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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2006-03-23MINUTES REGULAR PALM DESERT REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY MEETING THURSDAY, MARCH 23, 2006 CIVIC CENTER COUNCIL CHAMBER I. CALL TO ORDER - 3:00 P.M. Chairman Ferguson convened the meeting at 3:01 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 Mark D. Greenwood, Acting ACM for Development Services Justin McCarthy, ACM for Redevelopment Stephen Y. Aryan, Assistant to the City Manager Rachelle D. Klassen, City Clerk Amir Hamidzadeh, Director of Building & Safety Phil Drell, Director of Community Development David Yrigoyen, Director of Redevelopment & Housing Frankie Riddle, Acting Director of Special Programs J. Luis Espinoza, Assistant Finance Director Steve Thetford, Asst. Chief, Palm Desert Police/Riverside Co. Sheriffs Dept. Travis Witten, Battalion Chief, Palm Desert Fire/Riverside Co. Fire Dept./CDF Grace L. Mendoza, Deputy City Clerk III. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS - A (Closed Session Items) None IV. ADJOURN TO CLOSED SESSION Request for Closed Session: NOTE: THE FOLLOWING ITEMS WERE LISTED ON AN AGENDA ADDENDUM POSTED 72 HOURS PRIOR TO THE MEETING. MINUTES PALM DESERT REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY MEETING MARCH 23, 2006 Conference with Real Property Negotiator pursuant to Government Code Section 54956.8: 1) Property: 170-acre site, Frank Sinatra Drive/Portola Avenue Negotiating Parties: Agency: Carlos L. Ortega/Palm Desert Redevelopment Agency Property Owner: Palm Desert Redevelopment Agency Under Negotiation: x Price x Terms of Payment 2) Property: SEC Fred Waring Drive/San Pablo Avenue (APNs 627-101-033/038/039, -002, -017) Negotiating Parties: Agency: Carlos L. Ortega/Palm Desert Redevelopment Agency Property Owner: Palm Desert Redevelopment Agency Under Negotiation: x Price x Terms of Payment Upon a motion by Kelly, second by Spiegel, and 5-0 vote of the Agency Board, Mayor Ferguson adjourned the meeting to Closed Session at 3:02 p.m. He reconvened the meeting at 4:00 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 - Vice Chairman Richard S. Kelly VII. INVOCATION - Member Jean M. Benson VIII. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS - B MR. BRENT CLEMMER, Slovak, Baron & Empey, came before the Agency Board/City Council on behalf of Palm Desert Lodge and its owner, Michael Noto, to request that when it got to Item A of New Business on the City Council Meeting Agenda, the appeal of the Historic Preservation Committee's decision on Palm Desert Lodge, that it be continued to the meeting of April 27. He related that Mr. Slovak was the attorney representing Mr. Noto in the matter but was unable to attend today's meeting. Upon a motion by Spiegel, second by Kelly, and 4-0 vote of the Agency Board/City Council, with Crites ABSENT, it was agreed that the Palm Desert Lodge Matter on the City Council Meeting Agenda of this date would be continued to the meeting of April 27. 2 MINUTES PALM DESERT REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY MEETING MARCH 23, 2006 MS. JOAN TINGLE, resident of Highway 74, Palm Desert, expressed great concern about the volume and speed of traffic on Highway 74, especially heavy trucks, and the lack of the signal that had been approved for the intersection at Shadow Mountain. In the absence of the signal, she asked for enforcement of both the speed limit and proper turning movement at this intersection, as she felt it was, arguably, one of the most dangerous in the City and hoped that action would be taken. She'd tried contacting Caltrans, as well as the Assemblyman's office, but never received a reply. Chairman/Mayor Ferguson acknowledged Ms. Tingle's concerns, further advising that because the issue was not on today's Agenda, the City Council could not discuss or take action on them today. However, he advised that the City had budgeted for and approved the signal at Shadow Mountain/Highway 74. He encouraged her to speak with the City's Director of Public Works, Mark Greenwood, for more information about when the signal would be installed and assured her that the City could enforce the speed limit. Numerous residents were in attendance about the issue of Cook Street, with the following addressing the City Council regarding their concerns over the proposed widening to six lanes, the significant traffic and noise impacts that were already present, and the dangerous conditions that would likely be worsened by the widening. Additionally, it was requested that the speed limit be lowered to further decrease the impacts, especially from truck traffic (i.e., Waste Management trucks): MR. JOHN GRANT, resident of the Montecito Community, Palm Desert. MR. STEVE LYM, resident of neighborhood along Cook Street, Palm Desert. MR. GREG VAKA, resident of Desert Falls, Palm Desert, submitted a petition of approximately 200 signatures from residents along Cook Street who agreed with the above concerns. MS. ANN VAKA, resident of Desert Falls, Palm Desert. MS. BETTY SHELDON, resident of neighborhood along Cook Street, Palm Desert. Chairman/Mayor Ferguson noted that City staff would be referring to the petition and speaker cards submitted in order to appropriately notify concerned residents when/if the Cook Street widening matter is scheduled for a future City Council Meeting. 