City Council

City Council Meeting Minutes Wednesday, November 7, 2001 CITY OF SARATOGA SPRINGS CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2001 Present: Mayor Kenneth Klotz Commissioner of Finance, Michael Lenz Commissioner of Public Works, Thomas McTygue Commissioner of Public Safety, Thomas Curley Commissioner of Accounts, Bernard Mirling Staff Present: City Attorney Jeffrey Wait Deputy Commissioner Christine Gillmett-Brown Deputy Commissioner Bruce Brown Deputy Commissioner Robert King Deputy Commissioner Carol Kennedy Also Present: Supervisor Phil Klein Supervisor Anthony Scirocco SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT Commissioner Curley asked Mayor Klotz if Firefighter Robert Murphy could come to the microphone to make an announcement in reference to a fundraising event for some individuals affected by the September 11 tragedy. Bob Murphy introduced Joe Mack, owner of the Horseshoe Inn on Gridley Avenue. He said that there is a nice evening fundraiser planned at the “Horseshoe” this Saturday night, November 10, from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m., that will feature stars from the “Sopranos” television show, a band, special raffles, and all of the money raised will go to the Staten Island Fire Department memorial fund. Joe Mack said that the fund is called the “Friends Forever “ fund and the money is specifically earmarked for the wives and families of two firemen who were off-duty but came to help out at the WTC tragedy and were killed. He said that lots of items have been donated to be auctioned/raffled off. Bob Murphy displayed a memorial shirt that he designed and said that he is taking orders for the shirts. Commissioner Curley complimented Bob and Joe for their efforts. MAYOR'S DEPARTMENT Appearance: Hellmich Property Rezoning Mayor Klotz said that this item concerns a petition by Linda Hellmich to make a zoning map amendment to change the zoning on her property at 585 North Broadway from Urban Residential –1 to Urban Residential-2. Mayor Klotz asked Linda Hellmich to explain her proposal and then the City Council will vote whether to send the petition to the City and County Planing Board for the required advisory opinions. Linda Hellmich Page 1 of 16 City Council Meeting Minutes Wednesday, November 7, 2001 said that she is applying for the zoning map amendment for a piece of property between 581 and 595 North Broadway that has been in her family for 32 years. She said it was originally zoned UR-4, then changed in 1990 to UR-1. She said she would like to change it to UR-2 in order to build two two-family residences, one of which will be her house. She said that John Witt will be her partner in the development of this and she feels that this project will enhance North Broadway. Mayor Kenneth Klotz moved and Commissioner Thomas McTygue seconded to accept the petition for study and send the petition to the City and County Planing Boards for the required advisory opinions. Ayes all Schedule Public Hearing on Sales Tax Mayor Klotz said that he has had a reminder from Commissioner Curley that when the City Council voted to opt out of the County Sales Tax formula, it was agreed at the table to have a public hearing to give members of the public an opportunity to comment or give their opinions on that subject. He said because of his illness, the public hearing did not get scheduled earlier. Mayor Klotz said that there will be public hearings scheduled on the budget and since the subject of the Sales Tax has an impact on the budget, he thought the public hearing could be scheduled to coincide with a public hearing on the 2002 budget, maybe right before it. Commissioner Lenz asked about the required time span on setting a public hearing for next Tuesday, November 13. City Attorney Wait said that five days is enough time to allow for a public notice. Mayor Klotz and that the council agreed to schedule a public hearing on the Sales Tax issue at 6:30 pm Tuesday November 13. He said that a Public Hearing on the 2002 Budget would follow at 7:00 pm. Task Force on City Center Upgrade Mayor Klotz reported on his plans to form a task force on the City Center upgrade, an announcement he made late last month in response to the second portion of a feasibility study released this fall. He said that the City Center Authority has been working with a hired consultant for nearly a year now, so it is time to move it out from the authority into general public discussion. Mayor Klotz said that he wants to take several members of the City Center Authority and bring in some other business people not connected with the City Center Authority to look into some of the details and ideas that are being considered. He said that the feasibility study does analyze a couple of different scenarios for the upgrade of the City Center so this would broaden the group of people that are thinking about this, yet move forward with more specific details to float before the general public and ultimately before the City Council. Mayor Klotz explained that the City Council has no direct authority over the City Center Authority, but does pass on its budget, so they will have a say in any decisions that are made regarding this upgrade. Planning Board Request to Review Comprehensive Plan Amendment Mayor Klotz said that the City Planning Board asked the Mayor if the City Council could review an amendment to the Comprehensive Plan that the City