City Council

Winooski City Council Remote Meeting Tuesday, February 16, 2021, at 6 PM Attend online: https://zoom.us/j/97248550397 Attend by phone: 1 646 558 8656 Webinar ID: 972 4855 0397 I. Call to Order II. Pledge of Allegiance III. Agenda Review IV. Public Comment V. Consent Agenda a. Approval: City Council Minutes of 2/01/2021 b. Approval: Accounts Payable Warrant as of 2/12//2021 and Payroll Warrant as of 01/24/2021-02/6/2021 and Subsequent to Payout for December, 2020. VI. Council Reports VII. City Updates VIII. Regular Items a. Discussion/Approval: Request to co-sign an Act 250 Permit Amendment Application for the Construction of a Hotel on Lot 9 – J Baker & E Vorwald b. Discussion/Approval: Champlain Housing Trust Project Update – H Carrington c. Discussion: Historic Preservation Presentation – H Carrington d. Approval: Thrive Rates Resolution – R Coffey e. Approval: Community Services Fee Resolution – R Coffey f. Approval: Grant: Vermont Arts Council Animating Infrastructure – R Coffey g. Approval: Notice of Lease Default – North End Studios – J Baker h. Discussion: 2020-2021 Policy Priorities and Strategies Recovery Plan Report-out #6 – J Baker IX. Executive Session: a. City Manager – Annual Review discussion to take place in Executive Session per 1 V.S.A. §313 (a) (3). X. Adjourn Mayor Kristine Lott - klott@winooskivt.gov Councilor Hal Colston - hcolston@winooskivt.gov Councilor Jim Duncan - jduncan@winooskivt.gov Councilor Amy Lafayette - alafayette@winooskivt.gov Councilor Mike Myers - mmyers@winooskivt.gov Jessie Baker, City Manager - jbaker@winooskivt.gov  MINUTES The Mayor called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. Councilor Colston led the Pledge of Allegiance Members Present: Mayor Kristine Lott Councilors: Amy Lafayette, James Duncan, Hal Colston & Michael Myers Officers Present: Jessie Baker, City Manager; Janet Brouard, Sr Asst City Clerk; Heather Carrington, Economic Development Officer; Eric Vorwald, Planning & Zoning Manager; Ray Coffey, Community Services Director; Paul Sarne, Communications Coordinator; Angela Aldieri, Finance Director; John Audy, Fire Chief; Jon Rauscher; Public Works Director Others Present: Meghan, Town Meeting TV, Jenny Hill, Kate Anderson, Gwenie Talbot, Molly Schneider, Dave Marshall. CEA; Russell Barr, Scott Barnes, Natalie Charron, James McCormick, Amy Demetrowitz & Rob Leuchs, CHT; Chris Snyder, Britta Tonn, April Werner, Andy Rowe, Shanin Erb, Arica Bronz, Sarah Mell, Laura Hale, Sam Myers, Tay Olson, Matt Bacewicz, Sarah Van Ryckevorsel, Adam Dubroff, Melissa, Kaitlin, Hillary, Scott, Polestar USA, Resident. III. Agenda Review – None IV. Public Comment Arica Bronz of Manseau Street would like to request to keep Manseau Street closed to thru traffic until a sidewalk is installed. James McCormick introduced himself as a candidate for the open City Council seat. V. Consent Agenda MOTION by Councilor Myers seconded by Councilor Duncan to approve the consent agenda as presented. Voted and passed 4-0. VI. Council Reports Councilor Lafayette said it has been an honor to serve on the Council for the last two years and to work with an amazing and talented group of people. She is proud of all our accomplishments and knows we will continue to do great things. She attended the Safe, healthy Connected People meeting. They are currently seeking more members so if you’re interested check out the City’s website. Councilor Colston said that the City’s Charter Change was released from the House and moves to Gov Ops for consideration. It is Bill H227 if anyone would like to follow. Councilor Duncan attended the Housing Commission meeting. Their work continues to focus on impact fees, family rentals, home ownership, making rentals affordable to low-income residents. Councilor Myers thanked the DPW for maintaining safe roads throughout the City. He thanked Councilor LaFayette for her years of services, especially for helping guide him when he was a new Council member. Mayor Lott attended the Finance Commission. They are looking into new account auditing and financial reporting. She will be speaking with the Treasurer about such. She said the school is conducting several safety meetings with Police Department staff, focusing on School Resource Officer and overall safety issues. She said there will be a joint budget meeting tomorrow night at 6:00. She attended an Airport update on noise compatibility. VII. City Updates The City manager gave the following updates; • COVID Update o Last week, we had under 6 new cases Thank you to residents who are making this difference. o Testing daily continues. ▪ At the OCC ▪ 2 to 8 on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays. ▪ 9 to 3 all other days including Saturday and Sunday. ▪ Daily – can sign up at the VDH website or walk in. All information is on our webpage ▪ All materials are translated and there will be translators on site. o Vaccines for 70+ started today ▪ NO walk-ups. You must register in advance.  ▪ Winooski clinics are Tuesday at the Armory ▪ If you or a loved one over 75 needs assistance registering for a vaccination appointment, please call ▪ Healthvermont.gov/MyVaccine or 855-722-7878 ▪ If you are having trouble signing up on-line, the Senior Center can help. Call 655-6425 and we can help. You can also sign up for appointments to use the public computers by calling the Library at 655-6424. o VDH has partnered with the City, School, and partners on opportunities for LEP/BIPOC folks to be vaccinated o The most important thing you can do is: ▪ Not spend time with anyone outside of your immediate household ▪ Wear a mask when in the presence of others ▪ Socially distance ▪ Wash your hands • Town Meeting Day Prep/education – www.winooskivt.gov/townmeeting o Ballots are in! Request ballots be sent to you by calling City Hall or requesting one through the website. o Postcards – have been with the post office since early last week. Still have not been mailed out. o City/School presentation on 2/17 at 6:00 pm o Night before – March 1st at 6:00 pm • Financial Policy Rewrite process. Angela outlined a process to the Finance Commission last week. We anticipate bringing these to the Council in batches starting in June 2021. brining these to Council at the 2nd meeting in June. • Please help us keep fire hydrants clear of snow and ice. • Local Options Tax installment received today. RMA continue to remain low but sales tax was up 13% from the first quarter. We anticipate exceeding our revenue projections this year. • Winter Parking ban is continuing tonight. • Councilor Lafayette – thank you for your service, your commitment to the City, and always reminding us to think of all in the work we do. VII. Regular Items a. Discussion/Approval: Request to co-sign an Act 250 Permit Amendment Application for the Construction of a Hotel on Lot 9. Mr. Vorwald gave an overview of the project. He said the redevelopment of Downtown Winooski has been ongoing since the early 2000’s. The redevelopment is covered under an Act 250 permit that requires amendments as new developments are proposed. Since the City was party to the original application and permit, all amendments to the Act 250 permit for Downtown Winooski require the City to be co-applicants, as a co applicant, the City Council customarily reviews the designs for a new development to endure consistency with the master plan, and recommend changes as necessary before signing on to an application. The Mayor said the developers came to the February 1st meeting with their presentation. Based on the designs and site plans presented the Council identified several items that needed follow up. The Mayor said they are back tonight to present their update. She introduced Dave Marshall from CEA, Inc to speak about the changes. Discussions focused around parking; accessibility and spaces. There were concerns what impact the hotel will have on the flow of the traffic circle. Lengthy discussion ensued with concerns and comments made by several attendees. After which, Mayor Lott said there are still some areas that need clarification but it will not impact the decision to co-sign the application. MOTION by Councilor Myers seconded by Councilor LaFayette to approve the request to co-sign an Act 250 Permit Amendment Application for the Construction of a Hotel on Lot 9 as presented and contingent on successful resolution of the items outlined in the staff memo. Voted and passed 4-0. The Mayor called for a 5-minute recess to reconvene at 7:23 p.m. b. Discussion/Approval: Champlain Housing Trust Project Update – H Carrington Ms. Carrington said the purpose of this presentation is to update City Council and the public on the design of the development plans for a Champlain Housing Trust build multi-unit affordable housing opportunity to be located at the front of the O’Brien Community Center. Ms. Carrington said that staff is looking for Councils approval to negotiate required agreements such as development agreement, easement and a shared use parking agreement. Once these items have been negotiated, they will ultimately be brought back for your approval. Ms. Carrington said in addition staff is requesting authorization from Council to co-sign the subdivision application. Amy Demetrowitz and Rob Leuch from Champlain Housing walked the Council through their vision of the finished project and the timeline associated. The project will consist of 20 three-bedroom units ranging from rowhouses or townhouses to handicap accessible flat units. CHT will provide investment incentives to make the units accessible to buyers with income less than the median. CHT is confident that they won’t have a problem selling all the units. The have an application process already in place and Housing Counselors available to assist prospective home buyers. Ms. Demetrowitz said once they have Council approval, they can secure the necessary permits, assume title and be looking to start construction by the