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06-03-2008 City Council Study Session PacketCity of Grand Island Tuesday, June 03, 2008 Study Session Packet City Council:Mayor: Margaret Hornady City Administrator: Jeff Pederson City Clerk: RaNae Edwards T u 7:00:00 PM Council Chambers - City Hall 100 East First Street Tom Brown Larry Carney John Gericke Peg Gilbert Joyce Haase Robert Meyer Mitchell Nickerson Bob Niemann Kirk Ramsey Jose Zapata Call to OrderCity of Grand Island City Council A - SUBMITTAL OF REQUESTS FOR FUTURE ITEMS Individuals who have appropriate items for City Council consideration should complete the Request for Future Agenda Items form located at the Information Booth. If the issue can be handled administratively without Council action, notification will be provided. If the item is scheduled for a meeting or study session, notification of the date will be given. B - RESERVE TIME TO SPEAK ON AGENDA ITEMS This is an opportunity for individuals wishing to provide input on any of tonight's agenda items to reserve time to speak. Please come forward, state your name and address, and the Agenda topic on which you will be speaking. MAYOR COMMUNICATION This is an opportunity for the Mayor to comment on current events, activities, and issues of interest to the community. Call to Order Pledge of Allegiance Roll Call Invocation - Pastor Charles Greggory, First Baptist Church, 811 West 10th Street This is an open meeting of the Grand Island City Council. The City of Grand Island abides by the Open Meetings Act in conducting business. A copy of the Open Meetings Act is displayed in the back of this room as required by state law. The City Council may vote to go into Closed Session on any agenda item as allowed by state law. City of Grand Island City Council Item -1 Recognition of Grand Island Senior High Boys Baseball 2008 Championship The Mayor and City Council will recognize the 2008 Grand Island Senior High Boys Baseball Team for their Class "A" Championship win played May 16, 2008 at Haymarket Park in Lincoln, Nebraska. Attached is a list of the players and their coaches. Congratulations Islanders on a job well done. Tuesday, June 03, 2008 Study Session City of Grand Island Staff Contact: Mayor Hornady City of Grand Island City Council 2008 Islanders Varsity Baseball # Name Grade Pos. 1 Adam Brown 10 OF 2 Luke Farrar 11 OF/P 3 Kash Kalkowski 12 SS/P 4 Casey Griffin 12 OF 5 Max Ayoub 9 3B 6 Slade Bolles 12 C 7 Aaron Roberg 10 INF 8 AJ Fruchtl 10 OF 9 Aaron Scarborough 11 C 10 Jimmy Reed 12 1B/P 11 Dylan Meier 11 2B/P 12 Pete Kropp 12 2B/P 14 Grant Baird 12 OF 15 Dalton Ryba 12 3B/1B 16 Eric Schwieger 12 P 17 Brandon Tjaden 11 OF/P 18 Bobby Yager 12 C 21 Nick Hines 11 P 22 Nathan Zook 11 OF/P 24 Kirby Wells 12 3B/P Head Coach: Rick Kissack 6th Year Pitching Coach: Kevin Kier 4th Year Item -2 Presentation of Groundwater Issues Tuesday, June 03, 2008 Study Session City of Grand Island Staff Contact: Steve Riehle City of Grand Island City Council Council Agenda Memo From: Steven P. Riehle, Public Works Director Meeting: June 3, 3008 Subject: Presentation of Groundwater Issues Item #’s: 2 Presenter(s): Steven P. Riehle, Public Works Director Background Civil Engineers and Hydrologists from Olsson Associates updated the city council on the 2000 Groundwater Report at the September 18, 2007 City Council Study Session. A number of questions came up at the study session that warranted fur ther study. A staff committee was created and a survey was mailed to homes in the impacted areas to gauge the extent of the problem. The surveys were mailed out in 2007 and compiled in February 2008. At the March 18, 2008 City Council Study Session the results of the survey were presented. The council asked staff to bring the issue back at a future study session to review options in-depth. Today’s council study session is to gain council direction for possible solutions. There are a number of potential solutions for the groundwater intrusion issues: Raise basements. Prohibit construction of new homes with basements. Set a minimum basement elevation for new home construction. Utilize the de-commissioned municipal water wells as dewatering wells. Build full project from 2000 Dewatering System ($23.2 million in 2 identified areas). Build half Project from 2000 Dewatering System (south area that was identified). Create neighborhood de-watering districts. Change/Identify discharge options for individual de-watering systems. Raise basements • Raising basements is a quick fix. • Raise the basement floor and create a crawl space. • Raise the basement floor and the house to maintain a full depth basement. Prohibit construction of new homes with basements • Some communities prohibit the construction of basements. • The 2007 survey reported that a large majority of homes with groundwater intrusion problems were built before 1995 (141 out of 149). In 