Council made. He said that this particular amendment concerns the City Council being able to assert its authority Page 2 of 16 City Council Meeting Minutes Wednesday, November 7, 2001 at its discretion, to have the final say over the approval of special development projects. Mayor Klotz said that this amendment has been amended by memo, the language has been made more specific and that confirmation is on Commissioner Mirling's agenda. He said that the Planning Board voted 4 to 3 requesting the City Council to reconsider and rescind the amendment. Mayor Klotz said he does not think that the council will change its decision, but he feels that the council should be afforded the opportunity to rescind their amendment if they so choose, or comment if they wish. He said that there are implementation details to be worked out to the very general principle. He said he is sympathetic to the argument coming from the community of developers, but they should know the ground rules when presenting a project. He said that the intention of this amendment was not to evade the Planning Board and go directly to the City Council, the intention was to allow the process to play out before the Planning Board, allowing the City Council to review that decision and be the final authority. He said that this is where the mechanism for this needs to be specified soon, but he is comfortable with the amendment. The majority of four on the Planning Board want the City Council to reconsider and withdraw the amendment. Commissioner Lenz needed clarification on what the Mayor was asking the City Council to do. Mayor Klotz said the Planning Board is requesting that the City Council reconsider this amendment. The City Council agreed that since the amendment has been changed slightly and approved by memo, further discussion should be deferred to Commissioner Mirling's agenda. Recreation Department: Amendment to Senior Citizens Allocation (01-206) Recreation Director Linda Terricola said that the Senior Citizen allocation of $5400, which was approved at a past City Council meeting, was incorrect. She said that the amount approved should have been $5600, which matches the amount in the budget for Senior Citizen Center programs such as arts and crafts. She said it was an inadvertent mistake and the City Council approval needs to be for $5600. Mayor Kenneth Klotz moved and Commissioner Thomas McTygue seconded to correct the previous approval and approve $5600 instead of the $5400 amount approved 10/02 to fund the Senior Citizens recreation programs. Ayes all Recreation Department: Rental of Ballston Area Community Center Gym Space (01-207) Linda Terricola explained that the Ballston Area Community Center offered the City's Recreation Commission the opportunity to rent to rent gym time at thirty dollars per hour. She noted that their normal rental fee is sixty dollars per hour. She said that the City will bring its portable basketball goals and electronic scoreboard that were originally stored at the Armory. She said that this gym time would make up for the time that was lost due to the loss of use of the Armory facility. Mayor Kenneth Klotz moved and Commissioner Michael Lenz seconded that the City Council approval the proposal to rent the Ballston Area Community Center gymnasium for use by the City's Recreation Department for thirty dollars per hour, as presented by Recreation Director Linda Terricola. Ayes all Page 3 of 16 City Council Meeting Minutes Wednesday, November 7, 2001 Approval for Maximum Solutions Software – Scheduling Ice Rink/Fields (01-208) Linda Terricola requested City Council approval to purchase Maximum Solutions software in the amount of $3,310.95. She said that she and Kevin Kling, the City's Information Technician Specialist researched various scheduling software and found that this is the best software for the money. She said it would be a great advantage to the Recreation Department for scheduling the use of the ice rinks and the various recreation fields. Linda Terricola said that the money is in the budget for this. Commissioner Lenz asked if computers are used for scheduling now and Linda Terricola said that initially it done manually and then it is put on the computer, but this new software will enable them to put the schedule of facility usage directly onto the computer. Mayor Kenneth Klotz moved and Commissioner Thomas McTygue seconded to approve the expenditure of $3,310.95 to Maximum Solutions for software for the purpose of scheduling the ice rink and the fields . Ayes all YMCA Resolution This item was withdrawn when it was discovered that Commissioner McTygue had not seen the resolution and did not have time to review it. City Attorney Jeff Wait said that there is no urgency on this item as long as it is completed by the closing. City Attorney Wait said he will place it on the agenda for the November 20 City Council meeting. Set Public Hearing: Temporary Partial Building Restrictions Mayor Klotz said that this item concerns a recommendation from the Zoning Ordinance Review Committee to establish some limited restrictions on properties where the existing zoning is not compatible with the recently adopted Comprehensive Plan. He said that for the selected areas, the committee is recommending a temporary restriction on utility building and development permits from now until July 1, 2002, the date by which the committee anticipates having the land use regulations and