer and water in this area. So, I will just
take a minute I think to go through the serviceability, because that was not a
consideration that -- that myself being part of this TAC was in this area so I'll just take
minute I think to go through serviceability, because that was not a consideration that
myself being part of this TAC team that's looking at this project at the staff level, took
into consideration -- I did consider land uses, but our map pretty much shows low
density residential in this area, so I kind of took that with a little bit of a grain of salt. ft is
our adopted plan, but realize there is probably going to be some forces out there that
will want to change some of these properties to some other things other than low
density residential. Not all of them, but probably some parcels. So, in looking at some
of what Public Works is planning for -- again, I will draw your attention to not the hand
out that you just received, but your packet and on page four of that memo there is a
summary of serviceability. We are actually -- in this study area there are three sewer
sheds, so the area west of Ten Mile to the county line and from I-84 to Victory, that
sewer shed is fed by the Black Cat trunk line. And that trunk line is already in existence
and so those -- those few parcels can already be served by the capacity that's now in
the Black Cat trunk line. The Victory trunk line and McDermott trunk line are also in this
service area and neither of those lines exist today. They will be development driven.
There are no plans currently in Public Works plans for development of those lines. I
think I'll just talk for a minute what they are planning on those lines. Their master plan
right now is -- again, it's low density in that area, because that's what the city has shown
on our future land use map. That's the adopted plan. There is -- what I have got in that
memo I can show that low density typically equates to about four and a half units per
acre and, typically, a single family home in low density uses 974 gallons per acre per
day. So, as a general rule of thumb residential is one of the higher users of sewer and
water, but I'm not telling you anything new, but long story short, if we were to change
from residential to commercial, industrial, office, some of the mixed use categories, we
have future capacity there. Again, there is no capacity today, because the line isn't
there, but it wouldn`t put any additional strain on our wastewater treatment plant,
because they are planning for that capacity. So, some of them that we went to a higher
density residential, then, yeah, that may not work, there has got to be some give and
take there, so you can't change it all from low to high and still have the same size mains
in the road, basically. But there is some ability for us to change land use types in this
area. Some of the analysis that we have done with the handout that you were given in
the packet that you had before this meeting, I don't find that -- that there are any
deterrents or reasons to favor alignment 2-B or 2-C, one over the other. It really is a
blank slate, essentially, with all apologies to the people that live out there today. I mean
depending -- choosing either route is not going to affect our ability to service those
properties or affect say the ability that -- to designate more or less land for commercial
or mixed use or either -- it's basically a wash still with alternative 2-B and 2-C. So, with
that, Madam Mayor, you're the one that brought this up, so, hopefully, I addressed your
questions with this analysis, but if not f'll stand for any questions and do anything else, I
guess, that I need to fully resolve the questions you or the Council may have.
De Weerd: No. Caleb, I greatly appreciate you working with Public Works to come up
with the answer to that and so this is appreciated. If it was -- if you would have shown a
difference we -- and we didn't have that information, it would have been a very glaring
omission I think. Council, any questions on this?
Bird: I have none, Mayor. Very good report.
De Weerd: Okay. No? Okay, Thank you so much.
Hood: Thank you.
De Weerd: So, I guess that still leaves the lingering question of what is the preference;
right?
Hood: And, Madam Mayor, yes, we are still doing -- we -- Parametrics, for the most
part, in coordination with ACRD -- I'm kind of on the sidelines on this analysis, but they
are still looking at alternative 2-B and 2-G #o see if there is just something that breaks a
tie. They both score really well. I think it may come down to Route B being a straighter,
more direct alignment, but they are looking at ways to primarily get through this area
here with 2-B and the reclamation of the gravel pit in there and how that may be
Compacted and if it can -- what the costs really are to go through there and how
reclamation can happen. That may be the one question mark that's still being looked at
is can 2-B really work getting through that -- that area and can all parties work out and
accommodate a future roadway through there. I think the answer is yes, but we don't
have the hard numbers that show here is what it's going to cost and how that's going to
work, but, essentially, yes, we will bring the question back to you again formally to
choose a preferred alternative and, then, probably in coordination with Ada County
Highway District call a joint hearing or meeting -- public meeting to jointly adopt the
study. That's a little bit further out, but the question still does linger about a preferred
alternative and we are still working on it, so --
De Weerd: Thank you.
Rountree: Madam Mayor?
De Weerd: Mr. Rountree.
Rountree: Caleb, something you might want to pass on and I'm -- I'm just looking at this
tonight -- and though I tend to agree that Route B is the straight one, looking at -- at the
intersection in our impact area with Black Cat -- and Black Cat will be a major collector,
minor arterial, at some point in time. I don't know what it's classed now, but it does get
us across the interstate in that area where it's a little difficult and it seems that Route C,
putting that back on the one mile grid as a potentially fu#ure signalized intersection
would be better there than having an intersection at Black Gat and Lamont, which would
be athree-legged intersection without it being extended and, then, another major
intersection with Route B on Black Cat, which would potentially have to be signalized.
So, it just seems to me like it might flow a little better, they might want to do a little
modeling in that regard with Route C on Black Cat versus Route B. Other than that I
don't see a whole lot of difference.