3 MINUTES PALM DESERT REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY MEETING MARCH 23, 2006 IX. AWARDS, PRESENTATIONS, AND APPOINTMENTS A. PRESENTATION TO MICHAEL BARNARD FOR HIS YEARS OF SERVICE TO THE JOSLYN COVE SENIOR CENTER. On behalf of the Agency Board/City Council, Chairman/Mayor Ferguson presented an engraved crystal bowl to Mr. Barnard in appreciation of his service to the Senior Center and the community. Mr. Barnard expressed his gratitude to the City Council and staff for all the support provided the Senior Center. He looked forward to continuing to be a member of the community and also to helping seniors in his new position. B. PRESENTATION TO RECOGNIZE CITY OF PALM DESERT/ PALM DESERT REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY EMPLOYEES FOR EXCEPTIONAL SERVICE — MARCH 2006. On behalf of the Agency Board/City Council, Chairman/Mayor Ferguson and Mr. Ortega honored Mike Adkins and Cora Salas each with a printed certificate of recognition and a $100 gift certificate for their good work. C. PRESENTATION OF PALM DESERT STUDENT RECOGNITION. On behalf of the Agency Board/City Council, Chairman/Mayor Ferguson recognized students of Carter Elementary, Washington Charter Elementary, Palm Desert Middle School, and Palm Desert High School by presenting them with certificates for their achievements in various aspects of their education and extracurricular activities. D. PRESENTATION OF UPDATE ON THE PALM SPRINGS DESERT RESORTS CONVENTION & VISITORS AUTHORITY (CVA) BY PRESIDENT AND CEO JEFF BECKELMAN. MR. BECKELMAN presented an update on the CVA's work with its marketing plan development and advertising campaign. He said beginning the week of January 23, a series of community meetings was held throughout the Valley; Palm Desert's garnered the highest attendance, with elected officials, governmental staff, and many citizens from the business community (e.g. hotel representatives, restaurateurs, attractions and shopping center representatives, and shopkeepers). Through the meetings, they learned each community has a positioning that they're looking for in tourism promotion, either working with CVA or through their own marketing program, such as Palm Desert's Marketing Committee. He related that they also identified many key words that will help the CVA target this overall 4 MINUTES PALM DESERT REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY MEETING MARCH 23, 2006 desert destination as it competes within the Southern California/Nevada region for more visitors: "recreate," "rejuvenate," "retreat," and "renew." It helped them understand where the Coachella Valley sits as a destination and why people wanted to come here to relax and enjoy the sun, fine food, shopping, and the desert. This led to their creation of a new campaign theme, which has generated a lot of interest and comment, some positive and some negative. He pointed out that it was advertising and cautioned that the new tag line not be taken out of context. It was their intent to use the tag line in advertising, collateral pieces, sales promotions, trade show booths, and on the website. He observed that the CVA was charged with the responsibility of representing fairly every city in the Coachella Valley, as well as Riverside County; and in order to do that, they needed to come up with a common thread —the desert —and were trying to use "Give in to the desert" within that context for the consuming public looking for visitor/tourism product. He said another thing they learned was that there is an abundance of tourism product available in all the Valley cities, and 15 product lines were identified: 1) Small Hotels/Collections; 2) Culinary/Dining; 3) Culture/History/Hollywood; 4) Destination Spas/Wellness; 5) Entertainment; 6) Festivals/Special Events; 7) Gaming; 8) Luxury Market/High-end Product; 9) Meeting/Convention Facilities; 10) Natural Beauty; 11) Naturalists; 12) Outdoor Recreation; 13) Shopping; 14) Sports - Participatory; 15) Sports - Spectator. These lines would be taken to the consuming public through