City Council

Thursday, December 12,2013
Minutes



ST. GEORGE CITY COUNCIL MINUTES
WORK MEETING
DECEMBER 12, 2013, 4:00 P.M.
ADMINISTRATIVE CONFERENCE ROOM

PRESENT:
Mayor Pro Tem Gail Bunker
Councilmember Jon Pike
Councilmember Ben Nickle
Councilmember Jimmie Hughes
City Manager Gary Esplin
City Attorney Shawn Guzman
City Recorder Christina Fernandez

OPENING:
Mayor Pro Tem Bunker called the meeting to order and welcomed all in attendance. She invited the Pine View Trilogy Choir to perform. The Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag was led by Councilmember Almquist and the invocation was offered by Sheila Smith with the Christian Science Society. She invited all students in the audience to introduce themselves.

City Manager Gary Esplin advised the update and discussion on the cremation gardens at Tonaquint Cemetery will not be presented.

Discussion on improvement needs at the St. George Recreation Center.
City Manager Gary Esplin advised the City purchased the property in approximately 1993. Funds from the General Obligation Bond were used to install racquetball courts and the auxiliary gym. In the current budget, there are funds to open the game room area. While preparing the area, it was found that there are issues with the stability of some of the walls. The contractor was paid for the work that was done and the contract was cancelled. Kim Campbell and Ron Larsen were hired to look at the building to determine the structural issues.

Kim Campbell, architect, stated the first contractor came in to remove the floor in the gaming area. The area was to be over excavated and new soil put in. When the exposed the foundation, corrosive soils were discovered on the west and north sides of the building affecting the concrete foundations. The contractor prepared a change order for the cost; however, the contract was cancelled and re-bid. The north end of the gym, as well as this room, showed heaving slabs as well.

Ron, explained that early on, Landmark Testing prepared core samples and found high levels of sulfate which is very corrosive to concrete as well as other materials. It appears to have been there for a long time. His recommendation is to remove the sulfate-attacked concrete and replace it with new sulfate resistant concrete which helps prevent corrosion.

Councilmember Pike inquired if this issue is only on the west and north sides



St. George City Council Minutes
December 12, 2103
Page Two

Ron advised there was a survey of the floor and the structural system, no further movement was seen. A section in the control room that has shown heaving may be dealt with when that portion is renovated. Landmark performed tests on the southeast corner of the building which showed there were not similar conditions in that area. This was not an issue 5-10 years ago and he does not know what they will see in the future. Would include the footing and everything exposed to the soil. The specs state that he will be brought on site to determine if the concrete needs to be removed and replaced.

Mr. Campbell advised the concrete will be replaced in 10 foot segments to see how things look. This process will keep everything stable. The roof will be braced.

City Manager Gary Esplin stated this is area is where the old gym was.

Leisure Services Director explained the contractor discovered the concrete was poured from different depths.

City Manager Gary Esplin stated the building has served its purpose. He would like to keep the cost down to be able to keep the patrons cost down. There is not enough money in the current budget to fix it. When the East Annex is complete, the recreation offices will be moving there. By shifting offices, it will make the facility more usable. The low bid was $211,800.00 with Precision Development out of Cedar City. He will have to look at what funds are available to pay for this, possibly the Capital Project Fund. He recommends the request be added to the next agenda to award the bid. There are some funds set aside for the original contract, therefore the net amount needed is approximately $167,000.00. Repairing this issue extends the use of the building. The City purchased the building for $1.00.

Councilmember Almquist inquired if it was determined that the source was additional water.

Mr. Campbell stated it is tough to determine the exact cause. It could possibly be that the moisture increased a bit.

City Manager Gary Esplin updated the Councilmembers on the meeting that was held at the Dixie Center to discuss the All Abilities Park.

Leisure Services Director Kent Perkins advised about 50 people were in attendance. An expert attended from “Shane’s Inspiration” in California, who helped facilitate the meeting.

City Manager Gary Esplin stated the meeting was an interesting exercise. A number of parents with special needs children came up with ideas and the facilitator explained

St. George City Council Minutes
December 12, 2103
Page Three

alternatives. The expert, who will be assisting with the planning process, is providing her services free of charge. The next process is to return with a contract and decide what funds are available. He hopes to have this project completed by next September.

Councilmember Pike inquired if there is still opportunity for input.

City Manager Gary Esplin advised there will be opportunities for additional input when they come back with uses. Any input is welcome.

Discussion on SunTran advertising.
City Manager Gary Esplin advised next Thursday’s agenda will include a resolution to set SunTran advertising fees. There is a need to come up with some funds to pay for the additional full time positions.

SunTran Manager Fred Davies presented a power point presentation which covered the following topics: Bus Advertising Rates; Method to Determine Rates; 1. Determine Rates (cont); 2. Determine Rates (cont); 3. Determine Rates (cont); 4. Determine Rates (cont); Potential Mix of Advertising Revenue; 2014 SunTran rates; and Partner on Priority Issues.

Councilmember Bunker inquired if there any considerations for non profit organizations or schools.

Mr. Davies advised, if space is available, there is the possibility of a lower cost. The City will have to meet revenue needs.

City Manager Gary Esplin asked who will monitor the content. He stated there needs to be a way to say no to advertisements that may not be suitable.

Mr. Davies advised the terms and conditions of the contract state the advertisement needs to meet the legal requirement of the State. He will see all proofs prior to the advertisement being put on the buses.

Councilmember Nickle stated he is concerned that if staff says no to someone they may file suit.

