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HomeMy WebLinkAbout012813 CC Min0 The City of West University Place A Neighborhood City CITY COUNCIL STAFF Bob Fry, Mayor Michael Ross, City Manages Sunn Sample, Mayor RO Tern Akan Petrov. City MOnay Rh HUNwq Coontllmembei Thelon Ln¢, City Suety, loan Johnson, Coundlmembu' Dick YetJ4 Councllmembu' CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES The City Council of the City of West University Place, Texas, met in workshop and regular sessions on Monday, January 28, 2013, in the Municipal Building, 38M University, West University Place, Texas beginning at 5:45 p.m. SPECIAL WORKSHOP Call to Order. Mayor Fry called the workshop to order at 5:45 prt in the Conference Room. Council and staff in attendance were: Mayor Pro Tam Sample, Councilmembers Hawthorn, Johnson and Yehle, City Manager Ross, Assistant City Manager /Public Works Director Peifer, CM Secretary Lenz, Room and Recreation Director O'Connor and Shelly Evocable, Attorney with Johnson Radcliffe Petrov and Bobbin, PLLC. Also present were John Wilkinson, Chair of the Parks Board, and Amanda McGee, Chair of the Friends of West University Place Packs Fund, Inc. Workshop agenda item Ads as follows: 1. Parks Annotation Matters related he the value or transfer of real property and other real estate related to Park acquisition. At 5:45 p.m., Council convened into executive session In accordance with Section 551.0m (Deliberated on matters related to the value or transfer of real property) and Section 551.071 (Consultation with City Aftomey on matters) of Chapter 551 of the Texas Government Cade. John Wilkinson, Amanda McGee, Tim O'Connor and Chris Patter left the roam at 6:15 p.m. At 6:25 p.m., Councilmember Johnson moved to adjourn the closed session. Councilmember Heathcon seconded the matter. MOTION PASSED. Ayes: Fry, Sample, Restated, Johnson, Yehle Noes: None Absent: None At 6:25 p.m., Mayor Fry reconvened into open session and no action was taken related to the closed executive session. With no further business, Councilmember Heathcott moved to adjourn the workshop at 6:25 p.m. Mayor Pro Tern Sample amended the motion. MOTION PASSED. Ayes: Fry, Sample, Heatbc ft, Johnson, Yehle Noes: None Absent: None REGULAR MEETING Agenda items were as follows: Cell to Order. Mayor Fry called the meeting to order at 6:35 p.m. in the Council Chambers. Council and staff in attendance were: Mayor Pro Tom Sample, Councilmembers Heathcati Johnson, Yehle, City Manager Ross, City Secretary Lenz, Attorney Eversible, ACMPubhc Works Director Peter, and Parks and Recreation Director O'Connor. Councilmember Yehle led the Pledge of Allegiance. Secretary Lenz confirmed that the Notice of the special and regular meetings was duly posted in accordance with the Texas Government Code, Chapter 551. At this time, City Manager Ruse requested drat Items 3 and 4 be pulled bum the agenda Indefinitely based on feedback received in closed session. Mayor Fry stated that though it may seem like the parklend acquisition Is a little rushed, it is not. He said Some of Mesa dis ossions have been going on since 2007, but when negotiating, you have to Sometimes remain quiet until it is time to speak. He said there was never any intent to be secretive, but rather to try to negotiate fairly. Mayor Fry said though the from has been pulled from the agenda, he would still like to hear the comments from those that that signed up to speak. 2. Public Comments Rues Schulze, 3518 Rice Boulevard, spoke to say that he has been a West U resident for 39 years and has served on fie Parks Board for approximately 11 years. He said the Parks Board had a vary active perks acquisition committee that looked very hard at the Mercer sector so he is disappointed that Council is pulling fr from the agenda because he feels that k is a key area with a lot of opportunity. He saitl he highly recommends that Council takes up the issue again of considering those properties, particularly if there are willing sellers and the prices are not too unreasonable. Mardl Turner, 6515 Mercer, spoke to say she served on the Parks Board for 6 years and said that she and some of her neighbors have polled the houses that surround these properties, those extending to Pittsburgh and both sides of Mercer, and found no real big objections to the idea of having a park in the proposed area. She said she is also disappointed that it has been pulled from the agenda and she hopes that it will be reconsidered at Some point very soon. John Neighbors, 2809 Women, Spoke t0 Say that he has lived at that residence for 49 years and has had the pleasure of serving on Council and as Mayor in 1970. He said he always has had an interest in the development of West U, particularly in the parks system. He said he sewed on the subcommidee for the Recreation Center land acquisition and Said over the years when the City has acquired park property, he can't remember a single time when there wasn't controversy, different opinions, and pros and cons, which he believes is me secret to making it work. Mr. Neighbors said for whatever reason Council is delaying their decision, he