Hood: Madam Mayor, if I could maybe just follow up on that a little bit and so I
understand your comment. I think what I heard you say is that you're now -- some
preference may be given, depending on modeling, to Route C, because it's, essentially,
a# the half mile -- it is half mile between --
Rountree: Yeah. It's -- but the --
Hood: Now just -- we looked at that. The one problem, really, with that is -- you
mentioned Lamont. It exists and if you put this -- even though the yellow kind of jogs
back up a little bit to intersect with Overland, it's going to be hard for those people living
on Lamont for people not to go straight and continue down this -- for all intents and
purposes -- a residential road now and you're really going to get people that will bypass
the signal at Ten Mile and Overland and just continue straight to an unsignalized
intersection at Lamont and Ten Mile, that's the fear anyways and some of that modeling
shows that Lamont -- that trips on Lamont go a lot higher, because it would be
connected there, so -- but I will have him look at it some more. That was just one of the
down sizes in impacts to some of the existing residences on Lamont with Route C,
but --
Rountree: Yeah. That's obvious if it's a through route Lamont's traffic would go up.
Zaremba: Madam Mayor?
Rountree: But it's going to have traffic anyway, so you're going to have -- at a quarter
mile or less you're going to have fairly busy intersections competing where you could
control it at the half mile with a signal at Lamont and just have a connector that may or
may not come out of the gravel pit a# some point in time in the future. Just -- I was
going to say, to throw in their model and see if that -- if that's something that makes a
difference.
Hood: Thank you.
De Weerd: Mr. Zaremba.
Zaremba: That current discussion points out to me that I made an assumption that isn't
actually demonstrated in fact. I was assuming that if Route C was chosen, Lamont
would be cul-de-sacked at Ten Mile and not connected to Ten Mile. Then, that short
section of residential stuff would access the other part of Lamont where the yellow line
is. But now that you -- hear the discussion, I realize that was just my own assumption.
Hood: Yeah. Madam Mayor, I have not -- I have not seen that plan in anything.
Certainly that's not anything that we have been looking at as part of alignment study.
You still have about an eighth of a mile between the signal at Overland and Lamont
today. So, the spacing would be okay. And you'd end up with the same situation -- B-
C, it's the same spacing, essentially, between -- at the intersection of Black Cat, about a
quarter of a mile, but I hear what you're saying. I mean you're going to have high
volumes on both --
Rountree: Yeah.
Hood: -- so, we will look at it -- I will look at it some more and see what -- again, if there
is anything that tips the scales, so --
De Weerd: Okay.
Silva: Madam Mayor, Members of the Council, on that side -- Caleb, can you just pull
that back for just one second, please. Just keep in mind that, you know, with our future
of generalized location of Ten Mile and Overland -- where the intersection will occur, we
have an auto aid agreement currently with the Nampa Fire Department and so we are --
we are -- you know, we kind of realized and be real efficient with our response times in
through this area, because it's gone back and forth now on an auto aid basis, rather
than a mutual aid basis. So, as Council is considering Route B or C as alternatives,
given Councilman's concerns -- Councilman Rountree's concerns about, you know, that
signalization, which is a factor, please, keep in mind that we do have existing auto aid
agreements that we are trying to provide efficient services in this area, particularly to
mutual benefit, all the growth that is probably about ready to take place in this general
area.
Hood: Are you ready to move onto the next item, Madam Mayor?
De Weerd: Yes.
I. Planning Department: Transportation Update on Projects,
Priorities and Studies - Includes a Discussion on Ada County
Highway District's (ACRD) Cost Share Policy, Updates on
Future and Current Highway Projects, and Discussion About
Agenda Items for the Upcoming ACRD-Meridian Joint Meeting.
Hood: Ckay. The next one isn't so titled in my -- on the agenda, but it is the All Things
Transportation update. It is my transportation update to you all for the spring. As I
mentioned in my memo I'm not going to go through all of them. The first page basically
is some good news on some projects, either recently being finished or being on
schedule and going to be complete later this summer. I will highlight just -- it's chip
sealing season, so if you get any questions, concerns, comments on that, you can direct
them to ACHD's maintenance department website link or you can send them to me, too,
and there is a handy brochure I can send folks or whatever we need to take it out there.
So, a couple things I want to spend a little bit more time on, beginning on page two of
the memo. Excuse me. We have an upcoming joint meeting with the Ada County
Highway District Board of Commissioners, that's on Thursday, May 19th, from noon to
1:30 at ACRD. We have a tentative agenda, which includes split corridor phase two
discussion, ACRD cost share policy, and some follow-up questions on ACRD revenue
and expenditure report. I don't know that you all have had a chance to see that. There
was some press -- I think that you all had a chance tv look at those findings over the
past ten years in FY-10 from ACRD and we have asked for some time to -- to ask some
questions of the ACRD board and the director on that report, so I don't know if you have
any questions that you want to start formulating or not --
De Weerd: Well, Caleb, I was under the impression that that is not going to be on the
agenda.