zoning ordinance amendments approved by the City Council. He said that he is recommending that the City Attorney draft the necessary legislation for these development restrictions and that the document then be sent to the City and County Planning Boards for their advisory opinions. He said that the council does not need to take any action on this but he needs to set a Public Hearing. Mayor Klotz said that there needs to be a thirty-day notice. He said that a public hearing should be scheduled when these opinions have been returned. Mayor Klotz scheduled the Public Hearing for December 18 at 6:30. He said that a copy of that legislation will be made available for interested individuals to review and, if desired, comment on at the public hearing. ACCOUNTS DEPARTMENT Approval of October 16, 2001 City Council Minutes Page 4 of 16 City Council Meeting Minutes Wednesday, November 7, 2001 Commissioner Bernard Mirling moved and Commissioner Thomas Curley seconded to approve the minutes of the October 16 City Council meeting. Ayes all Confirmation of Approval by Memo: Comprehensive Plan Amendment (01-209) Commissioner Bernard Mirling moved and Mayor Kenneth Klotz seconded to confirm the approval by memo of the new wording of amendment #3 to the Comprehensive Plan which is stated “The City Council should retain authority for approval of large scale projects within the Special Development Areas.” Mayor Klotz said that the original amendment just gave the City Council wide range of authority to assert the council’s prerogative to have final say in any development decision. He said that the intention was to limit it to major projects within special development areas, which is the clarifying language, which has been approved by the Council by memo. He said that the Planning Board objected by a vote of four to three to including this amendment in the Comprehensive Plan. Commissioner Michael Lenz asked which amendment to the Comprehensive Plan the Planning Board objected to, the new or the original. Mayor Klotz said that they were referring to the original amendment but their objection was to the council being involved at all, so they would similarly be opposed to this version of the amendment as well. Commissioner Curley said he did not support the original amendment and therefore will not be supporting this confirmation. Commissioner Lenz said that although he supported on the original amendment, he has not signed the memo for this new version of the amendment and he does not intend to support the amendment. Commissioner Mirling said that this issue has been thoroughly discussed both during the development of the comprehensive plan and when it was presented to the public. He said that another public hearing is not necessary because the same people would come out and say the same things that have already been said and he thinks the amendment is appropriate and will be supporting it. Jeff Pfeil, Chairman of the Comprehensive Plan Committee said that this amendment was never discussed during the meetings of the Comprehensive Plan Committee. He said they never got into the City Council having any final jurisdiction. He said that has been told that what is being proposed is illegal unless it is reverted back to the way it was before the Dake Committee which is that the major developments were considered as PUD's, which the City Council had jurisdiction over, or it went before the Planning Board for a type of a special use permit situation. He said that there shouldn't be a situation where an applicant goes before the Planning Board for approval only to have the decision reversed by the City Council. He said either the Planning Board or the City Council must take jurisdiction, there can't be two entities. He said that at during the creation of the Comprehensive Plan, the issue of the City Council having final jurisdiction over projects was never discussed. Page 5 of 16 City Council Meeting Minutes Wednesday, November 7, 2001 Mayor Klotz says he remembers that at the discussions during the Dake Committee proposals back in 1998 and 1999, that this was a frequently discussed issue over what is now called the Special Development areas regarding who would have the final authority over the decision making process and at that time the decision was made to give the final say to the Planning Board. Jeff Pfeil agreed saying that this decision was made concerning the Special Development areas to take it out of the political arena of the City Council. Jeff Pfeil said that the real choice is to have the Special Development areas go back to being considered as PUD's instead of special use permit requirements being imposed. Commissioner Mirling said that the legal opinion that Jeff Pfeil has received is not in agreement with the legal opinion he had obtained on this issue. He said that the key issue is that this amendment is not going to have any impact until the zoning law can be used to support it. He said that the Zoning Law will define and clarify it and as such it will be legal and doable. Mayor Klotz said that the City Council needs to be responsive to the concern that Jeff Pfeil and the majority of the Planning Board has expressed. He said he is aware that the argument of legality has been made and that the Zoning Ordinance Review Committee needs to be attentive to this, and ensure that what they come up with as implementation language takes that into consideration. He said that