HomeMy WebLinkAbout10/25/2007 Town of Los Altos Hills
City Council Regular Meeting Minutes
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Council Chambers, 26379 Fremont Road
CALL TO ORDER, ROLL CALL,AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
Mayor Jones called the City Council Regular Meeting to order at 7:05 p.m. in the Council
Chambers at Town Hall.
Present: Mayor Craig A.T. Jones, Vice Mayor Jean Mordo, Councilmember Breene
Kerr, Councilmember Mike O'Malley, and Councilmember Dean
Warshawsky
Absent: None
Staff: City Manager Carl Cahill; Interim City Engineer Cyrus Kianpour, Finance
Director Nick Pegueros, Planning Director Debbie Pedro, City Attorney
Steve Mattas, and City Clerk Karen Jost
MOTION SECONDED AND CARRIED: Moved by Warshawsky, seconded by Mordo
and passed unanimously to limit comments from the floor to two minutes.
APPOINTMENTS AND PRESENTATIONS
1. Appointment of Council Representative to the Comprehensive County Expressway
Planning Study Advisory Board(PAB)
Following a brief discussion, Councilmember Kerr volunteered to further review the
request by Supervisor Gage for a city council member representative to the PAB and to
report back to the City Council.
CONSENT CALENDAR
MOTIONED SECONDED AND CARRIED: Moved by Mordo, seconded by
Warsawsky and passed unanimously to approve the items on the consent calendar;
specifically:
2. Approval of Meeting Minutes: Special City Council Meeting—September 27, 2007
3. Approval of Amendments to Personnel Policy Manual and Employee Benefits Plan
4. Adoption of Fraud Policy
• 5. Investment Report for the Quarter Ended September 30, 2007
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October 25,2007
6. Approval of Final Map: Ryan Subdivision— 14350 Manuella Road
Resolution No. 83-07
7. Notification of Fast Track Approval: Lands of Ryan, 26023 Alicante Lane, (File
#130-07-ZP-SD-GD); A Request for a Site Development Permit for a 2,075square
foot New Residence and Detached Garage (maximum height:20'). CEQA Review:
Categorical Exemption per Section 15303(a)
8. Notification of Fast Track Approval: Lands of Gigli Estates, 12369 Gigli Court
(File #112-07-ZP-SD-GD); A Request for a Site Development Permit for a 5,356
square foot New Residence (maximum height:32').CEQA Review: Categorical
Exemption per Section 15303(a)
PRESENTATIONS FROM THE FLOOR
Caroline Hickman, accompanied by her costumed Labrador Koda, extended an invitation
to the Council and public to the annual Halloween Dog Walk. The event, sponsored by
Parks and Recreation and the Five Paw Bakery, was scheduled for Saturday, October 27
at Town Hall with prizes awarded to the outstanding pet costume. Donations would be
accepted for the Palo Alto Animal Services.
Carol Gottlieb, resident, thanked Councilmember Mordo for the recent work done on the
O'Keefe pathway. She noted that the path had been cleared and was now a very
• enjoyable equestrian ride.
PUBLIC HEARINGS
City Council Ex Parte Contacts Policy Disclosure-None
9. Consideration of a Resolution Setting a Public Hearing for Adoption of a
Resolution Increasing Compensation to Los Altos Garbage Company for Solid
Waste and Recycling Collection; Preliminarily Approving the Los Altos Garbage
Company Cost-of-Living -Adjustment; and Directing Staff to Mail the Notices
Required by Law
Finance Director Nick Pegueros introduced the item to Council. The Los Altos Garbage
Company, in accordance with their franchise agreement with the Town, had submitted
their annual request for a compensation adjustment of their rates based on the CPI. In
previous years, Council has elected to absorb the increase using funds from the Solid
Waste Fund. Pegueros explained that staff recommended that this year's cost-of-living
adjustment similarly be paid using the Solid Waste Fund's fund balance rather than
passing the additional cost on to the customer.
Pegueros noted that if Council should elect to increase the rates, pursuant to Proposition
218, the rate increase was subject to the public hearing and protest process. A resolution
to set the public hearing and direct staff to proceed with the noticing as required by law
was included in the staff report before Council.
