2022-05-10 Work Session Item#1.
Meridian City Council Work Session May 10, 2022.
A Meeting of the Meridian City Council was called to order at 4:30 p.m., Tuesday, May
10, 2022, by Mayor Robert Simison.
Members Present: Robert Simison, Joe Borton, Luke Cavener, Treg Bernt, Jessica
Perreault, Brad Hoaglun and Liz Strader.
Also present: Chris Johnson, Bill Nary, Steve Siddoway, Kyle Radek, Laurelei McVey,
Keith Watts, Scott Colaianni, Joe Bongiorno and Dean Willis.
ROLL-CALL ATTENDANCE
Liz Strader _X_ Joe Borton
_X_ Brad Hoaglun _X_Treg Bernt
X Jessica Perreault _X Luke Cavener
_X_ Mayor Robert E. Simison
Simison: Council, we will call the meeting to order. For the record it is May 10th, 2022,
at 4:30 p.m. We will begin this afternoon's work session with roll call attendance.
ADOPTION OF AGENDA
Simison: Next item is adoption of the agenda.
Hoaglun: Mr. Mayor?
Simison: Councilman Hoaglun.
Hoaglun: One change for tonight's agenda. We are going to move No. 18 -- Item 18,
Police Department, their budget amendment discussion, up ahead of No. 16. So, it will
become 16 and 16 become 17, 17 becomes 18. So, with that, Mr. Mayor, I move adoption
of the agenda as amended.
Borton: Second.
Simison: I have a motion and a second to adopt the agenda as amended. Is there any
discussion? If not, all in favor signify by saying aye. Opposed nay? The ayes have it
and the agenda is adopted.
MOTION CARRIED: ALLAYES.
CONSENT AGENDA [Action Item]
1. Outer Banks Subdivision Sanitary Sewer Easements No. 1, 2 and 3
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2. Skybreak Subdivision No. 1 Sanitary Sewer and Water Main Easement
No. 1
3. Skybreak Subdivision No. 1 Sanitary Sewer and Water Main Easement
No. 2
4. Skybreak Subdivision No. 1 Water Main Easement No. 1
5. Skybreak Subdivision No. 1 Water Main Easement No. 2
6. Skybreak Subdivision No. 1 Water Main Easement No. 3
7. Findings of Fact, Conclusions of Law for Katsura Subdivision (SHP-
2022-0005) by Kent Brown, Located at Lot 2, Block 2 of the Medimont
Subdivision No. 1 and 225 and 335 S. Locust Grove Rd.
8. Findings of Fact, Conclusions of Law for Ruger Gardens Subdivision
(SHP-2022-0006) by KM Engineering, LLP, Located at 6241 N. Linder
Rd., Near the Northeast Corner of Linder Rd. and Chinden Blvd.
9. Development Agreement (Friendship Subdivision H-2021-0083)
Between the City of Meridian and TAB Holdings, LLC
(Owner/Developer) for Property Located Near the Southeast Corner of
N. Meridian Rd. and E. Chinden Blvd.
10. Relocation Agreement and Confirmation Deed Agreement for Carlson
Lateral
11. Resolution No. 22-2324: A Resolution Vacating the Easterly 5 Feet of
the 10-Foot Wide Utility Easement Along the West Boundary of Lot 19,
Block 1, Sky Mesa Highlands Subdivision No. 1, Located at 3045 E.
Brace Ct., in the Southeast '/4 of Section 32, Township 3 North, Range
1 East, Boise Meridian, City of Meridian, Ada County, Idaho; and
Providing an Effective Date
12. Resolution No. 22-2325: A Resolution Vacating the Existing Public
Utility and Drainage Easements on Lots 8-12, Block 2 and Lots 13-16,
Block 1, Rolling Hill Subdivision, Situated in the Northwest '/4 of the
Southeast '/4 of Section 16, Township 3 North, Range 1 East, Boise
Meridian, City of Meridian, Ada County, Idaho; and Providing an
Effective Date
Simison: Next item up is the Consent Agenda.
Hoaglun: Mr. Mayor?
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Simison: Councilman Hoaglun.
Hoaglun: I move approval of the Consent Agenda and for the Mayor to sign and Clerk to
attest.
Borton: Second.
Simison: I have a motion and a second to approve the Consent Agenda. Is there any
discussion? If not, all in favor signify by saying aye. Opposed nay? The ayes have it
and the Consent Agenda is adopted.
MOTION CARRIED: ALLAYES.
ITEMS MOVED FROM THE CONSENT AGENDA [Action Item]
Simison: There were no items moved from the Consent Agenda.
DEPARTMENT / COMMISSION REPORTS [Action Items]
13. Meridian Dairy and Stock Show Annual Presentation to City Council
Simison: So, we will go right into Item 13, which is the Meridian Dairy and Stock Show
Annual presentation to City Council and I see Hans just walked in. If he's going to be the
one who is going to be presenting it is perfect timing. Perfect timing.
Bruijn: Thank you, Mr. Mayor and City Council --
Johnson: Hans, if you can grab that microphone up to you.
Simison: State your names for the record and, then, really get into that mic.
Murgoitio: Mike Murgoitio. 2623 South Hills Place.
Bruijn: Hans Bruijn. President of Meridian Dairy Board. 6627 Airport Road.
Simison: Perfect. Thank you.
Bruijn: I just handed out a little -- three pages. The first page is kind of what's new this
year. The second page is our daily schedule and, then, the final page is the specialty
construction supply for the traffic control at the parade. Now just about an hour ago I got
an e-mail from ACHD and I have not had a chance to look at it. They had a few
suggestions, so I passed it right on to Jeremy in construction. So, I'm not sure if that's
going to impact the final amount or not. As you can see, it's gone up again and -- from --
from last year. You can see there is two amounts. One with volunteers and one without
-- well, I think they got that backwards, because the -- the one without volunteers is -- we
-- we really don't use volunteers anymore. It's just getting to be too dangerous. So, we
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have flaggers. So, the total amount was -- at this point is 9,249 is what they -- what their
quote is. So, a couple of quick things. We have a -- instead of the pancake feed we are
doing an ice cream special with Reed's Dairy. We will be handing out free ice cream for
about two hours or 300 people, whatever comes first. We are going to try to get the
marching bands from the different West Ada School District involved. We got I think like
a five feet trophy or something coming. A traveling trophy and, Mr. Mayor, I don't know if
you will be available after the parade or sometime to hand that out. That would be great.
And the Meridian Chamber of Commerce is getting involved again to doing the cow art.
If you remember from years -- years back. So, that -- that's kind of--that's pretty exciting.
A little bit more music and, then, we have some other entertainments. Mike, if you want
to add some --
Murgoitio: Yeah. Thank you, guys. Your staff has been great this year to work with -- for
last year and even this year. Garrett's done a great job. Emily. She did a fantastic job
working with us with the MOU. Justin and Stacy has been doing great. Get the hand out
there. We can kind of see what we have been up to this year. We have got good events.
Good support. Really appreciate you guys' involvement as far as sponsorship for -- your
involvement with the police and I have read what you guys spent this year, last year, and
it was -- it's just -- we really appreciate you guys' support. So, what we are going to do is
we are going to put your guys' local as a part of our sponsor. So, appreciate that. Let's
see. This year's theme is Party Until The Cows Come Home. So, that's been a hot -- a
hot one to talk about. Yeah. And, like I said, sponsorship is up for this year. It seems like
really people are really involved and want to be involved in this -- this parade this year,
so -- and you guys are a big part of that. So, I want to thank you guys for that. Yeah.
And Bill and -- and Emily and -- we have been working on a -- a Memorandum of
Understanding, which I think is great. You know, this is a combination of Luke and -- and
Bill trying to get something on paper in case something happened to us or one of you
guys, just something to help us, you know, throughout the years. Thought that was a
great idea to put together. So, thank you for the continued involvement on that.
Bruijn: Any questions?
Simison: Council, any questions?
Cavener: Mr. Mayor?
Simison: Councilman Cavener.
Cavener: Couple of comments and, then, you may ask Bill to provide some insight for
the Council. One, thanks for coming. I'm excited for Dairy Days and I know you guys
are, too. And I just -- I want to appreciate you, recognize, again, the city's ongoing
investment in this event and listing us as a sponsor. We are -- we are happy to support
this and I think it's just an ongoing opportunity for us to continue to build our -- our
partnership. I love having you guys come before us and give us an update about these
events. I love seeing that the Chamber's back being involved. Ice cream social sounds
awesome. I know you guys maybe want to bring the pancake feed back at a later point
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in time. But ice cream -- for me as a kid one of my most favorite parts about the Dairy
Days Parade was when the ice cream truck would come through before the parade and
you get ice cream. So, I like you are kind of going back to that. Mr. Mayor, if it's possible
-- Bill, do you kind of want to give us maybe an update about kind of how the MOU is
progressing and what's -- what that's all intending to -- to accomplish?
Nary: Certainly. Mr. Mayor, Members of the Council. So, we did send a draft MOU. Ms.
Kane from my office had prepared it. I think we were just waiting on comments back. It
was -- again, as Mike said, it was intended to sort of memorialize the various services
that are provided by the city. The -- the -- the one number that we have to somewhat
anticipate in the budget process is the cost for the traffic control. It does tend to change.
It's -- it's -- it's an ACHD mandate requirement, so we don't have an option to do it
differently and -- and Hans is correct, we -- we don't recommend people for large scale
events use volunteers, because when it's dangerous sometimes volunteers lose interest.
They walk off the job, because they are -- it's hot and it's late and it's long and they don't
want to and it's hard to get people to -- to just commit to it. So, using people that are
actually getting paid to do it and have done it before is a lot safer and a lot more practical
and, again, it always feels to many other folks that aren't involved in the parade, other
than the Dairy Board is doing it directly and the police who deal with it, nobody notices
any of those things until something bad happens and, then, everybody has a question on
why didn't you do something about that. So, we do -- we do have to look at what the
reality is of the expense of the traffic control and that we are pretty well governed by a
single entity that does this mostly for the valley for different -- for different groups. So,
they are very good at it. They are very seasoned. They are very knowledgeable on what's
necessary, on what types of things -- and we debrief at the end of the parade's year after
action. What's next year? We do build a portion into our budget. Most of the things on
that list -- and you have the -- in the memo are things that we have previously provided.
They don't have a specific -- they don't have a specific dollar out of pocket. They are just
built into our overtime. It's the cost for this that we have it in the budget and I can't tell
you off the top of my head what it is. Last year it was 8,900 dollars I think was about the
number and so Council authorized I think up to ten last year, because of -- we weren't
sure there would be any last minute things. But it has gone -- if you look at that memo
every year it goes up slightly. Obviously, based on cost, personnel, whatever is needed.
There is always going to be some additional cost. So, that's really kind of what this
conversation has usually taken is what did the number come out, what did we put in, do
we authorize the additional expense.