1995 the city started requiring a subsurface drainage system. Set a minimum basement elevation for new home construction. • Prescribe a minimum elevation for new basement construction using information from studies of highest groundwater elevations. Utilize de -commissioned municipal water wells as dewatering wells • A number of the municipal supply water wells in the community have been taken out-of-service because of contamination. Build full project from 2000 Dewatering Study • $23.2 million construction cost (from September 2007) • Covers 2 identified areas. • Installation of de-watering wells. • The construction of a discharge system is approximately 85% of the overall construction cost. • Individual basement dewatering systems are no longer needed. • Expenses reduced for individuals with groundwater intrusion problems. • Frees up space in the public storm sewer and sanitary sewer that is being used by individual basement dewatering systems. Build half Project from 2000 Dewatering Study • A smaller project still needs a suitable outlet. The discharge pipe is the most expensive part of the overall project at over 85% of the total estimated cost. The dewatering wells are a small fraction of the overall cost. • Covers only a portion of the 2 identified areas. • Installation of dewatering wells. • The construction of a discharge system. • Individual basement dewatering systems are no longer needed. • Expenses reduced for individuals with groundwater intrusion problems. • Frees up space in the public storm sewer and sanitary sewer that is being used by individual basement dewatering systems Creation of neighborhood dewatering districts • There is a petition being circulated in the area south of the Bike Trail and east of Blaine Street to create a neighborhood dewatering district. There are currently 17 signatures on the petition. • Smaller districts are easier to manage and implement. • Residents in the district pay according to the benefit. • The quantity of water discharged from a neighborhood dewatering system is significantly more then what is discharged from individual basement dewatering systems. A single basement dewatering system with one pump discharges 80 gallons per minute (GPM). The system designed in 2000 pumps 10,600 GPM (over 15 Million Gallons per Day) 24 hours per day for 265 days per year. Discussion Raise basements • Groundwater intrusion eliminated. • No on-going electric bill for pumping. • Cost to the individual homeowner. • May need a tornado shelter. • Loss of living and storage space. • Change in property va lue/valuation. Prohibit construction of new homes with basements • Groundwater intrusion eliminated on newly constructed homes. • Storm shelters would need to be constructed. • Basement space is cheaper per square foot for construction. • Does not address homes with existing groundwater intrusion problems. Set a minimum basement elevation for new home construction • The finished floor for new construction may be unreasonably high when compared to neighboring properties. • Cost for elevating the home. • Calculating, administering and enforcing is difficult. Utilize de -commissioned municipal water wells as dewatering wells • Quick fix. • Operating the Parkview wells could pull contamination into the city drinking water system and puts all customers at risk. • The wells were designed as drinking water wells. Their effectiveness as de- watering wells has yet to be determined. • The wells could be used for de-watering if the wells were disconnected from the drinking water supply. • The water may need to be treated before discharging. • The construction of a discharge system for the water is expensive. • Replacing the wells would be expensive. • Disconnecting wells from the municipal system reduces system capacity during catastrophic events. Build full project from 2000 Dewatering Study • Continue to work with the Central Platte Natural Resources District and the Platte River Recovery Implementation Program for possible funding sources. The Program is in the process of evaluating projects for future funding and the Grand Island dewatering project is one project being evaluated. • No grants have been found to date. • Grants are generally tied to household income and aimed at household that are 80% and below of median income ($43,750 for a family of 4). • Home valuations are stabilized. • A district would be subject to protest. • Residents in the district pay according to the benefit. • Assessments may be difficult to equalize at the Board of Equalization. • Homeowners without groundwater intrusion may perceive little or no benefit. • Is there a benefit to a home with no basement? Opens the property to future basement construction. • Some homeowners have solved their groundwater intrusion problem on their own. • High cost-to-benefit ratio with the survey indicating a relatively small number of residents