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October 25,2007
Mayor Jones clarified that the Town was going out to bid for the garbage service
franchise in the near future. The cost-of-living adjustment before Council was part of the
current existing contract with the Los Altos Garbage Company. The Town's Solid Waste
Fund had a balance of approximately $30,000 which would absorb the CPI increase of
$27,960.
Vice Mayor Mordo acknowledged that there were advantages to proceeding with the staff
recommendation, however, he wanted to advise everyone if the rates were not adjusted
now, it was most likely that the new contract would have much higher customer rates
than currently in place. The present agreement which ends in 2008, was advantageous to
the Town with limited price increases.
Finance Director Pegueros provided a timeline of the franchise selection process. The
Request for Proposals (RFP) would be mailed to vendors on October, 26, 2007 with the
bid opening scheduled for February 2008. The current contract ends in September 30,
2008 with the new service beginning in October 2008.
OPENED PUBLIC HEARING
No public comment.
CLOSED PUBLIC HEARING
MOTION SECONDED AND CARRIED: Moved by Kerr, seconded by Warshawsky and
. passed unanimously to adopt Resolution No. 84-07 "Approving Annual Compensation
Adjustments to Los Altos Garbage Company for Collection of Solid Waste, Recyclables,
and Yard Trimmings. Additionally, the City Council authorized the use of the Solid
Waste Fund's fund balance to absorb the rate increase.
PLANNING COMMISSION REPORT
10. Notification of Planning Commission Approval: LANDS OF RAMBERG: 27355
Sherlock Road; File #74-07-ZP-SD-GD-VAR; A request for a Site Development
q p
Permit for a 1,036 square foot addition. The applicant requests consideration of a
height variance to exceed the allowable 27' building height limit (proposed height
31.5 feet) and a.setback variance to encroach within the required 40 foot front
setback (proposed encroachment of 26 feet into the front setback). CEQA Review:
Categorical Exemption per Section 15301 (e). (Staff-Brian Froelich)
Planning Director Debbie Pedro advised Council that the item before them required no
Council action. It was notification of a Planning Commission project approval. Pedro
provided an overview of the project.
UNFINISHED BUSINESS
TOWN GOALS (I 1A-11F)
• 1 IA. Significantly Enhance Resident Access to Recreational Facilities
• Repair and Restore Westwind Barn to sustain long term viability
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October 25,2007
• Enhance the Town Little League Fields
• Access adjacent recreational assest
Mayor Jones reminded Council and the audience that a.public hearing had been scheduled
for the December 13, 2007 regular City Council meeting. At that time, Council would
consider the Parks and Recreation priorities and appropriate project funding.
Jones reported that the Ad Hoc Committee on Recreation was recommending a total
budget of approximately $3 million. Projects currently identified for consideration
included: a park at the Bullis-Purissima campus located on the upper field; improvements
at the Little League fields that included drainage, maintenance, safety issues and a
potential sport court; pathways capital improvement projects; Los Altos Community
Pool; and, Westwind Community Barn improvements.
Councilmember Kerr advised Council that there was a possibility that a proposal for a
park at Hidden Villa could be included in the December 13, 2007 meeting discussion. He
would keep Council apprised of the issue. Mayor Jones volunteered to discuss the issue
with the Hidden Villa Board Chairman Lee Price.
WESTWIND COMMUNITY BARN
Councilmember Warshaswky recused himself from the discussion on Westwind
Community Barn and stepped down from the dais.
• Councilmember Kerr explained that the item before Council was an information only
update on the status of the investigation/review of improvements to the Westwind
Community Barn. At the previous Council meeting, Kerr had requested an opportunity to
present the report to Council to garner Council input and direction on the proposed
improvements at the facility. He hoped that the presentation would bring the project
development"inline" with the other recreation proposals and permit it to be considered at
the December 13, 2007 public hearing.
Kerr introduced Architect John Miller. Miller had toured the Barn, meet with staff and
members of the WCBC.
Miller provided an overview of his presentation and explained that design was an
evolution and the one before Council had been evolving very quickly. His presentation
included four options and one master plan concept.