Bruijn: And we -- we did get a request from a different traffic control outfit to put in a bid
and as of today I have not heard back from them. Just to see, you know, are we in the
ballpark or not. And we did -- we did talk over that document that you sent over and we
had our attorney just take a quick look at it, but it looks really good.
Simison: Okay.
Cavener: Mr. Mayor?
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Simison: Councilman Cavener.
Cavener: I want to thank Bill and Emily and the Dairy Show Board. I think that's -- that's
our goal. Each year this has kind of been -- we are trying to figure out how it works and I
think putting together this MOU ensures greater transparency and easy use for the Daily
Show Board to know what the expectations are. City knows what you are prepared to do.
I guess, Mr. Mayor, a question for either you or Mr. Nary. It sounds like Hans got some
updated information from ACHD that may impact this estimate, but if it -- if it comes back
in under ten, then, there is no additional action from the Council. If it's -- if it's over ten,
then, maybe we would need to at least discuss a -- a budget amendment at a later point
in time. Is that --
Nary: Mr. Mayor, Members of the Council, I think Councilman Cavener, right now what
I'm understanding is the budget -- it's been budget is about nine. Last year was 87. 1
think nine is in the budget. So, if it comes in over nine we will have to come back. I think
most of this is the Council's comfort level that we have a general idea what it is. It might
be a little bit less, could be a little bit more, but it's going to be around this amount.
Cavener: Thanks. Thanks for being here, guys.
Simison: In additional questions? Okay. Thank you.
Bruijn: Thank you.
Bernt: Mr. Mayor?
Simison: Councilman Bernt.
Bernt: One good thing about this -- this parade is -- is -- is the identity that -- that keeps
Meridian who it is I believe and so I really look forward to this event and all of the programs
and the community -- community involvement that takes place during these three days.
People -- you know, citizens want to keep Meridian Meridian. People -- you know, the
major concern that -- that I hear from citizens as it relates to this is this -- you know, we
need to keep our identity and there is nothing more Meridian than the Dairy Days Parade.
So, grateful to be a part of it and thanks, Mike and Hans, and crew for all you do.
14. Resolution 22-2326: A Resolution Declaring the Intent of the City of
Meridian to Convey to the Meridian Development Corporation Certain
Real Property Located in Downtown Meridian, Commonly Known as
the Meridian Community Center and Centennial Park, Located at 201,
223, 231, And 237 East Idaho Avenue, Ada County Parcel Numbers
R5672000856, R7596000080, R7596000075, and R7596000065;
Instructing the City Clerk to Establish and Notice a Hearing to Review
the Proposed Conveyance; and Providing an Effective Date
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Simison: All right. And with that we will see an MOU come back at a later date and time
and for now we will move on to Item 14, which is Resolution 22-2326. Council, you had
a discussion last week. Mr. Nary, is there anything that you would like to add from that
discussion?
Nary: Mr. Mayor, Members of the Council, I mean, again, we are here to really answer
any questions. The whole purpose of this item and action item is to begin the process to
do the land transfer. So, that's -- this isn't setting anything, this isn't -- this isn't disposing
of any property at this point. It's just setting in motion the process that makes that happen
at a future date. The -- the land transfer and the final cost and price and all that stuff can
be set later. I think this is really just a ballpark figure number that we are using, but that
can be finalized at a later time. But, really, it's to begin the process, because there is
some noticing that's required and different things are required for the land transfer to
happen and the anticipation is in June. But this process has to start soon.
Simison: Council, any questions?
Strader: Mr. Mayor?
Simison: Council Woman Strader.
Strader: Thank you. Yeah. I wanted to report back a little bit. So, Dave Winder, Ashley
Squires and I met with River Caddis and one of the concerns I had was just making sure
that they seemed to be well capitalized. So, we had a good meeting with some of their
bank relationships and determined based on the covenants they meet in other loans that
they are well capitalized. They have a good history of completing projects, including in
2008. 1 have a couple things I wanted to check in on that I actually called John about
after our call, but just wanting to make sure on the record that River Caddis intends to
close the land acquisition at the same time that they line up their financing commitments.
I think that's an important thing to hear from them today and, then, I just wanted to confirm
on the record that the demolishing of the Community Center is part of the site work, so it
won't be demolished first in the process. That would take place after they started
expending their equity. I wanted to check on those two items if possible today.
Simison: John, if you would like to come forward and reply.
McGraw: Hi, everyone. Hi, Liz.
Strader: Hi.
McGraw: The answer to both of those questions is yes. So, yes, to the Community
Center not being demolished before closing or that that doesn't happen first and that we
are intending on working with MDC on closing both financing and the purchase or closing
on the land as well at the same time.
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Strader: Thank you. That's perfect. I just think it helps clarify that for everybody. Those
are some of the key risks that I felt were just something to tie up. So, thanks for confirming
that and for spending the time on -- on those items. Mr. Mayor, do we need action today
on this resolution or-- I was a little confused about what Bill was saying, but I -- I wouldn't
want to get going there until other people have a chance to ask their questions, but I was
a little confused about what action is being taken today.
Simison: We will want to have a motion on the resolution at the appropriate time. I know
there is other Council members who would like to speak, so -- Council, any additional
questions, comments?
Cavener: Mr. Mayor?
Simison: Councilman Cavener.
Cavener: I know Steve is here and I -- I would ask him to maybe just come to Council
today and just provide an update to the Council about the current programs that are being
offered in the Community Center and what the plans are for where they are going to go,
how they are going to continue to operate should Council move forward. So, maybe,
Steve, if you want to just give Council kind of an update about what your plans are.
Siddoway: Absolutely. Mr. Mayor, Members of the Council, I'm grateful you reached out
to me this morning and tell me this was coming, because that gave me a chance to reach
out to our coordinator -- rec coordinator over classes and camps, so I could find out, you
know, where things were at with a little more specificity. We are still figuring out where
classes would go. I could -- I will tell you our -- our primary solution is that now that we
have the pool building there is a -- that -- that -- that room on the second floor that we can
use for many of the -- the classes. We also have classes at the HomeCourt, but it's
already fully -- you know, it's -- it's fully programmed. We -- there are -- the update that I
got just a few hours ago is that there is basically four classes that we don't currently have
a home for. They include fencing,jazzercise, yoga and there is multiple yoga classes and
-- and some youth art classes that we are still looking for a home for. We have looked at
everything from locations that might be rented in the future. Don't know if that's a good
option or not, but I know that Rite-Aid down on Main Street has been -- has downsized
and have some space available for -- for lease. But that comes at a cost, obviously, so
we are looking at what's free first. We have the -- the Chamber is in the audience and
while we have no desire or need to move them out of their current space any faster than
they choose to on their own, if and when they do choose to move one option is to renovate
that space and maybe blow out some walls and -- and -- but that's always going to take
a budget and some additional time. So, we are also looking at schools. We have
agreement with the school district. But things like, you know, yoga classes that happened
during the day can't happen when school is in session during the day. So, there is --that's
not a -- that's not a match. So we do -- we are actively working on solutions. We have
found the solution for -- I would say the majority of classes that are being displaced, but
we still have some that don't have a home. Does that answer your question? Okay.
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Simison: Thank you. Council, any additional questions from Mr. Siddoway? Then at this
point in time I would entertain a motion, if anyone is willing to make one.
Hoaglun: Mr. Mayor?
Simison: Councilman Hoaglun.
Hoaglun: Yeah. I appreciate all the work that's gone into this. This has been a long
process. Started back in 2019 and I think we are to a point where we are going to see
some things happen and something I think we are all going to be very pleased with when
it's -- when it's completed. So, Mr. Mayor, I move approval of Resolution 22-2326, which
will convey certain real property as identified in the document to the Meridian
Development Corporation.
Bernt: Second the motion.
Simison: I have a motion and a second to approve Resolution 22-2326. Is there any
discussion?
Cavener: Mr. Mayor?
Simison: Councilman Cavener.
Cavener: I will be voting no on this. I think this is a really really great project. Really
exciting. It's frustrating for me, because I think a great project is being overshadowed by
a loss to our community. I think that either the city or the -- the development team have
an obligation to our citizens to bring a plan, either collectively or -- or on their own, that
communicates to our citizens what our plan is for a Community Center and a park in
downtown and until we have got that plan in place or at least some direction about where
we are headed, I -- I can't in good conscience vote for -- to begin the process to transfer
over our assets. I said it last week, I just don't see how our taxpayers are winning when
it comes to this project and -- which is disappointing, because I really wanted to be a
cheerleader for this, but without those plans in place I can't be supportive.
Simison: Council, any other questions? Comment?
Strader: Mr. Mayor?
Simison: Council Woman Strader.
Strader: Yeah. Just a comment. Yeah. I'm supportive of it. I feel like adding the
population downtown is a really critical step to justify future investments in downtown and
so I -- I understand Councilman Cavener's concern. I think there is a little bit of a chicken
and egg question, but I have faith that the Parks Department is going to figure this out
with our new Community Center plans in the future and I think it behooves us to figure
out how to make that space happen downtown. But I also feel like the economic
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development aspect is really hard to quantify, but incredibly important for this urban area
to become a truly urban area and to justify those future investments. We have got to have
a pretty robust population using our downtown to make it really dynamic and so I -- I like
this project. I feel like it's really going to add to the feel downtown and I like the festival
street. I really think it's the best market project that we could get at this point.
Simison: And if I could echo some of Council Woman Strader. I understand the
frustration. You know, we would all like to have it all figured out and lined out from that
standpoint. But it's kind of like when you want a road expansion, too, sometimes you
have to close down the road and -- and it's painful and, then, we get to the end point and
it's a great resolution and I think the harder that -- you know, I -- I have at least expressed
my opinion that I think it is incumbent upon the city to provide a way to bring back that
lost green space if that's what our goal and outcome is. And while it may not be in the
same location, a small nice addition was the work that was just done right over here on
the island. We did bring a green space to the downtown. Not a great replacement in --
in a lot of ways, but it is still green space. Otherwise why -- you know, why -- it was -- it's
a nice addition to downtown in terms of getting rid of a blighted piece of property and
bringing green space that can be utilized. I'm not going to say we can go have picnics,
we are going to put it there. That's not what I'm saying. But it -- it is part of that process
of redefining what our downtown is. That's, really, where I think we are going to and
think this will -- it is incumbent upon us and, you know, Steve and I have had that
conversation to find that replacement to bring it into -- into downtown, whatever that feels
like. Council, any additional questions or any additional statements? Would you like to
hear from the parks director at this point in time?
Borton: Sure.
Simison: Okay. He is very polite.