are impacted (149 had groundwater intrusion problems at the time of the survey). • If protested out, the only way to fund the project would be from the general fund, cost would be spread to the entire population of the City. • The construction of a discharge system for the water is expensive. • Discharge water may need to be treated. • The city monitors the groundwater elevation, maintenance and operation of the system. • Ongoing annual cost. • Will not be a quick fix. Will be 2 to 5 years before operative. Build half Project from 2000 Dewatering Study • Continue to work with the Central Platte Natural Resources District and the Platte River Recovery Implementation Program for possible funding sources. The Program is in the process of evaluating projects for future funding and the Grand Island dewatering project is one project being evaluated. • No grants have been found to date. • Grants are generally tied to household income and aimed at household that are 80% and below of median income ($43,750 for a family of 4). • Home valuations are stabilized. • A district would be subject to protest. • Residents in the district pay according to the benefit. • Assessments may be difficult to equalize at the Board of Equalization. • Homeowners without groundwater intrusion may perceive little or no benefit. • Is there a benefit to a home with no basement? Opens the property to future basement construction. • Homeowners without groundwater intrusion may perceive little or no benefit. • Some homeowners have solved their groundwater intrusion problem on their own. • High cost-to-benefit ratio with the survey indicating a relatively small number of residents are impacted (149 had groundwater intrusion problems at the time of the survey). • If protested out, the only way to fund the project would be from the general fund. • The construction of a discharge system for the water is expensive. • Discharge water may need to be treated. • The city monitors the groundwater elevation, maintenance and operation of the system. • Ongoing annual cost. • Will not be a quick fix. Will be 2 to 4 years before operative. Creation of neighborhood dewatering districts • Neighborhood dewatering systems will overload the existing storm sewer system. • Since they cannot discharge into the existing storm sewer system this still requires the construction of the expensive discharge system for the water. • The district is subject to protest. • Residents in the district pay according to the benefit. • Homeowners without groundwater intrusion may perceive little or no benefit. • Some homeowners have solved their groundwater intrusion problem on their own. • Benefit is difficult to determine • On going cost. • Homeowners without a problem perceive little or no benefit. Discharge options for individual dewatering systems • Sanitary Sewer – Existing gravity sanitary sewer lines, lift stations and force mains do not have the capacity to handle the flows. • Storm Sewer – If storm sewer is adjacent to the property, the cost for a plumber to connect a basement dewatering system to the storm sewer is approximately $1,000. Many neighborhoods do not have storm sewer available. • Sanitary Sewer system o Could overload the system that wasn’t designed to handle this. o Increased potential for backups. • Storm Sewer o If a storm sewer pipe was close to their property, they could discharge their basement dewatering system directly into the storm sewer. A number of property owners have already done so. A storm sewer district could be built with storm sewer adjacent to each house. o Quick fix. o Minimal cost. o Storm sewer is not always available. o Uses existing storm sewer capacity. o We’ve allowed the connections because of the small numbers of individual systems. • Ditch o If the homeowner has a ditch next to the street or in their back yard they sometimes discharge their basement dewatering systems there. Putting a constant source of water into an open ditch makes it hard to mow, kills grass, raises mosquito concerns, and adds to the problem down-gradient. o Many areas of the community, such as northwest Grand Island, Parkview and the Circle Drive area were developed before the city had jurisdiction over the area. These areas do not have storm sewer and the streets are substandard asphalt with no curb and gutter. • Make Storm Sewer available o Create a paving and storm sewer district o Create a storm sewer only district. Conclusion This item is presented to the City Council in a Study Session to allow for any questions to be answered and to create a greater understanding of the issue at hand. Item -3 Discussion of 2008-2009 City Council Goals Tuesday, June 03, 2008 Study Session City of Grand Island Staff Contact: Jeff Pederson City of Grand Island City Council Council Agenda Memo From: Jeff Pederson, City Administrator Meeting: June 3, 2008 Subject: 2008-2009 City Council Goals