Miller proceeded with a PowerPoint presentation. He reviewed the mission statement for
Wetwind Barn that had been developed over the last year and called for the facility to be a
working equestrian training and boarding facility; provide community oriented
educational and recreational activities; the preservation of the local historical landmark;
to make the Barn code compliant and a functional physical plant; and, to be welcoming
and accessible to everyone in Town. Miller noted that the "Program" that he had
addressed in his designs called for the addition of a manager's residence, handicap
accessible restrooms, improvements to the meeting space, storage, seismic "retrofitting",
upgrades to the electrical system, and, connection to the sewer.
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October 25,2007
Miller reviewed the current condition of the Barn and the topography of the site. The
Barn's lower floor's walls were constructed primarily of concrete and masonry units
(cinder block) with minimal reinforcement. The upper level of the Barn currently serves
as a hayloft and storage area and is located under the wood framed gable roof. The site
topography of the site was relatively steep and the Barn was located on the narrow section
of the lot.
Miller summarized his four designs. They included:
Option 1: Manager's residence was proposed within the current footprint of the Barn.
The area within the Barn where the residence would be located would be tom down and a
new residence would be constructed to life and safety seismic standards. Miller
explained that when you changed the use (occupancy) from equestrian to residency, the
code required that the facility be upgraded to the current building code standards.
Councilmember Kerr explained that the approach identified by Miller as Option 1, the
construction of a new residency on the second floor with stalls beneath, would be a
separate new facility but within the current footprint and joined by a flexible membrane.
This option would retain the current "look" of the building. Kerr noted that additional
seismic retrofitting to the Barn was recommended. Option 1 was the most cost effective
method to provide the Manager's unit and one room for emergency sleep-overs. The
proposal also included a break room/meeting space for the users of the barn and new
restrooms. The code would not permit the meeting room to be used as a community
room.
• Councilmember O'Malley noted that the proposed residency over horse stalls could be
problematic given horses sensitivity to noises overhead. He suggested that the first floor
space might be more suitable for other uses.
Option 2: Proposal included a small new two-story addition on the right side of the Barn.
The first floor included an office, tack room and a community room with the manager's
living quarters located on the second floor. Restrooms would be located on the outside of
the barn on the new first floor. The concept of this proposal was to locate the addition
with the items (residency, etc.) that would trigger a required upgrade to the facility
outside the footprint of the Barn..
Option 3: The concept of the proposal was to perform the minimum amount of work
within the Barn and to locate a new pre-fabricated living unit for the manager outside the
footprint. Miller suggested the new unit be situated where the round riding pen was
currently located. Miller reviewed the efficiencies to the proposal noting that it called for
the least amount of disturbance to the Barn and horses.
Option 4: The concept called for upgrades to the electrical system, sanitary sewer,
restroom, and seismic safety of the current Barn facility without any improvements to the.
residency. The option called for the manager to rent off-site. The plan did provide for an
emergency overnight bunk room.
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October 25,2007
Miller reviewed the cost estimates for the conceptual plans: Option l: $2,450,000;
Option 2: $2,220,000; Option 3: $1,500,000;and Option 4: $1,280,000. The estimated
costs included a 15% contingency.
Tony Mirenda, President, TBI Construction Management had assisted in the preliminary
cost estimates. TBI had been engaged as construction managers for the new Town Hall.
Councilmember O'Malley questioned what the cost would be to raze the barn and build a
new barn with a similar footprint. Miller responded that he estimated the cost at $400 per
square foot or approximately $548 million.
Vice Mayor Mordo suggested that the cost of lodging for the facility manager off-site
should be included in the cost estimate of Option 4. He suggested that the costs
associated with the pre-fabricated unit would be less than a long term lease.
Miller concurred and noted that he had performed a rough tabulation of the potential cost
for renting a residence for the manager over a 20 year period and estimated it could be as
much as $600,000.
Kerr spoke to the eventual need for a lot-line adjustment. Councilmember O'Malley
expressed his concern with any proposed change to the site boundaries noting that it
would trigger a vote of the people and possible action by the Nature Conservancy.