in his opinion this does not effect the language of the Comprehensive Plan. Jeff Pfeil said that this amendment may deter developers because they would not want to proceed through what is a lengthy and expensive process, finally receive Planning Board approval only to have the City Council reverse that decision and deny the project when they were unaware that their project required council approval. Commissioner Mirling said that if the Zoning Law language is drafted in the appropriate manner, potential developers would know which projects are subject to City Council approval and which are not. Jeff Pfeil said that the problem is that this would put a lid on Special Development because developers would not risk going through the process of obtaining Planning Board approval knowing that the City Council may not approve the project under an entirely different scenario because of the financial risk. Mayor Klotz called for a vote on the motion. Ayes 3, Nays 2 (Curley, Lenz) Approval of Extension of Contract: All American Poly (01-210) Upon the recommendation of the Department of Public Works, Commissioner Bernard Mirling moved and Commissioner Thomas McTygue seconded for the approval of the extension of contract 1999-36 with All-American Poly for transfer bags under the same terms and conditions until December 31, 2001. Ayes all Page 6 of 16 City Council Meeting Minutes Wednesday, November 7, 2001 Award of Bid: Snowplow (01-211) Upon the recommendation of the Department of Public Works, Commissioner Bernard Mirling moved and Commissioner Thomas McTygue seconded to award bid for the eight-foot snow plow for the Dodge Ram 2500 gasoline engine pick-up to T&T Sales of Latham for $3,121.78 each including installation. Ayes all Commissioner Lenz asked if this is a bid for a number of plows or if it is a confirmation of price. Public Works Director William McTygue said that technically the bid is for one plow for each of the three trucks but the price is held open all year so if the department needs to buy more, the price will stay the same. Commissioner Bernard Mirling moved and Commissioner Thomas McTygue seconded to award bid for the eight-foot snow plow for the Dodge Ram 2500 diesel engine pickup truck to T&T Sales of Latham for $3,121.78 each including installation. Ayes all Commissioner Bernard Mirling moved and Commissioner Thomas McTygue seconded to award the bid for the nine-foot snowplow for the Ford F450 Super Duty diesel engine truck to Arrowhead Equipment, Inc. of Queensbury for $4,143 each including installation. Ayes all Award of Bid: Equipment for Fire Department’s New Engine (01-212) Upon the recommendation of the Department of Public Safety, Commissioner Bernard Mirling moved and Commissioner Thomas Curley seconded to award the bid for assorted equipment for the Fire Department’s new fire engine as follows: To Garrison Fire Equipment of Palenville, NY in the amount of $2,604.00 Ayes all To Adirondack Fire Equipment of Schenectady in the amount of $1,642.65 Ayes all To Emergency Equipment Supply of Albany, NY in the amount of $7,169.95 Ayes all To Har Rob Fire Equipment of Syracuse in the amount of $1,387.00 Ayes all To Firefighters Equipment of Schenectady in the amount of $1029.00 Ayes all To Tyler Fire Equipment of Elmira in the amount of $11,973.85 Ayes all To VRS Fire Equipment of Clifton Park in the amount of $4,359.20 Ayes all Mayor Klotz asked if all of these awards were for one fire truck. Commissioner Curley said that all of these awards were for various pieces of equipment for the new fire engine that will be delivered around the third week of December. Approval: Contract Amendment/City Center Floor Repair (01-213) Upon the recommendation of the City Center Authority, Commissioner Bernard Mirling moved and Mayor Kenneth Klotz seconded to approve the change order request of an additional $4,500 for completion of the previously approved repair of the City Center Kitchen/Wedge Room Floor. Page 7 of 16 City Council Meeting Minutes Wednesday, November 7, 2001 FINANCE DEPARTMENT Appearance Recreation Task Force Committee This was report was presented after the Public Works agenda and prior to the Department of Public Safety's agenda for the convenience of the task force chairman. Approve Payrolls Commissioner Michael Lenz moved and Commissioner Bernard Mirling seconded to approve the payroll for 10/19/01 in the amount of $ 313,086.68, for 10/26/01 in the amount of $316,672.65, and for 11/02/01 in the amount of $310,171.29. Ayes all Approve Warrants Commissioner Michael Lenz moved and Commissioner Thomas Curley seconded to approve the following warrants: 1NOV01 – Warrant 2 – 36 General Fund $ 240,831.46 City Center Authority 8,559.19 Water Fund 43,851.92 Sewer Fund 4,674.94 Capital Projects Fund 52,990.67 Special Assessment District 175.00 Trust Fund 17,112.50 Debt Service -0- Community Development 115,655.27 Total Warrant $ 483,850.95 Ayes all MC011024 – WARRANT 2 - 7 General Fund $ 696,323.79 City Center Authority 9,969.98 Water Fund 3,027.97 Sewer Fund 947.90 Capital Project -0- Special Assessment District -0- Trust Fund -0- Debt Service -0- Community Development -0- Total Warrant $ 710,269.64 Ayes all Page 8 of 16 City Council Meeting Minutes Wednesday, November 7, 2001 MC011031 – WARRANT 2 - 3 General Fund $ 4,724.50 City Center Authority 16.50 Water Fund 122.66 Sewer Fund 464.85 Capital Project -0- Special Assessment District -0- Trust