Minutes
Joint City Council/Improvement Agency
Monday, March 6, 2000
Mayor Ekbom called the Regular Joint City Council/Improvement Agency Meeting to order on Monday, March 6, 2000, at 6:30 p.m. in the City Hall Council Chambers, 154 South Eighth Street, Grover Beach, CA.
FLAG SALUTE Led by Robert Reed
ROLL CALL
City Council: Council Members Arnoldsen, Keith, Neufeld, Santos, and Mayor Ekbom were present.
Agency Board: Board Members Arnoldsen, Keith , Neufeld, Santos, and Chairperson Ekbom were present.
Ex Officios: City Manager Odom, City Attorney Rupp, Community Development Director Sullivan, Fire Chief Criswell, Administrative Services Director Johnson, Police Chief Bradbury, Assistant Community Development Director Bierdzinski, Planning Commissioner Foerster, Parks and Recreation Commissioner Evans, and Personnel Manager/City Clerk Perez were also present.
PUBLIC COMMUNICATIONS
A. Lillian Judd, Director of Planning and Program Development for the Economic Opportunity Commission, distributed to the Council the Central Coast Two-Year Action Plan. She thanked Council Member Keith for his continued service on the Board of Directors and thanked the City Council for their continued support of EOC.
B. Ron McCloskey, Oceano, talked about the letter the City Council had sent supporting the Community Center in Oceano. He said he was not pleased with the Council's decision to become involved in the matter and indicated that the version of the project the Council had received from Barbara Mann did not speak for the majority of people in Oceano. He said he thought the Council owed the people of Oceano an apology.
C. Peggy Wilson, Oceano, distributed information to the City Council on the Oceano Community Center and discussed a newspaper article on the matter that had appeared in the paper on January 11, 2000. She explained the difficulties they were having getting questions answered by the Oceano Community Services District Board. She asked the Council to read all the information so the Council would know that the people questioning this project were not racist or bigots. She said the community center was not a project that was embraced by the community. She asked the Council to get all the facts in the future before taking any action with regard to Oceano.
D. Council Member Santos congratulated Council Member Keith and Mayor Ekbom on the recent births of their respective grandchildren.
CEREMONIAL CALENDAR
1. Proclamation Declaring March 16, 2000 as Absolutely Incredible Kid Day - Camp Fire Council of the Central Coast.
Mayor Ekbom read the proclamation and presented it to Joey Hughes, Executive Director of Camp Fire Council of the Central Coast.
Ms. Hughes accepted the proclamation with thanks and invited the Council and audience to become involved and write a letter to a child.
2. Proclamation Declaring March 2000 as Grand Jury Awareness Month.
Mayor Ekbom read the proclamation and presented it to Robert Reed and Boyd Horn, Members of the Grand Jury. He encouraged anyone wishing to serve on the Grand Jury to complete an application.
Bob Reed accepted the proclamation on behalf of the Grand Jury and thanked the City Council for participating in the First Annual Grand Jury Awareness Month.
Mr. Horn explained that he and Bob Reed were on the Public Relations Committee of the Grand Jury and were given the task of increasing public awareness of the Grand Jury. He said Bob Reed had been instrumental in getting these proclamations done. He thanked the City Council for its support.
3. Introduction and Oath of Office - Police Chief John Bradbury. Personnel Manager/City Clerk Perez will administer the oath of office to Chief Bradbury.
Personnel Manager/City Clerk Perez administered the oath of office to newly appointed Police Chief, John Bradbury.
Chief Bradbury's wife then pinned his badge on him.
Chief Bradbury thanked his staff and all the people in the audience and community who had supported him throughout the recruitment process. He said he had been in Grover Beach for six and a half years and had developed a good rapport with the community. He said he hoped to expand that relationship in the years to come. He thanked all his officers and staff and said he was looking forward to a bright future in Grover Beach.
Council Member Keith stated in all his years as a Council Member, he had never heard as much positive input from the community as he had received about Chief Bradbury's appointment.
Mayor Ekbom said all the Council was pleased with the appointment of John Bradbury to Police Chief, and he looked forward to a bright future for the new Chief.
Council Member Neufeld thanked Chief Bradbury for getting the Community Patrol program up and running.
4. Introduction and Oath of Office - Reserve Police Officer Kelly Cook. Police Chief Bradbury will administer the oath of office to Reserve Officer Cook and introduce him.
Chief Bradbury administered the oath of office to Reserve Officer Kelly Cook and welcomed him to the Department.
Mr. Cook's sister pinned his badge on him.
Mr. Cook stated he was a native of California living in Santa Maria. He said he was very familiar with the area and looking forward to starting his career in law enforcement with Grover Beach. He said he appreciated the opportunity Chief Bradbury was giving him to work with the Police Department.