Hood: And, Madam Mayor, it was tentative, so I don't know if you guys had questions
that you were intending to answer -- or ask at that time. If it doesn't happen I can still
ask those questions for you if you would like. Like I said, that one kind of had some
back and forth, so I'm not quite sure if that one is going to be on the agenda or not.
De Weerd: When the director said that it would not work on this agenda, we did do a
follow up and ask if perhaps it could be on a City Council agenda, so that Council would
have an opportunity to ask any of those questions and so we hope on a future Council
agenda that they will have that opportunity.
Hood: Qkay. So, split corridor phase two and cost share -- I guess I wanted to add just
to make sure are there any topics? Are those ones okay? Those are kind of the big
two that we have identified for this agenda and i will touch on both of those here just
subsequent, but I want to pause real quick and see of there is anything else that maybe
we need to ask to put on that -- on that agenda for Thursday, May 19th. I think that will
take a good portion of that time anyway, just to get to those couple of items, but I just
wanted to --
De Weerd: I believe so, too.
Hood: -- just wanted to touch base. So, then, to follow up on -- on both of those. First
regarding split corridor phase two. Not to steal Public Works' thunder, but I think a lot of
it`s going to -- going to have to do with utilities and discussion on construction of split
corridor phase two. I wanted to call your attention -- and I have had the chance already
to talk with Councilman Rountree and Councilman Zaremba. I tried to touch base with
Councilman Bird, he also sits on the Fairview access management policy team with
Councilman Zaremba, but I did want to bring to your attention a discrepancy I guess is
the best way to call it and in a couple of projects that ACRD has moving forward, I am
serving on both of these project teams. The first one is split corridor phase two and the
second one is the Fairview access management plan. Now, what you see on the
screen here is just an aerial of the overall area at Meridian, Cherry, Fairview and the
terminus, essentially, of split corridor phase two and I'm going to do a little bit of drawing
on this one. Third Street intersects Fairview here. And I think I will move to the next
slide and we can come back to this one if we need to. ACRD has acquired the area -- it
got chopped off. That says ACHD, but ACHD has acquired the area in bluish teal for a
storm drain pond and this is what the design looks like. It comes up to a common drive
off of Meridian Road. It doesn't go all the way down to Fairview, but I do want to call tv
your attention, then, our draft Fairview access management plan and I will highlight for
your -- again, this is the ACRD pond area -- it will be right in there. 4n the draft plan we
have a roadway that is a future proposed circulated road in this area. I'll have to tell you
I'm not sure how this roadway got on the map. I inherited this project from Matt
Ellsworth. I'm not going to say he put it on the map either, but this is on the -- the draft
plan for Fairview Avenue. I will call out for you a couple of things. I mentioned, you
know, 3rd Street to the south, we -- the city adopted an alignment study in 2009, called
for 3rd Street to be in a straight alignment through here and a future signal at Fairview.
Now, the key thing (think -- and this isn't going to surprise anybody, but one of the main
reasons for the signal there is to get the signal off line at Main Street in like 2025 I think
it shows it being failing. Today it's not the greatest situation with just the spacing in
between Main and Meridian there. We have comp plan -- a comp plan policy that
reiterates that. It wasn't a new one that I slipped in when we adopted the new comp
plan, it's something that's been on one of our policies for some time now to look into the
extension of East 3rd Street up to Fairview Avenue and a future signal at Fairview
Avenue. One of the things, if that is truly in the city's plans, to put a signal there, we will
probably need to -- probably. I talked to Terry Little a little bit at ACHD, he's the traffic
manager there at ACRD, about signal warrants and if we didn't have a four legged
intersection there, how likely are we to pull that -- the signal at Main Street off in the
future or get a new signal at 3rd Street in the future. He didn't say it's a must have, but
he certainly said it would help make the case if it were a four legged intersection. So,
wanted to bring this up to you nvw that -- because ACRD, you know, is at 99 percent
with split corridor phase two and if -- if the city doesn't push forward in coordination with
ACHD for a roadway, instead of their service drive, which is currently what they have
drawn in here, intersect Carmel, but they have some area -- you know, there is the Five
Mile Creek that runs through here, so top of bank is -- it looks like somewhere over
here. But if we didn't get ACRD to at least preserve, if not construct or put down some
road base or something to make it look like a future roadway, we probably will never get
that full -- sorry -- four legged intersection and the connection up to Carmel. So, again
-- sorry, there is a lot of --
De Weerd: Where is Carmel?
Rountree: Just north of --
De Weerd: Okay.
Hood: As you can see, ACRD owns all that --
De Weerd: Okay. Right there. Okay.
Hood: ACRD purchased everything that's vacant green in here and their service drive
on that plan comes in right here and that roadway -- 3rd comes in something like that.