Siddoway: I just want to offer two thoughts. One, we are actively working, as you know,
on the Community Center feasibility study and there is a bit of a chicken and egg. I would
love nothing more than to have lined out the -- the plan for the new Community Center
before the old one goes away, but that's not the way the -- that it's lining up. We -- the
GreenPlay consultants are coming back to town next week. I'm hoping to have them in
front of you next week to give an update on the process and how things are -- are -- are
going in advance of what will be a future public meeting on the -- on the same topic to --
to make sure that we are in alignment to -- for what will be presented. So, GreenPlay will
be in town next week. We are actively moving forward on -- on concepts and I think my
-- and, then, my second point is just that -- I'm sure we can work this out, but based on
whatever happens with the timing of the transfer versus the demolition, as Council
Woman Strader was talking about, you know, we will, obviously, hope to continue using it
until the demolition happens, which currently I understand roughly next spring. So, we
will -- we will use it, you know, this fall and this winter. We will figure out when the -- the
-- the transfer happens and we want to prepare in advance for those class movements
that will need to happen. But we do hope to continue using it until the demolition does
need to happen, so that was it.
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Cavener: Mr. Mayor?
Simison: Councilman Cavener.
Cavener: Question for either you or Mr. Nary. Once the action is before the Council to
actually transfer the property, does that action also involve a public hearing?
Nary: Yes.
Cavener: Thanks.
Simison: Council, any other comments? Ask the Clerk to call the roll.
Roll call: Borton, abstain; Cavener, nay; Bernt, yea; Perreault, yea; Hoaglun, yea;
Strader, yea.
Simison: Four ayes. One no. The resolution is agreed to. Thank you.
MOTION CARRIED: FOUR AYES. ONE NAY. ONE ABSTAIN.
15. Public Works: Summary of April 2022 Water Supply Workshop
Simison: Continue -- continue to look forward to working on this project and finding
solutions to the issues that were brought up. Next item up is Item 15, which is our public
Works Department, which will be a summary of the April 22 Water Supply Workshop.
Turn this over to Laurelei and Mr. Radek.
McVey: All right. Well, thank you, Mayor and Council, while we get our presentation
pulled up. Thank you. So, thanks for giving us a few minutes of your time this afternoon.
So, first of all, we are not asking for anything, so no decisions. Just information. But I --
we did want to share with you -- we held a two day water supply workshop a couple of
weeks ago and there was some really valuable information that we wanted to share with
you guys and bring forward. So, the last time we held one of these was in 2011 and so
we thought it was really important to have another meeting to kind of say have -- have
things changed? Are we still in a good -- good spot? So, we brought -- and I want to give
credit to Kyle for organizing this -- some of the top water expert scientists and water
lawyers in the Treasure Valley to answer some important questions and topics. So, while
Kyle and I might not be able to answer all of your questions, we are going to give you a
really high level flyby of what we talked about in the workshop. So, our workshop's
purpose sought to give us a better understanding about where water comes from in the
valley, how it's used and how that's expected to change in the future. We also really
wanted to look specifically at Meridian's water supply and identify any concerns or issues
with our supply now or in the future and we wanted to identify any current or future
mitigation methods that might help us with our overall water picture. So, if you are curious
about overall water supply in the Treasure Valley, BSU has put together a really
outstanding resource called the Treasure Valley Water Atlas. This gives really great detail
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and graphics that talk about the fate of water in the Treasure Valley and many of the
graphics on the WaterAtlas are used in this presentation tonight. This can also be a really
good resource to point residents to as it's easy to follow and understand and kind of talks
about all the different water uses in the valley. So, as we talk about water in the Treasure
Valley, it's important to remember that without our network of irrigation systems, including
the Boise River, we naturally are in a high desert area that receives on average 11 inches
of rain per year. However, because the Treasure Valley has been highly modified with a
complex system of canals and drains over the years, we have really transformed the
valley into what it is today. So, in order to understand water in the Treasure Valley you
have to understand that this is really a story about two river basins, the upper basin and
the lower basin. So, when I talk about the upper basin what I mean is the area above our
storage reservoirs. So, above Lucky Peak, Arrow Rock and Anderson Reservoirs. So,
when you look at these reservoirs there is really distinct differences between them. So,
the upper basin is higher elevations. There is much fewer people that live in this area. It
is comprised of mountains, forests, and shrub land. The lower basin is a high desert,
grassland and agriculture and we have over 750,000 people living in the lower basin. So,
the upper basin is a lot cooler in temperature, while the lower basin is much warmer. The
upper basin is wetter. The lower basin is much drier. We get most of our rain and snow
in the upper basin, which leads to the next point. Is that enough water for the Treasure
Valley and where does that water go once it leaves the upper basin. So, in the upper
basin each year we get about 3.5 million acre feet of water in the upper basin. So, right
off the bat about 1.6 million acre feet of that is lost to evapotranspiration, which is the
uptake and use by plants and evaporation into the atmosphere. So, really, we are getting
about two million acre feet out of the upper basin that's coming into the lower basin. So,
in Public Works we like to use a lot of acronyms. MGD. CFS. Acre feet. So, what is an
acre foot? So, an acre foot is if you took about the size of a football field, one acre, and
put one foot of water on it. Estimates say that one acre foot of water serves the freshwater
needs of a family of five for about a year. So, if you have 750,000 people in the Treasure
Valley, really, in theory, you would only need about 200 acre feet of water to serve the
freshwater needs of -- per year -- or 200,000 acre feet of water per year to serve the
freshwater needs and we are receiving about two million acre feet. So, we should have
plenty of water for the Treasure Valley; right? Well, that's where some challenges come
in is where that water goes and gets used once it goes into the lower basin. So, the first
one is timing. So, most of the water in the upper basin should be stored as snow. If more
of that comes as rain or as temperatures increase spring runoff can come sooner and
faster. What you will see in this graph is that the majority of the water coming from the
upper basin comes in March through June and after that you will see there is not a whole
lot more water coming from the upper basin. So, what do we do to try to mitigate that?
Well, we have storage. So, we store some of that water in our four primary reservoirs,
which are Lucky Peak, Arrow Rock, Anderson Ranch and Lake Lowell. But what you will
see there is we only have between those four reservoirs about one million acre feet. So,
out of the two million acre feet that are coming down we only have the ability to store
about half of that. So, even though we have plenty of water coming from the upper basin
on most years, the timing and storage can be problematic. And, then, once the water
reaches the lower basin how it's used also matters. So, we have a significant network of
delivery canals and return drains in the valley that have allowed us to have widespread
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farming and irrigation. This slide is a really interesting one that shows how water is used
once it hits the lower basin. So, in the summer about 4,000 CFS is released from Lucky
Peak and, essentially, one hundred percent of that water is diverted for irrigation use in
the valley in the peak of summer and so right off the bat about 2,000 CFS is taken off to
the New York Canal and to give you some perspective on what a cubic foot per second
is, so that equates to -- so, 2,000 cubic feet per second equals 1.3 billion gallons per day
and in 2021 the entire year all of the residents of Meridian for their drinking water needs
used 4.1 billion gallons. So, our total year of drinking water use in Meridian is equal to
about four days of flow of the New York Canal in the summer. So, Meridian's water is
literally a drop in the bucket as far as the Treasure Valley water picture is concerned. But
how we use that water when it gets into the valley is still important. So, as that water
flows through the network of canals and streams there is several things that happen to it.
So, about a third of it evaporates, about a third of it seeps into the ground and replenishes
the shallow aquifer and about a third of it returns back to the river and continues flowing
downstream. So, we have talked a lot about surface water. So, let's switch now to
groundwater in the valley. So, the Treasure Valley also has a complex network of shallow
and deep aquifers underneath the valley and as we mentioned, the shallower aquifers
are really what is replenished by the large -- in large part from precipitation, river flows,
and canal flows. Most of our municipal wells don't draw from these shallow level aquifers.
So, we draw our municipal water from deep aquifers that are replenished in a large part
from the upper basin and have significant retention times, which allow for long-term
aquifer stability. So, most of our wells draw water from 400 to 800 feet below the surface,
where water has been stored and replenished for tens of thousands of years. So, these
aquifers are very stable. So, now that I have covered really quickly where our water
supply comes from, I'm going to turn it over to Kyle to talk more about Meridian's specific
drinking water system and how we manage our system and our water rights.
Radek: Mr. Mayor, Council Members, our -- day two of the workshop was dedicated to
water master planning in the City of Meridian. We covered components of the master
plan that are most related to water supply, including our supply and distribution system,
future water demand forecasting, the city's water rights portfolio, delivering supply where
and when it's needed and long-term water supply planning. So, real quick our water
distribution system, you can see a map here and the important parts about it are -- we
have five pressure zones, which function as independent systems in themselves and we
have multiple wells. Supply is distributed throughout the system. The last master plan,
which was completed in 2018, our average day demand was ten million gallons a day,
which equates to an annual supply of 3.6 billion gallons. Again, this is high level, so we
are going to move pretty quickly. When we do population and demand projection we use
data from COMPASS to determine how many people are going to live where in five and
20 year planning horizons. Once we know where they are going to live we can assign
their demand to pressure zones and see what you -- what you see with this -- this more
complicated table on the left of the screen is demand projections by pressure zone and
we -- we know where those people are going to live in the future and we know what the
current per capita demand is at the time we do that forecasting and we project that current
demand for our future populations and so you can see the whole system in this graph.
The whole system demand is -- is represented by that -- that's -- those straight lines that
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are going out and saying, hey, this -- this many more people at 112 gallons per capita per
day are going to need this much more water in the future. We also get a build out
population forecast from COMPASS and the current build out population forecast is
345,000 people. So, we could easily say with 345,000 people using 112 gallons per capita
per day, that our annual supply need at build out is going to be 14 billion gallons of water
annually, which is about 43,000 -- 43,000 acre feet of water. But we know based on 20
years of data that you see in this graph here, that our per capita demand is decreasing
with time. In fact, it's decreased a lot. It's decreased by -- by a factor of a half over the
last 20 years and we know it's going to continue to decrease for a while. Not quite like
this trend shows us where people are going to use zero water in '29, we know that's not
going to happen. But we know it's probably going to decrease for a while and, then, it will
find a bottom somewhere. So, in the end what we have for -- is a 43,000 acre foot
estimate that is a conservatively high estimate for what the city needs for build out annual
water supply. Part of our master planning is an evaluation of our water rights portfolio.