CONSENT AGENDA
Mayor Ekbom asked to pull Item 6. Council Member Neufeld asked to pull Item 9.
On motion by Council Member Santos, second by Council Member Keith, and on the following roll-call vote, to wit:
AYES: Arnoldsen, Keith, Neufeld, Santos, Mayor Ekbom
NOES: None
ABSENT: None
ABSTAIN: None
Consent Agenda Items 5, 7 and 8 were approved as submitted.
5. Treasurer's Report. (Approved the Treasurer's Report as submitted.)
7. Second Reading of Ordinance No. 00-02 Amending Ordinance No. 99-6 Regarding Guest Quarters. (Held second reading of Ordinance No. 00-02, by title only, and adopted the Ordinance.)
8. Resolution Opposing Senate Bill 402 Regarding Compulsory and Binding Arbitration for Police and Fire Employees. The City Council will review state legislation that mandates a system of compulsory and binding arbitration for the resolution of collective bargaining disputes with Police and Fire employees. (Adopted Resolution No. 00-08 opposing Senate Bill 402 (SB 402) regarding compulsory and binding arbitration for Police and Fire employees and authorize the City Manager to send letters of opposition to State legislators.)
6. Minutes of the City Council Meeting of February 22, 2000 (Recommendation: Approve the minutes as submitted.)
Mayor Ekbom indicated on page 6, paragraph 1 of the Minutes it said the restrooms at the Skate Park would be wood frame construction. He said he understood it was going to be masonry block construction. He asked to have the minutes corrected to reflect that.
On motion by Council Member Keith, second by Council Member Santos, and carried unanimously, the Minutes were approved with one correction..
9. Resolution Supporting Proposition 12 Regarding Safe Neighborhood Parks, Clean Water, Clean Air, and Coastal Protection Bond Act of 2000. The City Council will review information regarding Proposition 12 , the Safe Neighborhood Parks, Clean Water, Clean Air, and Coastal Protection Bond Act of 2000 on the March 7, 2000 ballot. (Recommendation: Staff recommends the City Council adopt Resolution No. 00-11 supporting Proposition 12 regarding the Safe Neighborhood Parks, Clean Water, Clean Air, and Coastal Protection Bond Act of 2000.)
Council Member Neufeld stated he did not think State Ballot Measures should be promoted at the City Council level. He said individuals could promote State-wide measures, but the City Council as a body should not be promoting them.
On motion by Council Member Keith, second by Council Member Santos, and carried on the following roll-call vote, to wit:
AYES: Keith, Santos, Mayor Ekbom
NOES: Arnoldsen
ABSENT: None
ABSTAIN: Neufeld
Resolution No. 00-11 was adopted supporting Proposition 12 regarding Safe Neighborhood Parks, Clean Water, Clean Air and Coastal Protection Bond Act of 2000.
PUBLIC HEARINGS
10. Proposed 2000 Action Plan of the San Luis Obispo County Consolidated Plan for the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), HOME Investment Partnerships (HOME), and Emergency Shelter Grant (ESG) Programs; and Proposed Amendments to the 1994 and 1998 CDBG Program. The City Council is requested to review the 2000 Action Plan, which describes activities proposed for funding through the urban county's 2000 CDBG, HOME, and ESG programs. The Consolidated Plan is a comprehensive strategy to address San Luis Obispo County's housing and community development needs pursuant to the requirements of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The Council is also requested to reallocate $103,746 of prior year CDBG funds.
Assistant Community Development Director Bierdzinski highlighted the Staff Report.
Council Member Keith said Assistant Director Bierdzinski indicated in the Staff Report that the County and the Cities of Arroyo Grande and Atascadero were proposing to participate in the EOC Home Improvement Program. He asked if they had participated in the past.
Assistant Director Bierdzinski explained that those agencies had participated in the past and so had Grover Beach.
Mayor Ekbom said at the last meeting when this was discussed it was mentioned that there was an additional $29,000 from the Economic Vitality Corporation (EVC) that might be available. He said it was not listed in the Staff Report and asked what the status of that money was.
Assistant Director Bierdzinski explained that she had contacted EVC but had not heard from them. She explained that the City's contract with EVC expired in June and if the money was not used, it could be reallocated at that time. She indicated that she did not know if the EVC still had outstanding invoices to be paid from that money.
Mayor Ekbom stated there was some comment at the January meeting about using that additional money to fund a portion of the EOC Home Improvement Program.
Council Member Keith indicated that he was the one who mentioned at the previous meeting that David Spaur from EVC had said there was $29,000 in unspent funds available. He said he was also going to suggest that those funds be used for the EOC Home Improvement Program.
Mayor Ekbom opened the Public Hearing.
