Town Council

MINUTES OF THH REGULAR MEETING OF THE HONORABLE TOWN COUNCIL OF THE TOWN OF PINETOP-LAKESIDE, ARIZONA, HELD ON THURSDAY, APRIL 21, 2022, IN THE TOWN COUNCIL CHAMBERS LOCATED AT 325 W. WIIITE MOUNTAIN B0ULHVARD, LAKESIDE, AZ 85929 > Call to Order Mayor Irwin called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.in. > Roll Call The following Council Members were present: Name Position Stephanie Irwin Mayor Lynn Krigbaum Council Member Jim Snitzer Council Member Paul Watson Council Member Sterling Beus Council Member Taber Heisler Council member The following Council Members were absent: Name Position Jeny Smith Vice Mayor Also Present: Name Position Keith Johnson Town Manager Kevin Rodolph Assistant Town Manager/Finance Director Kristi Salskov Town Clerk Daniel Bames Police Chief Daniel Wilkey Police Commander Tony Alba Community Services Manager Matt Patterson Public Works Director Malaina Spillman Public Works Assistant to the Director Minutes of the Town Council Regular Meeting -April 21, 2022 Page 2 Betsy Peck Library Manager Stacy MacArthur Accountant Mackenzie Valichnac Community Development Administrative Assistant > Pledge of Allegiance and Invocation Mayor Irwin led the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag. Emie Jaurique offered the Invocation. 8. Call to the public Mayor Irwin called for public comments. No comments were offered. C. Consent Agenda Mayor Irwin announced consideration of the Consent Agenda and explained that all items listed would be acted upon by a single vote of the Council, unless a member of the Council asked that specific items be removed from the Consent Agenda, discussed, and voted upon separately. Council Member Beus moved for passage of the Consent Agenda. Council Member Krigbaum seconded the motion and by show of hands the following vote was recorded: AYES NAYS ABSTAIN Mayor Irwin X Council Member Krigbaum X Council Member Snitzer X Council Member Watson X Council Member Beus X Council Member Heisler X Mayor Irwin then declared that all consent agenda items in these minutes were approved, passed, and adopted with a 6-0 vote. C.1 Consider approval of the Minutes of the Town council Minutes Of the Town Council Regular Meeting -April 21, 2022 Page 3 Meeting held on April 7, 2022. By a unanimous vote under the Consent Agenda, Town Council approved the minutes of the Town Council Meeting held on April 7, 2022. D. Business Before the council Mayor Irwin announced that Public Comment will be taken at the beginning of each agenda item, after the subject has been announced by the Mayor and explained by Staff. Any citizen, who wishes, may speak one time for five minutes on each agenda item before or after Council discussion. Questions from Council Members, however, may be directed to staff or a member of the public through the Mayor at any time. D.1 Presentation and recognition of FBLA students from Blue Ridge Unified School District. Mayor Irwin stated that one of her goals for the future is to have a better connection between the Town and the Blue Ridge School District by celebrating the successes of local students. Mayor Irwin added that unfortunately the Town hears negative things way too often and tonight she has invited a couple of students that the Town would like to recognize. Mayor Irwin shared that it is her goal to continue this pattern going forward. Malaina Spillman of Public Works presented the following awards to Mr. Webb, principal of Blue Ridge High School. Spillman explained that the students were not present to accept the awards because they were both being inducted into the National Honor Society. Spillman added that Chloe Yorksmith and Daniel Webb recently attended a FBLA competition and received the following awards. • Chloe Yorksmith 1 St Place-Hospitality and Event Management • Daniel webb 1 St Place- Hospitality and Event Management 2nd Place- Client Services. D.2 Presentation of the Blue Ridge Jr. High 4-H Engineering and Physics Club Eco Spartans efforts toward the conservation, preservation, and restoration of our community's natural resources. Minutes Of the Town Council Regular Meeting -April 21, 2022 Page 4 James Fawcett of the Blue Ridge Jr. High 4-H Engineering and Physics Club presented. Presentation is available to view at https://youtu.be/74TNclDNBdl Mayor Irwin stated that she manages and works with all the water districts in the White Mountains and feels that this is an area of grave concern. Mayor Irwin asked if it would be possible for the maps from the presentation to be available to review closer. James Fawcett responded that he would get the Power Point presentation to the Clerk and mentioned an interactive site where you can click on any watershed and see all of the data for that watershed. Fawcett did not have the name of the site but will send it to the Town