Regular Meeting

CITY OF ELKO REDEVELOPMENT ADVISORY COUNCIL REGULAR MEETING MINUTES 4:00 PM, THURSDAY, APRIL 27, 2023 ELKO CITY HALL, COUNCIL CHAMBERS 1751 COLLEGE AVENUE, ELKO, NV 89801 I. CALL TO ORDER The meeting was called to order by Jon Karr, Chairman of the City of Elko Redevelopment Advisory Council (RAC), at 4:00 p.m. II. ROLL CALL Present: Jon Karr, DBA Catherine Wines, ACAB Lina Blohm, RAC Member Absent: Giovanni Puccinelli, Councilman Jeff Dalling, Planning Commissioner Ex-Officio - Non Voting Member Corey Rice, Elko County Ex-Officio - Non Voting Member Annette Kerr, ECVA Ex-Officio - Non Voting Member Joyce Helens, GBC Ex-Officio - Non Voting Member Steven Smith, Elko County School District City Staff Present: Cathy Laughlin, City Planner Bob Thibault, Civil Engineer Scott Wilkinson, Assistant City Manager Rachel Randall, Planning Technician III. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE IV. COMMENTS BY THE GENERAL PUBLIC Lina Blohm expressed concern over properties in the redevelopment area with wire fencing, stating it had a penitentiary look. She requested an agenda item at a future meeting to address this. Catherine Wines agreed. She asked if the design standards that were presented in 2008, but not adopted, could be revisited. V. APPROVAL OF MINUTES A. January 26, 2023 - Regular Meeting - FOR POSSIBLE ACTION April 27, 2023 Redevelopment Advisory Council Meeting Minutes Page 1 of 7  ** A motion was made by Secretary Blohm, seconded by Vice-Chairman Wines to approve the minutes as presented. * Motion passed unanimously. (3-0) VI. NEW BUSINESS A. Review, consideration, and possible action on the 2023 Storefront Improvement Grant Recipients and amounts allocated, and matters related thereto. FOR POSSIBLE ACTION The 2023 Storefront Improvement Grant application period was open from January 1, 2023 to March 31, 2023, and three applications were received. RDA has allocated $50,000 each year for the Storefront Improvement Grants. The RAC reviews each application and completes the rating sheet with a recommendation to the RDA for each application. Chairman Jon Karr stated there were three applications, each asking for $25,000. He asked what the amount available in the budget was. Cathy Laughlin, City Planner, stated the storefront program is budgeted at $50,000 each year. Chairman Karr asked if there were any monies left over from last year. Ms. Laughlin stated $50,000 was available. The remaining funds from last year ($25,000) did not transfer. She continued by going over the applications in the order they were received, as outlined in her memo dated April 14, 2023. The first application, filed by John E. Marvel for Marvel & Marvel, Ltd. was deemed complete with proposed eligible improvements of stucco repair, rain gutters and window replacement. The second, filed by Simple Man Solutions, LLC for 303 Event Center was deemed complete with proposed eligible improvements of stucco, windows, doors and lighting. The third, filed by Morris S. Gallagher for Gallagher Dental Care was deemed partially complete because some items were ineligible and some of the bids were not competitive. The painting portion of the submittal was deemed complete. Staff recommended funding 50% of the lowest painting bid for a total grant of $2,740. Ms. Wines expressed support for the 303 Event Center application. She felt this type of project was what the storefront grant was made for. Ms. Laughlin agreed. It meets the intent of the program. The building will look completely different. The intent of the program was not for maintenance and sited the window replacement at the Western Folklife Center, funded the first year of the program. Ms. Blohm also agreed. She asked about the plans for the rest of the property. Adriana Lara, 303 Event Center applicant, stated it would be an event center for any kind of party. The outdoor area will have lighting, a concrete pad, fake grass and a fence for security, but that would still be able to be seen through. April 27, 2023 Redevelopment Advisory Council Meeting Minutes Page 2 of 7  Ms. Wines moved on to Marvel & Marvel. She said the project felt like maintenance and did not meet the intent of the program. Ms. Blohm agreed and asked about the infrastructure grant program and how it related to maintenance. Ms. Laughlin responded the infrastructure grant program was not for maintenance. Ms. Wines added that it was to bring a building back up to code. Ms. Laughlin added that it was only eligible to buildings having a change in use or that have sat vacant for 12 months or more, which have lost their legal, non-conforming status. Regarding Gallagher Dental Care, Ms. Wines stated she would be okay with approving it for the painting. Ms. Blohm stated she would prefer the agency be more generous than not, and use up the available $50,000. She recommended giving a limited amount to Marvel & Marvel as well as Gallagher Dental Care and the full grant amount to 303 Event Center. Ms. Laughlin reiterated that the proposed improvements at Marvel & Marvel were all eligible. She also suggested putting an agenda item on an upcoming meeting to make revisions to the program. Ms. Wines concurred. She asked which sides of the Marvel & Marvel building were eligible. Ms. Laughlin