Charlie Honsinger has been our water rights attorney for over two decades, but he is
retiring, so we had our new attorney, Chris Bromley from McHugh Bromley, give us a
presentation on the city's water rights portfolio. Analysis shows that we not only have
adequate water rights to serve our current needs, but likely through build out. So, this is
a fairly complicated graph with lots of lines and what it shows you is that, number one, it
seems likely that our actual use is trending to a significantly lower supply need at build
out than our 2018 forecast, which we expect. So, we are really looking in the range now
of 25,000 to 43,000 acre feet as a build out need. And the second thing it's telling you is
that per Chris Bromley's analysis we have plenty of water rights. Our cumulative water
rights is shown as that line that starts way back in 1950 and kind of covers -- you know,
covers our -- our pumping. So, we are able to -- we are able to cover not only our current
needs, but our future needs -- future needs, even our future conservatively high needs,
with the current water rights portfolio we have. So, we have the water rights, but can our
system deliver the water when it's needed, where it's needed. So, in the workshop we
went over some of the different performance criteria for our water supply that our system
needs to meet according to the Idaho rules for public drinking water systems and the most
important criteria is that our system must be able to deliver at least the fire flow required
by the International Fire Code at any given location at the highest daily system demand,
the max day demand, with any pump in the system out of service. So, a worst case
scenario really. The pump that's going to help fight the most has to be off. So, as a matter
of practice we model every phase of every development that comes into the city to ensure
that we meet this requirement and, then, when we have a master plan come along our
master planning includes a modeling analysis by our consultants that really checks our
work. It's an audit of the last five years of the work we have done and as of 2018 -- and
I know I can't say something like this without saying here is how it turned out in 2018. The
analysis concluded that with the exception of a few hydrants that were installed in the
1970s, the fire department could go basically to any building in the city that has a city fire
hydrant and be confident that they have got the fire flow they need to fight a fire at that
location. So, we covered our water rights, the ability to supply water anywhere within our
system, and, then, in the workshop we also discussed the capacity of our groundwater
resource to provide for our long-term needs and from the Treasure Valley Water Atlas
presentations we learned that an estimated 900,000 acre feet of water is put into the
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aquifer system every year through canal and field seepage. This doesn't even account
for what the Boise River recharges naturally. The city's build out supply need of 43,000
acre feet, which is conservatively high, represents only about five percent of the water
that is lost to the aquifer through irrigation practices. So, as Laurelei said, our water use
is a drop in the bucket for the available supply. But even though it is a drop in the bucket,
the city has been monitoring water levels in the aquifer system for over 25 years. In 2013
we commissioned a report by a professional hydrogeologist, based on our groundwater
monitoring, that concluded that there is no foreseeable groundwater shortage for at least
50 years. Another conclusion of that report was that the aquifer system is resilient and
quick to recharge and this was proven by observations at Monitoring Well 24, which after
nine years in almost -- pumping almost four billion gallons of water at the production well,
the monitoring well levels recovered to pre-pumping levels after only 18 days of not
pumping the production well. So, in summary, 43,000 acre feet is a conservatively high
number for planning purposes of what the city is going to need. It's also a very small
fraction of the yearly water supply available in the Treasure Valley and our groundwater
supply appears to be sustainable long term. But even though it appears that we have an
ample and sustainable water supply, way back in 2010 we started looking at the threats
to our ability to supply our customers with water for the long term. David Stangel, director
of water at Murraysmith, Incorporated, was our project manager for our initial effort in
2010 and he presented to our latest workshop on that -- on that original work. In that
original effort we identified seven primary threats and threat levels for a 50 year planning
period. We analyzed the probability and financial impact of each level and found that the
magnitude of financial impact of every level on every threat was low. It was only after
considering the social impact of the threat to Meridian residents that five of those threats
rose to importance for mitigation consideration and you see those in the slide. Originally
-- the original effort produced about 44 potential mitigation actions that could impact one
or more threats and to save time in our workshop we shared all those threat definitions
and the list of potential mitigation actions with the attendees through a handout at the end
of day one and, then, in his presentation Dave Stangel walked through the risk analysis
process and some of the actions the city has pursued since the original planning effort.
We ended the long-term supply presentation -- planning discussion -- I'm sorry -- by
having Chris Bromley come back and present some updated information specifically on
the threats of curtailment of water. Several recent actions related to curtailment have
revealed more information about the threats and their potential impact on cities. Chris
went over some of these and recommended new or reemphasized existing mitigation
actions, among them follow the development of the Treasure Valley groundwater model.
Monitor any discussions about creating an area of common groundwater supply in the
Treasure Valley, which is a requirement for conjunctive management of water and
perhaps the most timely recommendation, which was already an existing action, diversify
the city's water rights portfolio with surface water, including new storage. As you are
probably aware, the city has opportunities to purchase space in two new water storage
projects. The Anderson Ranch Dam raise and the Cat Creek energy project. Analysis of
the cost and benefit of participating in -- participating in these projects is difficult, but we
do know that opportunities like this are extremely rare. The last water supply project was
Lucky Peak and it started in 1949. So, we will be coming back to you to discuss these
projects in the near future.
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McVey: All right. And so we did also meet with some of the irrigation entities in Meridian.
So, you know, we have basically told you the story that our groundwater is good, our
water rights are good, our supply network is good. But you do hear quite a bit about
surface water shortages and so Meridian has four primary irrigation districts within its
boundaries and another feature is that certain areas of Meridian use our potable water to
irrigate lawns. So, about 16 percent of our customers are on city water for irrigation and
so when we met with the irrigation districts they had some information that they wanted
us to share with residents to potentially help with irrigation shortages and these
conservation tips, you know, can also be useful for some of the city residents. So, these
are just kind of general good water conservation practices. So, one of the things is be
efficient with your irrigation practices. So, a lot of people's sprinklers run at night, so you
don't actually see where they are spraying or where they are -- you know, are you
overspraying? Do you have broken sprinklers? Are you ponding. So, it's good to -- to
maybe watch your sprinklers through one cycle and -- and make sure that you are -- you
are efficiently watering. The other thing is check your irrigation or your sprinkler timing.
So, a lot of -- when new subdivisions are put in the irrigation system box in your garage
is set to water every single day to establish that new landscaping. Well, you may never
think about changing that and you may still be watering every single day. So, check your
-- your irrigation sprinkler box in your garage, look at your timing. Make sure you are
watering efficiently. Build your lawn's drought tolerance. So, watering less often and
promoting deeper root growth is a good way to build your lawns health. You can also
xeriscape where it makes sense. So, the city does not generally prohibit xeriscaping, but
you do need to check with your HOA, because a lot of the HOAs have requirements
around your landscaping. But one of the biggest messages we wanted to share was the
time that you water matters. So, because the irrigation districts must release reservoir
storage water to account for peak hour use, the more we can spread out that peak hour
the better. So, what we have been asked by the irrigation district is to sort of dispel the
myth of not watering during the day. So, it's better to spread out -- if you water with the
surface irrigation water, it's better to spread out that watering in your neighborhood by day
and time. So, check your HOA, see if you have something set up in your neighborhood,
and that -- that spreading out of the peak allows them to shave down the amount of water
that they have to deliver. If you are on city water for watering your landscape, we would
also like you to try to avoid the peak times and our peak times for city water is generally
between 5:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. So, if you water outside of that period that's helpful for
us. We did also want to point out you can reach out to places like Zamzows to give you
watering tips and help with your lawn health. So, in summary, you know, Meridian's
domestic supply is in great shape now and into the future as far as supply and water
rights. Our staff have been working to identify and mitigate long-term threats for over a
decade. As Kyle mentioned, we should continue long-term planning and be prepared to
take advantage of, you know, opportunities as they present themselves if they make
sense. The water supply in the valley is complex, but it's also robust and, then, residents
can make an impact by practicing water conservation tips and being water wise to help
with our -- our overall water supply. And with that that is a really quick summary of our
workshop.
Simison: Thank you, Laurelei. Council, any questions?
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Perreault: Mr. Mayor?
Simison: Council Woman Perreault.
Perreault: Thank you very much. I had the opportunity to attend the workshop and it was
-- it was really fantastic. I just was hoping that you would touch on -- we talked about that
there is not an issue with the -- the water rights in terms of the volume that we are
permitted to use, but there was a recommendation to diversify the water rights, because
-- so, can you go into more detail for Council about why and what that means.
McVey: Sure, Council Woman Perreault. So, that's a good question. So, all of our current
water rights are for groundwater supply. So, one of the things -- and Kyle touched on it.
It's called conjunctive management. So, if -- and the eastern Snake River Plain is
currently under conjunctive management and that's where they have shown a direct
hydrologic connection between the surface water and the groundwater. So, if you are a
groundwater pumper and you have the potential to impact senior surface right holders,
they can curtail you and based on the age of your water rights they can say you have to
stop pumping, because you are impacting this senior water right holder. So, a couple of
things if -- the age of your water right matters, but, then, also diversifying your portfolio
and having different water rights. So, all of ours are groundwater. It may be beneficial to
have some sort of surface water right if that becomes available as well.
Cavener: Mr. Mayor?
Simison: Councilman Cavener.
Cavener: Laurelei, Kyle, terrific presentation. Like this is what I think of when we think
of our workshop meetings. Like this is important information for Council to have, to
potentially make decisions at a later point in time. I appreciate condensing two days worth
of stuff into 20 minutes. I know that's really really hard. A couple of questions -- and I will
start first kind of how you ended the presentation talking about the irrigation districts and
pressurized irrigation. What are the irrigation districts doing, kind of proactively, to
preserve the water supply? I think that, you know, by and large our citizens, our
taxpayers, don't always see the difference between City of Meridian and the irrigation
districts. They are just mad that their HOA is now telling them they have to water their
lawn every other day. So, what are they doing proactively to help better retain our -- our
water in the valley. I recognize I'm putting you on the spot. You are not the irrigation
districts.
Radek: Yeah. We did -- Councilman Cavener, Mayor, we did meet with them and I was
unaware before that meeting that they are -- they are actually doing some things I didn't
know about. They are trying to capture more water and they have actually built some
infrastructure. It used to be you would say, well, if -- if that -- that irrigation water is in the
ditch and if nobody uses it it's going to go down the ditch and it's going to be gone and
that was true to some extent and to some extent it's still true, but it's less true now,
because they are doing more to recapture water that has gone past some pumping
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stations and they are able to put it back in delivery conveyances to be reused and so they
can take less out of the reservoir. That's one thing. They are also -- I think the -- I think
the biggest thing --there is new leadership there. Greg Curtis and Mike -- can't remember
Mike's last name, but I think the -- the biggest thing they are doing is they are -- they are
not afraid to talk to us anymore. I think they are -- they are welcome to discussions about
how we might be able to partner in the future, how much we might be able to help each
other and what we can do together to -- to make the -- to give our citizens the best benefit
for the -- for the -- the surface water they have -- that we have in the -- in the Treasure
Valley. So, that's the biggest thing I think.
Cavener: Mr. Mayor, one additional if I may.
Simison: Councilman Cavener.
Cavener: And I don't want you to take this the wrong way, because I'm a big cheerleader
for Meridian water and I enjoy our tap water, but I -- I have -- over the past couple of years
I have had folks and even my -- my mother-in-law last week was kind of complaining
about the taste of-- of Meridian water and -- and I will be honest, it tastes differently than
when I was a kid, but I don't know if that's that I have been conditioned to drink in this and
you talk a little bit about what the department's doing to maintain the quality of water and
is -- is that feedback that you are hearing from people and, if so, have we changed how
we treat our water or are we looking at doing different things to improve or do we think
that's needed?
Radek: You want to call Dennis or do you want me to?
McVey: Yeah. Dennis, you can come up if you would like. So, several things that we are
doing. You know, we have implemented a water treatment to treat iron and manganese.