Clerk to share. Mayor Irwin invited Sara Chudnoff to introduce herself. Sara Chudnoff shared that she is a hydrogeologist and a registered professional geologist and that she relocated to Pinetop from Payson almost a year ago. Chudnoff stated that her husband works for Apache Sitgreaves and that she does some consulting work. Chudnoff shared that she is passionate about groundwater and groundwater education. Chudnoff added that she is very excited for the Earth Day event on Saturday, April 23, 2022, at Woodland Lake as well as getting the monitoring site up and running which will offer real time telemetry as well as having another weather station in Town. Mayor Irwin thanked Mrs. Chudnoff for her help with Blue Ridge students and the community. D.3 Consider Resolution No. 22-1613 and council Decision Request presented by Town Manager Keith Johnson to authorize the hiring of Kristi Salskov as Town Clerk. Town Manager Keith Johnson shared the following comments, "A4lrs. Scz/$4ov begr73 working for the Town of Pinetop-Lakeside in June Of 2020 in the Town Clerk' s offilce as the assistant to the Town Clerk. In September Of 2020, she was given additional responsibilities in the HR department as well as cemetery administrator. That's probably the hardest job Of them all, it can be an emotional job, helping people through a challenging and trying time in their lives and she has done very, very well. In June Of 2021, she was promoted to the Deputy Clerk and continued with HR responsibilities and as a cemetery administrator. In February of 2022, she was asked Minutes Of the Town Council Regular Meeting -April 21, 2022 Page 5 to assume the interim Town Clerk responsibilities. One thing about Kristi is that wherever there's been a need, wherever there has been a hole or anything that needed to be done, Kristi was always willing to jump in. Kristi didn't always lonow how to do it, but she was a person to get in there and figure out how to get it done and has helped us out immeasurably over these last couple of years. She has enough credits currently to apply fior the Certified Municipal Clerk designation. So, she will be doing that very quickly and just so everybody knows, not every community up here has a certified clerk. We have always been blessed to have certified clerks that go on to get their additional designations. In July Kristi will attend classes fior elections. So, she is on a speed course and has been working very hard over the last two years to get all of the training that she needs. We have shifted some Of the HR responsibilities to Stacy and she has been a big help. Kristi will continue with some of the HR responsibilities as well. I recommend that Kristi be appointed as the Town Clerk f;or Pinetop-Lakeside. Council Member Krigbaum moved to approve Resolution No. 22-1613 and Council Decision Request presented by Town Manager Keith Johnson to authorize the hiring of Kristi Salskov as Town Clerk. Council Member Beus seconded the motion and by a show of hands the following vote was recorded. AYES NAYS ABSTAIN Mayor Irwin X Council Member Krigbaum X Council Member Snitzer X Council Member Watson X Council Member Beus X Council Member Heisler X Mayor lrwin declared Resolution No. 22-1613 passed with a 6-0 vote. D.4 Reports from council committee Liaisons and Town Manager. Council Member Snitzer shared that TRACKS has resumed trail work on the west side of Show Low on the Chihuahua Pines trail because of less mud, as May comes around and it is warmer in Show Low, they will move to trails in the Pinetop area. Councilor Snitzer added that they have been working on getting their tools sharpened and tuned up which makes the trail work easier and more productive. Councilor Snitzer also shared that TRACKS is working on getting approval for a new trail on Minutes of the Town Cour.cil Regular Meeting -April 21, 2022 Page 6 Blue Ridge Mountain which will be approximately 3-5 miles for those wanting to do a shorter hike than the current 9-mile trail around Blue RIdge Mountain. Council Member Snitzer also shared that the Nature Center has resumed programs after being shut down for nearly two years. Councilor Snitzer stated that they have Saturday events that are great for kids and evening events that are great for adults. Councilor Snitzer urged everyone to check it out adding that the Nature Center is also working on a show with raptors that they buy as babies and train for two years and then give exhibitions. Councilor Snitzer shared that the Nature Center has an owl, a red-tailed hawk, and a crow and are working on getting an aplomado falcon which is native to Arizona but very, very rare because their habitat has been destroyed. Councilor Snitzer stated that construction costs came in higher than planned but fortunately they have a donor to help in building an amphitheater which