Fund -0- Debt Service -0- Community Development -0- Total Warrant $ 5,328.51 Ayes all Approve Budget Amendments (see Attached) Commissioner Michael Lenz moved and Commissioner Bernard Mirling seconded to approve the budget amendments as distributed. Ayes all Approve Budget Transfers (see attached) Commissioner Michael Lenz moved and Mayor Kenneth Klotz seconded to approve the budget transfers as distributed. Ayes all Set Public Hearings and Workshops for 2002 Budget Commissioner Michael Lenz confirmed the public hearing for the 2002 budget set for Tuesday November 13 at 7 pm, followed by a budget workshop. He said he also wants to set a public hearing for Tuesday, November 20 at 6:45 pm., which is a City Council meeting night. He said he would have the updated budget proposal distributed to the City Council members by Friday and put on the website so that the public can take a look at it. Commissioner Lenz commented that Commissioner McTygue is going on vacation on November 24 and if all goes well, hopefully the City Council will be able to adopt the 2002 budget on November 20. He said that between November 13 and November 20, more workshops can be scheduled if necessary. He said that if Mayor Klotz desired, a workshop could be scheduled only to discuss the 2002 Capital Budget. Mayor Klotz said his preference is to discuss the capital budget on Tuesday November 13. Commissioner Lenz said that if another workshop is needed, they could schedule one. DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS Waive of Bid – Monahan & Loughlin Commissioner Thomas McTygue moved and Commissioner Bernard Mirling seconded to approve a waive of bid to Monahan & Loughlin for the purchase and installation of the slate roof for the Carousel project in the amount of $37,500. Page 9 of 16 City Council Meeting Minutes Wednesday, November 7, 2001 Commissioner McTygue said that since this is a very specialized project, they were very fortunate to find someone to perform the work at the end of November. He said the money is in the capital budget for this. Ayes all Ratification of Previously Approved Expenditures by Memo 1) Saratoga Sod Farm: (01-214) Commissioner Thomas McTygue moved and Commissioner Bernard Mirling seconded to confirm the approval by memo of the expenditure of $1,684 to Saratoga Sod Farm for topsoil for the Geyser Road Recreation Field. The money is in the budget for this. Ayes all 2) Bruce Fence Company: (01-215) Commissioner McTygue explained that this item was on his agenda as a previously approved expenditure, but he only received two approvals so he requesting a waive of bid. Commissioner Thomas McTygue moved and Mayor Kenneth Klotz seconded to approve a waive of bid for Bruce Fence Company in the amount of $17,040 for fencing around the baseball diamond at the Geyser Road Recreation Field. He said that Spa Catholic is moving their baseball activities and baseball facilities to the Geyser Road Recreation field. DPW has laid out the field and applied the sod, and all that is required now is the fencing. He said that the new baseball diamond would establish Spa Catholic's program at Geyser field rather than at the West Side field. He said that Spa Catholic has donated $5,000 towards this project. Commissioner McTygue said that this is an unusual request at this time of year but things have progressed so well, he wants to finish the project. He said this is the first improvement done at Geyser Fields in a long time. He said that the Recreation Commission has approved this project including the change from the West Side Field to Geyser Park. He said he is requesting that the shortfall of $14,040 be taken from the contingency budget so that this project can be completed this fall, making the fields playable for the beginning of spring 2002. Commissioner McTygue said the total cost is $17,040. He said that part of the five thousand dollar donation was used for work that was done on the field, including sod. He said there is a lot of fencing, including backstops that need to be done, but it is a major improvement that will last for years and he would like to get the project done before the ground freezes. Commissioner Mirling asked if this baseball diamond is exclusively for Spa Catholic. Commissioner McTygue said they would use the baseball diamond. Recreation Director Linda Terricola said that Babe Ruth will be allowed to use it also. It is the Spa Catholic's home field. Phonsey Lambert said that other organizations would use it also. Commissioner Lenz said he has discussed the change from the West Side field to Geyser with Phonsey Lambert and he feels it is going to be better for them. He said that there are numerous stories about baseballs being hit into the fields where smaller kids are playing, so it has been a difficult situation for them. He said that Spa Catholic is excited and Phonsey stepped up to the plate to raise some money for the new field. He said it is great to see people going out and generating some funds. He said it is difficult for the City to keep putting forth money for these things, so it is nice to see the community participating. He said that although the contingency had been drawn down, the money drawn out for 85 Page 10 of 16 City Council Meeting Minutes Wednesday, November 7, 2001 Beekman Street has been reimbursed so he would like to take the $14,040 out of contingency to avoid dipping into the City's surplus. Commissioner