OPENED PUBLIC COMMENT
Nick Dunkel, Cortez Lane, neighbor of the Barn, stated that he had no objection to the
proposals presented by the Architect. He was a member of the Friends of Westwind
Board of Directors and enjoyed the aesthetic value of the Barn and surrounding open
space. Dunkel believed it was important to provide attractive housing for the Barn
manager noting the high cost of living in the area.
Nancy Couperus, Page Mill Road, commented that she favored Option 1 but could
support the other Options. She did have some concerns about Option 2 that extended into
the area where the manure was currently stored. She suggested an alternative location for
a small caretaker's unit partially within the picnic area. Couperus concurred with
Dunkel's assessment that it was important to have a caretaker or manager's residence on
the premises to ensure the ability to attract barn managers and continue the long term use
of the Barn as a boarding facility.
Kathy Evans, La Loma, thanked the City Council for the discussion and review of
improvements to the Barn. She favored Option 1 that called for the improvements within
the footprint of the Barn.
Anna Brunzell, Sherlock Road, stated that the costs associated with the proposals
calculated out to approximately $80,000 per horse stall. She suggested that Council
consider making the project self funding with the users of the facility paying their share of
the investment.
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October 25,2007
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Councilmember Kerr reviewed the mission statement of Westwind Community Barn
noting that it was a facility used and enjoyed by the entire community of Los Altos Hills.
Courtenay Corrigan, Fremont Pines Lane, questioned the item on the Barn's Mission
Statement that called for the preservation of the "local historical landmark." She clarified
that she did not wish to deny people the opportunity to ride horses but noted that she was
not interested in paying for it.
DuBose Montgomery, Altamont Road, neighbor of Westwind Barn property, addressed
Council. He spoke to his opposition for the construction of any building on the property
outside of the current footprint and suggested that it would encumber the open space.
Additionally, he was opposed to a new community room at the facility. Montgomery
supported the addition of staff quarters located within the current footprint of the Barn
with the use of limited public funds for the project. He suggested that if space were the
issue, stalls be eliminated for the caretaker's quarters. Montgomery spoke to the recent
Town-wide recreation survey results that had shown more community interest in other
types of recreation facilities and encouraged the Council to limit the spending to only
code required upgrades.
Valerie Metcalfe, Tripoli Court, spoke to the very successful riding programs at
Westwind for children and adults.
CLOSED PUBLIC COMMENT
Mayor Jones directed the discussion back to Council. He noted that Councilmember Kerr
was looking for input on how to direct. the Westwind Community Barn Committee
(WCBC) and staff in their preparation of a report for the December 13, 2007 hearing.
Vice Mayor Mordo commented that he had studied the boarding program and budget of
Friends of Westwind in detail. He acknowledged that the boarding program supported
the barn and the derived rent income was an important component in maintaining the barn
and paying for the barn manager and staff. Mordo offered that there were two primary
objectives in supporting the barn: 1) it was a beautiful building; and 2) to continue the
development of recreational equestrian programs for residents and their children. Mordo
added that the users of the barn paid their "fair share" and the Town subsidizes only the
start up riding programs.. Similarly, the Town subsidized the maintenance of the Little
League fields, which he concurred with, but noted that there were few complaints for the
Town's participation in that program.
Mordo offered kudos to the architect for his proposal that had been developed within a
limited allotted timeframe. He suggested that the option that retained the current
footprint of the facility and provided housing for the manager on site was most likely the
preferred plan. However, this was the most costly proposal and suggested that the Town
allocate enough funds to provide a living unit, using the cost of the detached living unit as
the minimum base (Option 3) for the Town's financial participation at approximately
$200,000 and challenge the Supporters of Westwind to raise the additionally needed
funds. If the Supporters were able to raise funds for the more costly options; the Town
could consider Option 1.
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October 25,2007
Councilmember O'Malley concurred with the comments of Vice Mayor Mordo that the
• boarders at Westwind had historically paid for the running and maintenance of the Barn
with minimal financial participation from the Town. O'Malley added that he had
previously boarded a horse at the Barn; however, it was difficult to support spending
significant amounts of Town funds on the facility given the residents expressed
preference for other recreational options. He did support allocating $200,000-$300,000
for an onsite residence for Barn staff noting the importance of having 24 hour staff for the
safety of the boarded horses. O'Malley added that the Barn was an antiquated facility
whose restoration could potentially be very costly.