As part of that we do have to add some additional chlorine to make those filter -- filtration
projects work. For the most part all of that is used up and it doesn't enter the distribution
system. We do, when there is areas that have higher than normal chlorine -- and I should
say all the levels are still below regulatory threshold, but we do have some opportunities
through flushing --we will be bringing a project forward in the FY-23 budget planning cycle
to design some additional retention time in our system in areas where the -- the retention
time is shorter and that does help some of those taste and odor concerns.
Teller: Got it. We -- we are -- with the treatment that we are -- we are -- oh, sorry. I'm
always that way. So, the treatment that we are adding to the system we have got five
new treatment facilities that are currently online and we have got about seven more
planned in the next couple of years. We are now kind of messing with the -- the chemical
makeup of the water with our chlorination and disinfection process. So as those new
treatment facilities come on it's also going to help us blend the water together better.
Right now we have got two different kind of mixes going on within our distribution system
and that's what we are managing with our flushing program and -- and -- and other
operational activities to try to improve those water qualities in those areas. So, it -- it's
definitely on the rise to get --
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Strader: Mr. Mayor?
Simison: Council Woman Strader.
Strader: Thanks. Wow, what a phenomenal presentation. Thank you so much for all the
time and work that you guys have put into this important issue. Really it's been
phenomenal and I guess I have a couple points. I think this is a big education and
communication opportunity, so I would love it if this could be like a separate YouTube
video linked to the City of Meridian's YouTube page about -- if you have questions about
our water, so we could direct them to this presentation and they could hear it. You know,
folks could hear it for themselves. I did have one follow-up question. You know, I know
the uranium content of our water -- and it's nothing to panic about -- comes from geology.
I mean the world is radioactive, but it is close to the EPA threshold from what I recall.
Where is that in the CFP in terms of the potential to remove, you know, the uranium and
get that -- not at the threshold, but as far below the threshold as we can economically and
reasonably do so?
McVey: Council Woman Strader, that's a great question. So, on the first comment we
actually are hosting a town hall on -- I believe it's May 26th and the topic will be water
supply. So, it will be this presentation and we are inviting the irrigation districts to that as
well and, then, for your second question on the uranium. So, we have a project in our
CFP. However, the newest sampling results that we have been taking are very promising
and they are actually lower than the previous thresholds that we had seen. So, depending
on how those levels continue we may or may not need to do that project. We also have
another project that will enhance the blending quality of another area. So, I don't have
the specific dates off the top of my head of those projects, but there is a placeholder in
the CFP to address that topic if it's needed.
Strader: Mr. Mayor?
Simison: Council Woman Strader.
Strader: That's really helpful. I -- I know there are some wells that contribute more than
others to the problem and so I really appreciate the proactive approach in trying to blend
that to a more acceptable threshold. I guess I would just be curious for a little follow up
on like what level we are trying to manage to realistically over time, but I think that's great
and I love the town hall idea. Hats off to you guys and the Mayor's office for organizing
this. I think it's really important. We all know how precious water is and everyone sees
their -- I just got my notice and my HOA like, hey, the irrigation water might be going off
for a while because of the drought. I think people have a tendency to conflate, you know,
between the irrigation water and the city's water and so I think that is important. The more
we can educate people the better. But thanks a lot.
Hoaglun: Mr. Mayor?
Simison: Councilman Hoaglun.
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Hoaglun: Yeah. Real quick. I appreciate the presentation. I was on Council in 2011
when they did that first water study and it was great to hear at the time that basically our
-- our valley has -- is a big bathtub underneath us of water and we are in the center of
that bathtub and that bathtub is still full from what you are -- 11 years later they are still
reporting, which is great. But the planning to be able to know what we have -- we are
facing and build out and how we mitigate and increase storage capacity and do those
things is -- is great to hear. Also, yes, uranium, arsenic always present, it's a natural
entity. Fortunately we don't have great problems, but the few areas that we do we -- you
are managing that and -- and I appreciate all the work that you guys do to make our water
plentiful and safe and -- and wise use is always in order. So, I hope your workshop is well
attended on the 26th.
McVey: And, Mayor, just so any residents that are listening, if you are curious, all of our
water quality data is available on our website and you can look it up under the CCR and
we will give you our -- our annual water quality, which will tell you where we are at with
any of those thresholds.
Simison: So, Laurelei, a question. With the Bureau of Reclamation project how many
additional feet are they hoping to catch -- capture of what we are not able to currently
store with that project?
Radek: Mr. Mayor, the -- the Anderson Dam Ranch raise is going to be 29,000 acre feet
of additional storage.
Simison: All right. Thank you.
Borton: Mr. Mayor?
Simison: Councilman Borton.
Borton: Do any communities lease unused water rights for capacity that they have, but
don't need? Is that an option?
Radek: Mr. Mayor, Councilman Borton, we have discussed leasing water rights as a
mitigation option. The biggest problem with leasing water rights as a mitigation option is
when you need those water rights they are not going to be available to lease, because
it's when everybody needs that water. We have a water bank that's -- that's used in basin
63, that's the Boise Basin, and it's very inactive. The Suez Water actually does lease
some water, because they -- they -- they do surface water treatment as part of their
system. So, it's -- it's possible. Pardon? We don't think it's one of the -- it's certainly a
mitigation action item. Probably not one that we think is -- that is one of the -- going to be
one of the most effective when it comes down to the time you need it.
Borton: Okay. Thank you.
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Simison: Council, any additional questions? Okay. Well -- well, thank you and look
forward to seeing what gets out to the community in various ways.
16. Police Department: Fiscal Year 2022 Budget Amendment in the Not-to-
Exceed Amount of $2,367,918.00 for North Police Precinct
Construction
Simison: So, next item on the agenda is Item 16, which was now the Police Department
Fiscal Year 2022 Budget Amendment in the not to exceed amount of 2,367,918 dollars.
think the chiefs are both going to deliver a presentation for all the -- for the three items
and take questions before we move into those items. So, chief. Chief.
Basterrechea: Yeah. So, Chief Blume and I thought we would do this together. Public
safety team and we decided that I would go first, go through the Northwest Precinct and,
then, he would go through the following fire stations in the GMP and, then, we could
answer any questions that you have at the end or at the end of each of the presentations
and before we get started the first thing I would like to do is certainly recognize Lieutenant
Jamie Leslie and Stacey Pechin from the police team for their work getting us here, as
well as our project manager for these projects Stacy Redmond for the work that they have
done so far, so -- so, why are we here? Why did we decide to go forward with building
Northwest Precinct? The Meridian's Mission statement is to provide the highest quality
of service in partnership with our community, to preserve and protect life and property
through education, prevention, and enforcement and through our discussions last budget
session when we got these approved we certainly believe that the Northwest Precinct
gets us further to that mission accomplishment. Certainly it -- it creates more accessibility
for our public, our community in the northwest, which is our farthest reaching part of the
city and certainly causes us the most drive time in our patrol vehicles. It creates more
time in the field for our officers that work in that area, rather than having to go back to
headquarters when they are doing their reports, when they are processing evidence and
doing those types of things and it should cut down on our response times in that area as
well and on top of that with the growing inflation and our high rising fuel prices it should
cut down on our -- our fuel consumption as well with those patrol vehicles that will be
housed at this location and be utilized solely in this area, rather than driving clear across
town and back and forth multiple trips every day and, hopefully, cut down on the wear and
tear of some of those vehicles and the vehicle mileage, which should help us as well. The
other thing that I would say is very beneficial about this that some people don't realize is
we are building an actual police station. We have -- we have looked around at other
communities that have tried to make shift things, take a data center and try to turn it into
a police station and it's never worked out the way that they have wanted it to do or try to
do a substation out of a mall and those things just don't work. They are not effective and,
quite frankly, you lose a lot of the pride that your employees have in their facilities. One
of the things I have always kind of compared Meridian Police Department to and the City
of Meridian to is my alma mater Boise State and Boise State football when it comes to
facilities. This city has always been forward thinking. They have understood the
importance of those facilities to the employees and to the community that we serve and
-- and we have always done a great job doing that with past councils, as well as the
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current Council that sits here before us today. So, some of the things that we knew we
were going to run into were some cost issues when we initially discussed these projects.
What we could not account for certainly was the unstable market that we are sitting in
now. The supply chain issues that have continued and, quite frankly, a lack of a workforce
and inflation and so when we looked at these we -- our original design estimates, just to
give you some ideas of what we are facing. For structural steel it was a 29 -- or 21 ,454
dollar estimate. When the actual bid estimates came in that was 304 percent above what
had been predicted and came in at 86,742 dollars. And, then, another large ticket item
-- when you look at the HVAC system, design estimates were 232,000 dollars and the bid
estimates came in at 148 percent over that at 575,000 dollars. Certainly things that from
our perspective we really -- we really could not control. We did look at as much value
engineering as we could and -- and the Police Department accepted 419,799 dollars in
value engineering. Some of the larger ticket items in that, 103,374 dollars where we
changed the type of fencing that we were going to utilize at this location. We did a change
from vented lockers. If you have been into the police locker rooms they smell like a high
school locker room with the -- the sweaty vests and the things that are stored there. We
looked at a -- a venting system, but when it came down to -- to value engineering we
chose to go with -- the way we have -- we have done things in the past and -- and that --
that saved us 126,000 dollars. And, then, another 70,000 value engineered into acoustic
tiles versus the original design and one thing that I will point out is as a -- a police
department we have always been conscious of our community's dollars. We have had
three projects, major projects with the Public Safety Training Center that have all come in
on time and under budget. Scenario Village is coming in at a -- with about a 580,000
savings based on some decisions that were made on whether to go forward with certain
parts of the project or whether it was more of a benefit to save that money and look further
down the road at other projects, as well as our headquarters tenant improvement. It's
going to come in at almost 200,000 dollars under budget. So, again, I have to thank
Jamie Leslie and -- and our Stacey Pechin and Stacy Redmond. They have done a
phenomenal job on those and the Police Department has a history of coming in on time
and under budget and while it's going to be a chore on this project, I have no doubt that
-- that we will be able to do that and in the end as we move forward in the process we will
continue analyzing ways to save money throughout this process. We have done that on
every project that we have been involved in and that's not going to change. There is a
reason that Jamie Leslie is in charge of this project as well. He understands how these
projects work and he always builds a phenomenal relationship with our -- our general
contractors and works very very well with them, bouncing ideas back and forth and finding
ways to save us money and so -- but, ultimately, our budget amendment moving forward
will be the two million -- 2,367,918 dollars. Sorry. And with that I can stand for questions
now or we can have the chief give his presentation and we can answer the questions at
the end.
17. Fire Department: Budget Amendment in the Not-to-Exceed Amount of
$1,343,118.00 for Fire Station No. 7 Construction
18. Fire Department: Budget Amendment in the Not-to-Exceed Amount of
$621,549.00 for Fire Station No. 8 Construction
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Simison: Chief, why don't you go ahead and do your presentation as well.
