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Home My WebLink About2009-06-16 URA MinutesPage 1 of 3 Regular Scheduled Meeting CALDWELL URBAN RENEWAL AGENCY June 16, 2009 – 12:00 p.m. City Administrative Offices, Conference Room The regular scheduled meeting of the Caldwell Urban Renewal Agency convened at 12:00 noon on June 16, 2009 in the Conference Room at Caldwell City Hall Administrative Offices with Chairman ElJay Waite presiding. Roll was called: Present: ElJay Waite, Mayor Garret Nancolas, Leona Fouts. Rob Hopper arrived as noted in the minutes. Guests: Dennis Cannon, Chris Yamamoto, Bruce Schultz, Jim Main, Pat Charleton. Motion to approve the agenda as presented: Fouts/Nancolas M/S/P Motion to approve the minutes of the May 6, 2009 meeting as amended: Nancolas/Fouts OLD BUSINESS Dennis Cannon provided an update on the Indian Creek and City Center Catalyst projects: Highlights include: FEMA Flood Mapping  FEMA has proposed a strategy to resolve the flood issues in Caldwell. They propose entering into an agreement with the City, County, Nampa, Idaho Dept. of Water Resources and the Idaho Office of Homeland Security that specifies a two-phase approach:  Phase 1 – Bureau of Reclamation & Boise Project Office adjustment of the callopy gates to limit flow in the canal to between 1,200 and 1,400 cfs, which would: o Preclude overtopping and failure of the Canal o Eliminate the floodway issue in the downtown o Issue flood maps after the gate adjustment determination has been made  Phase II – Conduct further studies and analyses to better project upper basin flows through: o LIDAR topographical analysis of the upper Indian Creek basin o Consider additional gaging and flow management of canal flows o Perform hydraulic analyses modeling of the Indian Creek upper and lower basins.  The Bureau of Reclamation has agreed in principal to adjust the gates, and is now determining at what position the gates will be set. They are also determining if they are also willing to make commitments for changes in Canal operating policy.  A callopy gate setting for 1,200 cfs would yield a potential flow of 2,000 cfs in the downtown, while a gate setting for 1,400 cfs would yield a flow of 1,800 cfs in the downtown (with the current FEMA excessive upper basin runoff projections).  The Phase II work should prove the elimination of any chance of a 100 year flood in the downtown. Rob Hopper arrived and was counted as present. C/CEDC activity report was unavailable. Chairman Waite notified the commissioners that the TVCC Funding Request is still pending. The original budget for TVCC was for brick and mortar and that specific project has been delayed. CEURA is very receptive to considering interim support, however the nature of that support needs to Page 2 of 3 be defined and cannot include funding for personnel positions. Bruce Schultz provided history on the pending funding request and expressed gratitude for the continued support for TVCC. He noted that summer enrollment is up 122% over last summer, and that TVCC has been approached to fill a need for aviation maintenance and aviation technology programs. The need for interim support is critical and action needs to be taken soon. Chairman Waite requested a list of potential items for funding that excludes personnel positions. Funding will be considered at the July meeting. Mayor Nancolas expressed gratitude for Bruce’s continued efforts in meeting the challenges and opportunities facing TVCC and stated that CEURA fully supports those efforts. Chairman Waite requested an update on the lease agreement process for 217 S. Kimball. Chris Yamamoto stated that the ADA restroom was finished and the cost was less than anticipated. The inspections by contractors indicate that the floor may not be reparable and the tenants may have to tolerate the slant. Chairman Waite will proceed with a lease agreement as approved at the April 7, 2009 meeting. Chairman Waite gave the floor to Vallivue School District for an update on the Alternative High School funding request. Jim Main and Pat Charleton presented artist renderings for the renovations that are underway at the previous Cable One building. The project cost will total 2.2 million dollars, which includes doubling the size of the building, providing for parking around the perimeter of the school and landscaping in accordance to city ordinance. They further noted that the success of the school has exceeded their expectations and enrollment this year was 60 students with a graduating class of 35. The expected enrollment for next year is 90 students. Prior