Metropolitan Redevelopment Agency Commission

AGENDA Tuesday, August 17, 2021 - 4:00 P.M. The regular meeting of the Metropolitan Redevelopment Area Commission will be held in the Executive Conference Room, 800 Municipal Dr., Farmington, NM 1. Meeting Called To Order 2. Approval of the July 20, 2021 Meeting Minutes 3. Presentation by Arts Council on Public Art in the Downtown Core – (Bev Taylor) 4. Debrief with Farmington Clean and Beautiful – (Shaña Reeves) 5. Brownfields Grant Debrief – (Beth McNally) 6. Updated Plans for OR Conference and NMMS Conference – (Warren Unsicker) 7. MRA Staff Updates – (Warren Unsicker) 8. Business From: a. Floor b. Chair c. Members d. Staff 9. Adjournment ATTENTION PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES: If you plan to attend the virtual meeting and will need an auxiliary aid or service, please contact the City Clerk’s Office at 599-1101 prior to the meeting so that arrangements can be made.  MINUTES Metropolitan Redevelopment Agency Board of Commissioners – July 20, 2021 Held in the Executive Conference Room at 800 Municipal Dr., Farmington NM Members Present: John McNeill, D.D.S. – Chair (via Conference Call) Jill Tanis – Vice Chair Doug Dykeman – Commissioner Elizabeth McNally - Commissioner Members Absent: None Staff Present: Warren Unsicker Beth Escobar Elizabeth Sandoval Others Present: Melissa Wilkins Christy Blaine Beth Melhorn Ireke Cooper 1. Call to Order The meeting was called to order at 4:00 p.m. by Chair McNeill. There being a quorum, the following proceedings were duly had and taken. 2. Approval of the June 15, 2021 Minutes A motion was made by Commissioner McNally and seconded by Vice Chair Tanis to approve the minutes of June 15, 2021, and upon voice vote the motion carried unanimously. Chair McNeill distributed the following document for review, as a follow up to what had been discussed regarding the MRA Plan at the previous meeting: Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 3. Trash in the Downtown Alleys Chair McNeill presented the following slide: Chair McNeill stated that the slide above was posted on Facebook in June 2021. Beth Melhorn with The Arc of San Juan County presented the following PowerPoint presentation: (Slide 1) (Slide 2 & Slide 3) Ms. Melhorn stated that slide 1 shows how the dumpsters are left on 7/15/2021, closed and left clean; the vehicle in slide 1 shows the first person who is ready to dumpster dive. Ms. Melhorn stated that there are signs on the dumpsters that read “Smile you are on camera.”, so people know they are on camera. Ms. Melhorn stated that it is not only Page 4 transients who are dumpster diving, but high end cars, trucks and SUVs that are coming through the alley ways to dumpster dive. (Slide 4 & Slide 5) Ms. Melhorn stated that the individuals who are dumpster diving are meticulously going through each item, climbing into the dumpsters and removing each item. Ms. Melhorn stated that in slide 5, the ladies are putting their trash in The Arc’s dumpster; some people even drive by and throw their trash out of moving vehicles. (Slide 6 & Slide 7) Ms. Melhorn stated that in slide 6, there is a man hiding from police between the dumpsters; once police are gone he continues to dumpster dive. Ms. Melhorn stated there is a donation area where people come in and tear the bags apart, take the donations and use the clothing as beds, restrooms and to clean themselves with, presenting health concerns for The Arc’s employees. (Slide 8 & Slide 9) Page 5 Ms. Melhorn stated that in slide 8, there are four individuals dumpster diving at the same time. Ms. Melhorn stated that dumpster diving in alleys is not what she would like The Arc to be remembered for. (Slide 10 & Slide 11) Ms. Melhorn stated that The Arc of San Juan County’s mission is to improve a quality of life for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, advocating for equal opportunities and choices, where they live, learn, work and socialize. Melissa Wilkins, The Arc of San Juan County, stated that The Arc has tried to take all the precautionary steps that the police advised including installing lighting in the alleys and installing cameras. Ms. Wilkins stated unusable donations are broken, a number of deterrents have been used to keep divers away, locks are placed on the dumpsters but are pried open and nothing seems to deter the divers. Ms. Wilkins stated that they are trying to work with Waste Management on scheduling pickup. Ms. Wilkins stated that due to the dumpster diving in the alley of The Arc cannot be utilized for its full potential. Commissioner Dykeman asked if the problem is mostly dumpster diving or people dumping their trash in The Arc’s dumpsters. Ms. Wilkins stated that they are both a problem, along with rejected items being dumped afterhours; this leads to an additional cost