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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAUGUST 10,1993 1 1 35:0213 f111tJ "" , i 0'1/00/,' CITY COUNCIL PROCEEDINGS ARE TAPE RECORDED AND ON FILE IN THE OFFICE OF THE CITY C( CLERK ROLL CALL 1. PRESENTA- TION BY NEWCO WASTE SYS, o ~~ () * f> (; M I NUT E S CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF ARCADIA and the ARCADIA REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY ADJOURNED REGULAR MEETING (WORK SESSION) August 10, 1993 The City Council and the Arcadia Redevelopment Agency met in an Adjourned Regular Meeting (Work Session) on Tuesday, August lO, 1993, at 5:30 p,m, in the Council Chambers Conference Room, PRESENT: Councilmembers Fasching, Harbicht, Lojeski, Margett, and Ciraulo None ABSENT: ORAL COMMUNICATIONS None, Bernie Nash, General Manager of Newco Waste Systems, distributed a report for the Council to review, He explained that Newco Waste Systems took over Best Disposal Company in 1990, supplying waste disposal service to residences in Arcadia but not to commercial establishments, He noted that Newco's prices are lower than those of other companies servicing 22 other cities in the San Gabriel Valley, and that only two of those cities are incorporating a surcharge with regard to AB 939--the cities of Arcadia and Temple City. Mr. Nash stated that Newco would like a two-year or five-year extension to their contract with the City of Arcadia, which expires in February of 1994. During the extension period they would retain their current rate, There was a discussion of Newco's costs and revenues, with Mr. Nash answering questions from Councilmembers, Mr, Nash assured the Council that Newco could retain their current rate for a two-year extension, Councilmember Harbicht commented that he would like to see a report done'which would show Newco's income, including recycling value, and what the projected costs are, including sorting costs and perhaps a projection on pickup costs, He feels this report should be done on both a six-month basis and a twelve-month basis, so that Council has all the facts and figures in front of them. He also asked that, for Council's clarification, staff go through the Newco report and prepare a critique on the monthly rates with regard to comparisons shown, Staff has not yet seen the report referred to, but it was acknowledged that Newco' s rates are some of the lowest in the Valley, based on staff's survey done about six months ago, The City of Arcadia has the opportunity to participate in a multi- jurisdictional exclusive residential refuse and recycling agreement with the Cities of Sierra Madre, Monrovia, and Duarte, Staff explained that the larger population base of four cities rather than one makes it possible to retain a quality hauler at lower rates, It is understood that although the cities would seek proposals as a group, individual contracts would be signed. Councilmember Harbicht inquired as to what would happen if one of the cities decided to withdraw from the agreement; would that change the rates presented in a proposal? He is not sure that there is a big advantage to joining with three other cities in obtaining a proposal for refuse service, due to the possible complications and problems that could arise. -l- 8/l0/93 35:0214 In response to a question by Councilmember Margett asking what is the economy of the savings in a multi-jurisdictional agreement, staff explained that in packaging several cities together as one, there is a savings realized due to the larger population; trucks go through cities which are geographically contiguous; the hauler gets a better price on the purchase of refuse containers; and all of these things can add up to a savings to customers, Councilmember Margett suggested there comes a point where a better cost will not be effected, The City Manager answered that that question has not yet been considered. The main question asked has been. does the City save money by going to an open competitive process over a larger base, Councilmember Fasching pointed out that if Newco Waste continues its current rates for a two.year extension, that alone will save customers some money, He is concerned primarily with price and service; and if the Cicy is satisfied with the service and is given a good price, he does not see any reason to join a 1 consortium, Mayor Ciraulo sugbested that perhaps the only reason to do so would be to test the market, to see if even better service could be obtained, Councilmember Harbicht summarized that the two issues before the Council are, first, should the City go out for an RFP or renegotiate with the present hauler, The second issue is, if the City goes out for an RFP, should it do so with a group of cities or individually as has always been done in the past, He again questioned the advantage of joining with other city governments for a refuse hauling service, Councilmember Fasching feels that if the City and residents are satisfied with the service provided by Newco, and since Newco is willing to continue its same rates