Some of the businesses out there -- Burger King would be the one most heavily
impacted. There is a sign company -- Sunset Tint and Trim, a sign company. This is
Westside Body Works. Big-O. I think there is maybe one or two other tenants in these
buildings where there is an impact. I better take that off. To those businesses directly,
certainly wouldn't be proposing to make that connection between ACHD's property and
the future signal, but, again, you're talking about two-thirds, three-quarters of that -- of
that road getting constructed, potentially, wi#h ACHD's projects. So, just a couple of
other things to highlight. I'm not aware of anybody talking to any of the neighbors in this
existing subdivision about it, nor these property owners about a future roadway going
through there, but I thought I would just highlight that the draft plan for Fairview access
management shows a circulated road and, then, just also, again, tie that in with what we
have kind of been planning for for 3rd Street at Fairview and just leave it there. Again, I
#hink the timing's right, because -- actually, the pond will happen in 2013. So, if we don't
ask ACHD it will be very, very difficult tv probably reconstruct those ponds in the future
if we ever want that roadway to go through. I will also let you know if the roadway
doesn't seem to be something you want to pursue, I will at least be pursuing the
pathway connection in that same general vicinity, because the master pathway plan
does show a pathway along the Five Mile Creek. So, if we don't get a road I'm -- I'm still
-- I still work with ACHD on getting at least a pathway through there. So, I think that's
the background information that I wanted you all to have and see if this warrants a
discussion or a sub discussion at the joint mee#ing with ACRD on the 19th, so --
De Weerd: Council?
Zaremba: Madam Mayor?
De Weerd: Mr. Zaremba.
Zaremba: ~h. I'm sorry. Mr. Rountree, were you first?
Rountree: Well, Madam Mayor, it seems to me that if this, in fact, is a draft access
management plan that's being pursued by ACRD and the partners, that their
construction plans for their pond ought to reflect what their potential plans are and they
ought to show that corridor through some kind of an easement or some kind of a
dedication for future roadway on their wastewater flow or storm water retention pond.
And I don't know if that means they would have to resize it or make it deeper or what,
but it ought to be on that.
Hood: Madam Mayor, if that was a question I can partially answer that. Yes, it would
have to be redesigned. The pond would have to -- but it's my understanding that it's a
large enough site where they could accommodate -- they could redesign it to make it
deeper and whatnot to accommodate the volume. And if I may, Madam Mayor, you
know, this -- the draft access management plan is a joint effort. So, I won't -- I'li take
some responsibility for not catching this sooner, but, you know, this is a draft, it wasn't
on the books, so I could see where ACHD in designing the split corridor, wouldn't look to
this, because it's not adopted yet. So, it is kind of a -- now it's kind of decision point and
that's why I think we can -- we can do it if that's the plan. But I think this does give us
some leverage at least to request that of the highway district.
Rountree: My comment is not to point fingers or assess blame, is the planning folks
didn't get together with the designing folks and they need to I think and a decision
made. So, yeah, I think it's ripe for discussion.
Hood: Okay.
De Weerd: Mr. Zaremba.
Zaremba: Actually, I'm glad Councilman Rountree went first, because he said exactly
what I was going to say and I -- only to reemphasize -- I think we should ask them to
reconsider these. I know detention ponds or whatever you call them, to accommodate
that roadway, even if they do nothing about putting the roadway in now, at least design
the ponds to reserve the possibility and that probably does need to be our request.
De Weerd: Well, I guess I never knew that connection existed either, so --
Hood: It doesn't exist today, but --
De Weerd: Well, was being proposed. I didn't catch that in the -- the plan.
Bird: I didn't either.
Hvod: Maybe just one more follow-up question, if those are the only two general
comments on pursuing this. I would just -- we could request that or I would ask you to
request that of ACHD as this moves forward on the 19th. I wouldn't be surprised if they
asked what accommodate means. If we just asked them to save a 50 foot right of way,
that probably implies that they expect the city to pay for that when it's time to make this
connection. So, if it's just the right of way preservation, that's fine, but I think if we
request that of them -- if that's all we are requesting, I think we should at least just be
clear on that or if we want them to construct the whole thing, curb, gutter, sidewalk, you
know, that should be our request. I'm not advocating one way or the other, but I think it
needs to be clear what we are asking them to do with their storm drain pond site
redesign, so --
De Weerd: So, we will work -- if Council wants to have this as part of the discussion, to
add that to the agenda.
Rountree: Madam Mayor, I'm not sure we will get through the agenda we have now,
but --
Bird: I was going to say--
Rountree: -- but if we do have time simply to bring it up and, then, with two members on
the -- the access management planning group, I would think that that particular forum is
a place to bring this up and that any construction activity and design work on Fairview
ought to be accommodating the planning before you finalize the design sheets for
construction, it may not be that this -- that particular concept will work, but it's going to
be a whole lot more difficult when it's turned into a storm water retention pond and now
is the time to address the question and get an answer and if they can preserve it as part
of the berm now, great. If they can't, Iwill -- we have got an answer, but at least we
asked before it got built.
Hood: Yeah. Right. That's my whole reason for bringing it up, so --
De Weerd: So, we can just in parenthesis, Robert, put as time allows -- if time allows.
Hood: Yeah. Madam Mayor and Council, I -- just a heads up. I have already asked
Director Wong and kind of gave them a heads up that Iwas -- we may be talking about
this on the -- on the 19th, pending your discussion. So, there is already kind of a little
place holder in that cost share discussion for this and their project manager is aware
and his boss. So, it can be at the end of the agenda as time allows, but just so you
know, it won't be a surprise to anyone when this does show up on the agenda, so --
because lalready kind of planted that seed, so --
De Weerd: Now that we are over our surprise, too.