their travel trade partners to show why people should come to this destination. He provided examples of the advertising that the CVA had been doing over the last year and a half to two years, which featured the organization's name; however, in the future, that would not be the focus. Additionally, he said the former ads featured specific businesses, as part of a cooperative advertising program, but he didn't think it helped sell the Coachella Valley overall. He followed by showing samples of how "Give in to the desert" would be used in future ad campaigns, featuring all the aforementioned product lines without the organization's name —the new ads would show why someone would want to book a vacation or come to this destination. He went on to say there had been a lot of controversy and comment over the two words, "You're surrounded" in their campaign; but it was not part of the main tag line, it was the head of the body copy —illustrating the abundance of opportunities surrounding the visitor here. He explained the time line for development of the marketing plan, which consisted of meetings with all segments of the industry beginning March 13 and concluding on April 21 with the JPA (Joint Powers Authority) Executive Committee and HIBC (Hospitality Industry Business Council) Joint Meeting, where he hoped Member/Councilman Spiegel would sign off on the plan for the year. He said they had tried to be as inclusive as possible to hear from the industry as well as govemment to bring everyone together in this campaign. 5 MINUTES PALM DESERT REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY MEETING MARCH 23, 2006 Responding to question, Mr. Beckelman said the organization's website address was the way it was established presently. He added they planned to completely redo the website; although he couldn't say the address would change, the format would. In further response, he discussed the difference between the campaign tag line and the marketing plan, which would include all of the sales promotions, direct sales campaigns, and how the Authority was selling to meeting planners and travel companies. He went on to say the CVA was asked by both its membership and leadership to come up with a tag line, and it would be subject to discussion and amendment when the presentation is made at the upcoming HIBC Marketing Plan Workshop on April 11; he thanked the Agency Board//city Council for its time today. X. CONSENT CALENDAR A. MINUTES of the Regular Redevelopment Agency Meeting of March 9, 2006. Rec: Approve as presented. B. CLAIMS AND DEMANDS AGAINST THE AGENCY TREASURY - Warrant Nos. 184RDA, 190RDA, 182-Housing, 185-Housing, 191-Housing, and 186HA. Rec: Approve as presented. C. REQUEST FOR APPROVAL of the Assignment of Subcontract for Construction of the Palm Village Apartments (Contract No. R21780). Rec: By Minute Motion, approve of the assignment of subcontract with Beneditti Construction Management d.b.a. Tandem West Group to TVVF Construction Inc., d.b.a. SelectBuild, for the subject contract with Taylor Frager, Inc., Temecula, California. D. REQUEST FOR APPROVAL of Contract Amendment No. 1 to Contract No. R21500 — Architectural Services for Design of Clubhouse Facility for Catalina Gardens and The Pueblos Apartments. Rec: By Minute Motion: 1) Approve Contract Amendment No. 1 to the subject contract with Kristi W. Hanson, Inc., Palm Desert, California, for reimbursables in an amount not to exceed $4,000; 2) authorize the Chairman to execute same; 3) authorize the Director of Finance to transfer $4,000 from contingency to base for the project — funds are available in Account No. 850-4433-433-4001. 6 MINUTES PALM DESERT REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY MEETING MARCH 23, 2006 E. REQUEST FOR APPROVAL of Change Order No. 1 to Contract No. R22200 — Monument Signage at Entrada del Paseo. Rec: By Minute Motion, approve Change Order No. 1 in the amount of $29,100 to the subject contract with Fluoresco Lighting & Signs, Pomona, California, for additional directional signage at Entrada del Paseo — funding is available in the Capital Budget-FY 2005/06 for this project, Account No. 850-4358-433-4001. F. REQUEST FOR APPROVAL of Contract Amendment No. 1 to Contract No. R22340 — Architectural Services to Design a 27-unit Senior Housing Complex (La Rocca Villas) and a Community Room to be Located Between Merle Drive and 42"d Avenue. Rec: By Minute Motion: 1) Approve Contract Amendment No. 1 to the subject contract with Kristi W. Hanson, Inc., Palm Desert, California, for reimbursables in an amount not to exceed $3,000; 2) authorize the Chairman to execute same; 3) authorize the Director of Finance to transfer $3,000 from contingency to base for the project — funds are available in Account No. 870-4698-466-4001. G. REQUEST FOR APPROVAL of Contract Amendment No. 2 to Contract No. R22600 — Design of the Henderson Community Building at Entrada del Paseo. This item was removed for separate discussion under Section XI - Consent Items Held Over. Please see this portion of the Minutes for discussion and action. Member Spiegel asked for separate consideration of Item G. Upon a motion by Spiegel, second by Kelly, and 5-0 vote of the Agency Board, the remainder of the Consent Calendar was approved as presented. 