Informational Meeting

MINUTES Informational Meeting Tuesday, February 25, 2020 at 4:00 PM Carnegie Town Hall, 235 West 10th St., Sioux Falls, SD 57104 1. Call To Order Council Members Present: Janet Brekke, Christine M. Erickson, Rick Kiley, Greg Neitzert, Pat Starr, Theresa Stehly Council Members Absent: Marshall Selberg, Curt Soehl City Council Vice Chair Greg Neitzert called the meeting to order at 4 p.m. 2. City Council Open Discussion Council Member Christine M. Erickson spoke about a recent business trip to Pierre, which included a visit to the Legislature. She said a stalking bill passed unanimously that allows State Attorneys to take into consideration past stalking charges from other states. Council Member Theresa Stehly said she attended a Public Transit Advisory Board meeting, where they were discussing the On Demand pilot program, for busses. She expressed her appreciation of City staff expressing their gratitude to those who presented public input. Stehly also spoke about being on South Dakota Public Radio to discuss beekeeping, with Julie DeJong, Animal Control, and Tim Olsen, President of the Northwestern Iowa Beekeepers Association. She added that Olsen will be teaching a 2-day class on beekeeping this weekend, which aligns with a recent beekeeping ordinance passed by the City. Stehly said there are more things to come this summer with developing more environmentally sustainable procedures for flowers and different kinds of grasses in your yard. 3. Presentations A. Washington Pavilion Parapet and Cornice Condition Assessment and Study by Liz Squyer, Principal Architect, Architecture Incorporated Presentation: Approximately 20 minutes followed by discussion Scott Rust, Purchasing Manager, provided a brief introduction of Architecture Incorporated and noted their long term work with the Washington Pavilion. Steve Jastram, Principal Architect, began the presentation by commending the City for doing a great job of maintaining the building since 1920. He then spoke about the exterior work that has been done to the Pavilion since 2000. Jastram indicated  that overall the building envelope is in good shape, with the exception of the Parapet and Cornice. He then explained that the Parapet is the railing and system above the roof. The Parapet is not a part of the roof, it sticks out above the roof, and is primarily used for aesthetics. Jastram explained that if there are any leaks and cracks and water gets in through the Parapet, it will drain inside the walls and create havoc. The Cornice sits below the Parapet and sticks out a couple of feet from the building, with reinforcement bars that hold it in place. For the past 100 years, water has been getting into the building and the bars have been getting wet and rusting. Jastram said a couple of years ago the City hired a forensic testing engineering company out of Minneapolis, called Encompass Inc., and Arch Inc., to take apart some of the Parapet and Cornice to analyze where the leaks were coming from and how bad was it. Jastram summarized the reports from 2017 and 2019. Ron Griebel, Senior Project Coordinator, used a diagram to review the problems with the Parapets and Cornices based off the Encompass reports. Jastram reviewed options for replacing the terra cotta Parapets and Cornices. It was recommended that the terra cotta be replaced with fiberglass. Griebel spoke about going to Cleveland to tour the fiberglass company; and seeing buildings that have fiberglass features. He used the diagram to point out to the Council the work that would be done to the Parapets and Cornices. Jastram presented a repair plan, which would take approximately one year to complete. Shawn Pritchett, Director of Finance, said that there would be a $355,000 Supplemental Appropriation ordinance request that will be coming before the Council next week for the design of the project. He said he didn't think the entire amount would be solely used for design. The Entertainment Tax would be the funding source for the $5M to $7M project. The exact cost of the project won't be known until the design has been completed. The project is being broken into two categories, structural and aesthetic to help determine cost. The Parapets are considered aesthetic and there will be a review to see if they are needed. Pritchett presented an outlook of the Entertainment Tax Fund. He then presented a project timeline, with construction occurring in 2021. Discussion followed regarding: additional design options and project savings; Entertainment Tax Fund outlook; longevity and warranty of the fiberglass product; bid process for the project; availability of historical grants; baluster replacement; project interest; opportunity for baluster and cost reduction; waterproofing; drainage issues; Entertainment Tax Fund balance; availability of photos of the Pavilion with and without the Parapet; review needed by the Board of Historical Preservation; weight of the fiberglass versus other items; weeps for drainage; Cornice attachment; bid specifications; and fiberglass warranty. B. Prairie Meadow Water and Wastewater Update by Diane Best, Assistant City Attorney; Mark Cotter, Director of Public Works; and Chad Huwe, City Engineer Presentation: Approximately 15 minutes followed by discussion Mark Cotter, Director of Public Works, presented a brief history of working with Prairie Meadow; followed by an overview of the regional wastewater system and the  neighborhood. He stated that the Prairie Meadow Sanitary District (District) serves 75 customers and has been a regional customer of Sioux Falls since August 1976. The water provider for the area is the Minnehaha Community Water Corporation (MCWC), which receives water from the City. Cotter said the District has received grants to rehabilitate its system from the South Dakota Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), which they have renewed twice at 3-year increments. The end of the 3-year period will be at the end of March 2020. It was decided that it was time to take a new approach and to continue to utilize the DENR grants. Cotter said the scope of the grant was changed from a rehabilitation project to a connection fee to the City's wastewater system. The District has requested to pay a connection fee and have the City take over ownership and operation of their system. The connection fee will reduce the City's financial risk and would fund repairs to strategic segments of the wastewater system. Also, the City will purchase part of the MCWC's system and will take over ownership and operation of the water system in the Prairie Meadow area. Cotter said the transactions have been detailed in a Joint Powers Agreement. Cotter reviewed the next steps. He said the agreement will need to be executed on or before March 31, 2020. The term of the agreement will be for 18 months and both teams will work to develop a pre- annexation plan. During this time, the District will be charged "in City" utility rates for water and wastewater. If an agreement can't be reached then they will be considered outside the City customers and their rates will increase. The connection fee will be $1M, being paid by an $800,000 grant and an in-kind match. The in-kind match will consist of: assignment of easements; assets of wastewater system; and business records including surveys, studies, maps, and maintenance records. Cotter spoke about an outstanding balance that the District has for $37,396.32 in wastewater charges and $114,394.63 in finance and late fees. He said they agreed to settle it for one lump payment of $50,000. He then spoke about a separate agreement with MCWC and post-agreement rates. Cotter said the agreement would be before the Council next week, if there is agreement amongst leadership. Discussion followed regarding: the final agreement and resolution; interest rate charges for homeowners; annexation options; monthly sewer charges; insight from Jeff Davis, with Prairie Meadow; and appreciation to all who has worked on this issue. 4. Public Comment Scott Ehrisman spoke about the Washington Pavilion and the Entertainment Tax fund. 5. Adjournment City Council Vice Chair Greg Neitzert adjourned the meeting at 5:37 p.m. Denise D. Tucker, MMC, Assistant City Clerk