Hood: Yeah.
Rountree: We are not surprised any longer.
Hood: And let me know if you want to talk between now and then about -- I have pretty
much shared everything I know, but we can talk so more. So, I'm going to move on in
the memo.
Siddoway: Madam Mayor, could I -- right over here. I came down specifically just to
address the -- the pathway issue and Caleb touched on it, but the pathways master plan
does show a pathway along the south side of Five Mile Creek in that area. So, I just
want to make sure that pathway is on the table as a request to be constructed with the
storm water project. And that's been discussed with ACRD in meetings going back at
least a couple years that I -- that I know of, so --
De Weerd: okay.
Hood: Madam Mayor, just -- and I think it was Councilman Zaremba I have had a
discussion about -- in the design of that 3rd Street we could maybe look at doing -- ten
feet on one side of the roadway that doubles as a pedestrian and our multi-use
pathway, kind of where we are at today. There was some resistance from ACRD to
actually construct that pathway, they wanted us to pay for a lot of that in the past and it
did make it into the design and whatnot, but I think with the roadway, I think we can
accommodate both pedestrians and cars, hopefully, if we can get them to preserve the
appropriate right of way widths, so -- anyway. That pathway is covered, too.
Siddoway: Thank you.
Hood: All right. Thanks, Steve. ACHD cost share policy. Again, this is one on the draft
agenda for the 19th with ACHD. It's something we have been talking about for the past
few months now. Just to kind of bring some preparation I guess for that meeting and so
I can understand what the city's real issues are with the cost share policy, I have tried to
refresh your memories going back two, two and a half years on -- as one of the TLIP
documents, some of the correspondence that we sent to ACRD regarding some of our
concerns. I have summarized some of those in the memo. From the staff level really I
think what it comes down to is ACHD's interpretation and their cost share policy and
potentially their ordinance if they adopt one, is that the city will realize a lack of
landscaping along the storm drain sites and arterial roadways. That really presents a
compliance or a code issue or a conflict with city code andlor the Local Land Use
Planning Act. We can have these storm drain pond sites that don't have any
landscaping, because of ACRD cost share policy basically prohibits them from buying
any what they call nontransportation components. At least that's how it could be
interpreted. Basically, ACHD's policy allows them to pay for travel lanes, bike lanes,
curb, gutter, attached sidewalk, and signals. Nontransportation components, which a
city or some other partnering agency would pay for include landscaping, specialized
pavement, sidewalk treatment, decorative lighting, or other nontransportation
component features. The other thing is just -- you know, we several months ago now
said that our preferred interim treatment would be that roto-mill material. Well, ACHD --
won't say they have a surplus of it, but certainly they have better access to it than the
city does. It would be fairly easy for them to incorporate some of that -- those interim
treatments into their design and actually construct those without having to do this cost
share agreement and have the city pay for that. At least that's staffs perspective. City
staffs perspective. So, those are just kind of some of the -- the things that we see with
ACHD's cost share policy that we don't quite understand fully, but didn't know if there
were other things that maybe the Council has that we don't necessarily agree with in the
policy. So, hopefully, you have all had a chance to re-review that cost share policy and
are prepared to bring up -- you won't have to tell me necessarily now, but if you would at
least be prepared or if there is something I can help you do to prepare for our
discussion on the 19th, I guess that's -- that's why I'm here or if you want more
elaborate explanations on some of those things, why staff -- some of the issues that
staff has listed, I guess we can gather that information in the next nine days for you, so
-- that's my staff report and I will stand for any comments ar questions you may have.
De Weerd: I guess, Caleb, my philosophical problem with the cost share policy is
because we have a countywide highway district that's determining these rules that other
communities who have their own road departments and can decide how their dollars are
spent -- federal dollars and state dollars don`t have these same restrictions to them and
so other cities pay for these kind of treatments and lighting and landscaping and
community characteristics from transportation dollars and not general fund dollars. Is
that -- is that an assumption that is correct or incorrect? I guess it's something that
other communities are doing in their communities. Are they not using transportation
dollars to do that and they are -- because of restrictions by the state or the federal
dollars, are they really using general fund dollars to do that -- nontransportation related
dollars to do those treatments? Where are we coming up with this policy that penalizes
cities because we have a countywide highway district that doesn't want to do those.
Now, all of a sudden your general fund has to bear the burden. I guess that's my -- the
crux of my concern is who is dictating this, the people we are getting the money from or
our highway district that's supposed to be spending it.
Hood: Madam Mayor, to try to answer questions in reverse order maybe -- I mean this
cost share policy really is ACHD's interpretation of state code, which they have taken
literally to mean their charge is -- I didn't put it in the memo, but, basically, to pay for
components associated with roadway projects.
De Weerd: So, they are interpreting the state code differently than the Zoo other cities
in this state.
