Council Study Session

MINUTES OF THE GILBERT TOWN COUNCIL IN SPECIAL MEETING FOR A STUDY SESSION, MAY 4, 2021, AT 5:15P.M., ROOM 300, 50 EAST CIVIC CENTER DRIVE, GILBERT, ARIZONA COUNCIL PRESENT: Mayor Brigette Peterson, Vice Mayor Yung Koprowski, Councilmembers Scott Anderson, Laurin Hendrix, Scott September, Kathy Tilque, Aimee Yentes COUNCIL ABSENT: None STAFF PRESENT: Town Manager Patrick Banger, Town Clerk Chaveli Herrera, Town Attorney Chris Payne, Chief Technology Officer Sasan Poureetezadi, Parks and Recreation Manager John Kennedy, Parks and Recreation Director Robert Carmona, and Parks and Recreation Management Analyst Jennika Horta CALL TO ORDER Mayor Peterson called the meeting to order at 5:17 p.m. AGENDA ITEM 1. Discussion on IT Roadmap Chief Technology Officer Poureetezadi provided an overview of the IT Roadmap background including the identification of the roadmap’s strategic pillars, its formation which included the Town’s Wildly Important Goals (WIGs), and its realignment to include organizational goals. He summarized the strategic pillars, customer service outcomes, partners, and alliances. He discussed data management, project prioritization, cybersecurity, and a high-level timeline. Councilmember September discussed current IT and security issues and asked how performance was measured against others and if there were forensic investigations to understand what went wrong. Officer Poureetezadi stated there was information on the subject that could be shared and that information was used to make better decisions; he discussed measures in place to monitor the environment, adding there could be more in-depth discussion in an Executive Session with discussion on possible solutions and technologies in place. Councilmember September talked about regular training and phishing emails made to look like they were real and using them for training. Officer Poureetezadi discussed emulating phishing and said staff does very well to report those issues. 2. Discussion on Riparian Preserve Education Center Parks and Recreation Manager John Kennedy provided a presentation on the proposed Riparian Preserve Education Center including the background, research, feedback, and vision. He stated the Education Center would be developed on the grounds of the Riparian area and would have educational displays, classrooms, and office and exhibit space. There was also a proposed Town Store and Visitor Center which could be converted in an existing interior space in the Southeast Regional Library. He discussed comparable centers in the Phoenix-area, potential locations, programming and financial considerations, survey results and demographics, and next steps. He asked the Council for feedback and vision on the locations and programming of the projects. Councilmember Anderson stated it was a great time to look into the project because Arizona State University expressed interest in a partnership with Gilbert to build the Center. He discussed past goals at the Riparian and location possibilities, including having it near the water and teaching on water recharge. He also discussed the large size of the library and wasted space there. He noted the possibility of serving food or having a café with the Visitor’s Center. He said people had been asking for it for years and it was a wonderful opportunity. Councilmember Tilque suggested to look at the Library as an asset to possibly reduce the cost. She noted the large size and inventory was continuing to shrink. Councilmember Anderson noted that the Library would allow those not able to walk around the Preserve to still learn about the Preserve from inside. Councilmember September also agreed with having it attached to the Library, calling the Library the “anchor tenant”, noting reduced cost of using that building. Vice Mayor Koprowski agreed with using the Library as well and reducing costs. She stated it was an enhancement to the area and discussed enhancements to the walking trail as well. Mayor Peterson stated she was excited about the prospect of connecting the two parking lots, adding the parking connection would enhance the project to allow more people to visit. She noted posts on social media recommending visits to the Riparian Preserve. She also advocated for looking into using the Library first if possible, also noting their inventory was shrinking. Councilmember Yentes stated it was all about the partnerships but asked what the $6,400,000 placeholder was for specifically and discussed comparisons, scale, and scope. Manager Kennedy stated the information was from the Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) book for years but the goal was to get more information and create a more defined scope. Parks and Recreation Director Carmona stated he appreciated the feedback, adding using the Library as the preferred location would help staff work with CIP to really determine what the model would look like and bring down the figure. He said the original amount was a general number for a freestanding building. Councilmember Anderson discussed the original plans and where the figure came from. Town Manager Banger discussed the staff’s perspective, the lease with Maricopa County, and utilizing space. Councilmember Yentes discussed reimagining the space, being cost-effective, bringing in collaborative partners and sharing resources. She discussed prioritizing the programming focus of water and connection with water recharge. Mayor Peterson agreed that a focus on water was important and noted the water classes with elementary schools could possibly be moved the Riparian Preserve. 3. Discussion on Desert Sky Master Plan Parks and Recreation Management Analyst Horta provided a summary of the Desert Sky Park Master Plan Project. She stated staff would be asking for the Council’s feedback on the overall design and amenities of the Master Plan. She noted the project team which included Town staff, Marc Taylor Inc. as the construction team and Kimley-Horn as the design team. She highlighted the phases, current amenities, park usage figures, design features, and the process included all virtual community outreach during the COVID-19 pandemic. She discussed the next steps of the approved concept plan, CIP Project Timeline, design, and construction. Designer Sean Wozny of Kimley-Horn highlighted the proposed concept plan including previous input, planning resources, and existing and needed data. He discussed information provided from the virtual community outreach meetings, the Parks and Recreation Board, and Town staff. He noted distributive parking, access points, shade, creating bay and festival areas, multi-use fields, and lighting as points identified. He highlighted major amenities including a championship field, a sensory playground, plaza area, trailheads, sand base fields, and parking circulation. Councilmember Tilque discussed the Recreational Vehicle (RV) space, stating it would not be good to be in the business of overnight parking. Analyst Horta said the intent was for the families who were there for multi-day tournaments to bring their RVs but not stay overnight; that the park would still close at night. Mayor Peterson reiterated that the intent was for them to leave, but said it may be hard to enforce. Councilmember Tilque discussed permits and enforcement. Parks and Recreation Director Carmona discussed gates, enforcement, and park rangers to escort guests off the property; he noted the benefits of providing a designated space with signs for RVs. Town Attorney Payne stated the Town could prohibit usage with signs. Councilmember Anderson discussed space for observation areas adjacent to the Public Safety Training Facility with shade. Analyst Horta stated there would be plenty of space where residents could watch safely without impeding traffic. Vice Mayor Koprowski asked if all drainage would be contained within the park site or did the track serve as retention basin. Designer Wozny talked about working with Flood Control to meet volume requirements and to utilize the existing bank, adding the park did not drain toward the track. Vice Koprowski discussed ingress and the access points and an additional access point for northeast corner of the site. Designer Wozny stated the area was kind of locked off in terms of access points being limited; the second channel had to remain but there were limited access points. Mayor Peterson stated the project looked amazing and noted requests for additional pickleball courts at other locations. She thanked the staff for the information and presentations. ADJOURN Mayor Peterson adjourned the meeting at 6:27 p.m. ATTEST: ___________________________ ___________________________________ Brigette Peterson, Mayor Chaveli Herrera, MMC, Town Clerk CERTIFICATION I hereby certify that the foregoing minutes are a true and correct copy of the minutes of the Study Session of the Town Council of the Town of Gilbert held on the 4th day of May, 2021. I further certify that the meeting was duly called and held and that a quorum was present. Dated this __________ day of _______________, 2021. ___________________________________ Chaveli Herrera, MMC, Town Clerk