City Manager Gary Esplin stated that City Attorney Shawn Guzman will have to advise.

Mr. Davies stated this is not the only way to increase funding. Staff is looking at other options with regards to selling passes. The buses will continue to have the number on the bus as well as the City’s logo.


St. George City Council Minutes
December 12, 2103
Page Four

Public Works Director Larry Bulloch inquired if the Councilmembers would like to keep the buses the same color schemes.

City Manager Gary Esplin stated that originally, the color was used to make them stand out.

Councilmember Almquist asked who pays for the materials.

Mr. Davie stated the City is building the cost of the wrap into the annual rate. Staff is looking at local vendors to make the wrap.

Councilmember Almquist inquired about graffiti on the wraps.

Mr. Davies stated he has not seen any on the outsides of the bus. A clear seal can be installed over the wrap.

Update on transportation projects throughout the City.
Transportation Services Manager Cameron Cutler presented a handout of the following projects that are going on throughout the City: St. George Boulevard at I-15 (MP 8); Red Hills Parkway/Bluff Street Interchange; Sunset Boulevard Jug-Handle; Mall Drive Bridge & Roadway; Indian Hills Drive; Little Valley Road; and Little Valley Road & Commerce Drive Connection.

City Manager Gary Esplin advised, that with regard to the Red Hills Parkway/Bluff Street Interchange, originally the City was going to have to pay for the landscaping; however, UDOT will now be covering the cost. One issue is that the City’s match is included in next years budget, normally UDOT requires the match up front.

Mr. Cutler advised UDOT has agreed to allow the City to pay it’s match when the funds become available.

City Manager Gary Esplin stated that UDOT has been extremely great to work with.

City Manager Gary Esplin advised, with regard to the Mall Drive Bridge & Roadway, the City has yet to receive the biological opinion from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife. The worst case scenario is if the City purchases the material and the contractor cannot start until after spawning season, there may be additional costs for the contractor that the City can be liable for. He explained the City is going to design, bid and build the access road into the bridge.

Councilmember Almquist inquired with how many culverts there are where Ft. Pierce Drive crosses near the golf course.


St. George City Council Minutes
December 12, 2103
Page Five

Mr. Cutler stated that is an excellent question; he will look into that.

City Manager Gary Esplin explained, looking at the long range master plan of the City, 3000 East will be the ultimate road. The excavation and the cost of making the
connection at this time make the cost of the project expensive therefore, it may be beneficial to wait for the developers to put the roads in. Connecting Little Valley Road and Commerce Drive seems like a pretty good fix at this time.

City Attorney Shawn Guzman entered the meeting.

Councilmember Hughes stated 3000 East is looking good. He explained he has received phone calls regarding 2000 East not being safe for kids to ride their bikes. Right at the intersection of 2450 and 3000 East, there is a pretty large dip.

Councilmember Nickle stepped out of the room.

Update on projects in Technology Services division.
Support Services Director Marc Mortensen presented an update on projects in the Technology Services Division. He explained their primary function is to watch for security issues. They are working on network connectivity and are upgrading the wireless access points throughout the City. There are un-secure network areas in many locations of the City. He explained Cory Frost will be building a new City webpage. Two other areas they are focusing on are the help desk for support and the VDI and DaaS area. In the future, staff will get away from all desk top computers throughout the City, everything will come from the internet. The City’s website is outdated therefore staff has been looking at major cities to view their websites. The new website will include FAQs for each department to prevent them from having to make a phone call. The FAQs will include a feature for the public to interact with the City during business hours similar to the “dashboard” approach. He is trying to get the Inside St. George magazine on the web. He would like the new website to have a feature that students and tourists can utilize. In addition, he stated there is a City app that can be uploaded to a smart phone. His hope is that the app includes a ‘fix-it’ portion so that citizens will be able to report any issues and get it to the correct department. The new website will have this feature as well. Social media is incredibly important. The City has a Facebook page which is one of the most effective ways to get the information to the citizens. In the next year, the City will be promoting its Facebook page by doing ‘give-a-ways’. He would like to see all processes in the City be done online. Cory is heading up a committee that will meet for approx 3-4 weeks to help design the new website. He hopes to have a prototype in late January and be fully launched by March.



St. George City Council Minutes
December 12, 2103
Page Six

Councilmember Almquist stated he would like automated information regarding plats, building permits, and issues with back flow and not having a permit number for a specific address.

Mr. Mortensen stated City Works can do most of that. It is just not set up for all areas at this time. City Works is a GIS driven asset management system based out of Salt Lake City and Park City. It would be nice to have all departments using the same software. He is not proposing to go out to hire a third party company to build the new website since staff can handle.

Councilmember Almquist stated that not all citizens have computer or smart phone. He asked if a citizen can access the City website through an HDTV.

Mr. Mortensen advised he can speak with Baja and the CEC. He would like to utilize the 311 service for citizens to receive information about the City. His staff takes a lot of pride in their work.

ADJOURN TO CLOSED SESSION:
MOTION: A motion was made by Councilmember Almquist to adjourn to a closed session to discuss property sales.
SECOND: The motion was seconded by Councilmember Hughes.
VOTE: Mayor McArthur called for a roll call vote, as follows:

Councilmember Bunker - aye
Councilmember Almquist - aye
Councilmember Pike - aye
Councilmember Hughes - aye
Councilmember Nickle - aye

The vote was unanimous and the motion carried.




__________________________________
Christina Fernandez, City Recorder