Informational Meeting

MINUTES Informational Meeting Tuesday, March 28, 2023, at 4:00 PM Carnegie Town Hall, 235 West 10th St., Sioux Falls, SD 57104 1. Call To Order Council Members Present: David Barranco, Sarah Cole, Rich Merkouris, Greg Neitzert, Marshall Selberg, Curt Soehl, Pat Starr Council Members Absent: Alex Jensen Council Chair Curt Soehl called the meeting to order at 4 p.m. 2. Committee/Commission Reports A. Siouxland Heritage Museum Board: Thursday, March 9, 2023 (Council Member Starr) Council Member Pat Starr provided the report. He said the budget has been completed; staff is working with schools; they are working on a long-range plan of needs; and wedding season is approaching. B. Homeless Task Force Items: Update by Council Member Rich Merkouris Council Member Rich Merkouris spoke about: the recent funding approval for the Street Teams and that an RFP will be coming in the months ahead; a pedestrian safety ordinance update is being worked on; and of the increase of housing units for the 30% to 40% average median income. 3. Councilor Remarks There was none. 4. Presentations A. Great Bear Management Agreement by Don Kearney, Director of Parks and Recreation; Dan Grider, General Manager of Great Bear Management Co., Inc.; and Steve Sanford, attorney with Cadwell Sanford Deibert & Garry LLP Presentation: Approximately 10 minutes followed by discussion Kearney began the renewal agreement update by providing an overview of how the relationship works between the City and Great Bear Management, Inc. He said that Great Bear is in charge of: guest services; food and beverage; winter sports  instruction; rental services; chalet repairs up to $500; providing a certified audit report annually; providing ski patrol services; the hiring and supervision of staff necessary to fulfill responsibilities; and providing insurance required by the City. The City is in charge of: grounds maintenance of the park, including cross country and hiking trails; maintaining of buildings, structures and City owned equipment; snow removal; chalet repairs in excess of $500; collaborating with snowmaking operations; and providing an average of five fulltime employees each season. The current agreement will expire on April 30, 2023. The new agreement would expire on April 20, 2028. Changes to the agreement include: increasing the threshold for the chalet repairs from $250 to $500; increasing the definition of capital improvements from $2,500 to $5,000; adding a warranty services section outlining the manager is responsible for warranty standards; ski patrol language is modified to reflect current practices and the practical application of the National Ski Patrol training; and reflects the name change from Great Bear Recreation Park, Inc., to Great Bear Management, Inc. Kearney said he wasn't sure of the last increase for chalet repairs; that Finance recommended the capital improvements increase; and the ski patrol is certified for alpine situations. The agreement will be presented to the City Council, as a resolution, at their April 4th meeting. Grider said that he was very happy with the snow and that they had a fantastic season. Approximately 49,000 people visited Great Bear during past seasons, but this year attendance reached 67,400 people, according to Grider. He said that people came in from all over and he appreciated their support. Discussion followed regarding: summer activities, including mountain biking; and having a review of the contract to see if the Internal Audit recommendations were instituted. B. Sidewalk Update by Mike Heiberger, Principal Engineer Presentation: Approximately 15 minutes followed by discussion City Engineer Andy Berg began the presentation by stating that there has been a lot of activity with the sidewalk program and pedestrian pathways. He added that Heiberger has been working with multiple programs. Heiberger said this presentation stems from a City Council working session where questions were asked about the sidewalk program. He said that the program has been revamped and provided a brief history. The program began in the mid 1960's. In 2018, the ADA Transition Plan was completed with the Federal Highway Association. This became a guiding document, which provided rules that the City had to come into compliance with. Heiberger said 10% of City properties are inspected per year. They fall into three categories: new residential, which are tied to building permits; complaint related; and proactive inspections for properties, which occur once every 10 years. The goal is to inspect 6,400 properties per year. He said that today was the first time they have reached the mark. The sidewalk program process consists of several steps. They are: inspections and failures marked; door hanger placed, if work needs to be done; letter #1 sent within 30 days, this establishes a completion date; letter #2 sent within six to nine months, if nothing has been done; address is re-inspected and re-marked, if work is done this closes the order; estimate is taped to door, if a contractor has to be hired by the City; sidewalk work completed in two to seven days, by City hired contractor; and an invoice is sent within 60 days, when the work is completed. Heiberger provided a  map showing locations for sidewalk work in 2022. A large portion of the work was logged in as complaints. He provided a snapshot of the 2022 program. There were 2,600 properties to be repaired; $3 million in sidewalk repairs; $1.1 million sidewalk repairs on City contract, there were done by bid; $200,000 repaired City owned properties, which included parks, drainage ways and City buildings; and $1.4 million repaired by residents. From 2021, there are still 300 locations that need to have $500,000 worth of work done. The 2023 Sidewalk Projects show $1.25 million needed in sidewalk repairs. This includes the 2021 carryover and a $750,000 carryover from 2022. Heiberger said they plan to create a "pie" program approach to use to inspect the center of the City. A Safety and Home Repair grant is available through the City, which can be used for sidewalks. Discussion followed regarding: obstacles faced by Heiberger and how can the Council assist; how are the 10% of sidewalk inspections determined; the Safety and Home Repair Program; how much money is left in the program fund; disclosing of sidewalk costs against a home sale; finding contractors to fix sidewalks; and at what height difference is a sidewalk flagged for repair. 5. Public Comment There was none. 6. Executive Session A. Consulting with legal counsel or reviewing communications from legal counsel about proposed or pending litigation or contractual matters pursuant to SDCL 1-25- 2(3) A motion was made by Council Member Merkouris and seconded by Council Member Cole to enter Executive Session at 4:47 p.m. Roll call vote to enter Executive Session. 7 Yes: Barranco, Cole, Merkouris, Neitzert, Selberg, Soehl, Starr; 0 No: (None). Motion Passed. A motion was made by Council Member Starr and seconded by Council Member Barranco to exit Executive Session at 5:45 p.m. Voice vote to exit Executive Session. 7 Yes: Barranco, Cole, Merkouris, Neitzert, Selberg, Soehl, Starr; 0 No: (None). Motion Passed. 7. Adjournment Council Chair Curt Soehl adjourned the meeting at 4:47 p.m. Denise D. Tucker, MMC, Assistant City Clerk