Blume: Okay. All right. Mr. Mayor, Members of the Council, thank you for the opportunity
to be here this evening. Much like what Chief Basterrechea said, I would also like to
thank Chief Butterfield and, unfortunately, Chief Winkler, who is having emergency
surgery as we speak, as well as the project manager Stacy Redmond for being the project
manager for this. So, they have done a phenomenal job thus far and we wouldn't be
where we are had it not been for their efforts so far. So, where I would like to begin with
this is just a bit of -- a little bit of reorientation to our project and what we are -- what we
are asking to do. Talk a little bit about task, purpose, and a desired end state. Oops.
Okay. So, the background of this, one of the -- one of the key features about Meridian is
striving to be the west's premier community to work, live, and raise a family and some of
the things that have come out recently for the Meridian Fire Department, as we have
pursued a community risk assessment and a standards of cover document, is a -- a
shocking surprise in our capacity, our distribution, and our reliability to get resources to
911 calls in a prompt efficient manner and the adverse impact to that of, course, is --
have said it before, I will say it again, is time is tissue. We can't put heartbeats back in,
we can't put blood back into the body and we can't mitigate an emergency unless we
actually can put hands on patients. One of the other adverse consequences of
inappropriate or unacceptable response times is that fire -- in the nature of fire events fire
doubles in size and -- and severity every 15 to 30 seconds. Why this is important is if we
look at the -- you know, the construction request and the population of Meridian, all we
need to do is look at your guys' weekly agenda, the -- the -- the conversation about
approving plats, the high permit activity in the City of Meridian, and the addition of new
residents to the community every day. So, if we were to go off of the 2020 census and --
and agree that the City of Meridian has 117 or 120 thousand residents, we can landmark
this and we can actually understand if there is a right size for what a Meridian Fire
Department looks like to successfully serve the community and I draw your attention to
these two graphs and the -- the first graph illustrates the number on a national level of
firefighters per one thousand residents. The national average for professional fire
departments, not volunteer, but paid professional fire departments like the Meridian Fire
Department, is 1.63 firefighters per thousand. If you will notice the little Chevron down
there, the City of Meridian currently has about .7 firefighters per thousand. So, this is
about an image in understanding the right sizedness, if you will, of what the Meridian Fire
Department would look like. The slide or the graph to the next to the -- to the right of that
illustrates fire department communities -- I'm sorry -- communities that have
demographics associated with the number of fire stations and if you will notice where I
have circled down at the bottom the City of Meridian is kind of hanging on at the bottom
end of where 81 percent of fire -- of communities in the country are. So, that 81 percent
signifies organizations, communities that have between six and 19 fire stations. We are
at the bottom end of that spectrum. So, this is about right sizedness. Are we asking for
too much? Are we building too much? Are we growing too fast too soon? And I would
argue that, no, in fact, we are not. The next piece of this presentation is to talk about a
reorientation of that timeline. What has happened, what has transpired over the past
year? We did have budget estimates that went through the process in -- in March through
June of last year, where the budget was approved to build and construct Fire Station 7
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and 8. We had two development periods and those periods occurred in the first of this
year. We had two bid periods, the first of which was in February and that was for the fire
station, Station 7, not only the building, but the site and, then, Station 8, if you could
imagine it floating in space. So, it was for the building of seven and the site development
and, then, it's just the -- the construction of the building of Station 8. That bid period
closed and, then, we had a second bid development for the Station 8 site, as well as for
the -- the entirety of the police precinct. Those bid estimates and the results of those
were presented to Council on the 5th of April and value engineering. Chief Basterrechea
brought it up. Value engineering for both of these projects from police and fire has -- has
taken place from the inception of both of these products, trying to find the best dollar --
best value for the tax dollar to -- to provide the level of -- of -- of an outcome of a -- of a
building that is going to correctly meet the needs of the community and the departments.
So, as we look at it right now, the GMP for Station 7 and 8, including the owner expense
-- and this was as presented last week by ESI, Station 7 is overestimate by 1 .3 million
dollars. Station 7 is over by 621,000 dollars. Both of those project estimates collectively
over by 14 percent, respectfully from --for Station 8 is nine percent for station, for Station
7 it's 19 percent. Analyzing that and to give a little bit of deeper understanding of why
there is this disparate number there, we are unable to cost share at Station 7 like we were
at Station 8. Baked into -- into the product, so to speak, was utilizing the same site
building design at Station 8 that we used at Station 7 saves the taxpayers 90,000 just by
using the same design. At Station 7 there is a CDA with the Brighton -- Brighton
Corporation for that collector road. Both of those changes is where you see that 700,000
-- that three hundred, quarter million dollar increase in cost for Station 7 versus Station
-- Station 8. As was presented to the members of Council and the Mayor on Wednesday
of last week, in the packet of information were the VE that was accepted and there was
a half a million dollars -- over half a million dollars for Station 7, over a half a million dollars
for Station 8. Both of those collectively account for 1 .1 million and some change in value
engineering and I think, again, to Chief Basterrechea's point, none of the value
engineering that was done compromises the integrity of the structure, the ability to
respond. These were -- these were style things. These were a change in paint. These
were a change in the composition of the tiles. This was a transition from using -- like
doing a tile floor to a polished concrete floor. Absolutely no compromise was -- was -- is
found in any of these value engineering efforts and so, ultimately, this evening as we
move forward we are really proposing to Mayor and the Council two options and the first
of which is that we do nothing and if we do nothing that will void the contracts and none
of the projects, neither the police precinct or the two fire stations, will move forward, which
will allow us the opportunity to rebid. But I think it's a foregone conclusion that those
rebids will come back at a higher cost. You all may be aware, the City of Meridian Fire
Department is -- is pursuing a SAFER grant. That's the Staffing And Emergency
Responder Grant. There is 24 firefighters that are rolled up in that package to the tune
of 13 million dollars over three years. These two stations are inextricably bound to that
SAFER grant, so should we be fortunate enough to be noticed -- given a notice of award,
we would have to not accept that -- that -- that award and -- and -- and not bring those
employees on with the Fire Department. Related to the Fire -- Police Department, they
would have to pay back collected impact fees that were -- that were captured for the
Station 8, which also affects the Fire Department, because part of the site development
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was covered with the impact fees and, then, on a -- on a larger scale, not moving these
projects forward moves us further and further away from the strategic plan focus area of
public health and public safety. We are not meeting the demands and the needs of the
community as they are evolving. Certainly we are -- we are riding coat tails in -- in many
regards. And, then, finally, and on a personal note for me related to our department is
further lowering our Idaho Survey and Rating Bureau status. We are currently at a three
-- a level three, which is very low and weekly we get phone calls from developers and
from new homeowners asking the question what is the Insurance Service Rating Bureau
for the City of Meridian and we have to tell them it's a three and that is really on the lowest
end of what would be considered acceptable for fire protection and services being
provided. This is directly related to the constituents and business owners' ability to get
insurance and to have insurance coverage. My expectation and my hope is to elevate
this from a three to a one. I know that's a big leap, but these stations move us in that
direction -- solidly in that direction. So, the recommended course of action this evening
and what the chief and I are asking is that we move forward with these three budget
amendments and that we approve the GMP as presented. Talking with the Finance
Department of City Meridian, the CFO, he has stated that we are financially able to
accommodate this and more so we are able to accommodate it with no alterations to the
CFP as it's currently modeled. Anecdotally and I think that it's worth mentioning what --
what does it cost to build a fire station or an emergency services facility in 2022. As
published in the Lewiston Tribune, the Lewiston Fire Department went through the same
process that we went through last year for their FY-22 budget. They looked to build a
10,000 square foot fire station in Lewiston. They budgeted four million dollars. Their
budget estimates have come back at 6.9 million. Similarly, Ada County paramedics own
a piece of land in Meridian and wanted to develop that to enhance the service that they
can provide in the City of Meridian. However, they budgeted six million dollars and their
budget estimates came back at 10.2 million dollars. Ironically -- and I don't know if it's
coincidentally, both of those are off by 58 percent, basically preventing them from moving
forward and so with our 14 percent over I think that we have done -- and I should say --
point again -- give a hand to our design and development team at doing a great job of
sharpening the pencil and getting us to 14 percent over on those two projects. As Chief
Basterrechea also said and I think it's worth mentioning, VE efforts are going to continue
to be ongoing throughout the projects. It doesn't stop here. We are going to continue to
sharpen the pencil again and make sure that we are utilizing the tax dollars to the best of
our ability as we move forward and so our presentation will conclude with a request for
an amendment for Fire Station 7 in the amount of $1,343,118.04. A second amendment
for Fire Station 8 at $621,548.96 and another -- third amendment for the Northwest --
Northwest Precinct in the amount of 2,367,918 dollars. And, then, finally, to approve the
GMP as was presented by ESI and I believe that there is an amendment to that GMP
proposal that you have been -- that's been distributed to you in the amount of 20,622,516
dollars. And with that I think both Tracy and I will stand for questions from Council and
the Mayor.
Simison: Thank you. Council, questions?
Perreault: Mr. Mayor?
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Simison: Council Woman Perreault.
Perreault: I just want to understand a little bit more about the value engineering process.
So, a couple of questions. Was there always an intention to do the value engineering and
it did not start until October 2021 , because that's when there was enough detailed
information to start adjusting the numbers? Because I just -- what I'm trying -- I'm trying
to get a sense of was there always that intent or was -- are we only doing this because
we came over on the bid and if -- if that is the case, then, why did the contractor not
encourage us to do the value engineering from the beginning? So, that's -- that's my first
question.
Blume: Mr. Mayor and Council Woman Perreault, I can tell you that the value engineering
started with the development of the project, but more specifically and to your point, as
bids came back and as a better -- a more fuller view of what the project was looking like,
there were things that -- that stood out and -- and one of those were, for example, tiling
for the roof and Chief Butterfield questioned about the tiling and said, hey, what's the deal
here and he's like, well, you -- you want this and he said, well, is there an alternative
product. Well, yeah, this is -- this is a -- a texture -- a pattern. If you remove the pattern
or the texture off of this ceiling tiling it's 50,000 dollars less. It's like, well, let's, please, do
that. So, those were the things. There were discovery moments throughout the process
that -- that said, for example, a 40 year composite shingle on a roof versus a -- a 30 year
composite shingle was a 30,000 dollar difference and so it was just these things that were
noticed throughout the process. It's like, okay, this -- this doesn't make sense and the --
and the value, the long term, the 30, 40 year value is not there to spend collectively 80,000
over those two items, just as an example, and the number of value engineered items are
extensive and I believe they were in the packet that were sent to you there. They are
small. Not all of them are these huge million dollar chunks. They were 50, 30 80,
thousand dollars that -- that collectively added up over, you know, the -- the scope of-- of
the multiple projects.
Perreault: Mr. Mayor, one more question if I may.
