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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2006-06-22MINUTES REGULAR PALM DESERT REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY MEETING THURSDAY, JUNE 22, 2006 CIVIC CENTER COUNCIL CHAMBER I. CALL TO ORDER - 3:00 P.M. Chairman Ferguson convened the meeting at 3:00 p.m. II. ROLL CALL Present: Member Jean M. Benson Member Buford A. Crites Vice Chairman Richard S. Kelly Member Robert A. Spiegel Chairman Jim Ferguson Also Present: Carlos L. Ortega, City Manager/RDA Executive Director David J. Erwin, City Attomey Homer Croy, ACM for Development Services Justin McCarthy, ACM for Redevelopment Stephen Y. Aryan, Assistant to the City Manager Rachelle D. Klassen, City Clerk Phil Drell, Director of Community Development Patrick Conlon, Director of the Office of Energy Management Paul S. Gibson, Director of Finance/City Treasurer Doug Van Gelder, Director of Information Systems Mark D. Greenwood, Director of Public Works Frankie Riddle, Acting Director of Special Programs Dan Kaiser, Deputy Building Official Walt Holloway, Battalion Chief, Palm Desert/Riverside Co. Fire Dept./CDF Craig Kilday, Chief of Police, Palm Desert Police/Riverside Co. Sheriffs Dept. Grace L. Mendoza, Deputy City Clerk III. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS - A (CLOSED SESSION ITEMS) None IV. ADJOURN TO CLOSED SESSION Reauest for Closed Session: MINUTES PALM DESERT REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY MEETING JUNE 22, 2006 Conference with Real Property Negotiator pursuant to Government Code Section 54956.8: 1) Property: APN 627-071-015 Negotiating Parties: Agency: Justin McCarthy/Lauri Aylaian/ Palm Desert Redevelopment Agency Property Owner: Philip C. Witte Under Negotiation: x Price x Terms of Payment Upon motion by Spiegel, second by Crites, and 5-0 vote of the Agency Board, Property Negotiation Item No. 2 was added to the Agency agenda for Closed Session consideration. 2) Property: APNs 637-170-003, -004, -007 Negotiating Parties: Agency: Justin McCarthy/Lauri Aylaian/ Palm Desert Redevelopment Agency Property Owner: Raymond Hill A/J C Trust/Paula Turner Desert Pacific Properties Under Negotiation: x Price x Terms of Payment With Agency Board concurrence, Chairman Ferguson adjourned the meeting to Closed Session at 3:00 p.m. He reconvened the meeting at 4:05 p.m. V. RECONVENE REGULAR MEETING - 4:00 P.M. A. REPORT ON ACTION FROM CLOSED SESSION. None VI. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA - Member Robert A. Spiegel VII. INVOCATION - Vice Chairman Richard S. Kelly VIII. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS - B MR. MIKE BRACKEN, of Sagewood Drive, Palm Desert, stated as an alum of California State University, San Bernardino, and the Palm Desert Campus, he was pleased to be associated with its golf tournament. He went on to say the tournament was now in its seventh year and had raised over $350,000 for scholarships and campus development. Three years ago, their Golf Committee came up with the idea of a tournament within the tournament, the "President's Cup," a competition between the municipalities that choose to participate in the event. He 2 MINUTES PALM DESERT REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY MEETING JUNE 22, 2006 said this year Rancho Mirage, Palm Desert, Indian Wells, and Indio each fielded a team; and for the second year in a row, Palm Desert was the winner of the "President's Cup." He formally presented the silver trophy to Mr. Ortega. Members of Palm Desert's team this year included Mr. Ortega, David Yrigoyen, Martin Alvarez, and Rodney Young. MR. JAMES HAMLIN, resident of Paseo Vista Circle, Palm Desert, addressed the City Council to express his concem about the inadequacy of time allowed for pedestrians to cross streets safely in the City, pointing out that El Paseo was an example of good crosswalks. He went on to say that he was a disabled person with a service dog and relied upon the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). He said Highway 111 and Portola Avenue were very unsafe; there were a lot of speeders and vehicles that did not observe stopping at a red light