knows it is the right one, but encourages Council to stay with it, because parks are an important part of the City and are very, very important to everybody that lives here. John Wilkinson, 6333 Westchester, spoke to say that he currently chairs the Parks Board and served on the Parks Board in the late 60's and early 90's, when Colonial and Huntington parks were developed and that those parks were embroiled in controversy but have since proven to be extremey popular. Mr. Wilkinson saitl the Parks Board was asked to look at potential propedies, building on the work of prior boards and they felt that the MemebPitlsburgh tract, along the (Poor Faun) ditch, met all the cnam as to the size and access, etc., so it was brought to Council for consideration. He said the City appears to have willing sellers and neighbors in favor of it and land that is contiguous, and so it will make a good park. He said the Board voted! In favor of it and there are lots of studies that indicate that parkland enhances properly values, so he also would encourage Council to continue pursuing purchase of the proposed properties. Gretchen Maviotti, 6538 Mercer, spoke to say that she has been a resident of West U since 2001 and said there is no one present Nat is more excited about parks. She saitl she understands the importance of parks in West U, but her concern is Nat the proposal is - outside of the box- from any other park areas in West U, meaning that it is an enclosed area, is in the middle of a residential block, and the ability to have one -way streets and regulate traffic will not be feasible. She saitl though this agenda hem Is no longer being considered tonight, she would like Council to carefully consider the qualitative and quantitative issues should it come up again. By qualitative, she means including all of the residents that are surrounding the proposed property, and by quantitatve she means the City making good financial decisions, because this will cost millions of dollars in a not so common area, meaning it H not on a corner, b is not (fully) visible from the street and it is therefore very different from the normal. Nina Springer, 4125 Oberlin Street, spoke to say Nat she has been a West U resident since 1994 and previously chaired the Parks Master Plan Committee in 1996-97 and wanted t0 came to show her support of parka in general. She stated that doing something different isn't always popular, but with the history in this City she feels that it is quite possible to manage the Issues amounted with the proposed park. She said since 2007 when this began, the City has been very lucky to have a good opportunities to acquire same park space, but with time the Opportunities will diminish, especially in that area. Ms. Springer said that although the proposed park isn't perfectly situated, she feels that for the goal of providing park space for everyone, it is a great opportunity for a very nice park and would be money well spent. John Godbold, 6533 Mercer, spoke to say that he is a developer and has developed very large projects around the country and the globe and thinks the first thing that should be done is to make sure the opinions of the stakeholders and people who own surrounding properties are heard He said he finds 8 in very poor judgment that the neighbors around the proposed park area just happened to find out about this proposal late his afternoon. He said the fact that people within 50 W 100 feet had no idea that this was being proposed is appalling and said Me City needs to be clear and open about how things are going to be done if this is brought forth again. Mr. Godbold said he feels there will be security issues with a T -shape property. He said parks are important, but he thinks the size of Me space versus the amount of paging will be a very hard challenge W overcome. He said he understands that finding a park under the blamed budgeted amount is challenging, but he thinks the City needs to find the right bcation before looking for willing sellers. He said just because you have willing sellers that come at or under budget, doesn't mean that it's the right park. Burt BelleManq 3124 Amherst, spoke to say that when talking about parks, there are two issues at stake - (1) can we afford it and (2) is there a good location for V. He said there has been a lot 0 discussion surrounding the first issue and he referred to a chart he graphed showing West U debt toad valorem valuations over the years. He saitl in 2000 he was on Council antl at that time Council voted for $3,000,000 to acquire the YMCA, $2,000,000 for sidewalks, and if bought the last 3 or 4lots that were available on the eastern side of Colonial Park. At Mat time to City had the highest ratio of indebtedness to ad valorem valuations in its history. Mr. Ballanfant sad In the 12 or 13 years since Men, he has never had a ciizen come to him to complain about the commitments that Council made financially to do the things that were so important to the near term and functional health of the City, and for the aesthetic and recreational pan of Me City. He saitl those are the kinds of hard choices Mat every council