to The Arc for hauling and disposal. Chair McNeill asked Ms. Wilkins if she had mentioned that the dumpsters were not always checked when trash is picked up. Ms. Wilkins stated that was correct. Ms. Melhorn stated that she had noticed that the City had been coming through and checking the dumpsters, along with paramedics, but she had not seen that happen recently. Chair McNeill stated that some of the issues could possibly be solved if the trash was picked up by the end of the day, locking the dumpsters after the trash is picked up. Vice Chair Tanis stated that she wanted to state a couple things to be clear; the cost, time and hazards when trips to the landfill are made are hindering work productivity. Vice Chair Tanis also stated that there was an incident where there was a possible drug drop off, where an individual dropped a specific item in the dumpster and then another came and got that specific item out. Vice Chair Tanis stated that she just wanted to mention these points because they are some of the specific problems. Page 6  Chair McNeill asked if the scheduled time could be changed from morning pickup to evening pickup, would that benefit The Arc. Ms. Wilkins stated yes it would. Chair McNeill stated that it could be an easy fix to change the pickup time and asked City staff if there is any way that the City could get Waste Management could change the schedule for The Arc. Warren Unsicker, Economic Development Director, stated that he does not know if the City would have any control over getting Waste Management to change The Arc’s trash pickup schedule. Mr. Unsicker stated that he would be happy to check with the Department that manages the Waste Management contract, but could not make any promises of a schedule change. Mr. Unsicker stated that dumping has become even more of an issue since prices were raised; noting that illegal dumping on public lands has been a huge issue as well. Chair McNeill stated that some effort or leverage from the City would be helpful for the entire downtown community. Beth Escobar, Planning Manager, commented that the reason Waste Management does their pick up early in the morning is because it’s before businesses are open. Planning Manager Escobar stated that before any changes in the schedule are suggested the downtown stakeholders would need to be involved. Planning Manager Escobar stated that it is not the best atmosphere to have trash trucks going by when people are dining outdoors in the afternoon, concluding that changing the schedule may not be the solution. Commissioner McNally asked what percentage of dumpster diving happens at night and under City code, would it be possible to fence off the section of the dumpster. Ms. Melhorn stated that 100% of the dumpster diving happens at night. Planning Manager Escobar stated that it is possible, there is a process since this is a public right-of-way. Commissioner McNally stated that fencing the dumpster might be a possibility for this situation or even possibly relocating the business. Chair McNeill asked Mr. Unsicker if he would be able to set up a meeting with the City Manager to discuss possible options for a solution of The Arc. Mr. Unsicker stated that he would be happy to set up a meeting. Vice Chair Tanis asked if there is an ordinance that pertains to illegal dumping. Planning Manager Escobar stated she would do some research and find out. 4. Brownfields Multipurpose Grant & KSUTAB Update Commissioner McNally gave an update on the Brownfields Multipurpose Grant and KSUTAB, stating that although the Brownfields grant was not awarded, Scott Nightingale with Kansas State University Technical Assistants Brownfields (KSUTAB) has reached out and to see if a meeting could be setup to meet. Mr. Nightingale is in town doing a Page 7  site visit in Bloomfield and thought he would take this opportunity to meet informally to go over the project to get informal feedback to strengthen the application for next time. Commissioner McNally also stated that Mr. Nightingale has encouraged engagement in the formal EPA debriefing session, scheduled for Thursday morning via Zoom. Commissioner McNally also stated that no applicant in Region 6 of the EPA was awarded the multipurpose grant, but out of the applicants of Region 6, Farmington was among those who scored the highest on their application. Vice Chair Tanis asked what area encompasses Region 6. Commissioner McNally stated that Region 6 is Texas, New Mexico, Arkansas, and Louisiana. 