before cautiously proceeding to tum right. He asked the City Council to consider using a 30-second countdown timer on the pedestrian crossings. MR. STAN FORD, General Manager of the Coachella Valley Recreation & Park District, said he and Laura McGalliard, member of the Board representing residents in Thousand Palms, Palm Desert, and Rancho Mirage, were attending today's meeting to provide a copy of the District's Master Plan to the City Council. He noted it was a substantial document and would take some time to review; he would also be making a presentation on it to the City's Parks & Recreation Commission, and they may come back to the City Council later as well, if desired. He went on to say the Plan was the culmination of one years' worth of work, quite a bit of public input through focus groups, meetings with individual cities' staff, elected officials, field observations, and surveys in their facilities, resulting in a document that will provide direction to the District for the next few years. MR. ROB BALLEW, Executive Director of the Family YMCA of the Desert, stated that this was the first week of summer vacation, and two of their camps kicked off this past Monday: American Idol Camp, with a performance to be given tomorrow at 1:00 p.m., and their Skateboard Camp, which was quite popular at the City's Skate Park and causing it to be quite busy early in the moming . He went on to note that they had a Press Conference yesterday to announce that they would be initiating free swimming lessons for any Coachella Valley resident, age 8 and above, who wanted to team how to swim. He said they had made an arrangement with the Desert Rose community pool, which will be under repair for a time this summer; but the free swimming lessons will be offered there in late July and early August to all of their residents, along with any others in the City. MR. TOM McCUTCHEN, resident of Via Cielo Azul, Palm Desert, commented that at its December 8, 2005, Meeting, the City Council directed that the east side of Deep Canyon Road be red -lined as of June 1. To date, that had not occurred, and 3 MINUTES PALM DESERT REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY MEETING JUNE 22, 2006 his phone calls to City Hall about it went unreturned. He said the residents and directors of his Homeowners' Association wanted to know when the red -lining would be done. Chairman/Mayor Ferguson invited Mr. McCutchen to speak with Mr. Greenwood about the matter. IX. AWARDS, PRESENTATIONS, AND APPOINTMENTS A. PRESENTATION TO RECOGNIZE GIL SLAGEL FOR HIS CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE CITY OF PALM DESERT AND ITS SISTER CITIES COMMITTEE. On behalf of the Agency Board/City Council, Chairman/Mayor Ferguson presented Mr. Slagel with an engraved crystal clock, in appreciation for his time spent serving on the Sister Cities Committee. B. PRESENTATION TO RECOGNIZE CITY OF PALM DESERT/ PALM DESERT REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY EMPLOYEES FOR EXCEPTIONAL SERVICE — MAY 2006. It was noted that Senior Engineer/City Surveyor R. Page Gamer was unable to attend today's meeting for the presentation. X. CONSENT CALENDAR A. MINUTES of the Regular Redevelopment Agency Meeting of June 8, 2006. Rec: Approve as presented. Continued to the meeting of July 13, 2006. B. CLAIMS AND DEMANDS AGAINST THE AGENCY TREASURY - Warrant Nos. 245RDA, 251 RDA, 246-Housing, 252-Housing, and 253HA. Rec: Approve as presented. C. REQUEST FOR AUTHORIZATION to Use Freedom Park Project Contingency Funds for Construction Observation Contract. Rec: By Minute Motion, authorize use of Freedom Park Project Contingency set aside from Project Area No. 2 funds, Account No. 851-4670-454-4001, for Contract No. R23210B with David Evans and Associates Inc., Ontario, California. 