McTygue said that this project frees up the baseball diamond at the West Side field so anyone will be able to schedule and play there. Phonsey Lambert said that in the future Spa Catholic is planning to add things to the fields such as batting cages. He said they do annual baseball fundraisers because they like to give back to the fields and help out with maintenance, building a bullpen, something to contribute for the use of the fields. He says that this is beneficial to the community because now there are two legal sized fields, which will take some pressure off of the big diamond at the East Side Recreation field. Mayor Klotz confirmed that this approval is not a confirmation of a previously approved item, but it is an original approval. Ayes all 3) Environmation: (01-216) Commissioner Thomas McTygue moved and Mayor Kenneth Klotz seconded to confirm the approval by memo of the expenditure to Environmation Technology Inc. for turbidity monitoring and recording system for the water treatment plant in the amount of $7,695. Commissioner McTygue said the money is in the water budget for this. Ayes all 4) Chief Industries: (01-217) Commissioner Thomas McTygue moved and Mayor Kenneth Klotz seconded to confirm the approval by memo of the expenditure to Chief Industries in the amount of $5,553 for structural steel elements for the Carousel. Commissioner McTygue said that the money is in the capital budget for this. Ayes all Elimination of Rec Water Bills Commissioner McTygue said that it has come to his attention that Utilities has been billing the Recreation Fields for water use, specifically the Division Street Field, the South Side Recreation Field, and the East Side Recreation Field. He said that it does not make sense to be sending out water bills for fields used by the City, so he is looking to make the adjustments on these bills. He said he thinks a vote is necessary because they are waiving the bills that were sent for payment to these fields for water use. Commissioner Thomas McTygue moved and Commissioner Bernard Mirling seconded to approve the waiving of the payment of these water bills. Ayes all. Commissioner McTygue said that the bills were created initially to keep track of the water usage on these fields. Permission for Mayor to sign Interlaken Homeowners Association Agreement (01-218) Commissioner McTygue said he is requesting City Council approval for the Mayor to sign an emergency sewer maintenance agreement with Interlaken Homeowners Association. He said he has passed the agreement around to council members. Commissioner Thomas McTygue moved and Commissioner Bernard Mirling seconded for approval for the Mayor to sign the emergency sewer maintenance agreement with Interlaken Homeowners Association, at the rate of $200.00 per call, Page 11 of 16 City Council Meeting Minutes Wednesday, November 7, 2001 including twenty-four hour emergency call-in service, commencing on January 1, 2002 and continuing for a period of two years. Ayes all Permission for Mayor to Sign Agreement with Niagara Mohawk/Excelsior Avenue (01- 219) Commissioner McTygue said he is requesting City Council approval for the Mayor to sign an agreement with Niagara Mohawk, as part of the construction of temporary roads in conjunction with the environmental remediation project. Commissioner Thomas McTygue moved and Commissioner Bernard Mirling seconded for City Council approval for the Mayor to sign the agreement with Niagara Mohawk to grant them a temporary access to cross City owned right-of-ways located along the south side of Excelsior Avenue for the consideration of one dollar, to terminate on December 31, 2003. Ayes all. Commissioner McTygue said he passed the agreement around to City Council members last week. FINANCE DEPARTMENT Appearance: Recreation Task Force Committee Matt Jones, Chairman of the Recreation Task Force gave a report of the findings of the task force, which included computerized photos of the City's facilities. He thanked the City Council for the inviting him. He thanked the committee, which included Mike Ingersol, Alane Ball, Beau Kilmer, Bob Spratt, Rose Zacek, Dave Patterson, John Irving, Ex Officio and Christine Gillmett-Brown, staff. He said that the task force included individuals involved with the work of the Open Space Committee, the West Side Neighborhood Association, the Recreation Commission, the involvement of the Department of Public Works, a landscaper and designer from the LA Group and the Saratoga Springs School system. He said the task force was commissioned on the first of May to do two things, the first was to gather information regarding the recreational needs and the need for recreational facilities in this community; to assess what facilities the City has and then to identify areas within the City that are suitable for recreational purposes and identify possible locations in those areas for recreational facilities. Matt Jones said that the committee took an inventory of the Recreation Department's facilities of which there are seven including the East Side and West Side Recreation fields which are owned by the Saratoga Springs school district, the South Side field, Geyser Park, North Side Recreation field, the Gilbert Road field, a brand new area that the City is currently leasing and the Weibel Avenue PBA field. He said that after taking inventory, the committee came to five conclusions: 1) Inadequate number of outdoor facilities and fields to meet the needs and demands of the City residents and City programs. Page 12 of 16 City Council Meeting Minutes Wednesday, November 7, 2001 2) Inadequate number of indoor facilities - The City is dependent upon its relationships with outside entities and agencies such as the school district, the Town of Wilton and Skidmore college for its use of indoor facilities for its basketball, lacrosse and volleyball programs, and the availability of such facilities is inadequate to meet the needs and demands of this community. 