Hood: Well, Madam Mayor, ACRD is the only countywide highway district, as you
mentioned. So, the other -- the other agencies -- and Idon't -- I'm not familiar enough to
know what line items are coming from, if they are general budget or in transportation or
Public Works, road building departments, so that portion of state statute Title 40 really
only applies to ACRD in Idaho. I mean they are the only ones where -- where that
applies, because they are the only countywide highway district, so --
De Weerd: Well, I guess, Caleb, what information I think would be helpful for the
Council and I prior to that meeting is what are those line items that, okay, other cities
and road districts don't have Title 40 like -- or Code 40, whatever it is -- like highway --
countywide highway district, but how do they pay for the same treatments that Ada
County Highway District is saying we cannot use those same transportation dollars for?
Bird: Madam Mayor?
De Weerd: Mr. Bird.
Bird: Can I interject something in there? You're on the right track. And, Bill, on the 40
-- Statute 40 or whatever it is -- Title 40. But the funding sources for the countywide
highway district comes the same as the one for Nampa Highway District, Canyon
County Highway District, Golden Gate Highway District, they all come off of property
taxes, federal money, and state money. So, why are they under a different setting than
Ada County Highway District? I mean the revenue is all coming from the same place
and I'm like the Mayor, why have they decided upon themselves that they are not going
to do only just what is roads? They want our -- our taxpayers already pay their share of
ACHD, but, then, now they want us to take money and pay for the other stuff that they
don't want to do, which I think is their charge to do.
Rountree: Madam Mayor? And, Caleb, I believe that word ethstetics is used in either
their policy or in Title 40 and to me something other than the roadway surface is
included in that. It's a pretty ethereal term, but at a minimum landscaping I think could
be construed as part of the roadway prism. It certainly is by federal statute and the
exercise of the use of federal highway dollars, even though they are to be used for
highway projects, the state to some degree does that and they are operating under the
same statute as it relates to the assemblage of taxes from gas and oil and other
services related to automobiles that are constitutionally directed to highways. ACRD
has other programs that are not building highways that they fund and I'm very glad they
do, but to me they have chosen to pick and choose where they want to spend that
money, against the will of the -- of their customers and the people and the communities
they serve, because I don't think this is just an issue with Meridian, I think it's an issue
with all of the other cities in the county and maybe even the county. Now, I understand
the sparsity of funding for transportation facilities, but every day when I drive by the
storm water retention facility on the corner of Ustick and Linder Road next to Bridge
Tower Subdivision, I just shake my head and say this is incongruent, they don't come --
they don't go together and at a minimum some landscaping should have been included
with that project. It's a huge project. It's not just a small little retention pond, it's huge.
They had to fence it, because it was being used as a recreation area. I think my desire
for -- from ACHD is for them to think about and provide flexibility in their policy and their
fu#ure ordinance that would allow them in certain instances or for a certain percentage
on a large project to accommodate some esthetics, which in my mind would be grading,
landscaping, some kind of land formation -- maybe incorporation of a -- of some other
multiple use facility. Some of those retention facilities are without water I would guess
in excess of 90 percent of the time and they are just wastelands. Could we get creative
and turn them into something else? And I would be glad to sit on a committee with
somebody to brainstorm how we could turn them into something other than just
wastelands. They are -- they are an eye sore in those communities that they are
adjacent to. Thank you.
Hood: Madam Mayor, if I may, again. Councilman Rountree just brought up or touched
on it a little bit, too. We can certainly look into what other communities do and I will get
that for you and how they pay for some of those projects. But, you know, in the past
federal projects, three percent were for enhancements. That's a similar type of thing.
For landscaping or some other nontransportation elements of a project was pretty
typical. I mean you typically would see for federal projects three percent of a project's
cost being spent for these esthetic enhancement type things. Just to kind of extend that
further, I don't know if that's kind of where you're going is maybe a percentage of a
project cost, may be allocated -- could be allocated. Not that they have to spend that
necessarily, but if a city requested it, you could spend up to some either set amount or a
percentage of a project cost maybe as an alternative, but some flexibility. I think, you
know, to kind of put myself in the position of ACHD -- and I think you touched on it --
they want to spend the maximum amount of dollars on things they can control, do more
projects and build more roads or maintain more roads. So, I kind of understand where
that can go, because I could see communities going the other way and say, well, we
want one hundred foot landscape buffers and a tree every five foot and the highway
district needs to pay for it. So, I could see it going overboard and people taking
advantage if they knew that the highway district paid for these exorbitant things. So, I
understand where they kind of want to put some sideboards on it, but their interpretation
is basically nothing and if we could get at least our minimums for code to dress up the
front edge or whatever we -- that flexibility is, I think -- I understand I think what the
issue is and I will do some more research and see what I can find about other
communities, but maybe we could maybe ponder that thought about a -- up to a certain
amount or percentage of a project cost or design. I don't know how that works out,
but --
De Weerd: Well -- and rather than pulling that out of the air, if we can see what has
been the typical thing. And I don't think this city has ever asked for fluff, so I -- and I
don't think the majority of projects -- I don't think that that has ever been the rule for any
of the cities. I'm not sure the problem that -- that they were trying to address, other
than, yes, I -- we all want as many dollars to go to the road projects, but our detached
sidewalks that have a safety aspect to them is not fluff either and to say that we either
have to take it out of our police or fire budgets or not have it at all is -- is not appropriate
either. So, it's just getting a better understanding of -- in Idaho what are these dollars
allowed to be spent for, so we have a better understanding of -- or a better argument or
standing in having this discussion with ACHD.