Simison: Council Woman Perreault.
Perreault: So, are any of the decisions made regarding actual, you know, products that
are going to be used, excuse me, such that -- well, here is -- here is a simplistic example.
You can put in vinyl fencing, you can put in cedar fencing, one's going to require a lot
more future maintenance than the other. Do we have any situations where it may be
better for us to spend a little more on some of these such that the future maintenance
won't be, you know, an additional cost ten years from now, 15 years from now? I want to
make sure we are not also creating a different kind of issue.
Blume: Mr. Mayor, Council Woman Perreault, I would like to recognize Chief Butterfield
on that one.
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Butterfield: Mr. -- Mr. Mayor, Council Members, yeah, to answer your question, that was
part of the value engineering process and we did take into account a lot of those concerns.
Does the benefit of not spending the money today outweigh the risk of ongoing
maintenance overtime. So, as that extensive list was looked at we certainly took into
consideration just your question and made sure that we were not -- we were evaluating
that and -- and -- and working with specifically even people within the city that -- Max,
who is in charge of facilities, he was in those meetings as well, so that we made sure that,
you know, as we make these decisions that it is in the best interest long term for city
facilities to make sure that we are getting the proper materials for the buildings long term.
Strader: Mr. Mayor?
Simison: Council Woman Strader.
Strader: Thanks. You know, I'm -- I'm bummed that the cost has gone up, but I'm not
surprised, just based on the environment that we are in. I think it is an advantage to, you
know, have these projects happen now and not wait. I mean the cumulative effects of
inflation -- if it continues at the level it is at would be really significant over time. I think
that's a strong argument to moving it forward. I have an important question, though. I
want to make sure -- and I don't know how, whether it's SAFER grants, whether it's help
from the rural, how it's going to happen, but I want to make sure we are committed to
opening these fire stations fully staffed.
Simison: Yes. I will speak for that, but --
Strader: Great. Thanks.
Simison: Yes. They are all in the budget that you guys will see. All the positions are in
the budget for this upcoming year and we have been working with Finance on -- on how
that's accounted for based upon the staffing model that the chief has in place yet, but the
SAFER grant could change that to require it to move faster than we have planned.
Strader: Thank you.
Cavener: Mr. Mayor?
Simison: Councilman Cavener.
Cavener: Chief Blume -- and recognize this was done kind of before your time, but do
you know what the total cost was to build Station 6?
Blume: Just one moment, sir. Councilman Cavener, that was 6.5 million for the record.
Perreault: Mr. Mayor?
Simison: Council Woman Perreault.
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Perreault: I lied. I thought of something else. So, I imagine that the contractor will go
over a timeline for construction, hopefully in a detailed way such that we will know when
products are being ordered or have a general idea. Obviously, we need to do that for the
financial piece of it. But there is some indication that the market may adjust on some of
these items before the end of the year. Is there a chance to recoup some cost if the
market adjusts on some of the actual product items, meaning that -- so, all of us have
gone by construction sites where --where, you know, lumber and steel have been ordered
and they sit there for six months, because they are trying to make sure that they, you
know, are all ordered at once and then -- and, then they are there ready for when the --
the subcontractor needs to use them. Can we look at the timing of when things are
ordered and maybe, you know, possibly consider ordering some of them later to see if
there is a cost to go down or do we take too much risk that the cost will go up?
Basterrechea: I think that you -- you run a -- a couple of risks there. One, that the cost
may go up and, two, with the way the supply chain's working and with the way bids are
working, sometimes they are not giving you -- you are getting a bid and it's 30 days and
that's it, so -- and we can have those discussions, but I -- I think that's probably going to
be a little bit of a stretch.
Strader: Mr. Mayor?
Simison: Council Woman Strader.
Strader: Just to chime in, I -- I think that's the other side of the GMP; right? So, because
there is a maximum price contract we get the advantage of locking in a price with ESI,
unless we make changes -- and, please, let's make sure we are not going to make a
bunch of changes, because that will kill us, but, then, on the other hand you are right, if
commodity markets move, which they may if we go into a recession or something
changes, we don't get the advantage of the cost savings. So, I personally just get a lot of
comfort from the protection of having a GMP in this type of situation, but there are
advantages and disadvantages.
Simison: Council, any additional questions for the chiefs? Okay. Thank you.
Blume: Thank you.
Simison: So, with that we do have Item 16 before you at this time for your consideration.
Hoaglun: Mr. Mayor, is that the revised 16, the Police Department?
Simison: Yes.
Borton: Mr. Mayor?
Simison: Councilman Borton.
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Borton: These are separate, but they are all kind of -- they are one, really, so, I'm just
going to provide some comment here. I think it's -- as we approach the next four items
it's been --well, it's been over 12 months. I have raised a number of concerns. I'm talking
directly to Police and Fire. I appreciate Tracy and Kris -- both of you showing praise for
those that have helped get you here. Charlie. Jamie. Everyone that has been a part of
this. It makes a big difference and you are right to -- to recognize that it's a team and I --
I guess I have got to take a step back. I'm mindful of the role that Council has and the
role that we don't have and -- and my concerns in particular. I have got several ideas that
I have expressed over the last 12 months on ways to make this efficient and the Council
role is budgetary in trying to ensure that we can set up a structure that makes it cost
effective to get what you want, but there is a lot of details in the delivery that we don't
control and that's frustrating to me in particular. The manner in which it's bid, the timing
of the bids, who gets designated as project manager internally for the city and how it's
run, that's -- it's not within the purview. So, a lot of the concerns that -- that I have raised
personally I think hit some of those things and it's not any critique on anybody in Police
or Fire and how they do what they do, whether it's one station, two stations and a precinct
or whatever the end result is, it's just frustrating. I -- I personally believe that there was a
more cost effective way to do it and a mistake on that topic, because I think when funds
get expended more than perhaps they needed to be, that means an apparatus doesn't
get purchased, personnel can't be taken care of as well as they otherwise could, it's a
loss for Police and Fire, perhaps directly. That's why I'm kind of a grump on that and --
and had been back 12 months ago. I sincerely believe -- there is a -- there was a more
cost effective way to do it and to sequence these things. Today it's presented as all are
in one. It just is. It's packaged. You take it or leave it. That's the process. I was not in
support of it. I didn't think it was the most cost effective, but it's where we are and I'm
certainly not going to stand in the way and deny this entire thing by any stretch. You
know, I said at the budget hearing the concept of only doing one station, perhaps a
precinct, something we have never done before, is something to celebrate -- for the
community to celebrate. This is a big deal. This does a lot to improve service to our
community and that's what matters most. Council should fight on topics that allow it to
be more cost effective. I think the intent is to have a better end result. I think that was
my intent for sure, because we have the ability to do what we are doing today and, quite
frankly, if the bids were 70 percent higher we could do it all. We really could. Unlike
Lewiston and some other communities, we are blessed with decisions from folks way
before us that have given us the grace and ability to -- we could pay 15 million for each
and -- I mean you just could and I'm mindful of that ability to do so, because folks before
us were grumpy, stinks on budgetary matters; right? And with the best interest. So,
savings here is to do Station 9 and 10 or Precinct 3. So, that's the reason that I -- I have
been adamant in some disagreements and different ways to do it, but also mindful of and
respectful of the role of Council versus the role of the Mayor in -- in how these things get
implemented. So, probably could take a step back from some of my concerns,
understanding those different roles. So, with that I'm going to support this. Absolutely.
-- Police and Fire is top of the list. It just is. And you all have worked your ass -- you
have. You have just worked it off. All shooting for the same goal. You just have. Just
serve our community; right? It's what makes Meridian great. I know that. And value
engineering, all of that work -- Jamie, Charlie, everyone that you have worked with, that's
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the goal. That's what you have been trying to do to make this successful. So, appreciate
those efforts a lot. I just want to commit that we will be adamant going forward to ensure
anything the Council can do to make this cost effective, hold people's feet to the fire. ESI,
you're hearing the message; right? That, too, you are -- you are in this with us -- that we
want to make sure that's cost effective. We want to have savings, if at all possible, for
the folks that follow us. So, Mr. Mayor, I appreciate the time to share that. It ties into all
four of the next items, kind of explains what I have discussed offline with a lot of you about
my concerns and opportunities to do things better, but also I want to make sure it -- it
clarifies my overall support and excitement for what our community is going to get. So,
thank you for those efforts.
Simison: Thank you. Council, additional --
Perreault: Mr. Mayor?
Simison: Council Woman Perreault.
Perreault: Before we consider a motion, I -- I do have one more question about something
that was mentioned in the presentation, which is how are we able to approve four and a
half million'ish and increases and it not affect the CFP for Fire and Police?
Simison: I think the short answer is savings from last year were in excess of what were
anticipated. That's going to be probably one of the short answers. Also budgetary
increases, much like the state has received in terms of revenue sharing through sales tax
that were not anticipated at those levels. So, it's excess revenue to the city that was not
anticipated at the levels that came in. And, hopefully, Todd doesn't think I said that the
wrong way.
Strader: Mr. Mayor?
Simison: Council Woman Strader.
Strader: Yeah. Just a comment. I remain excited about the opportunity. I think it's
important. I think expanding our level of service is important and especially our response
times. I am still supportive of it. Appreciate your commitment to make sure that when
they are open they are ready to hit the ground running. I think that's really important.
That gives me a lot of comfort that we are doing the right things for the right reasons and
I know it is -- I -- I understand the concerns that Councilman Borton mentioned and I
respect all the Council and in working through those concerns and, you know, it -- it's a
-- it's a big deal. You know, I think in this environment moving this forward makes sense
and that's just where I fall on it. But I appreciate all the work -- I just want to say all the
work that I know both departments and really the whole city has put into this.
Bernt: Mr. Mayor?
Simison: Councilman Bernt.
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Bernt: I echo the comments of Councilman Borton as well. Yeah. At -- at the end of the
day it's -- it's the end result that we all care about the most. We want to be able to provide
-- or continue to provide a level of service to our community that the residents, the
taxpayers of our city have come to expect and I will be in support. There is -- certainly
not going to be in disagreement. The process was a little wonky. I wish we could have
done it a different way. Wish we could have started building, you know, Station 7 years
ago. That's a conversation for a different time and -- and you all have heard my concerns
and so that's not a surprise. But there is just one thing that I want to say that -- that you
have our full support and faith that when this is going that you guys were going to do
what's best for the community, because you always have. There is absolutely no doubt
about that. Know that we are close if you need us. Know -- know that -- know that we
are your biggest advocates and your biggest cheerleaders. Whatever we can do to help,
just like always, we are here, so keep up the good work and I can't wait to see what these
buildings are going to look like. Excited for it and I know our community is excited for it.
Hoaglun: Mr. Mayor?
Simison: Councilman Hoaglun.
Hoaglun: I appreciate everyone's comments tonight -- this afternoon I guess. You know,
they -- they talk about artificial intelligence and how, you know, machines are learning.