Mayor Jones offered that he supported the expanded Parks and Recreation programs at
the Barn. Jones noted that the Ad Hoc Park and Recreation Committee had
recommended that the Town's expenditure on the project was a not to exceed amount of
$250,000. Council would consider the project and budget in more detail at the December
13, 2007 Council meeting.
Councilmember Kerr summarized the Council input and suggested project details that
would be provided. at the December 13th meeting. They included: the cost of
infrastructure improvements that would bring the facility up to "life and safety
standards"; sewer costs; and, renovation costs for the bathrooms and meeting rooms. Kerr
suggested that an "Option 5" be developed to outline improvements that could be made
over a two-three year timeframe with additional improvements deferred to a later date.
Mayor Jones questioned if the items that had been outlined by Kerr were projects that the
Supporters (Supporters of Westwind Community Barn) would be willing to be
participants. Mordo noted that the Supporters were more committed to architectural
restoration and offered that deferred maintenance on the facility was the Town's
responsibility. He suggested that it might be beneficial to facilitate the fundraising efforts
of the Supporters for the Town to commit to a percentage of matching funds and offered
20% as the participation level.
Mayor Jones thanked the architect for his presentation, the public for-their comments and
Council for their direction on the issue.
COUNCIL,RECESSED AT 8:45 P.M.
COUNCIL RECONVENED TO PUBLIC SESSION AT 8:55 P.M.
Councilmember Warshawsky rejoined the meeting at 8:55 p.m.
11B. Return Public Elementary School Education to Los Altos Hills
Mayor Jones announced that the Los Altos School District and Palo Alto Unified School
District had approved the language improvements to the Memorandum of Understanding
(MOU) between the two districts that had been authored by resident Duncan MacMillan.
The MOU sets out the conditions for interdistrict transfers. He thanked MacMillan for
his efforts and added that he had worked closely with district representatives and the
• Standing Education Committee to bring the language amendments to fruition.
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October 25,2007
Jones added that the Town was sponsoring an informational meeting co-sponsored by the
• Town and two school districts in early December. The meeting would focus on the re-
opening of the Bullis-Purissima campus in fall of 2008 and the option for attendance at
the school for residents residing in both districts.
Jones introduced resident Duncan MacMillan.
MacMillan offered that the new Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD)
superintendent had been responsive and very open to the suggested language changes that
had been approved administratively.
MacMillan reviewed the fundamentals of the MOU that provided for interdistrict
transfers for Town residents. Language modifications had made the transition easier for
children currently enrolled in private schools to return to public education. The
expectation was for PAUSD to establish an internal seven year release. To date, a
complimentary release process had not been formulated by LASD. MacMillan was
hopeful that the issue could be resolved prior to the December 4t' Public Education
Forum.
MacMillan updated the Council on a bond measure that would be brought before the Los
Altos Hills voters residing in the PAUSD area next June for approximately $375 million.
The bond would finance capital improvement projects to renovate the school properties.
All of the district's properties were identified in the proposed bond measure with the
exception of the Fremont Hills campus located in Los Altos Hills and currently leased to
Pinewood School. MacMillan believed this suggested that the campus would remain
rented for the next twenty years. He offered that this might be an opportune'time for the
City Council to consider possibly purchasing the site and it might provide the impetus for
the district to review their capital improvement strategy. He urged the City Council to
consider a letter to Palo Alto School Board.
Council consensus was to draft a letter to urge PAUSD to consider the Fremont Hills
property in their renovation plan.
11B (1) Request for authorization of Town wide mailing notice. The purpose of
which is to update residents on the reopening of the Bullis campus and
inviting them to a Town sponsored Public Education Forum scheduled for
December 4, 2007.
Council supported the request and directed the City Clerk to move forward with the town
wide notification of the Public Education Forum.
11C. Develop a Plan for Expanded Sewer Access to More Residents
Councilmember O'Malley reported that the Ad Hoc Infrastructure Committee was
continuing to tabulate the responses. His expectation was to have a report for the City
Council in the near future.