Sally Miller, Executive Director of Casa Solana, spoke on behalf of the San Luis Obispo Supported Housing Consortium and the need for additional housing for lower income families, especially families in transition like the women leaving Casa Solana and other programs like Casa Solana. She said the Consortium was requesting local jurisdictions reprioritize affordable housing and give attention to this critical need within the County and local cities.
Fred Munroe, President of the Board of Directors of Casa Solana, thanked the City Council for its generous support of Casa Solana over the years and indicated Casa Solana was tremendously grateful for the City's assistance. He indicated that the City of Grover Beach had previously funded Casa Solana through CDBG monies in an amount over $200,000. He said he thought the City Council continuing to head in a direction of using all the City's CDBG funds for a drainage project was a disservice to the citizens of Grover Beach and the entire CDBG program. He explained that Casa Solana was facing a severe deficit in operating funds and needed money. He explained there was not much funding available for the type of program Casa Solana offered. He said unless Casa Solana could come up with an additional $40,000 this year, it might have to consider no longer being available to help women stay clean and sober. He asked the Council to consider using some of the CDBG money to help Casa Solana with its deficit.
Jim McNamara, Director of the Home Repair Program for the Economic Opportunity Commission, asked the Council to please find a way to support the program again this year. He said they were very thankful for the funding the City had provided over the past few years. He indicated that the Home Improvement Program was designed to make homes livable with such things as wheel chair ramps for disabled, making bathrooms handicapped accessible, fixing electrical problems, and repairing leaking roofs. He said without the support of this program, he didn't think most of their clients would be able to make the repairs to their homes.
Frank Heffernan, Grover Beach, said he didn't think tax payers money should be used for these people who were here with their hands out asking the City for money. He said he didn't think the Council had the authority to give away tax payers money when there were other needs in the City besides bringing in more drug addicts and homeless people.
There were no further public comments. Mayor Ekbom closed the Public Hearing.
Council Member Neufeld stated that while there were a lot of worthwhile programs that the City could help fund, there were about 1,400 low income and very low income people in the Mentone area that would be helped with the drainage project. He said the City had been having flooding problems in that area for over twenty years, and it was time to keep the focus on one project and get it completed. He said it was time to take care of the 1,400 residents of Grover Beach on Mentone Avenue.
Council Member Keith stated he agreed that the $180,000 applied to that drainage improvement project would help a lot of people in Grover Beach. He said he would like to lobby for the EOC Home Improvement Project with the excess funds available from the EVC. He asked the City Manager to confirm that the $29,000 in excess funds from the EVC would be available and put it on a future agenda to reallocate.
Assistant Director Bierdzinski stated she would contact the EVC and get a tally of outstanding invoices and see how much money was left. She said the Council could consider reallocating those funds at a later meeting.
Council Member Arnoldsen said he would urge the Council to take that $29,000 and reallocate it to Casa Solana instead of the Home Improvement Program. He said if Casa Solana needed money that badly, he would like to help them. He said you had to see the plight of the women there and what they were like when they left the program. He said he wanted to see the drainage project funded, and in the future look at the Home Improvement Program again for possible funding; but he would like to see the $29,000 go to Casa Solana.
Council Member Santos said she agreed that there were people in Grover Beach that needed money for home improvements. She said she understood that the EOC home repair program was very important, but she would like to see Casa Solana helped. She said she had gone to Casa Solana and talked to the women and saw what they were able to accomplish. She said she wanted to see the drainage problem corrected and Casa Solana given any extra money from EVC. She stated next year she would like to see the City help the EOC program again.
Mayor Ekbom stated he thought the Council could allocate money for Casa Solana from this year's CDBG funds at this meeting, and then reallocate the extra money from EVC to the drainage project.
Assistant Director Bierdzinski explained that the Council could follow Staff's recommendation and allocate all the CDBG money to the drainage project. She said then, if there was money from EVC that could be reallocated, she would bring that back to the City Council in April. She explained that if the Council reallocated the money from EVC to Casa Solana, they would be able to receive the money right away and not have to wait until September or October for this year's grant monies.
Mayor Ekbom stated the Council all wanted to see the drainage project extend as far as possible with the funds available because it might be the City's only opportunity to do anything on Mentone Avenue. He asked how much farther the storm drain could be extended with the extra $29,000.
Community Development Director Sullivan explained it would probably do about another half block of storm drain and maybe two or three sets of drain inlets.
Mayor Ekbom asked if it made sense to look at adding the additional $29,000 to the drainage project instead of using it for Casa Solana or the EOC Home Improvement Project and put as much money as possible toward the drainage project.
Council Member Neufeld indicated the Council couldn't reallocate any of that money until it knew exactly how much was available. He said nothing could be done at this time.
Assistant Director Bierdzinski stated she would bring it back to the City Council next month, and the Council could decide at that time what to do with the money.