first of July with an anticipated completion date of July 2022. Mayor Lott is excited about this project in that it meets so many needs for our community. She thanked the members of Champlain Housing Trust for being here tonight. MOTION by Councilor Colston seconded by Councilor Duncan to authorize staff to negotiate agreements with CHT and to co-sign subdivision application and related permit application documents. Voted and passed 4-0. c. Discussion: Historic Preservation Presentation – H Carrington Ms. Carrington said that the City of Winooski secured a Municipal Planning Grant in December of 2019 to hire a historic preservation consultant. Ms. Carrington said RFP’s were put out and VHB was hired under the direction of Britta Tonn to conduct and prepare a Historic Resources Inventory for the City of Winooski gateway corridor districts that include Main and East Allen Streets and Mallett’s Bay Avenue. Ms. Tonn said the purpose of the project was to address community concerns about losing significant structures due to planned development within the major arteries of the City. She provided an overview of her inventory findings and was hoping to gain feedback regarding what the City’s preservation priorities are. Ms. Tonn has spent many hours over the last several months compiling all the data used in her presentation. Council’s responses were in favor of the preservation effort but voiced some concerns over how to move forward with redevelopment potentials while maintaining historic appearance that some properties hold. The Mayor thanked her for her efforts and looks forward to continued community input. d. Approval: Thrive Rates Resolution – R Coffey Mr. Coffey said that in Chapter 28 of the City Ordinance it states that rates for the Thrive Program shall be “established annually by City Council Resolution” Mr. Coffey said staff is recommending an adjustment to the rates from last year, see attached proposed resolution. MOTION by Councilor Duncan seconded by Councilor Myers to approve the Thrive Rates Resolution as presented. Voted and passed 4-0. e. Approval: Community Services Fee Resolution – R Coffey Mr. Coffey said that Chapter 28 also states that fees for Community Services and Recreation Programs shall be determined from time to time by Resolution of the City Council. Mr. Coffey said the attached Resolution serves to establish fees for anticipated programs which are not already established in Chapter 28. MOTION by Councilor LaFayette seconded by Councilor Myers to approve the Community Services Fee Resolution as presented. Voted and passed 4-0. f. Approval: Grant: Vermont Arts Council Animating Infrastructure – R Coffey Mr. Coffey said the Community Services Department in partnership with Juniper Creative Arts, has developed a “Letter of Intent” for the Vermont Arts Council Animating Infrastructure Grant Program to support the design and installation of a community mural on the northwest wall of the O’Brien Community Center. Mr. Coffey said after doing so they were invited to submit a full proposal and are seeking Council approval to move forward. MOTION by Councilor Colston seconded by Councilor Duncan to approve application for up to $15,000 in grant funding from the Vermont Arts Council animating Infrastructure grant program as presented. Voted and passed 4-0. g. Approval: Notice of Lease Default – North End Studios – J Baker The City Manager said on February 4, 2021, through our City Attorney, we issued a Notice of Lease Default to North End Studios. She said it was imperative to respond quickly to the reports of offensive and sexually harassing conduct. She stated that under Section 19-304 of the City’s Charter, the Council has the authority to lease or hold property and the notice is therefore presented for your approval tonight. MOTION by Councilor Colston seconded by Councilor Duncan to approve the Notice of Lease Default as presented. Voted and passed 4-0. h. Discussion: 2020-2021 Policy Priorities and Strategies Recovery Plan Report-out #6 – J Baker The City Manager said as of 2017, the Council and Leadership Team, have come together on an annual basis to establish a shared list of priorities for achieving the City’s Strategic Vision. In July you adopted a 2020 Recovery Plan given the COVID-19 pandemic. At that time, you discussed continuing this reporting throughout th Fiscal Year. Tonight, we present the 6th report-out with changes in red. IX. Executive Session a. City Manager – Annual Review discussion to take place in Executive Session per 1 V.S.A. Section 313 (a) (3). MOTION by Councilor Duncan seconded by Councilor Myers to enter into Executive Session at 8:53 p.m. for the purpose of the City Manager’s Annual Review, also inviting City Manager Jessie Baker to attend. Voted and passed 4-0. X. Adjourn MOTION by Councilor Colston seconded by Councilor Myers to adjourn the meeting at 9:15 p.m. Voted and passed 4-0. ATTEST: ____________________________________________ Sr Asst City Clerk