Item #’s: 3 Presenter(s): Jeff Pederson, City Administrator David Springer, Finance Director Background Each year it has been customary for the Mayor and City Council to discuss the goals for the upcoming year. Attached are the City Council goals that were set on January 20, 2007 for the fiscal year 2007-2008. Included in this list are actions that have taken place since January 2007. Discussion This is an opportunity for the Mayor and City Council to review, prioritize, and set the goals for 2008-2009 that reflect the Mayor and City Council’s plans for Grand Island’s future. Many of the current incomplete goals were directly associated with the lack of budgeted appropriations. Finance Director David Springer and City Administrator Jeff Pederson will be present to answer questions as they relate to budget appropriations. Conclusion This item is presented to the City Council in a Study Session to allow for any questions to be answered and to create a greater understanding of the issue at hand, including budget constraints on goal setting and project development. Public Safety Seek and secure funding for the development of the Fire Training Facility No funding was budgeted in the 2007-08 fiscal year for the construction of the facility or the development of a business plan. The business plan is needed to determine the feasibility and scope of the project in order to identify potential participants and funding sources. Complete construction on Fire Station #1 Fire station one is complete and brought into service October. Complete construction of Police/Sheriff Law Enforcement Center Substantial completion on the facility in January 2008. Operations were transferred to the new center on January 21, 2008. Punch list items still need to be corrected and outside work to be completed before final completion of the project. Secure funding and begin upgrade of Emergency Communication Center Preliminary schedule for Communications Center renovation has been set for Feb-Apr. Radio equipment has been ordered and console workstations are in the RFP process. All radio and workstation expenses are funded by a grant and managed and funded through Hall County. Economic Development Assist in creating and retaining quality jobs through LB 840 program Administration and various departments continue to meet with EDC and potential companies as requested. Assist CRA in identifying and creating new business redevelopment projects CRA area 6 and 7 were approved by council. TIF projects can be considered in both of these areas. Infrastructure Support infrastructure for sustained housing/commercial development Utl - Completed 5-yr major overhaul of PGS, expanded 115/13.8 Substations E and F, 3-yr term contract for coal transport from Wyo. Coal fields to PGS, natural gas supply contract for CTs, Water Main Dist 455 (Park-view Subdivision), design and award WMD 453T ( helicopter base at the airport), Water infrastructure for new Subdivisions – La Rue, Meadowlark 4th, Westwood Park 10th, Westwood Park 10th, Woodland Park 6th, CNH fire line. Line construction – completed relocation of circuits for the Capital Ave. widening project, rebuilt 3-phase line along BNRR, east of Gunbarrel Rd., and on S. Locust from Fonner to Phoenix. Underground service installed at new Subdivisions – Copper Creek Estates, Pleasant View, Sun Valley, Summerfield Estates 7th, Air Guard Helicopter base. PW – Sanitary sewer project numbers were assigned in January through March 2008. One (1) sanitary sewer project was completed. Concrete paving project numbers were assigned in January through March 2008. Two (2) paving projects were completed. Begin incremental implementation of the Railroad Corridor Study CRA funding for the project is secured. The City can begin the proposal process and get horns and other improvements installed in the UPRR corridor from Broadwell Avenue through Oak Street. PW- An inter-local agreement with the CRA was approved at the March 11, 2008 council meeting. An RFP was issued for consulting engineering services and 3 proposals were received. An agreeme nt for professional services will be brought to council for approval in May. Prepare a master plan for infrastructure development south of Grand Island Utl - Completed area transmission/substation study. CRA- Area 7 includes the new industrial park property. TIF from development in this area could be used for infrastructure extensions. PW – The project to complete the concrete paving of the additional 2 lanes on Locust Street is in the 1 & 6 year Street Improvement Program for calendar year 2009. The sanitary sewer comprehensive plan update is currently being updated. Government Efficiency Seek inter local partnerships that eliminates duplication and promotes efficiency The Hall County Highway Department will be using the city’s snow pile site as a storage site for asphalt millings from their 2008 asphalt