4 MINUTES PALM DESERT REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY MEETING JUNE 22, 2006 D. REQUEST FOR RATIFICATION of Professional Services Agreement for Appraisal of Candlewood Apartments Located at 74-000 and 74-002 Shadow Mountain Drive (Contract No. R25400). Rec: By Minute Motion, ratify the subject agreement with Capital Realty Analysts, Palm Desert, California, in the amount of $6,500 for performing an appraisal of the 30-unit apartment complex at 74-000 Shadow Mountain Drive known as Candlewood Apartments — funds are available in Account No. 870-4195-466-3092. Upon a motion by Kelly, second by Spiegel, and 5-0 vote of the Agency Board, the Consent Calendar was approved as presented with the exception of Item A, which was continued to the next meeting. XI. CONSENT ITEMS HELD OVER None XII. RESOLUTIONS None XIII. NEW BUSINESS A. REQUEST FOR APPROVAL OF CONTRACTS FOR REDEVELOPMENT CONSULTING SERVICES — FISCAL YEAR 2006/07. Member Crites moved to, by Minute Motion, authorize award of the following consulting agreements, each in an amount not to exceed $30,000, and the Chairman to execute same: 1) Keyser Marston Associates, Inc., Los Angeles, California (Contract No. R25410A); 2) Rosenow Spevacek Group, Inc., Santa Ana, Califomia (Contract No. R25410B); 3) REASCO, Palm Desert, California (Contract No. R25410C). Motion was seconded by Kelly and carried by a 5-0 vote. XIV. CONTINUED BUSINESS None 5 MINUTES PALM DESERT REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY MEETING JUNE 22, 2006 XV. OLD BUSINESS A. REQUEST FOR AUTHORIZATION TO ISSUE REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS FOR THE DESIGN OF A PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE OVER COOK STREET (CONTRACT NO. R24760). Member Crites noted Redevelopment, Planning, and Public Works were included in the design of the bridge, but he felt the Art in Public Places Commission needed to be in the center of this project. The bridge would be part of an entrance way to the City and campus and should represent something the City could be proud of. Member Spiegel stated he was under the impression the bridge would not be built, as the City Council had already voted against building a $1.5 million bridge that no one would use for many years and he personally didn't feel was necessary. Vice Chairman Kelly acknowledged his colleague's desire to build a bridge at that location but felt a bridge would devastate the appearance of the area. He would prefer not having a bridge at that location. Member Crites said his concern was connecting the University with all the facilities across the street because in terms of pedestrians and bicycles, a six -lane roadway made the two sides of that street disconnected. As far as he was concerned, the linkage could be made underground. Vice Chairman Kelly felt that it would be 20 years before the Council was faced with that issue. In the meantime, there would be a bridge that no one would use because everyone drove a car. Most students lived away from the University and probably went to the campus after leaving their regular job. He didn't believe there was a need for a bridge. Member Benson agreed with Member Spiegel that the bridge was denied sometime ago and was surprised to see it on the agenda again. She said it would not be aesthetically pleasing to have a bridge at that location. Chairman Ferguson stated he did not attend the meeting when the bridge was denied but agreed with that decision. He made the comparison of 8,000 students attending College of the Desert with no bridge and Cal State University with only 800 students. Although a master plan was designed with the name "University Village," he couldn't believe college students would be able to afford to live across the street. He said he would rather have off -site improvements of $3 million, with $1.5 million from the City and $1.5 million from the developer. In concept, a bridge was a good idea, but the blight of 6 MINUTES PALM DESERT REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY MEETING JUNE 22, 2006 a bridge at that location would be urban, and the desert was anything but urban. Member Spiegel moved to, by Minute Motion, deny the authorization to request design proposals for a pedestrian bridge over Cook Street and directed staff to find other appropriate uses for the funding that was set aside for this purpose. Motion was seconded by Kelly and carried by a 4-1 vote, with Member Crites voting NO. B. REQUEST FOR APPROVAL OF CONTRACT AMENDMENT NO. 1 TO CONTRACT NO. R23980 — ENGINEERING AND