3) The City's trail system for walking and biking is good but is not linked, so the City should find ways to expand this trail system consistent with the goals and vision enacted in the recently approved Comprehensive Plan. 4) Lack of adequate funding for maintenance and capital improvements to the City’s outdoor facilities has rendered some of the City’s recreation fields substandard. The fields require specialized seeding, fertilizing, drainage, irrigation, equipment and maintenance routines beyond the normal services currently provided by the City. He said that there are not enough fields to effectively rest and rotate the fields. He said that funds should be used to re-design and re-configure layouts of existing fields for safety and maximum use. 5) Lack of accountability – He explained that the delivery of recreational services is complicated by the division of authority over facilities and maintenance. in that the East and the West side fields are owned by the City School District and leased to the City with an annually renewable lease agreement between the school district and the City. The Recreation Commission supervises the City’s recreational programs, but maintenance of the fields on which the programs are run is the responsibility of the Department of Public Works. He said that private programs like Little League have assumed partial responsibility for field maintenance and capital improvements. This lack of a clear line of responsibility and authority for recreation programs and field maintenance makes for a cumbersome operation and a number of parents and coaches have said that it is not clear whom they should see when they have a problem with recreation or recreation facilities. Matt Jones said that the Recreation Task Force (RTF) came up with six recommendations for the City Council: 1) Acquire new fields with Gilbert Road being the first. He said the RTF recommends that the City secure an “option to purchase” agreement with the owners of the Gilbert Road facility and make use of the expertise afforded by the Planning Board and its staff, Office of the City Engineer, and specialists to assess the proposed site plan, including the layout of drainage on the field, traffic patterns, and parking facilities, and then exercise the option and acquire the property. 2) Increase the City's financial commitment for Recreation, specifically for land- acquisition, field construction, and maintenance. The RTF recommends budgeting $20,000 in 2002 to hire specialists to make recommendations on the existing water and drainage systems for various fields, to develop rotation standards, and to help design and re-configure fields for the safest and best utilization of them. Page 13 of 16 City Council Meeting Minutes Wednesday, November 7, 2001 3) Acquire a piece of land suitable for the construction of an indoor recreational facility designed to accommodate programs including basketball, volleyball, indoor lacrosse, indoor field hockey and indoor track.. The Recreation Task Force recommends the City focus its land acquisition search to available parcels on Weibel Avenue, Excelsior Avenue, and West Avenue because all three areas have existing infrastructures sufficient to accommodate the contemplated facility and mass transit services all three areas which is a key component in site selection. Matt Jones noted that the Department of Public Works is currently studying the Gilbert road site and another site in the area. 4) The Recreation Commission should budget for some capital construction at the various fields including permanent public toilet facilities, sanitary connections to the concession stand at the East Side Rec field and lighting for various fields and courts to add to the hours of play at several locations. Immediate priority should be given to constructing a field house and maintenance/storage facility at the West Side field. 5) The RTF recommends eliminating the annually renewable agreement between the City and the School District and instead they should enter into a long-term lease agreement. 6) Place the responsibilities for facility maintenance and programming under a single management unit. Mayor Klotz asked if the task force considered the fact that a large number of the participants in the City’s recreational programs are not City residents; that the programs seem to be serving the school district, not just City residents. Matt Jones said that some private programs such as the Little League have boundaries that include Wilton, so it is all but impossible to limit participation exclusive of neighboring towns and he suggests trying to get money from the towns for field maintenance and administration costs. Commissioner McTygue said that from the participation at Weibel Avenue and Gilbert Road fields, it is obvious that the City is not providing recreational programs just for the children of Saratoga Springs. He said that