resurfacing program. The city and county will be entering into an agreement for the asphalt resurfacing project on Shady Bend Road from Bismark to US Highway 30. Bldg- Grand Island, Hastings, and Kearney are proposing to establish a tri-city plumbing test and establish times and test sites within the three jurisdictions. City Council Goals 2007-08 (Set by Council on January 20th, 2007) Complete a comprehensive City Code review and update This will be an ongoing process for some time. The chapter by chapter review slowed down due to several factors this year. PW- The Solid Waste Superintendent is reviewing the city code on backyard composting and roll off containers that are placed in the streets. Bldg- Revision of the city sign code to provide up to date regulations and address restrictions requested for limited billboards on Locust street & address new technology. Grand Island, Hastings & Kearney have adopted consistent plumbing codes. Complete review and adoption of the 2006 Uniform Mechanical Code, adoption of the 2006 international Building and Residential code. Develop a budget with no increase in the property tax levy Council approved the budget August 28 with no increase in the tax levy. Develop criteria for outside agency funding A financial and service questionnaire report is in the hands of the Finance Department. Some categorization of agencies has been determined in consultation with Karen Rathke from United Way. Those materials will be distributed to Council members in the near future. Quality of Life Complete construction of the Library expansion project The design/build project for expansion/renovation of the Edith Abbott Memorial Library is complete. After six months of the first fiscal year in the “new” facility, total checkouts are up 12%, checkouts at Edith Abbott Memorial are up 16%, reserves placed by patrons are up 54%, meeting room usage up 2260%, patrons visiting the library up 20%, reference questions answered up 22%, library programs up 19%, and reference/lab PC users up 16%. Construct a children’s play area at Island Oasis The design plan of the children’s play area is complete. Approved funding through the budget process will be necessary to complete this goal. Continue to support development of the Heartland Public Shooting Park The development of all rifle and pistol ranges continue, all ranges are operational. The camp ground design is complete and construction of the first phase has begun. Update Parks and Recreation master plan An updated master plan is contingent upon approved funding through the budget process. Start construction of Aerated Static Pile facility The project to build an Aerated Static Pile composting system at the WWTP was placed on-hold at the August 14th city council meeting. Implement the Community Appearance Plan The PRT has demolished/resolved 9 problem properties. Only 1 property was resolved using municipal funds. The legal department and CSO’s have met quarterly to foster a greater understanding of polices and procedures. The CAP web page construction will begin shortly and citizen request software is under review. Public Health Secure funding and begin construction of the Household Hazardous Waste facility Notification was given by the Environmental Trust that funding for the facility was denied in 2007 for lack of interlocals and collaboration with Keep Nebraska Beautiful state master plan. A 2nd construction grant request will be submitted with suggested changes from the ET in Sept. 2008 and a 5 yr operating grant will be made to the DEQ in Feb 09. Currently in process of obtaining interlocals, working with KNB, and in constant communication with ET and DEQ for a successful second grant request. Continue to aggressively address environmental issues and advocate for citizens PW- Regular communications are occurring with JBS Swift officials to ensure that the Swift plant does not overload the city’s WWTP. Swift is building a additional 25 million gallon anaerobic pre-treatment lagoon adjacent to the existing 9 million lagoon. Fall back plans are being implemented to ensure the WWTP can adjust to any swings in Swift’s loadings till the new lagoon is operational in July or August 2008.The Utilities and Public Works Departments continue to assist and cooperate with the consultant working with the UPRR on a contamination plume along Seedling Mile near US Hwy 30 and on to the east. Bldg- Continue to monitor the progress of the State of Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality on revisions to On-Site Waste Water Systems. Develop language for smoking restrictions to be considered to be placed on the ballot Language was submitted to administration which mirrored the language that the State was considering in 2007. It was put on hold pending to watch what the State would do. Legislation will be introduced during the 2008 legislature with more favorable language.