stated three sides of the building because they face public right-of-ways. The side with the patio would be considered an interior side yard. Ms. Blohm enquired about the bank ATM drive-through adjacent to Gallagher Dental Care. Ms. Laughlin stated it was not public right-of-way, but private property. Ms. Wines asked what happens to any money not allocated. Ms. Laughlin said it would depend on the motion. If the recommendation to the Agency didn't allocate all of the $50,000, the motion should include a recommendation on what to do with the remainder. Chairman Karr stated he would be in favor of funding the 303 Event Center at the full $25,000. ** A motion was made by Vice-Chairman Wines, seconded by Secretary Blohm to forward a recommendation to the Redevelopment Agency to grant $25,000 to Simple Man Solutions, LLC for its 303 Event Center project located at 303 Idaho Street. Before calling for a vote, Chairman Karr, stated for Marvel & Marvel, he felt it was too much of maintenance and recommended not provide funding. For Gallagher Dental Care, he also recommended not providing funding. He disagreed with Ms. Blohm's stance of generosity, stating he would rather save the money for projects like the 303 Event Center, but was willing to listen to suggestions for smaller amounts for both. He then confirmed the motion and called for a vote. April 27, 2023 Redevelopment Advisory Council Meeting Minutes Page 3 of 7  * Motion passed unanimously. (3-0) Scott Wilkinson, Assistant City Manager, asked if the program had been allocated for $500,000 over a period of years. Ms. Laughlin confirmed. Mr. Wilkinson recommend taking this information into account when deciding to be generous or to reserve money for better projects in the future. He asked if there had ever been an increase to the $500,000. Ms. Laughlin stated that on August 9, 2016, the program was approved with a maximum expenditure of $50,000 for the first five years. At the RDA's November 10, 2020 meeting the program was continued for five years at $50,000 each year. This is the third year into the continuation, so it will be up in two more years. Mr. Wilkinson recommended prudent spending of monies, taking into account the various programs as well as the capital projects. Ms. Wines agreed with Chairman Karr about saving money for projects like the 303 Event Center, reiterating her previous comment of not funding maintenance projects. Ms. Blohm asked how the Agency would know what the money was going towards. Ms. Laughlin responded a participant would have to provide to the Agency invoices and proof of payment for reimbursement. The Agency would then reimburse up to half, not exceeding the approved amount. If the project cost less than presented, the Agency would pay half of the amount spent. (Example: A project awarded $10,000 for stucco repair only expended $10,000. The Agency would reimburse in the amount of $5,000.) Ms. Blohm recommended participating to some extent for the Marvel & Marvel project and suggested awarding $5,000 or $7,500 to assist with the stucco renovation. She expressed disappointment in the program, feeling it had not been as effective as expected. She would like to see on an upcoming agenda, an item to adjust the program due to inflation. Ms. Laughlin disagreed with the effectiveness of the program stating, to date, the Agency had paid out $291,460.23 and approved $397,000. Ms. Blohm agreed it has had an effect, but not to the extent she had hoped for. She did not agree with holding back money for projects that might come in at a later date. ** A motion was made by Secretary Blohm to forward a recommendation to the Redevelopment Agency to grant $5,000 to Marvel Investment Company, LLC for stucco renovation on the Marvel & Marvel Law office located at 217 Idaho Street. Prior to a second, Mr. Wilkinson asked if an applicant would have to complete the entire proposed project if the Agency was only awarding money to one element - like stucco. April 27, 2023 Redevelopment Advisory Council Meeting Minutes Page 4 of 7  Ms. Laughlin thought only the portion being awarded would need to be completed to receive reimbursement, but it would be up to the Agency to make the final decision. Chairman Karr reiterated the motion of forwarding a recommendation to the Redevelopment Agency to grant $5,000 to Marvel & Marvel, Ltd. for stucco renovation at 217 Idaho Street. Ms. Blohm amended the motion to include a finding. ** A motion was made by Secretary Blohm, seconded by Vice-Chairman Wines to forward a recommendation to the Redevelopment Agency to grant $5,000 to Marvel Investment Company, LLC for stucco renovation on the Marvel & Marvel Law office located at 217 Idaho Street. Ms. Blohm's finding to support her recommendation is the majority of the proposed project is building maintenance instead of revitalization. Chairman Karr expressed opposition to the motion for the same reason Ms. Blohm stated as her finding. Ms. Wines asked if Ms. Blohm would make another motion to give $2,740 to the Gallagher project for painting. Ms. Blohm responded she would. Her reasoning being that it showed some kind of effort had been made in reviewing the plans, but that much of the project was viewed as being maintenance and did not