CONSTRUCTION OBSERVATION FOR CALIFORNIA VILLAS TO COMPLETE SITE IMPROVEMENTS AND LANDSCAPING (PHASE "B"). Member Crites moved to, by Minute Motion, authorize: 1) Contract Amendment No. 1 to the subject contract with Prest Vuksic Architects, Palm Desert, California, in an amount not to exceed $245,139 for additional architectural services, construction observation, civil engineering, and reimbursables for the project located at 77-107 California Avenue; 2) authorize the Chairman to execute said Amendment — funds are available in FY 2006/07 Budget, Account No. 871-8680-466-4001. Motion was seconded by Benson and carried by a 5-0 vote. XVI. PUBLIC HEARINGS A. CONSIDERATION OF THE ADOPTION OF THE CITY MANAGER'S AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR'S PROPOSED FINANCIAL PLAN FOR FISCAL YEAR 2006/07 (JOINT CONSIDERATION WITH THE PALM DESERT CITY COUNCIL AND THE PALM DESERT HOUSING AUTHORITY). Mayor/Chairman Ferguson requested an addendum to the proposed Financial Plan, in order to add $100,000 to the Parks & Recreation Fund to fund the planning and design of Freedom Trail bicycle and golf cart path. Councilman/Member Spiegel moved to add said addendum to the Financial Plan for Fiscal Year 2006/07. Motion was seconded by Crites and carried by a 5-0 vote. Councilman/Member Crites noted forthe benefit of the audience that a whole day was spent reviewing the financial plan prior to voting this evening. He also thanked Mr. Gibson and staff for a remarkable job of putting together a budget that would continue to provide a great amount of work and services with the level of personnel the City funded. He felt it was a very ambitious program. Mayor Pro Tem KellyNice Chairman Kelly agreed and reiterated the budget was not approved in five minutes but that a full day was spent reviewing it. 7 MINUTES PALM DESERT REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY MEETING JUNE 22, 2006 Councilman/Member Spiegel shared this was by far the largest budget the City's ever had, and based on anticipated revenue from T.O.T., sales tax, and hotel occupancy tax, the largest increase in dollars would be going to the Police Department for additional coverage in the City. Mayor/Chairman Ferguson declared the public hearing to be open and invited testimony SUPPORTING or OPPOSING this matter. With no testimony offered, he declared the public hearing to be closed. Councilmember/Member Benson moved to waive further reading and adopt: 1) City Council Resolution No. 06-86A, adopting a City Program and Financial Plan for the Fiscal Year beginning July 1, 2006, and ending June 30, 2007; 2) City Council Resolution No. 06- 87A, establishing the Appropriations Limit for FY 2006/07; 3) Redevelopment Agency Resolution No. 531, adopting a Redevelopment Agency Program and Financial Plan for the Fiscal Year beginning July 1, 2006, and ending June 30, 2007; 4) Housing Authority Resolution No. HA-31, adopting a Housing Authority Program and Financial Plan for the Fiscal Year beginning July 1, 2006, and ending June 30, 2007; 5) City Council Resolution No. 06-88, setting the Salary Schedule, Salary Ranges, and Allocated Classifications for FY 2006/07, plus the addition of $100,000 to Fund 233, Park & Recreation, for FY 2006/07 in order to fund planning and design of the Freedom Trail Bicycle and Golf Cart Path; 6) by Minute Motion, approve the Out -of -State Travel for FY 2006/07 as listed in the staff report's memorandum entitled same. Motion was seconded by Crites and carried by a 5-0 vote. XVII. REPORTS, REMARKS, AND AGENCY BOARD ITEMS REQUIRING ACTION A. EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR On behalf of Agency/City staff, Mr. Ortega extended thanks to the Agency Board/City Council for their passage of the Fiscal Year 2006/07 Budget. B. AGENCY COUNSEL None 8 MINUTES PALM DESERT REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY MEETING JUNE 22, 2006 C. CHAIRMAN AND MEMBERS OF THE AGENCY None XVIII. ADJOURNMENT With Agency Board concurrence, Chairman Ferguson adjourned the meeting at 6:36 p.m. ATTEST: CHE LL E D. KLASSI_`N, SECRETARY PALM DESERT REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY JI FER .ON, CHAIRMAN 9