On motion by Council Member Neufeld, second by Council Member Arnoldsen, and carried on the following vote, to wit:
AYES: Arnoldsen, Keith, Neufeld, Santos, Mayor Ekbom
NOES: None
ABSENT: None
ABSTAIN: None
the Council approved the allocation of 2000 CDBG funds and the reallocation of previous year's CDBG funds to the South Grover Beach Drainage Improvement Project.
REGULAR BUSINESS
11. Presentation and Discussion Regarding Upcoming Street Grant Application(s). The City Council will hear a presentation from Staff regarding an upcoming Street Grant opportunity and provide direction.
Council Member Keith indicated he owned property on The Pike and stepped down from the discussion due to a potential conflict of interest.
Community Development Director Sullivan highlighted the Staff Report.
Council Member Neufeld asked how The Pike project would be allocated since it would be three different agencies contributing.
Director Sullivan explained that it would probably be based on how much was within each jurisdiction. He said the part of The Pike that was within Grover Beach was relatively new because of the new subdivisions in that area. He said part of it in Oceano was also relatively new. He said it would depend on how much repair was needed on each portion.
Mayor Ekbom said he understood the Staff Report to say The Pike project would be out of the special project funds and not the City's local allocation so it would not matter how it was divided.
Director Sullivan stated that was correct. He said The Pike project would be a joint grant application for the money SLOCOG was setting aside to fund projects of regional significance. He said he thought The Pike project would have a high priority for SLOCOG because it was three jurisdictions that would benefit. He said Highland Way was another story because only one jurisdiction would benefit from it even though the physical need was greater.
Council agreed to direct Staff to move forward with an application for special grant funds for The Pike.
Council Member Keith returned to the dias.
Council Member Arnoldsen asked about the scope of the project on Highland and what could be included in the grant application. He asked if it would be better to do curb, gutter and sidewalk and make it correct.
Director Sullivan stated he would suggest the City look at significant reconstruction and putting curb, gutter and sidewalk on the north side of the street with two driving lanes and a parking lane. He explained doing that would require some dedication of property on the south side.
Council Member Arnoldsen said it looked like Highland Way could take most, if not all, of the City's allocation.
Director Sullivan stated he would not suggest using the City's local allocation for that. He said he would recommend the City do a special fund grant application for that project. He said the third area where the City was almost guaranteed a grant was $100,000 to use as matching funds with Amtrak for a $1,000,000 rail reconstruction project to make the second rail line the same grade as the existing rail line. He said then there could be a walkway across the track that was ADA accessible. He said Amtrak was planning to spend about $1,000,000 on rail improvements, but the $100,000 in matching funds would just speed it along. He explained that San Luis Obispo County was 9 to 12 months ahead of any other county in California in determining projects. He said both counties on either side of San Luis Obispo just allocated the money to reserves. He said San Luis Obispo County had its projects ready to go thanks to Ron DeCarli prodding the cities along.
Council Member Santos commended Director Sullivan for always having Grover Beach's projects ready to go and securing the amount of money he had been able to get over the last few years.
Council Member Neufeld stated Highland Way was considered a collector street. He said with The Pike he thought this was the year to start putting funds towards those types of streets. He stated with Oak Park being put through, it was important to move the traffic around. He said in order to get people to 4th Street, The Pike and Highland Way were major priorities.
Mayor Ekbom said he thought what Director Sullivan was asking the Council was whether it wanted to change its priorities from residential streets to these projects.
Director Sullivan stated the City had a very good chance of getting The Pike funded through the competitive grant process because of its regional significance. He said the Council had the opportunity of putting its local allocation money towards Highland Way instead of on residential streets or applying for competitive grant monies. He said the question was which one the Council wanted to do.
Council Member Neufeld said with the funding that was coming forward from the State he thought the Council should do The Pike and Highland Way.
Council Member Keith said he knew a number of merchants and lease holders who had businesses on Highland Way, and they repeatedly asked if there was any way to get that street fixed. He said that street was an absolute embarrassment and was the worst street in Grover Beach. He said he would hope the City could apply for some funds to correct that street because it was going to be a collector street for the new industrial park. He said he didn't think the Council wanted to send the message that that street sends to people driving down it now and suffer the embarrassment of losing potential business people.
Council Member Santos said she thought it was long overdue. She said she was surprised she didn't get picked up for drunk driving when she was swerving on that road to miss all the potholes.
Mayor Ekbom said the Council all agreed that Highland Way needed to be fixed. He said what Director Sullivan was asking was if the Council wanted to apply for grant funds to fix Highland Way; and if the City was not successful in getting grant funds, did it want to use its local allocation to fix the street.
Council agreed to apply for grant funds first; and if that was not successful, to use its local allocation on Highland Way.
Mayor Ekbom asked how much of the project could be done with the $600,000.