meet the intent of the program. The motion was seconded by Ms. Wines. Bob Thibault, Civil Engineer, stated the program allows for stucco and paint repairs because there is a point where buildings can become so dilapidated that refreshing those things can really make an impact on the storefront. *Motion passed. (2-1) Chairman Karr voted against. ** A motion was made by Secretary Blohm, seconded by Vice-Chairman Wines to forward a recommendation to the Redevelopment Agency to grant $2,740 to Morris S. Gallagher for painting of the Gallagher Dental Care office located at 810 Court Street. Ms. Blohm's finding to support her recommendation is this portion of the application meets the guidelines of the storefront program. *Motion passed. (2-1) Chairman Karr voted against. VII. REPORTS A. Budget Ms. Laughlin went over the budget report included in the agenda packet. The RDA has received $200,000 more than expected in property tax revenues. Staff is continuing to work with the County on finding out why. Interest revenues are also up, but that can be explained due to higher interest rates. Expenditures included $25,360 paid out on the demolition program. April 27, 2023 Redevelopment Advisory Council Meeting Minutes Page 5 of 7  Ms. Wines asked which building the demolition grant was for. Ms. Laughlin responded it was for Gregory Insurance. She continued with expenditures, which included $2,000 to the Elko Art Foundation, for a grant writer for the downtown art pedestal project. The Agency's balance as of April 14th is $1.7 million. Ms. Blohm enquired about the downtown art pedestal project. Ms. Wines reported the Elko Art Foundation had applied for a grant from Travel Nevada. The Foundation was denied the grant because it is a non-profit agency. The grant was only available to governing agencies. If the legislature approves the grant for this year, it can be applied for again, with a different agency listed at the applicant, like the City of Elko or the Convention Center. Ms. Blohm asked if the $2,000 was gone. Ms. Wines confirmed that is was paid out to the grant writer. Ms. Blohm asked what will happen after the pedestal is complete. Ms. Wines said leased pieces of art would be installed on a revolving basis. Some options would be pieces from Burning Man inventory or other artists, and a yet-to-be painted tank that was donated by former Mayor Johnson. B. Storefront Grant Program Ms. Laughlin went over the spreadsheet provided in the agenda packet. Projects from 2017 through 2020 are complete. For 2021, funds were deobligated from the Wendell project, but they have the option to reapply when they are ready to complete the project. The extended agreement with the Tedesco Foundation expired on April 26th. The project is not complete. There will be an item on the next RDA meeting agenda to deobligate funds, with a recommendation to allow for reapplication when ready to complete the project. For 2022, the Glennon & Sandoval project is under construction. Ms. Blohm asked if there was a sign at Glennon & Sandoval promoting it as a storefront project. Ms. Laughlin said no, but it could be done. C. Sidewalk Replacement Project Mr. Thibault reported that he has been working on the design as time and work load permits. He does not anticipate a delay to the overall schedule. The cost estimate is increasing. There is a storm drain system next to the Henderson Bank building, going all the way to Idaho Street, which will probably need to be replaced. The grading is looking good in spite of the changes in finished floor elevations on the 400 block. Repaving the whole street to slope in one direction instead of crowning it will help. He is anticipating a ramp at Goldie's similar to the one going in at Glennon & Sandoval. Ms. Wines asked if the ramp at Glennon & Sandoval will stay. Mr. Thibault confirmed. That part of the sidewalk was completed five to ten years ago. April 27, 2023 Redevelopment Advisory Council Meeting Minutes Page 6 of 7  Ms. Blohm likes the ramp at Glennon & Sndaoval, stating it creates a little interest. Business owners along that street can do a lot with it, as far as outdoor ambiance. Ms. Wines felt other City projects were taking away from getting this project completed. She state the sidewalk is treacherous and needs to be replaced. Mr. Wilkinson responded that staff gets their priorities from city management and City Council. One option would be for the RDA to pay for an engineering firm to design the sidewalk to expedite the process. Chairman Karr stated if it was a priority then they should have recommended it be completed before the block ends project. Ms. Wines responded that the order of projects didn't need to be changed, but wants to make sure we aren't taking our foot off the gas. D. Downtown Idea Exchange VIII. COMMENTS BY THE GENERAL PUBLIC Ms. Wines asked that an agenda item be added to look at the storefront grant. She also asked for an agenda item to look at design guidelines for the redevelopment area, to include fencing, as discussed in the public comments section at the beginning of the meeting. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned. Jon Karr, Chairman Lina Blohm, Secretary April 27, 2023 Redevelopment Advisory Council Meeting Minutes Page 7 of 7