the Saratoga Youth Soccer League is open to other kids with a fee differential between City, School District and non-School District residents. Matt Jones summarized that the City should secure an option to purchase Gilbert Road, evaluate the site in terms of parking, drainage, traffic flow, sewer and essentially do an environmental impact. Commissioner Lenz asked if the intent would be to use the Gilbert Road parcel for an indoor facility. Matt Jones responded that this area is designated for a charette in the Comprehensive Plan and there is no sanitary sewer and serious traffic limitations. Commissioner Lenz said it is important to point out that theses issues will continue to be Page 14 of 16 City Council Meeting Minutes Wednesday, November 7, 2001 pertinent and the City Council should try to prioritize now, through the next sic years looking toward the future. He said that they might proceed slowly by acquiring the Gilbert Road field, develop field maintenance programs, and create space by reconfiguring the layout of the fields. Beau Kilmer said that if an indoor facility is managed the way the ice rinks are managed now, the ensuing revenues should offset expenses to break even. Mayor Klotz said that the five-year capital plan allocates the money but the details need to be hammered out. Matt Jones commented that the report includes a financial analysis in the appendix. He said that the City does not spend a lot of money on recreational programs, and since the demand for these programs is high, there is a need for more funding and room to grow to meet that demand. Matt Jones thanked Deputy Finance Commissioner Christine Gillmett-Brown for her assistance to the task force. A member of the audience asked about transportation, noting that inner City kids are not going to be able to get to a facility on Weibel Avenue because most of them have to walk everywhere. Alane Ball responded that the committee considered this and suggested that the trails could be used when they are linked. He commented that the trails are dark and he suggests that the task force consider the safety of walking and biking to this facility. Phonsey Lambert said that the lack of public transportation is a problem and for example it is the reason that the number of participants in youth boxing has declined since the program moved to Weibel Avenue. He urged the City Council to include in their consideration the issue of public transportation. DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY Capital Budget Change Commissioner Curley said that this item is in conjunction with Commissioner Mirling's awards of bid indicating a commitment to purchase equipment for the new fire truck. He said that there is a line item in this year's capital budget of $25,000 regarding Public Safety renovation and repair work that he was proposing to do on his offices. Commissioner Curley explained that he made a decision that equipment for the new fire truck was more important than paint, carpeting and repairs on the Public Safety Offices. He said that when it was agreed to purchase the fire truck, the City Council committed to take any monies that were needed to pay for the truck or purchase equipment from the City's contingency or surplus fund. He said he felt that if he could divert the money set aside in the capital fund for office repair work to use to equip the fire truck, it would reduce the amount that the City Council would have to take out of the contingency fund or surplus. He said he would propose to re-deploy that twenty-five thousand dollars originally budgeted for the Public Safety office updates/repairs and use that toward the purchase of the equipment for the fire truck. Commissioner Thomas Curley moved and Commissioner Bernard Mirling seconded to commit the twenty five thousand Page 15 of 16 City Council Meeting Minutes Wednesday, November 7, 2001 dollars originally set aside in the Capital Budget for repairs and updates to the Public Safety Offices and instead use that money for the purchase of equipment for the City's new fire truck. Ayes all Mayor Klotz asked Commissioner Curley if he had discussed the appropriateness of this use of capital funds with Deputy Commissioner Gillmett. Commissioner Curley responded that City Attorney Jeff Wait researched and determined that there has been precedence that enables this allows this to be done and he and Deputy Commissioner Gillmett had agreed on this proposal. Job Title Update (01-220) Commissioner Curley said he is making a job title change requesting that the position in the Police Department of Identification Officer be re-titled to that of Identification Clerk. He said that both the Civil Service Employees Association and the Civil Service Commission have approved this change. He said this basically a housekeeping issue. Mayor Klotz asked if this needed approval by the City Council and Commissioner Curley explained that a change in job title is contractual and therefore needs City Council approval. Commissioner Thomas Curley moved and Mayor Kenneth Klotz seconded to approve the job title change from Identification Officer to Identification Clerk. Ayes all ADJOURNMENT Seeing no further business at the council table, Mayor Klotz asked for a motion to adjourn. Commissioner Thomas McTygue moved and Commissioner Bernard Mirling seconded to adjourn the meeting at 8:50 pm. Respectfully submitted, Nancy Wagner Clerk Adopted: Page 16 of 16