5. Discussion and Possible Recommendation to Council for the Disposition of Real Property at 119 West Main Street Mr. Unsicker stated that a letter of interest call to action around the 119 West Main Street property was advertised, with an application being received from a local entity interested in the purchase of the property. With the interest of the purchase of the property the process began but is not finalized. Mr. Unsicker stated that in this process he is seeking the recommendation of the MRA Board to present to Council the disposition of real property to the interested private entity. Chair McNeill asked if there was any partnership incentive program. Mr. Unsicker stated that if there were any, it would be determined at a later date. Vice Chair Tanis asked if the City had any future use for the property at 119 West Main Street. Mr. Unsicker stated that the property was gifted to the City and it is not being brought forth for a private entity to take the property over. Commissioner McNally asked, with this deal moving forward, would one of the conditions of the deal be that the entity that takes the property over will plan on running the property as a business and not just have the property sit vacant. Mr. Unsicker stated yes and that the terms will be worked out as a part of the acquisition process. A motion was made by Vice Chair Tanis to recommend that the City is permitted to sell the property at 119 West Main Street to a private entity and seconded by Commissioner McNally. Upon a voice vote the motion carried unanimously. Chair McNeill stated that he would like to see the property sold to an entity that furthers the goals of the downtown. 6. Discussion and Acceptance of Fall Institute Hosting Agreement Mr. Unsicker stated the City of Farmington will be hosting the Fall Institute October 20- 22, 2021. As a part of hosting an agreement must be submitted, stating that New Mexico Main Street will provide certain services and the host will also provide certain services. See agreement below: Page 8 Page 9  Chair McNeill asked Mr. Unsicker if a motion is needed to approve this agreement. Mr. Unsicker stated that at this point it is information for the MRA Board and the planning process continues to move forward with the event. Chair McNeill offered the assistance of the MRA Board for the event and asked if there would be a project workshop, where participants actually work on a project downtown. Mr. Unsicker stated that at this time the next step will be to determine what the project will be, in hopes that it can be something meaningful and long term and will seek input at a later date. Chair McNeill asked if there is a way to get downtown business involved, encouraging participants in the event to visit their shops. Mr. Unsicker stated that it is possible, maybe with a bingo card and raffle style incentive; with the event being held downtown, participants will also be encouraged to explore during break times at the event. Mr. Unsicker stated that Chair McNeill’s signature is needed on the agreement to move this forward. Chair McNeill asked if the MRA Board approved, approval was voiced by all members and was unanimous for Chair McNeill to sign the agreement. 7. MRA Staff Updates Mr. Unsicker stated that he is seeing a lot of activity downtown, in new business and events. Events are going exceptionally well, with the Makers Markets, art walks and parades. Beyond that, there are many events coming up this fall, downtown is being utilized as a venue. 8. Business From: Floor – There was no business from the Floor. Chair – There was no business from the Chair. Page 10  Members – Vice Chair Tanis stated that she received a call from a downtown merchant who is having an issue with two major retailer’s large trucks going through downtown, tearing up the roundabouts. The merchant did speak with someone in traffic to speak with retailers. Another possibility would be placing a flashing sign at the west end of town for the trucks to turn before proceeding downtown. Mr. Unsicker stated that a light was just installed at the west end of town. Commissioner McNally asked if Google Maps shows areas that are not accessible for certain types of vehicles. Commissioner Dykeman stated that he does believe that Google Maps does have the capability. Commissioner Dykeman asked if there is any way that enforce or ticket semi- trucks that do drive downtown. Planning Manager Escobar stated that they could be ticketed, but a police officer would have to witness the truck actually in the act of driving downtown. Vice Chair Tanis stated that it would be nice to have vegetation in the roundabouts before the upcoming fall events downtown. Mr. Unsicker stated that at this time he would check with the Parks Department on the status of the vegetation. Staff – There was no business from Staff. 9. Adjournment A motion was made by Vice Chair Tanis and seconded by Commissioner Dykeman to adjourn. The motion passed unanimously 4-0. The Metropolitan Redevelopment Agency meeting was adjourned at 4:54 p.m. __________________________________ ____________________________________ John McNeill, Chair Elizabeth Sandoval, Administrative Assistant Page 11