Hood: Okay.
Zaremba: Madam Mayor?
De Weerd: Mr. Zaremba.
Zaremba: The points that I would make have been made, but I -- I think where maybe a
little disconnect is happening is the definition of what is a roadway and as you rattled off
some things that they think it is, it's the lanes and the -- maybe a bike lane and curb,
gutter and attached sidewalk, as the Mayor said, a detached sidewalk is not fluff, a
detached sidewalk we see as a safety issue and we are requiring developers to do that
and I think a piece that you and I have talked about, ACRD says, okay, if you're talking
about a detached sidewalk, then, it has to be big enough to put a tree in, so it probably
has to be eight feet. If you do that on both sides who pays for the extra 16 feet of right
of way. And -- and I think we feel that's part of the roadway that ACHD pays for. They
are defining it differently. They are defining it as an attached sidewalk, which means
they don't pay for it and I think we need to resolve that. I have no issue with -- if it turns
out that it's landscaping in that detached area, I have no problem with saying, okay,
that's going to get turned over our Parks Department to maintain. He's not there and --
oh, he is there. okay. Hiding behind the corner there. But I still think that that is a
right-of-way issue that is ACHD's responsibility when they go to purchase the right of
way. We need to have defined that roadway section as the detached part and as the
Mayor said, I don't consider that fluff, that's a safety issue.
De Weerd: Well -- and I guess just to add one more wrench in this is it would be the off
road bike path. I guess if it's a choice of having an on road -- you do have to have extra
right of way to do the kind of bike lanes that they are doing currently and I'll tell you that
no parent is going to send their child on that road to ride in that bike lane. If the
community's priority is an extended width of a sidewalk, not different right of way, that
should be also considered. Just because it's not on the road should not exclude it from
their funding criteria. So, those are some of the concerns.
Hood: And, Madam Mayor, I appreciate that. If I can -- because I want to clarify this
before we get in front of the commission, you know. Just to Councilman Zaremba's
point. Up to this point ACHD has been willing to purchase the additional right of way it
takes to go from a seven foot attached to five foot wide detached. They haven't said,
city, you need to pay fvr the extra five feet on either side to buy this right of way. They
have been very good about that. However, could come if you -- if they apply their cost
share policy as written, it could come where that extra five feet now is a difference
between buying same -- you know, a sliver off somebody's front yard and buying their
whole house. They could come to the city and say if that's the roadway you want you
need to pay for condemnation of that house, because your -- the impacts of your
amenities are this home, basically. So, that was on there because we haven't had a
project where it went like that and we -- I'd probably bring that to you and say, hey, do
we want to attach the sidewalk to get around this house so we don't have to go through
this whole process. But I just want to be clear. Right now they aren't asking us to pay
for the additional right of way, they said we will purchase the additional right of way that
Meridian needs to detach the sidewalks. It really is what happens in between the curb
and the sidewalk up to this point. So, I just wanted to make that clear, that we don'# say,
well, we don't think we should have to pay for the right of way, because they haven't --
they haven't said that thus far, so I just --
De Weerd: Again, that's interpretation and we don't know how it will be interpreted.
Hood: Yes. Okay. Thank you. And I will look into how other jurisdictions in Idaho get
their money and what they can spend it on and get that to you as soon as I can. Just a
couple other things in my memo real quick. I promise it won't be that long. Just an
announcement you probably all know now, Ten Mile Road interchange is opening soon.
De Weerd: Really?
Hood: The ribbon cutting will be Tuesday, May 17th, 1:00 p.m. Ten Mile Christian
Church if you want to meet there beforehand there is a luncheon that the Chamber is
sponsoring. You do need to RSVP. There is a cost. That's at 11:30. If you just want to
come for -- or just able to come for the ribbon cutting, meet at the church and they will
shuttle people to the bridge deck. So, again, you have probably all heard that, but if
there is anybody that may be watching the streaming video or reading the minutes, they
are also invited. And, then, Eagle Road, just real quick wanted to follow up on a letter
that we got in response from Dave Jones, as we asked him to look into some safety
things on Eagle Road. Mr. Jones did send a letter to the Mayor dated April 20th. ITD
had agreed to do a speed study on Eagle Road this summer. I do also want to highlight
in his letter he mentions a public meeting open house on June 2nd where district three
will be presenting plans for raised medians in Fairview Avenue. I just this past week
received a concept report for the raised medians, all 135 pages. That's about as far as I
made it. I saw how big it was and that's for another time. But I do have -- do have the
plans and, again, you're all invited. Tim Curns andlor myself will be there tag teaming
that June 2nd meeting, but plans for the raised medians will be presented to the public.
I guess they will be similar to what's in Franklin. I don't know if they are going to stamp
it, color it red, but it will be real similar. And, then, also just to highlight, in previous
reports that pavement rehab project from Fairview up through Eagle, State Street, was
slated for 2013. They are looking to accelerate that into 2012. So, coming up here in
16 months or so to do that project. So, I just thought I would highlight that as well and --
there are some other things in the memo that I didn'# touch base on this evening. 1 hope
you have a chance to read those and you can contact me with any questions or I'll stand
for any additional questions you may have.