7 MINUTES PALM DESERT REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY MEETING MARCH 23, 2006 XI. CONSENT ITEMS HELD OVER G. REQUEST FOR APPROVAL of Contract Amendment No. 2 to Contract No. R22600 — Design of the Henderson Community Building at Entrada del Paseo. Upon question by Member Spiegel, Redevelopment Manager Lauri Aylaian noted that authorization to advertise and call for bids was provided at the Agency Board's last meeting, but staff was approximately two weeks from actually being able to do so. Further, the bid process takes about two months, and she anticipated groundbreaking would take place around June. Member Spiegel moved to, by Minute Motion: 1) Approve Contract Amendment No. 2 to the subject contract with Patel Architecture, Rancho Mirage, California, in an amount not to exceed $5,000 in additional reimbursables; 2) authorize the Director of Finance to transfer $5,000 from contingency to base for the subject project. Motion was seconded by Kelly and carried by 5-0 vote. XII. RESOLUTIONS A. RESOLUTION NO. 521 - A RESOLUTION OF THE PALM DESERT REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY, DECLARING ITS INTENT TO REIMBURSE CERTAIN EXPENDITURES BY THE AGENCY FOR THE ACQUISITION OF LAND FOR PARK AND RECREATIONAL PURPOSES. Member Spiegel moved to waive further reading and adopt Resolution No. 521. Motion was seconded by Kelly and carried by a 5-0 vote. XIII. NEW BUSINESS None XIV. CONTINUED BUSINESS None 8 MINUTES PALM DESERT REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY MEETING MARCH 23, 2006 XV. OLD BUSINESS A. REQUEST FOR AUTHORIZATION TO AWARD CONTRACT FOR PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERING SERVICES FOR THE ALESSANDRO ALLEY IMPROVEMENTS (CONTRACT NO. R24310). Member Crites moved to, by Minute Motion: 1) Authorize award of the subject contract to Stantec Consulting, Inc., Palm Desert, California, in the lump sum amount of $312,375; 2) authorize the Director of Finance to set aside an additional amount of $31,237 as 10% contingency (use of contingency requires additional action); 3) authorize the Chairman to execute said contract — funds are available in Account No. 850-4341-433-4001. Motion was seconded by Benson and carried by 5-0 vote. XVI. PUBLIC HEARINGS A. REQUEST FOR APPROVAL OF A DISPOSITION AND DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT (DDA) WITH GREGORY & GREGORY, LLC, AND SUMMARY REPORT FOR 0.14 ACRES LOCATED AT 74-039 SAN MARINO CIRCLE, PALM DESERT (JOINT CONSIDERATION WITH THE PALM DESERT CITY COUNCIL). Mr. Ortega stated the public hearing was necessary in order to solicit comment from anyone objecting to the sale of the subject property by the Redevelopment Agency. He noted the report that was provided and offered that staff was available for questions. Chairman/Mayor Ferguson declared the public hearing open and invited anyone wishing to comment on the matter to do so at this time. With no public testimony offered, he declared the public hearing closed. Member Spiegel moved to waive further reading and adopt: 1) City Council Resolution No. 06-37, approving the sale by the Palm Desert Redevelopment Agency to Gregory & Gregory, LLC, Palm Desert, California, of approximately 0.14 acres of real property on a parcel located on San Marino Circle, Palm Desert, California; 2) Redevelopment Agency Resolution No. 522, approving the sale to Gregory & Gregory, LLC, Palm Desert , California, of approximately 0.14 acres of real property on a parcel located on San Marino Circle in Palm Desert, California. Motion was seconded by Kelly and carried by 5-0 vote. 9 MINUTES PALM DESERT REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY MEETING MARCH 23, 2006 XVII. REPORTS, REMARKS, AND AGENCY BOARD ITEMS REQUIRING ACTION A. EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR None B. AGENCY COUNSEL None C. CHAIRMAN AND MEMBERS OF THE AGENCY None XVIII. ADJOURNMENT Upon a motion by Crites, second by Ferguson, and 5-0 vote of the Agency Board, Chairman Ferguson adjourned the meeting at 7:05 p.m. ATTEST: 0101- iltihR ..-----1,--,„„\ RA HELLE D. LASSE , SECRETARY PALM DESERT REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY 10