Director Sullivan explained that the project would be designed based on the funding available; and if that was not enough money to do the project, he would come back to the City Council and ask for direction.
12. Environmental Determination and Contract Award for Local Street Rehabilitation Project #3. The City Council is requested to grant a negative determination of environmental impact, review the bids for the Local Street Rehabilitation Project #3 (North 12th Street - Ramona Avenue to Atlantic City Avenue) and award the contract to Union Asphalt, Inc., of Santa Maria in the amount of $186,116.08.
Community Development Director Sullivan highlighted the Staff Report.
Council Member Keith said in the Staff Report it mentioned that the trees could be planted in a neighborhood park.
Director Sullivan stated if the property owners did not want the trees planted on their property, they would be planted in a park because the City still had the responsibility to replace the trees.
Council Member Keith asked about the size of the trees and whether it would be better to plant larger trees.
Director Sullivan explained why the requirement was for 15 gallon trees.
Council Member Keith asked if the City maintained the trees that were planted on private property for a certain period of time.
Director Sullivan responded that the trees became the responsibility of the property owner; however, if the trees did not survive, the City would go back and replace them.
Council Member Neufeld asked if the Cypress trees had to be replaced with Cypress trees.
Director Sullivan explained there was a whole list of trees that did well in this area that could be used.
Mayor Ekbom asked about the Oak trees on the west side of 12th Street.
Director Sullivan explained that was not in an area of cut so it did not need to be removed.
Del Wayner, 494 N. 12th Street, said he wanted to congratulate the Council for taking on streets. He said he had lived on that street with its pot holes for a long time. He talked about the width of the streets in Grover Beach and asked the City Council to consider making the streets narrower. He said there were several downsides to having streets so wide: (1) the cost of repairs; (2) immediately upon the wide streets being improved, it became a speed area; (3) every time a square foot of concrete or asphalt was put down, it increased the amount of drainage water that needed to be handled. He said he was familiar with trees and belonged to the National Arbor Foundation. He said he did not have a problem with the trees being removed. He said his problem was that after the street was widened, he would have about twelve feet between the front of his house and the street. He said he would have no room to put in more trees. He said he thought it would make more sense to cut down the size of the streets and make them smaller. He asked the Council to consider that.
Mayor Ekbom asked Director Sullivan about narrowing the streets.
Director Sullivan stated Mr. Wayner and he had discussed it. He said there was existing curb, gutter and sidewalk on 12th Street. He explained that to narrow it to 36 feet would cause an irregularly shaped street. He said the City had long had a 70-foot standard street size with 46 feet from curb face to curb face. He explained that the City had previously abandoned right of way on several streets that were 100 foot wide.
On motion by Council Member Arnoldsen, second by Council Member Keith, and carried on the following roll-call vote, to wit:
AYES: Arnoldsen, Keith, Neufeld, Santos, Mayor Ekbom
NOES: None
ABSENT: None
ABSTAIN: None
Resolution No. 00-10 was adopted granting a Mitigated Negative Declaration to Project #3, the bid was awarded to Union Asphalt, Inc., in the amount of $186,116.08 and the Mayor and City Clerk were directed to sign the contracts on behalf of the City.
13. Authorization to Formally Advertise/Select Requests for Qualifications to Developers for the Beach Hotel/Lodge Project. The City Council will consider options on how to proceed with the beach hotel/lodge project.
Council Member Neufeld read the Redevelopment Ad Hoc Committee's findings. He said the final consensus of the Committee was to contact developers, have one-on-one discussions, and answer concerns regarding the project's feasibility and determine what specific information developers would need to prepare a hotel project. He said a policy decision needed to be made by the City Council on whether the preference was to go out for a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for developers so they could negotiate directly with State Parks or a Request for Proposals (RFP). He read the options listed on page 2 of the Staff Report.
Council Member Keith stated how to accomplish getting a hotel project at the beach had been a hotly debated item. He said that was why the Ad Hoc Committee had been formed. He indicated there had been some blood, sweat, and tears shed in arriving at the recommendation. He said the recommendation to go out for a Request for Qualifications was a unanimous decision from the Ad Hoc Committee. He said the Committee saw it as the least expensive route for the City, giving the best opportunity for success and bringing in the largest revenue source for the City. He said what they hoped to accomplish was to administer some oversite for the proposal that would be generated to construct the facilities, some control over the design feature, control over impacts to the neighborhood, control over what the future looked like with the completion of the project, control over the initial process, and do so without a large expenditure of public monies. He said he thought a Request for Proposals was the way to go and hire some consultants to guide the City in the process. He said it seemed apparent to him now that Council Member Neufeld's adamant insistence that the City go with a Request for Qualifications was correct. He said the idea was to allow the developer to go to the State and go into the neighborhood and to property owners and negotiate with them and the City to make this project a reality.