De Weerd: Thank you. Council, any questions?
Bird: I have none.
Rountree: I have none.
Hood: Thanks for your time.
De Weerd: Again, Caleb, we appreciate you being our spokes person, the city's
advocate, and we appreciate all you do.
Hood: My pleasure. Thank you.
Item 9: Future Meeting Topics
De Weerd: Okay. Item 9, Future Meeting Topics. Council, anything for future
agendas?
Zaremba: Madam Mayor?
De Weerd: Mr. Zaremba.
Zaremba: Did you want to discuss the requests by somebody to speak to the Council
about the garden tour? And I guess it's kind of a policy question. When there are
private party or third party activities going on in the city do we want people as a general
rule to come and tell us about them or just put a note in our mailbox?
De Weerd: No. I guess, Council, this was raised because we did have someone from
the botanical garden tour that's coming up in June want to come and make a special
invitation to Council, but also let you know that there has been a real shift, that there is a
number of Meridian addresses and they wanted to specifically point that out and make
sure that Council was aware and extend a personal invitation. So, it raised a policy
point. We don't -- we really don't have these requests often at all, but Councilman
Zaremba did say maybe we should have this as a discussion on how you would like to
address these particular things. if it's good enough to put it on future topics and you say,
hey, we'd love to hear from them or if it's a blanket statement what your preferences
would be.
Zaremba: I guess what we are looking for is direction to the clerk, because people ask
her all the time can I get on the agenda.
Holman: Madam Mayor, what we are looking for is just direction as they come in the
future and this lady in particular has been waiting for about a week for a response from
us as far as she's able to come before the Council. So, I don't know if we wanted to set
this as a discussion at a future meeting to talk about all of these in general and whether
that's what our policy will be is to allow them to be added or how we handle those.
Bird: Madam Mayor?
De Weerd: Mr. Bird.
Bird: I wouldn't -- you know, I would give them a short few minutes to explain. I have
no problem with that. We used to allow people to come forward if it's something
important and I think the city clerk's office definitely can tell whether it's something that's
worthy of coming forward and being put out publicly or even if it's something that don't
need to be, but I would have no problem with it, as long as it's short. You know, I don't
want some hour presentation or something like that, but -- we used to do it all the time.
I don't see anything wrong with it. I think it helps the public relation, to be truthful with
you.
Holman: Madam Mayor, what I would like to see is as we get these, possibly the ability
to bring them to you and the Council President on Friday meetings and have you say
yea or nay, whether they go on an agenda.
Bird: Madam Mayor, that's what -- I think if you look that's what you -- you two set the
agenda, so that's your decision. If you think it's worthwhile bring it forward. If you don't
turn it down. That would be my thought.
Rountree: He's about ready to pop.
Nary: Madam Mayor, Members of the Council, the only thing -- to help distinguish I
think both for the Mayor and the Council President and the clerk's office, you know we
get a number of requests to speak before you about a subject matter that's different. I
mean Ithink -- what I think what we are talking about is more of the general public
interest type of events or activities that want to make a special trip down here, but we
will keep the topic discussion as part of our future topics discussion, so that we can set
it on a specific agenda, address what the specific concern is and make sure that all the
research or the information is gathered before that. So, I just wanted to make sure we
distinguish between the two types of requests.
Bird: We don't need to be voting on anything.
Rountree: That's fine with me, Madam Mayor. I trust Council President and the Mayor
and the clerk to be able to make that, as long as it relates to community activities and
that sort of thing, I don't know that it's necessarily an open mike situation.
Zaremba: Thank you. That works forme.
De Weerd: Just -- Council, I did want to let you know that it has made the news
channels that former Superintendent Bob Halley has passed away. So, certainly he has
done a great deal for this community, for the school district as a whole, and he has been
ill for some time, but it's certainly sad news and he will be missed.
• r the student and the education in this whole Treasure Valley, not
Bird. He did a lot fo
just Meridian.
e certain) did. He was very instrumental in starting two of our charter
De Weerd. H y
rtainl he -- like I said, has had a huge imprint on this community and
schools and so ce y
ositive le ac that we has left. With said enter, I would entertain a motion
hasaveryp g Y
to adjourn.
Zaremba: Madam Mayor?
De Weerd: Mr. Zaremba.
Zaremba: Asa reface to that motion I would like to point out and appreciate that
p
De ut Chief --Fire Chief Silva has hung with us until the last minute of his last meeting
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and thank ou ve much. I lookforward to your retirement party, not necessarilyforthe
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ur ose of it, because I will be sorry to see you go, but we look forward to that.
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De Weerd: And he gave us his full attention the whole meeting.
Zaremba: Yes. And thank you for hanging with us to the end and that being said,
move we adjourn.
Rountree: Second.
De Weerd: All those in favor say aye. All ayes.
MOTION CARRIED: THREE AYES: ONE ABSENT.
MEETING ADJOURNED AT 9:03 P.M.
(AUDIO RECORDING ON FILE OF THESE PROCEEDINGS)
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DATE APPROVED
. HOLMAN, CITY CLERK