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October 25,2007
11D. Maintain and Build Off and On Road Pathways Already Approved on the
Pathways Master Plan
• Mayor Jones reported that prior to the Council meeting; the Pathways Committee and
Council had met. The study session had been very productive and Jones suggested that it
be scheduled on an annual basis. The Pathways Committee had been given direction to
prioritize their five identified capital improvement projects: Staff would be reviewing the
pathway projects for feasibility and cost estimates. Jones noted that the projects
suggested by the Pathways Committee were off-road connector pathways. The
expectation was for the Committee, once they receive the supplemental information from
staff, to return to Council at the December 13th public hearing on recreation projects with
a prioritized list of projects.
Additionally, the Committee had provided Council with a draft walking map and a
proposal for a communication process with staff on pathway maintenance.
Councilmember O'Malley, Pathways Committee council liaison, thanked Chair Ginger
Summit and the Committee for their efforts.
Ginger Summit, Pathways Committee Chair, acknowledged the Committee's efforts and
their universal attendance at the study session. She noted that the committee had been a
very cohesive group for the past year and very productive.
11 E. Complete the Redrafting and Approval of the Town General Plan
• Councilmember O'Malley reported that the Ad Hoc General Plan Committee was making
excellent progress on the update. The draft Noise and Safety Elements had been
scheduled for review by the Planning Commission at their November 1, 2007 meeting
and a public hearing at the November 8, 2007 City Council meeting.
1 lF. Complete the Undergrounding Pilot Project
Interim City Engineer Cyrus Kianpour reported that the remaining outstanding issue to be
resolved before the project moved forward was approval of a reimbursement agreement
with the utility companies regarding the responsibility of the administrative costs of the
project. Kianpour expected the award of contract to be forwarded to the Council in
December.
12. Memo on Agenda Process
Item Continued from 10/11/07 Council Agenda
City Clerk Karen Jost introduced the item. Following a request made by former mayor
Toni Casey at a prior meeting, for Council consideration of an online agenda meeting
packet Council, Council had directed the Clerk to review the feasibility of her request and
return to Council. Additionally, Ms. Casey had requested that the meeting packet be
made available earlier than its current Friday distribution.
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October 25,2007
Jost advised the Council that she was requesting additional time to investigate the
different options currently available for optical scanning and the electronic distribution
and management of an agenda packet.
Jost reviewed the current agenda packet distribution process. Consistent with the Town's
municipal code, the agenda is available for the City Council by 3:00 p.m. on the Friday
preceding the City Council's regular meeting. Furthermore, twenty complete agenda
packets were distributed on the same Friday. The distribution schedule included: the
media (Los Altos Town Crier, San Jose Mercury, Palo Alto Daily News), Los Altos
Library and two packets made available for public inspection at the front counter of Town
Hall.
Additionally, following the distribution of the packets on Friday evening, the agenda was
posted on the Town's website and in accordance with the Brown Act, in a location freely
accessible to members of the public. Jost offered that any requests from the public for
staff reports or supplemental information pertaining to the agenda were provided in a
timely manner and at no cost to the public.
Councilmember Kerr suggested that a viable option for producing an electronic packet
was to modify the current method of preparation and production of the packet and to use
software that had been developed specifically for the process. He noted that moving
forward on the project was a huge paradigm shift and required substantial technical
expertise. Kerr added that it would most likely require the installation of video
equipment for "streaming" the meetings and he suggested it would be appropriate to
complete the website improvements before moving onto an additional project.
Jones concurred that it would be nice to have the agenda packet online but that at the
present time, given the limited staff of one, it needed to be a project that had a minimal
number of additional steps. He noted that the agenda packet was available for the public
at Town Hall and copies of items were provided upon request
NEW BUSINESS
13. Discussion of Conceptual Plan for Westwind Community Barn Improvements
Councilmember Warshawsky recused himself from consideration of agenda items 13A
and 13B and stepped down from the dais.
