City Council

CITY OF FREDERICKSBURG, VIRGINIA HON. MARY KATHERINE GREENLAW, MAYOR HON. BRADFORD C. ELLIS, VICE -MAYOR, WARD ONE CITY COUNCIL HON. KERRY P. DEVINE, AT-LARGE HON. MATTHEW J. KELLY, AT-LARGE HON. GEORGE C. SOLLEY, WARD TWO HON. FREDERIC N. HOWE, III, WARD THREE Council Chambers, 715 Princess Anne Street HON. BEATRICE R. PAOLUCCI, WARD FOUR Fredericksburg, Virginia 22401 Council Work Session December 11, 2012 Riverfront Park Project Report on Future Parks and the Use of City Properties The Council of the City of Fredericksburg, Virginia held a work session on Tuesday, December 11, 2012, beginning at 5:30 p.m. in City Hall Conference Room. Council Present. Mayor Mary Katherine Greenlaw, Presiding. Vice-Mayor Bradford C. Ellis. Councilors Kerry P. Devine, Frederic N. Howe, III, Matthew J. Kelly, Beatrice R. Paolucci, and George C. Solley. Also Present. City Manager Beverly R. Cameron, Assistant City Manager Mark Whitley, City Attorney Kathleen Dooley, Parks, Recreation and Public Facilities Director Robert Antozzi, Planning Director Ray Ocel, Senior Planner Erik Nelson and Clerk of Council Tonya B. Lacey. Others Present. Mr. Bill Downey, Downey and Scott. Riverfront Park Project. Councilor Paolucci began the discussion with several question: 1) Should the stabilization of the bank be part of the park plan 2) what complications would the Chesapeake Bay Act have on what’s built at the site 3) how much the construction plans were going to cost 4) how bad is the soil and what would grow there and how much of the soil would have to be removed and if it has to be moved would it affect the Chesapeake Bay Act? Mr. Downey answered questions 1, 2 and 4 by stating that part of the responsibility with the design team for the master plan concept level would be the civil engineering issues involving bank stabilization with the wetlands issues and the Corps of Engineers permitting. He said many of the questions would be answered at the conclusion of the initial concept level master plan. He said he could not answer specific question like what type of buildings could be built because those would be built into the design services in the initial phase. Mr. Downey 1 said that the initial part would take it through the schematic design and he estimated the remaining cost of the design to range around $200,000, but that would depend on the amenities. Vice-Mayor Ellis said if the Council could agree as a group to commit to building this project within the next two years he could support it. In regards to the riverfront stabilization if the design was going to address that, he would support that as well. He also said Council would also need to commit building a parking garage in the next two years and he suggest doing this by using $5 million out of the reserve fund. Councilor Paolucci also said if the design is going to be done she would suggest not letting it sit on the shelf for the next two years, but she said everyone must understand that if the park was going to be done Council must face the fact that some other work would not be done. Mr. Downey said this first phase will give a look at what the costs are going to be at the conclusion. He said the design will give an estimate of the costs. He also noted that many of the firms addressed the stabilization in their RFP because the bank stabilization is key for the firm and this firm was well ahead of the process. Councilor Kelly expressed his concerns with hiring a consultant he felt there were many in the community that could have addressed many of the issues. He also stated that City Council should have been given the opportunity to select the firm from the final 3. Councilor Solley stated that Council has never picked a firm that was the job of the City Manager. He said he does not understand how the project could move forward without going through this step. Councilor Howe stated that his position had not changed. He wants more information on the stabilization and the funding source. He said if Council decided to move forward with the project he suggested taxing it to pay for it. He said he would buy whatever the taxpayers would pay for. Vice-Mayor Ellis stated that they don’t know what the costs are yet because the study needed to be completed first. Mr. Downey explained that the proposed work is a concept schematic design to bring forward the cost and it would identify stabilization, wetlands issues, and any flood plain issues. Future Parks and the Use of City Properties. Parks, Recreation and Public Facilities Director Antozzi gave a PowerPoint presentation that discussed the future of the City parks. In his PowerPoint he discussed the background of the parks, the recreations standards of 2 the parks, property inventory, resource map, resource sections, park types (destination, neighborhood, pocket), resource section details, and recommendations for future parks. (See attachments for more information. Adjournment. There being no further business to come before the Council at this time, Mayor Greenlaw declared the work session officially adjourned at 6:54 p.m. Tonya B. Lacey Tonya B. Lacey Clerk of Council City of Fredericksburg 3