City Council

Thursday, February 27,2014
Minutes



ST. GEORGE CITY COUNCIL MINUTES
REGULAR MEETING
FEBRUARY 27, 2014, 4:00 P.M.
ADMINISTRATIVE CONFERENCE ROOM


PRESENT:
Mayor Jon Pike
Councilmember Gil Almquist
Councilmember Jimmie Hughes
Councilmember Michele Randall
Councilmember Joe Bowcutt
Councilmember Bette Arial
City Manager Gary Esplin
City Attorney Shawn Guzman
Deputy City Recorder Annette Hansen

OPENING:
Mayor Pike called the meeting to order and welcomed all in attendance. The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Councilmember Jimmie Hughes and the invocation was offered by Chaplin David Jones.

Presentation from Bruce Solomon, Readjustment Counselor at the Vet Center
Bruce Solomon was introduced to the Council and he acquainted the Council with his background as a Vietnam Veteran and his longstanding battle with PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). He explained that he now works as a certified counselor at the center, where he works with veterans along with their families. He described a few of the causes and symptoms of PTSD and expanded on his work to help these veterans reintegrate into society. He stated that he has scheduled a meeting with local judges to get a veterans calendar set up where troubled veterans can get treatment for their issues instead of jail time. Council was pleased with the work that was being done and thanked Mr. Solomon for his dedication and devotion to the veterans of this community.

Consider approval on an access agreement for the Stone Cliff project. Kay Traveller, applicant
Council was presented with an access agreement for the Stone Cliff project that was previously approved, but there were a few adjustments that needed to be made due to the elevation requirements for public roads. It was determined to make this particular section of the road private thus allowing for the necessary increased grade. Mr. Traveller explained that this section of road would be gated and not be used for general public access. It was mentioned that the Stone Cliff HOA has given final approval to have the area annexed into the existing HOA.

MOTION: A motion was made by Councilmember Joe Bowcutt to approve the amended access agreement, subject to legal approval of said agreement.
SECOND: The motion was seconded by Councilmember Bette Arial.
VOTE: Mayor Pike called for a vote as follows:

Councilmember Almquist - aye
Councilmember Hughes - aye
Councilmember Randall - aye
Councilmember Bowcutt - aye
Councilmember Arial - aye

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February 27, 2014
Page Two

The vote was unanimous and the motion carried.

Consider approval of an agreement with the Bloomington Community Council for a pickle ball project at Bloomington Park
An overview of the current Bloomington Park area where a proposed pickle ball court would be located was presented to the Council. A breakdown of the costs to build the courts was presented and discussed along with a proposed financial contribution from the Bloomington Community Council of $10,000.00. The Contract would put the Bloomington Community Council in charge of building the project and the City would furnish the funds. It was noted that the current proposal did not include all the necessary concrete as well as the lighting for the facilities, which would be an additional $65,000.00. Council discussed this issue and felt that they would like to complete the project all at one time. Representatives from the Bloomington Community Council agreed that would be the best scenario, and offered an additional $10,000.00 to finish the project. Council discussed this option and felt that it was
in the best interest to complete this project all at once. Scheduling and maintenance of the courts were also discussed.

MOTION: A motion was made by Councilmember Bette Arial to approve the partnership with the Bloomington Community Council to build a pickle ball court at the Bloomington Park and to approve the proposed funding of $122,000.00 which would include the costs for finishing the concrete and erecting the needed lights for the courts.
SECOND: The motion was seconded by Councilmember Joe Bowcutt.
VOTE: Mayor Pike called for a vote as follows:

Councilmember Almquist - aye
Councilmember Hughes - aye
Councilmember Randall - aye
Councilmember Bowcutt - aye
Councilmember Arial - aye

The vote was unanimous and the motion carried.

Presentation on concept of Cremation garden at Tonaquint Cemetery
City Manager Gary Esplin explained to the Council that the proposed Cremation garden at the Tonaquint Cemetery was budgeted for in this current fiscal year and that the parks department was here to present the final concept plan to the Council. The Council was presented with a PowerPoint showing the current statistics regarding cremation, and it was noticed that 42 percent of people are now choosing that option for burial purposes. Currently the City offers no services for cremation remains other than selling half plots. The master plan for the cremation garden was presented to the Council and budget issues were discussed. It was mentioned that the cremation garden would have the capacity to hold 1200 remains. Larry Shane, parks facility manager noted that a fee schedule for the cremation garden has yet to be determined, and the Council would be presented with that fee schedule to be approved at a later date. Council was pleased with the concept and thanked the department for all their work in creating and implementing the plan.