Well, this is a case of human intelligence. We take things, we work through things and
we learn and we adapt and we might do things a little bit different next time, but we have
learned from the process and learn from each other and that's -- that's a great way to do
things and we always want to get it perfectly the first time, but it doesn't always work that
way and -- and we deal with circumstances that we find ourselves in with supply chain
issues, inflation, all these things that -- that we have to deal with. But Councilman Borton
-- I thought his comments were spot on about, you know, how -- how we stand on the
shoulders of those that came before us and -- and their process of budgeting, looking
ahead to the future, seeing the needs, saving for it and finding ways to fund it in ways that
has the least amount of impact to our taxpayers, provides the greatest value, is just so
important and -- and I'm glad we are carrying on that tradition the best that we can in the
times that it presents itself. So, I -- I just appreciate everyone's comments and -- and their
involvement in this and -- and to our folks, Police and Fire, the staff, you guys did great
work and we are just glad that we can see this across the finish line, so when the time
comes we know our residents will have the service they need and deserve for -- in -- for
this community. So, thank you for that.
Cavener: Mr. Mayor?
Simison: Councilman Cavener.
Cavener: I'm going to start -- last week I was pretty salty to say the least. That's
diplomatic. I didn't curse, but I was pretty salty. I had a chance last night to call both the
chiefs and apologize and I want to apologize to everybody here in the room for being a
little more crass. It's not that the -- the staff -- it's sometimes just the messenger is the
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one who gets shot and that wasn't my intention. This process has been frustrating, but
the -- the folks that we work with have made it better and I appreciate you all and like my
other Council members said, we have got full faith and confidence in our staff. I guess
my ask would be as moving forward as we explore stations, you know, nine and substation
two and all other capital projects, we are really looking to you to come tell us when we
need it when we need it. Tapping the brakes on Station 7 was a million dollar decision
and I -- I think Council wishes that we could have moved that station a long time ago. I
know many of you in the room wanted to do that, too, and so as Council we look to you
as our staff leaders to tell us when we need to do these projects in the right time and in
the future we are going to be looking to you to tell us the when and know that -- like
Council Member Bernt said, we are here to support you.
Bernt: Mr. Mayor?
Simison: Councilman Bernt.
Bernt: Are we going to start off with the police?
Simison: That is the only one up right now, yes.
Bernt: Okay. Mr. Mayor?
Simison: Councilman Bernt.
Bernt: I move that we approve item -- I guess would be 16, formerly 18, Police
Department Fiscal Year 2022 Budget Amendment in the not to exceed amount of
2,367,918 dollars for North Precinct construction project.
Cavener: Second.
Simison: I have a motion and a second to approve Item 16. Is there any discussion? If
not, Clerk will call the roll.
Roll call: Borton, yea; Cavener, yea; Bernt, yea; Perreault, yea; Hoaglun, yea; Strader,
yea.
Simison: All ayes. Motion carries. The item is agreed to.
MOTION CARRIED: ALLAYES.
Simison: Next item is Item 17, which is Fire Department Budget Amendment in a not to
exceed amount of 1 ,343,118 dollars for Fire Station No. 7.
Borton: Mr. Mayor?
Simison: Councilman Borton.
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Borton: I move that we approve Item 17, the budget amendment for the Fire Department
in a not to exceed amount -- not to exceed amount of 621 ,549 dollars for Fire Station 8.
Did I take it out of order?
Simison: Took that out of order.
Borton: Good Lord. Mr. Mayor?
Simison: Councilman Borton.
Borton: Strike that. I'm going to instead move for the approval of Item 16, the Fire
Department budget amendment in the not to exceed amount of 1,343,118 dollars for Fire
Station No. 7 construction.
Bernt: Second.
Simison: I have a motion and a second to approve Item 17, which is for the 1 ,343,118
dollars for Fire Station No. 7 construction. Is there any discussion? If not, Clerk will call
the roll.
Roll call: Borton, yea; Cavener, yea; Bernt, yea; Perreault, yea; Hoaglun, yea; Strader,
yea.
Simison: All ayes. Motion carries.
MOTION CARRIED: ALLAYES.
Borton: Mr. Mayor?
Simison: Councilman Borton.
Borton: I move that we approve the next one, budget amendment for the Fire Department
in the not to exceed amount of 621 ,549 dollars for Fire Station No. 8 construction.
Cavener: Second.
Simison: Have a motion and a second to approve Item 18 in the amount of 621 ,549
dollars. Is there any discussion? If not, Clerk will call the roll.
Roll call: Borton, yea; Cavener, yea; Bernt, yea; Perreault, yea; Hoaglun, yea; Strader,
yea.
Simison: All ayes. Motion carries and the item is agreed to.
MOTION CARRIED: ALLAYES.
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19. Approval of the Guaranteed Maximum Price Amendment to ESI for
Construction Management General Contractor services for Fire
Stations 7 & 8 and Police Precinct 1 for the Not-To-Exceed Amount of
$20,622,516.00
Simison: Next item up is Item 19, which is approval of the Guaranteed Maximum Price
Amendment to ESI for construction management, general contractor service for Fire
Stations 7-8 and Police Precinct 1, for the not to exceed amount of 20,622,516 dollars.
Is Stacy or Alex -- you guys have any comments you would like to make on this item this
evening? Do I have a --
Hoaglun: Mr. Mayor?
Simison: Keith, would you like to come up and talk about the item? The change --
Watts: Yeah. And, Mr. Mayor, Council Members, yeah, that -- it was just a minor change.
ESI had written a couple of clauses into the exhibit -- or attachment for escalation charges
in case they address them -- or came into a situation where -- where costs escalated.
That cost is only subject to -- the escalation clause is only subject, essentially, to their
contingency, which is about a three -- three and a half percent of their construction cost.
So, it's not the entire project, but we did ask that they notify the city and communicate
with our capital project manager Stacy prior to utilizing any of that. They have agreed to
do that. They have made that change for us and sent that back to us. The other one that
I brought to your attention was the COVID-19 protocols and that's any cost that they may
incur due to government regulations that are implied or -- or implemented that they have
to comply with. So, that's not out of the ordinary in this market that we are in now.
Simison: Council, any questions? Okay. Thank you.
Hoaglun: Mr. Mayor?
Simison: Councilman Hoaglun.
Hoaglun: With that explanation it doesn't change the bottom line whatsoever, so I would
move approval of the Guaranteed Maximum Price Amendment to ESI for construction
management general contractor services for Fire Station 7 and 8 and Police Precinct No.
1 for the not to exceed amount of 20,622,516 dollars.
Perreault: Second.
Simison: I have a motion and a second to approve Item 19. Is there discussion? If not,
Clerk will call the roll.
Roll call: Borton, yea; Cavener, yea; Bernt, yea; Perreault, yea; Hoaglun, yea; Strader,
yea.
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Simison: All ayes. Motion carries. The item is agreed to.
MOTION CARRIED: ALLAYES.
Simison: I just want to say thank you to everybody. I know now the real hard work starts
in a lot of ways for everybody to get us to this point in time, so I'm excited to see where
we go from here and what we are able to accomplish together as a team and -- and to
beat Council's expectations for all these projects combined. So, good luck. My
understanding is they are going to get started on this stuff here in the next couple weeks.
So, whether or not there is a ceremony or not, I don't know where that stands, but be
ready, Council. So, thank you.
ORDINANCES [Action Item]
20. Ordinance No. 22-1978: An Ordinance (Friendship Subdivision H-2021-
0083) for Annexation of Lot 2 of Block 1 of Blythe Estates Subdivision,
as Shown on the Official Plat Thereof on File in the Office of the Ada
County, Idaho Recorder, Being the Southeast Quarter of the Northeast
Quarter of the Northwest Quarter of Section 30, Township 4 North,
Range 1 East, Boise Meridian, Ada County, Idaho, and Being More
Particularly Described in Attachment "A" and Annexing Certain
Lands and Territory, Situated in Ada County, Idaho, and Adjacent and
Contiguous to the Corporate Limits of the City of Meridian as
Requested by the City of Meridian; Establishing and Determining the
Land Use Zoning Classification of 10.06 Acres of Land From RUT to
the R-8 (Medium-Density Residential) Zoning District in the Meridian
City Code; Providing that Copies of This Ordinance Shall be Filed with
the Ada County Assessor, the Ada County Recorder, and the Idaho
State Tax Commission as Required by Law; and Providing for a
Summary of the Ordinance; and Providing for a Waiver of the Reading
Rules; and Providing an Effective Date
Simison: You can stick around, so -- Ordinances. Item 20, Ordinance No. 22-1978. Ask
the Clerk to read this ordinance by title.
Johnson: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. It's an ordinance related to Friendship Subdivision, H-
2021-0083, for annexation of Lot 2 of Block 1 of Blythe Estates Subdivision, as shown on
the official plat thereof on file in the office of the Ada county, Idaho Recorder, being
the Southeast quarter Of the Northeast Quarter of the Northwest Quarter of Section 30,
Township 4 North, Range 1 East, Boise meridian, Ada county, Idaho, and being more
particularly described in Attachment "A" and annexing certain lands and territory situated
in Ada county, Idaho, and adjacent and contiguous to the corporate limits of the City of
Meridian as requested by the City of Meridian; establishing and determining the land use
zoning classification of 10.06 acres of land from RUT to the R-8 (Medium-Density
Residential) Zoning District in the Meridian City Code; providing that copies of this
ordinance shall be filed with the Ada County Assessor, the Ada County Recorder, and the
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Idaho State Tax Commission as required by law; and providing for a summary of the
ordinance; and providing for a waiver of the reading rules; and providing an effective date.
Simison: Thank you. Council, you have heard this ordinance read by title. Is there
anybody that would like it read in its entirety? Seeing none, Clerk will call the roll. I'm
sorry. Is there a motion?
Perreault: Mr. Mayor?
Simison: Council Woman Perreault.
Perreault: I move that we approve Ordinance No. 22-1978 with a suspension of rules.
Strader: Second.
Simison: I have a motion and a second to approve Item 20, Ordinance No. 22-1978 under
suspension of the rules. Is there any discussion? If not, Clerk will call the roll.
Roll call: Borton, yea; Cavener, yea; Bernt, yea; Perreault, yea; Hoaglun, yea; Strader,
yea.
Simison: All ayes. Motion carries and the item is agreed to.
MOTION CARRIED: ALLAYES.
Hoaglun: Mr. Mayor?
Simison: Councilman Hoaglun.
Hoaglun: I move we adjourn.
Simison: Motion to adjourn. All in favor signify by saying aye. Opposed nay? The ayes
have it. We are adjourned.
MOTION CARRIED: ALLAYES.
MEETING ADJOURNED AT 6.20 P.M.
(AUDIO RECORDING ON FILE OF THESE PROCEEDINGS)
MAYOR ROBERT E. SIMISON
ATTEST: Approved 5-24-2022
CHRIS JOHNSON - CITY CLERK
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