to the purchase of the property, the vacant building and surrounding grounds were a blight to the area. Mayor Nancolas noted that Title 50 of the state code speaks directly to education and blight, and this project fits both the spirit and intent of that code. Chairman Waite will look at the CEURA budget to determine the extent of CEURA’s ability to participate in the project. Chris Yamamoto, Downtown Redevelopment Director, noted that the success of the alternative school creates a double benefit to the community by not only keeping kids in school and helping them become productive members of our community, but also keeping them off the streets, out of jail and off government aid. Mayor Nancolas added that this is an important investment in human capital and the return on our investment is exponential. The April 7, 2009 funding request from Bob Runyon for street landscaping funding has been tabled until the July meeting, awaiting further information from the city’s engineering department. Mayor Nancolas introduced a request for funding to improve the fire safety in the industrial park in the area of Industrial Way. The intent is to bring the area up to code for the vacant lots and buildings to attract potential tenants and spur economic growth in the area. Motion to authorize Chairman Waite to request a fire safety audit in the industrial park to determine the needs and see what CEURA can do to facilitate an upgrade: Hopper/Fouts M/S/P NEW BUSINESS Chairman Waite signed an application for a special use permit for 217 S. Kimball and requested ratification by the commissioners. The agenda item was overlooked at the April 7, 2009 meeting and thereby not acted upon by the board. Motion to ratify the actions of Chairman Waite in the signing of an application for a special use permit for 217 S. Kimball: Fouts/Nancolas M/S/P Chairman Waite introduced a request from Oppenheimer Development Corporation for payment of a non-refundable option fee of $10,000 for the proposed site of the VA/TVCC building downtown. If the property is purchased, the $10,000 will be applied to URA’s commitment of 66 & 2/3% of the property, and if the property is not purchased, URA will absorb the cost. Mayor Nancolas stated that Page 3 of 3 the property will most likely be purchased because it is needed for future development projects regardless of whether or not the VA decides to locate downtown. Motion to approve the payment of $10,000 option fee for the Hardy property: Nancolas/Fouts M/S/P Chairman Waite presented a Cost Sharing Analysis from Freehold Development for utilities and road work at Sky Ranch Business Center listing CEURA’s amount due as $701,247.20. CEURA previously agreed to share the cost of these improvements contingent upon bid review and a mutual agreement on project cost. Freehold Development moved forward with the project and awarded the bid to a company that is affiliated with Freehold without involving CEURA in the process. The final cost of the project was considerably higher than the bid from the city. Chairman Waite also noted that clarification must be provided on the utilities work to ensure that CEURA is not paying for utilities that go through a subdivision. The final cost billed to CEURA by Freehold Development is not acceptable and requires further review. Motion to direct Chairman Waite to meet with the city engineering staff to develop a counter proposal to be presented to the board: Nancolas/Fouts M/S/P Mayor Nancolas was excused due to a prior commitment. Financial Report provided by Rob Hopper: May 31, 2009 Ending Balance Earnings B of C Money Mkt 189,669.19 210.37 B of C Business Acct 12,016.09 n/a B of C Certificate of Deposit 1,203,269.59 3,269.59 B of C Certificate of Deposit 300,616.75 616.75 Local Gov’t Pool 879,543.87 528.72 Wells Fargo (debt service 4/30) 2,461,182.77 n/a Motion to approve the financial report: Fouts/Hopper M/S/P Rob Hopper presented the following invoices for payment: $ 2,396.73 TV YMCA, 5/31 invoice Business Partners Wellness Program $ 2,946.85 TV YMCA, 5/31 Gov’t Partners Wellness Program $ 37,878.39 Lambert Construction Indian Creek $ 18,350.78 Lambert Construction Indian Creek $ 832.50 Hamilton, Michelson, Hilty Misc. consulting $ 33.00 Petty Cash Pizza Hut – URA Lunches June $ 20,000.00 C/CEDC Incubator Commitment Motion to approve the invoices for payment: Fouts/Hopper M/S/P The next regularly scheduled meeting will be held on Tuesday, July 7, 2009. Motion to adjourn: Fouts/Hopper M/S/P Meeting adjourned at 1:30 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Leona Fouts Secretary