has to make and part of the balancing act that public officials are forced to make. Mr. Ballanfant saitl the question as to whether this is the right location for a park has been vetted, amply discussed in public, and the matter passed at an election when the turnout was about as high as any bond issue ever voted on; and, there were two other park proposals that failed in Me same election. He said the people have already picked this park. Stephen Schnaitlau, 6321 Mercer, spoke to say he lives about 2 blocks from the proposed park and so with two kids he appreciates the need for more parks, but has ccncems about this proposed park. He said parks in general add value into neighborhoods and developmems, but only the ones that are well - planned, well - designed, and well- thought out. He said he is concerned about the T- shaped park because a significant amount of land will be hidden from Me street. Secondly, he said a previous speaker stated that everyone abutfing that park had been polled and were in favor of the park, but he knows that is not true, because Mr. Walker (in the audience) abuts the proposetl parkland and he is completely against the park. Mr. Schneicau saitl he is also slightly concerned because Mr. Marlin is one of the people selling his property and he has done work for the City, so he is concerned about that. He said he is not so much concerned about Me debt, because the City is very well run and has an abundance of ad valorem taxes, but still wants the City to spend the money on well designed parks for appropriate market prices. Jessica Breitbefl, 3626 Pittsburg, spoke to say Mat she is not necessarily opposed to Me idea of a park at that location as there is some appeal to the notion, but she lust want it known Mat she personally knows Mat some of her direct neighbors are absolutely not in favor of this, which contradicts an early comment that meet all of the neighbors are in favor of it. She said she would definitely have concern about parking, because it Is a maze to try to navigate through some of the streets as it is. She said she understands that this is preliminary and she and her immediate neighbors will have additional concerns as Me rivals of the project, to the extent it goes forwaM, are revealed She said they are open - minded, but equal so. Louisa Bergeron, 6333 Mercer Street, spoke to say that her concern is with the shape of the w* and it being an area where teenagers can hide out and be mischievous. Walker Clarke, 6534 Mercer, spoke to say that his house would abut Me park where there would be no visibility and wanted to echo other remarks about security and parking. He also wanted to go on record that neither he nor his wife plied about this proposal. 3. Parks Aeaulsitlon Matters related to the Ciya purchase of properties, located at 6622, 6528 and 65M Mercer Avenue, for potential parkland. Item Pulled 4. Reimbursement Resolution Matters related to a resolution declaring official Intent to reimburse expenses from proceeds of tax - exempt obligations. Item Pulled. 5. Halls County Mayors and Councils Association (HCMCA) Resolution Matters related to a resolution urging the City's State Senator and State Representative to support a resolution that will continue W give HCMCA member cities local control over appointees N the Port of Houston Authority. Councilmember Joan Johnson presented this item and stated that state senators and representatives are considering taking the decision process of who sits on boards, such as the Port of Houston Authority, and make the appointments themselves rather than have citizen input through City Council(s); so, she is recommending that West University Place supports the resolution from the HCMCA to support cities continuing to have the authority to submit names for the Port of Houston Authority and offer board appointments. Councilmember Yehle moved W approve the revolution requesting that the City's state senator and state representatives support a resolution that will continue to give HCMCA member cities local control over appointees to the Port of Houston Authority. Mayor Pro Tern Sample seconded the motion. MOTION PASSED. Ayes: Fry, Sample, Heathcott, Johnson, Yehle Noes: None Absent: None 6. Consent Agent]a All Consent Agenda items listed are considered to be routine by the City Council and will be enacted by one motion. There will be no separate discussion of these items unless a Council member requests in which event the item will be removed from the Consent Agenda and considered in its normal sequence on the agenda. A. City Council Minutes Approve the Minutes of January 14, 2013. Mayor Pro Tern Sample moved to approve the Consent Agenda as presented. Councilmember Heathcott seconded the motion. MOTION PASSED. Ayes: Fry, Sample, Heathcofl, Johnson, Yehle Noes: None Abse b Nona 7. Reports by Cquncil/StaR There were no reports. 8. Adioum Meeting With further business, Councilmember Johnson moved to adjourn the meeting 7:00 p.m. Councilmember Heathcott seconded Me motion. Mi PASSED. Ayes: Fry, Sample, tl;'doF) on, Ye le N eg: None b nt: None P y a C Thelma A. Lenz, City Secretary hA "a DAproveU