Council Member Neufeld said when the Ad Hoc Committee was discussing the differences between the RFQ and the RFP, they talked to several developers who said if the City went out for a RFP, it would probably cost them about $50,000 to put in a proposal. He said the developers indicated that because it was State property and because of the creek, it would be like a beauty contest with developers submitting something that would look pretty without really knowing what they would be able to do. He said he thought it would limit the number of developers who would bid on the project because of the number of unknowns.
Council Member Keith stated the City had been talking about this project for 20 years. He said the Ad Hoc Committee was saying "let's get out of the way, keep the money in the City and let some developers put this project together". He said it was a fair, open process. He said there were some hurdles that might be unsurmountable. He said the Committee was recommending the City do the Request for Qualifications, let private industry take care of it, and see if the City couldn't get a revenue stream into the community that it might not otherwise enjoy. He commented that it would also provide a gateway that would be attractive and inviting to Grover Beach.
Council Member Neufeld referenced the "Developer Selection: A Comparison" table on page 4 of the Staff Report. He indicated that one column was Cost to the Agency and Developer and one was Time Urgent. He said one thing that was very urgent was that the City was under the new redevelopment laws which used a declining balance. He said the City lost funds at the end of 10 years. He explained that the City would start losing some of the tax revenues from the property taxes, and they would revert back to the other taxing agencies. He said since the City's plan was put in in 1996, it was into the 4th year now. He stated on the monies the City was getting for redevelopment from property taxes, over 50% of those funds were probably coming from the projected revenues from this hotel project. He said one of the other major concerns was that this project was unique and complex because it was on leased State land and on land that would have to be purchased. He said that would make this project much more complex than if the City owned the parcels.
Council Member Santos asked how many developers were interested in this project.
Council Member Neufeld replied he thought there were four. He said when the City advertised for the RFQ, it would advertise locally in the newspapers and possibly in the counties on either side of San Luis Obispo County. He said they had no idea how many other developers might want to participate when they saw the ad.
Council Member Santos asked if the Ad Hoc Committee would have Staff working with it by the time the RFQ's went out.
Council Member Keith stated Community Development Director Sullivan and City Manager Odom had been attending the meetings.
Council Member Keith stated the City Council, as a body, made the decisions and was not authorizing the Ad Hoc Committee to make decisions. He said the Committee would be coming back with recommendations. He said he hoped that the Council would empower the Ad Hoc Committee to look at the selected developer in oversite throughout the entire project so they could advise the Council and keep from having any surprises.
Mayor Ekbom stated the Council formed the Ad Hoc Committee to look at the project and figure out how to get it moving, and the Committee had been doing that. He said he thought the Committee's role was to provide leg work and lay the ground work so a developer could get together with the parties that were involved in the project. He said the original concept of the project was that Grover Beach was going to sell bonds, buy the private property to become an equal landowner, and land lease the project. He said that seemed to have all gone out of the window. He said his question was what authority the City had to authorize a single source person to do this when State Parks owned part of the property and private parties own the other part of it. He said the City had no authority in any part of this project. He said all of these steps, the RFQ, the JPA, the MOU, and other agreements would be between parties that had an interest in the project; which the City did not. He said the City would be binding the State to negotiate with a single source person who won the Request for Qualifications contest.
Council Member Neufeld stated that was not correct. He said it was within the City limits, and the City specifically set up an Improvement Agency for that purpose. He said it was up to the Improvement Agency and the City to pick a developer, and then it was up to the developer to work with the State.
Mayor Ekbom stated Peggy Carmichael had a project within the redevelopment area. He said she owned the property, she decided on a project, she decided on a developer, and brought it to the Planning Commission for approval. He said the City didn't tell her what to build there, the City was not involved. He said the City had no authority to tell someone the City wanted them to build that project on that parcel unless the City had an interest in it. He said the City could choose whoever they wanted and tell that developer to go to the State and negotiate, but anyone else could negotiate with the State also. He said the City could not impose on the State that they only deal with the developer the City selected. He said he was in favor of the project and didn't want to spend $40,000 for a consultant; he just was concerned about the City not having any authority.
Council Member Keith stated the City would be acting as a facilitator. He said the City could select the developer and send that developer to the State, and the State could say "why are you sending this person to us". He said the State has known for years that the City wanted to do this. He said the Council charged the Ad Hoc Committee to discover the most efficient way to go about this, and the Committee was telling the Council this was the most efficient way to do it. He said if the Council wanted them to hire a consultant to guide them through the process, they would do that.
Mayor Ekbom asked what obligations this would hold down the line if a developer negotiated with the State and came back and requested some backing from the City in terms of a waiver of fees or portion of the bed taxes or any number of financial commitments from the City.