13A Consideration of Agreement for Architectural Services — John Miller, John
Miller Architects (Staff. E. Christensen)
Councilmember Kerr commented that architect John Miller was available to answer
Council questions. He suggested that the fiscal impact of the item noted in the staff
report before Council would need to be modified given the earlier Council discussion and
direction to the architect regarding his presentation at the December 13th hearing. He
reminded the City Council that they had previously approved funding for a project
architect of $65,000 and a fund balance was available. He proposed that the City
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October 25,2007
Manager be given the discretion within the previous allocation, to hire a different
architect and possibly structural engineer to prepare the report for the Council.
City Manager Cahill noted that Supporters of Weswind Community Barn had approved
the request for matching dollars on the soft costs for the restoration of the Barn. Another
request would be submitted to the Friends for the agreement with John Miller Architects
for his architectural services for the project. Preliminary costs for structural engineering
services had not been identified. Cahill expected that with the matching funds from the
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Supporters, Council's previous allocation would be sufficient to cover the proposed costs.
MOTION SECONDED AND CARRIED: Moved by Kerr, seconded by Mordo and
passed unanimously to authorize the City Manager to enter into an agreement with John
Miller Architects for architectural services and to hire structural engineers as needed with
a not to i exceed limit of $35,000 for the consulting services. Councilmember
Warshawsky recused himself from participation in the discussion and vote on the item
and had stepped down from the dais.
13B Consideration of Request to Fund Proposed Repairs and Maintenance for
Westwind Community Barn
City Manager Cahill introduced the item. Staff was requesting approval of an allocation
of a not to exceed amount of$65,000 for maintenance and repairs to the exterior surfaces
of Westwind Barn. Cahill shared photos of the current condition of the facility and areas
of minor deterioration. He suggested that the proposed repairs would, at a minimum,
result in the building being maintained to the same standard as other public buildings in
Town. The identified repairs included new exterior paint, repair of dry rot, replacement
of exterior Dutch doors leading to the stalls, window replacement and repair of possibly
overloaded electric circuits.
Additionally, staff was seeking authorization to apply for matching grant funding from
Supporters of Westwind Community Barn. Cahill noted that all the identified work could
be categorized as restorative work. If Supporters did not approve the request, he believed
Council's allocation of funding would cover the dry rot repairs and painting and the doors
and windows could be replaced at another time.
Cahill explained that funding for the proposal would come from rent collected from the
cell tower at the site (approximately $36,000) and the previously approved budget for
Westwind Barn maintenance of $25,000. Matching grant dollars from the Supporters
would complete the cost of the proposed repairs. Per the Operating Agreement with
Friends,they would be asked to contribute $1,000 towards each major repair.
Councilmember Kerr noted that Public Safety Officer Steve Garcia would be tasked with
overseeing the Barn repairs. Garcia had just completed the renovation of the Water
District Building annex and shown a propensity for monitoring contracts and renovation
work.
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October 25,2007
Councilmember O'Malley concurred with the proposal. He offered that because the
maintenance had been deferred on the Barn for a long time, it was reasonable to allocate
• funding to bring the building in line with other town buildings.
Mayor Jones commented that the proposal was a concrete and positive first step in
moving forward with•improvements to the Barn. The work would be visible to the
general public and have a utility to the users of the facility. Jones hoped the Supporters
would approve the request for matching funds and consider it a down payment on the
restoration.
MOTION SECONDED AND CARRIED: Moved by Kerr, seconded by Mordo and
passed unanimously to approve Resolution No.85-07 authorizing the City Manager.to
hire the appropriate contractors and expend an aggregate amount not to exceed $61,000
for electrical and exterior repairs described in the scope of work. The City Manger was
further authorized to apply for matching grant funds from the Supporters of Westwind
Barn for the cost of the repairs.
Councilmember Warshawsky recused himself from participation in the discussion and
vote on the item and had stepped down from the dais.
REPORTS FROM COMMITTEES, SUB-COMMITTEES,AND COUNCILMEMBERS
ON OUTSIDE AGENCIES
No reports were given.
S STAFF REPORTS
City Manager—None
City Attorney—None
City Clerk—None
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business,the meeting was adjourned by consensus of the City
Council at 9:25 p.m.
Res e tfully submitted,
.
Karen Jost
City Clerk
Minutes of the October 25, 2007 City Council regular meeting were approved as
corrected at the December 13, 2007 regular City Council meeting.
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October 25,2007