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February 27, 2014
Page Three

Presentation of the final concept plan for the Electric Theater restoration project
Council was presented with a concept plan for the previously approved restoration of the Electric Theater. As per Council request, all divisions of the art community were involved in the creation of the plan in order to meet the needs of all the different arts. The concept would take the theatre back to its original look, and add 3 levels of space for additional needs for the arts. It was mentioned that the Arts Council was presented with the plan of which they readily endorsed. Council expressed their desire to not take away from private business with the creation of this art center, but the intention is to provide additional space for teaching, areas for non-profit administration offices as well as a public display of different art media. Council was pleased with the plan and the flexibility it allowed. Mayor Pike thanked all those involved and expressed appreciation for involving the art community in the building planning phase.

Site visit to the East Annex project
Councilmembers were escorted across the street to the East Annex building where they were presented with a landscaping concept plan for the exterior of the building. They were then given a tour of the interior facilities and discussed the various proposed uses for the building, including the possibility of an updated and larger Council Chambers. They also toured the Police area and discussed the proposed space for the bike patrol as well as the increased storage used for large police vehicles and other specialized equipment. Council was pleased with the progress on the building and thanked those involved for their efforts. Council then convened once again in the Administrative Conference Room.

Report from Councilmembers
Councilmember Bette Arial stated that she had made contact with the arts commission and reported from their recent meeting. The remarkable success of the Children’s Museum was discussed, along with the need to charge a minimal fee for maintenance and upkeep of the highly popular facility.
Councilmember Gil Almquist reported on trees, air quality issues, dinosaur Museum success and current erosion issues with a detention center. He also discussed solid waste and the reuse center and the need for Council to look at charging a fee for commercial dumping at the reuse center as well as public awareness that certain foliage cannot be mulched like palm leafs and oleander trimmings.
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February 27, 2014
Page Three

Councilmember Joe Bowcutt reported on Planning Commission meetings and mentioned that new chairpersons were needed for the board. Gary Esplin stated that there was a staff meeting planned to discuss this issue.
Councilmember Jimmie Hughes reported on the St. George Housing Authority meeting he attended. He also reported on the animal shelter/control issues and mentioned that adoption efforts have improved there drastically.
Mayor Pike mentioned the need to schedule an all-day work meeting to discuss and deliberate on the 2014-2015 fiscal year budget. It was determined that March 25, 2014 would be the best day for the Mayor and Councilmembers to meet. Mr. Esplin stated that this would be a public meeting and they would plan to hold it in the Administrative Conference room.
Mayor Pike also asked the Council to seriously consider investigating the option of initiating a curbside recycling program. He felt that as he has researched the different options it
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February 27, 2014
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seems to be much more economically feasible now. He expressed his desire for the City to lead the way in this endeavor and urged Councilmembers to earnestly explore this option for the near future.

Request a closed session

MOTION: A motion was made by Councilmember Jimmie Hughes to convene into a closed session to discuss property issues.
SECOND: The motion was seconded by Councilmember Joe Bowcutt.
VOTE: Mayor Pike called for a roll call vote, as follows:

Councilmember Almquist - aye
Councilmember Hughes - aye
Councilmember Randall - aye
Councilmember Bowcutt - aye
Councilmember Arial - aye

The vote was unanimous and the motion carried.

CLOSED SESSION

Reconvene & Adjourn

MOTION: A motion was made by Councilmember Jimmie Hughes to reconvene and adjourn.
SECOND: The motion was seconded by Councilmember Gil Almquist.
VOTE: Mayor Pike called for a roll vote, as follows:

Councilmember Almquist - aye
Councilmember Hughes - aye
Councilmember Randall - aye
Councilmember Bowcutt - aye
Councilmember Arial - aye

The vote was unanimous and the motion carried.







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Annette Hansen, Deputy City Recorder