Council Member Neufeld stated that was why the City was the lead agency on this because it was within the City limits and was within the redevelopment area. He said if the Council recalled back in the 1980's and in 1993, the County was also attempting to get a piece of the pie. He said because of the change in the redevelopment laws since that time, now the County was out of the picture. He said that was one of the reasons that back in the 1980's the redevelopment agency fell apart.
Mayor Ekbom opened the discussion to the members of the public.
Dick Anderson, Le Sage Riviera Mobile Home Park, asked why the City kept putting road blocks in this project. He said it had been going on for years and years. He said the City should find out once and for all if it could be done.
Jake Griffith, Le Sage Riviera Mobile Home Park, stated he was for the hotel project. He said he thought it would really look good. He said he went through a similar situation in another City. He said they got the hotel developer, the government owned the land and gave them permission to build the hotel. He stated Embassy Suites built the hotel but not until the City agreed to give them fifteen years of free taxes. He said the City needed to watch the developer.
Lyle Carver, 311 N. 9th Street, stated the best way to approach this project was through bond money and packaging. He said he was glad to see that the opinions had changed and congealed. He said he would be delighted to see advertisements for a developer. He congratulated the Council for moving forward.
Frank Heffernan, 749 Manhattan Avenue, stated the City had a pristine beach and could drive down Grand Avenue from Arroyo Grande and see the ocean all the way. He said it was a beautiful view, and you couldn't improve on perfection. He said the Council was talking about putting some Coney Island type honky tonk hotel, and it would be a sacrilege. He said there was no revenue stream in sight from this project. He stated there were already enough hotels along the beach, some of them that had gone into bankruptcy. He said there was already a surplus of beautiful hotels in the area for people to stay, and he couldn't understand why anyone would want to put a hotel in that beautiful area. He said that State land should be made into a nature conservancy.
Norma Newdoll, 840 Charles Street, stated there was an outstanding article in the Telegram Tribune by Jerry Bunin. She said she wanted to commend Council Members Keith and Neufeld for bringing back this dream that some of the residents of Grover Beach have wanted to see for many years. She said there had always been a lot of factions in Grover Beach, but they were always able to work together to make things happen. She said it was very exciting to see that this might finally come to fruition.
Clark Foerster, 831 N. 6th Street, also commended Council Members Neufeld and Keith. He said Grover Beach had to grow and develop its tax base. He said he would like to voice his vote to proceed as the Committee was recommending. He said the City had the most stake in the success of that hotel project and needed to be as much a part of it as possible.
Lois Hughes, 1230 Newport Avenue, said she talked to a lot of people in Grover Beach and the Five Cities Area. She said a lot more people than the Council thought loved the palm trees and wanted to see the hotel project built. She stated they were interested in how it was done and didn't want to see something that was overblown and not compatible with the City. She said she didn't think the Council wanted something that wasn't going to be good for the City. She said she wanted to give her support for the project. She suggested the City use the Chamber of Commerce newsletter to advertise for developers since the Chamber had the ability to go statewide.
There were no further public comments.
Council Member Arnoldsen stated it took the Ad Hoc Committee six months to come to the same conclusion he came to five years ago. He said he was of the opinion that there was no way to proceed without developers. He stated he had long been saying the City needed to do an RFP. He said he knew there had to be a developer in line in the front of the project and involved in the JPA and the MOU; because if they were not, anything the City tried to negotiate with the State might be a roadblock that a developer could not overcome. He said what the City would do if it proceeded the way it had been was to work very hard, put a lot of money out, and then find out that it put so many restrictions on a developer that what the City wanted might not be feasible. He said the City needed to find a developer that wanted to get in front of the train so they were leading something that was really feasible. He stated this was a City, not a hotel development corporation. He said the City needed to find someone that did know hotel development, and the only way to do that was to have a developer involved from the beginning. He commented that he liked the beach the way it was and really didn't care if this project happened or not; but if the City wanted to make it work, the only way was to do what the Ad Hoc Committee was recommending.
Council Member Santos stated the Council had talked about this time and time again. She said it was time to move forward.
Mayor Ekbom stated he was still thinking the Council was envisioning authority it did not have. He asked if the City implied some authority in picking a developer to negotiate with the State and if that would incur any legal commitment with the developer.
City Attorney Rupp stated the first thing was to imply no legal authority and tell the developer the City was not giving them anything: no money, no guarantees, nothing. He said all the City would be doing was picking the developer with the best qualifications and then asking them to put forth a conceptual plan. He said then the City would tell the State it thought the conceptual plan was pretty good and ask that the State negotiate with the developer to make it happen. He said at least the City would be saying to the State "please discuss this with this person". He said that would be about as far as it would go.
Council Member Neufeld stated the first step would be to negotiate a Joint Powers Agreement (JPA) with the State because the previous one had lapsed.