will be a tremendous asset to the Town. Additionally, Councilor Snitzer shared that the Rainbow Lake Group has been talking to the Irrigation Company trying to work with them constructively. Councilor Snitzer shared that the carp that were introduced into Rainbow Lake have eliminated the weeds which is what they were meant to do, however, this has eliminated habitat for fish. Councilor Snitzer added that Game and Fish stocks extra-large fish in Rainbow Lake because pike are predators of rainbow trout, and they have no place to hide. Councilor Snitzer added that when Woodland Lake was drained, they added structures called Georgia cubes which are approximately 4x4x4 and made of PVC pipe which acts as a habitat for fish. Snitzer shared that they questioned whether they could introduce the Georgia cubes to Rainbow Lake to improve the fishery. Snitzer shared that Game and Fish can't do that because there is a lot of bureaucracy involved. Councilor Snitzer stated that someone asked the question, "what if somebody were to buy Georgia cubes and stick them in Rainbow Lake?" and the answer was, "if the Irrigation Company would accept that, go for it." Councilor Snitzer said they will work with the Irrigation Company on this project. Lastly, Councilor Snitzer shared that the Spring Camival will be held May 26-30, 2022, at the Nature Center adding that tickets are for sale at Town Hall, the Library, and in the schools. Council Member Watson offered no report. Council Member Heisler shared that he had attended the Humane Society's board meeting. Councilor Heisler stated that they had elected Kellen Nicholson as a new board member and that Dan Allen has been hired as the new director for the Humane Society. Councilor Heisler shared concern that the shelter is full, and they are seeing Minutes of the Town Council Regular Meeting -April 21, 2022 Page 7 the same trend across Arizona. Currently they are working on sending some animals to Lake Havasu. Councilor Heisler stated the Humane Society has secured a building for the Happy Tails event to be held in July and August. Council Member Beus stated that he attended the Blue Ridge School Board meeting and shared that the Beauty and the Beast production was a huge success, and they were proud of all that participated. Councilor Beus added that the Blue Ridge High School band got the second highest ratings at a competition that they had attended. Councilor Beus shared that there will be more dual enrollment classes with NPC and will make it possible for seniors to graduate, not only from high school, but with an associate's degree. Beus also noted that Blue Ridge students in college graduated at three (3) times the rate of those from surrounding high schools. Lastly, Councilor Beus shared that Dr. Wright is putting together a committee of parents and community members for a sex education committee regarding sex education in the schools which will start at the sixth-grade level. Beus shared that the first meeting for this committee will be April 26, 2022, at 5:30 p.in. in the District board room. Council Member Krigbaum offered no report. Mayor Irwin shared that the Blue Ridge Scholarship Golf Tournament will be held April 30th at White Mountain Country Club and that there are still openings for those who would like to sign up to golf. Mayor Irwin added that she would like to thank staff and their spouses who made the Easter party a huge success and felt it was an amazing event. Mayor Irwin also thanked Public Works Director Matt Patterson and assistant Malaina Spillman as well as the entire Public Works Department for their hard work at Mountain Meadow Park and the soccer fields. Town Manager Keith Johnson shared that Vice Mayor Jeny Smith asked him to share the new name of the Senior Center which will now be known as the White Mountain Community Center and invited all to follow them on Facebook. Manager Johnson reminded Council and staff that Friday moming April 22, 2022, at 8:00 a.in. is the ADOT highway cleanup which will start at Town Hall. Johnson also shared that Navajo County is hosting a 5k at Woodland Lake Park on Friday, April 22, 2022, at 12:00 p.in. and all are invited to participate. Johnson noted that April is National County Government month. E. Adjournment There being no further business at this time, the regular meeting was adjourned at approximately 6:35 p.in. Minutes Of the Town Council Regular Meeting -April 21, 2022 Page 8 uwh Stephanie Irwin Mayor ATTEST: Town Clerk CERTIFICATI0N I hereby certify that the foregoing minutes are a true and correct copy of the minutes of the Regular meeting of the Town Council of Town of pinetop-Lakeside, Arizona, held on the 21St day of April 2022. I further certify that the meeting was duly called and held and that a quorum was present. Dated this 21 st day of April 2022. Town Clerk