City Attorney Rupp stated he didn't understand why the City would want to negotiate a JPA with the State because a JPA, by its very nature, would put restraints on a developer. He said he thought the Council was getting a little ahead of itself.
On motion by Council Member Keith, second by Council Member Santos, and on the following roll-call vote, to wit:
AYES: Arnoldsen, Keith, Neufeld, Santos, Mayor Ekbom
NOES: None
ABSENT: None
ABSTAIN: None
Council approved the Redevelopment Ad Hoc Committee's recommendation and authorized Staff to work with the Ad Hoc Committee to develop a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) stating the project's Scope of Work with final approval for the RFQ by the City Council prior to publication.
COUNCIL COMMITTEE REPORTS
Council Member Santos reported on the Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting. Council Member Neufeld reported on a memorandum he had received from the Integrated Waste Management Authority indicating that Grover Beach had hit its required 50% waste stream reduction. There were no other Council Committee Reports.
CITY MANAGER'S AGENDA
There were no items.
CITY COUNCIL AGENDA
14. Discussion: Conduct Separate Meetings for Improvement Agency - Council Member Neufeld.
Council Member Neufeld stated each Council Member had two titles; one as a Council Member and one as an Improvement Agency Board Member. He said they had joint meetings now which added to the confusion on what hat they were wearing when voting on an issue. He said originally the Council adjourned to an Improvement Agency meeting on any matters concerning redevelopment; but somewhere down the line the procedure was changed. He said he had asked for a copy of the Improvement Agency by-laws which said: "the annual meeting of the Agency shall be held on the first Monday in March immediately following the City Council meeting" and "regular meetings shall be held without official notice on the first and third Monday of each month immediately following the City Council meeting". He said he was requesting that the Council change the procedure back to coincide with the Improvement Agency by-laws to end the confusion.
Council Member Arnoldsen stated it was what the City used to do. He said it was a separate meeting, and he was in favor of changing it. He said that was the way it used to be done.
Council Member Keith said he didn't have a problem with it either way.
City Attorney Rupp stated he had seen it done both ways in other cities. He said the City would simply put out a separate agenda for the Improvement Agency, and it would be immediately following the City Council meeting. He said there would be separate meetings and separate minutes.
Mayor Ekbom asked if that would obligate the Agency to hold a meeting whether there was any business or not.
City Attorney Rupp stated Staff would simply put out an agenda and say there were no business items.
Council Member Neufeld referenced Nolan vs Redevelopment Agency and said the court had decided that since the Redevelopment Agency was a separate body, the City had to keep the City Council and Redevelopment Agency separate.
City Attorney Rupp stated he had seen it done both ways and either way worked.
Council Member Arnoldsen said the other thing it clarified was when a member had a conflict of interest, they could step down and it would make it clear when that needed to be done. He said now that the two meetings were mixed up, it was sometimes difficult to know when to step down.
Council agreed to change the way Improvement Agency meetings were conducted to conform with the by-laws.
PUBLIC COMMUNICATIONS
Council Member Santos agreed to try to get some answers for him.
COUNCIL COMMUNICATIONS
A. Council Member Keith stated he had proposed to the Grover Beach Police Officers Association, the Fire Fighters Association, and the Chamber of Commerce that they jointly sponsor a family carnival at the beach like the one last year. He said they would be having the first meeting this week. He said it was proposed to be four days beginning April 14th. He said the goal was to give away all-day ride arm bracelets to the children. He said it was a very good tool for the Police Department and Fire Department to work with the community.
Council Member Santos asked if they had considered asking businesses to buy a certain number of tickets to give out to families.
Council Member Arnoldsen stated when the Harlem Globetrotters were in Santa Maria, the Men's Club bought tickets for some of the under privileged children and arranged for the Boys and Girls Club to transport them. He said the Club would probably be willing to help with this event, too.
B. Mayor Ekbom stated he had been planning to attend the Oceano Community Services District meeting last Thursday to respond to all the cards and letters the Council had gotten regarding the community center in Oceano. He said he had not been able to go after all. He said he just wanted to go there and tell them the City Council was just trying to help them get the CDBG funds and not trying to tell them how to build or operate the facility.
C. Mayor Ekbom talked about the letter he had received regarding the Management Plan for the beach. He said he wanted to write a letter of support for the existing uses and level of use at the beach. He said he was just telling the Council he was going to write a letter restating the City Council's previous position. He said he thought this was the first step to creating a wild life refuge.
ADJOURNMENT
Mayor Ekbom adjourned the meeting at 10:00 p.m. to the Regular City Council Meeting on Monday, March 20, 2000, at 6:30 p.m. in the City Hall Council Chambers, 154 S. 8th Street, Grover Beach, California.
Mayor David Ekbom
Attest:
Patricia A. Perez, City Clerk