for a two-year extension of its contract, he sees no reason not to grant the extension, The City Manager recommended that, before a decision is made on such a major contract, staff look at the numbers and evaluate them, At this point in the discussion. the City Attorney brought to Council's attention the fact that on tonight's agenda this item is shown as a presentation by Newco Waste Systems, The Brown Act requires that if any action is to be taken at a Council meeting, the agenda item should specifically state, so that the public is aware of what the Council would be acting on. Councilmember Fasching suggested that staff bring back a report verifying the rates shown on'the Newco report. He is not interested in joining with other cities in waste hauling, but he would like to have a staff report to, review at a future Council meeting, By consensus, Council agreed that this be done. 2. UPDATE ON See page no. 3. WILDERNESS PARK CONCERT EVENT AT SANTA ANITA RACE TRACK (}'f' ..,'J Mr, Alec Engle of the Santa Anita Corporation made a presentation to Council regarding Los Bukis, a group of Hispanic entertainers who would like to perform a concert at the Santa Anita Race Track on October 2, Expected attendance could be approximately 25,000, Craig Dato of Santa Anita's Marketing Department explained that they are trying some new advertising and promotional efforts in order to attract a younger crowd, "college students and young professionals, With that in mind, a jazz festival will be offered on Memorial Day weekend, They also have targeted the country music listeners, The Big Hoss Dance Saloon started this year at Santa Anita has been a big success, Another group that it is felt has been under- represented at Santa Anita is the Hispanic population, Mr, Dato distributed to Council a study which shows the Hispanic population in Los Angeles County is growing, and is now at 18-20 percent at Santa Anita Race Track. It is anticipated that this group of entertainers will attract a crowd of not only Hispanic people, but those who have never attended other events at Santa Anita Race Track, -2- 8/l0/93 1 1 1 35:0215 A tape of the group's music was played for the Council, Mr, Engle explained that the performance would begin at 4 p,m, and end between midnight and l2: 30 a, m, There will be dancing, and food and beverages will be sold, An admission fee of $20 per person would be charged, Mayor Pro tem Lojeski was concerned that there be no "hard rock" type of music, which would upset many Arcadia residents, Councilmember Margett pointed out the recent concert at Santa Fe Dam during which there was a problem with crowd control, Mr, Engle stated that differences such as the location of the event, the fact that they had a "heavy-metal" act, and a lack of security contributed to the problems with the crowd at the Santa Fe Dam event. The City Attorney mentioned that an admission tax will apply for this event, a business license and an entertainment permit must be obtained, and the Police Department will have an opportunity for input during this process, Mayor Ciraulo would like to see this event be tried, Councilmember Fasching requested some time to think about this, as he is not yet ready to say yes or no to the event, Mayor Ciraulo explained that this is already a permitted function which does not require formal Council approval, and this was only being presented this evening as a courtesy to the Council, to get Council's reaction. Mayor Pro tem Lojeski felt that as long as the concerns of the Council are understood and if all requirements are complied with, he does not foresee any problem. 2, UPDATE ON WILDERNESS PARK 07..1t) The Director of Recreation presented a report from the Recreation Department, a report from the Police Department, and a letter from the Highlands Homeowners Association with regard to Wilderness Park, He reported that on weekdays when summer camps are conducted, no problems have been encountered, There has been some drinking , , I observed on weekdays during the evening, which has been curtailed by efforts of the Police Department. However, on weekends this summer the park has been very overcrowded. There have been no major incidents, but the increased use of the park is a concern to the Recreation Department, the Police Department, and the neighbors, The Recreation Director offered three considerations to handle this overcrowding. The first would be to close the park on weekends, since most overcrowding occurs at this time. There would be a cost savings to the City of approximately $12,000, The second consideration would be to continue to have the Recreation Department and Police Department deal with the crowds as best they can. A third consideration would be to charge an entrance fee in hopes of cutting down the crowds, If a fee were implemented, it is recommended that an additional park attendant be hired on weekends to collect fees, at a cost of about $6,000, which would be offset by a revenue of approximately $6,000. There would be an estimated cost of $2,200 for a kiosk, It is the recommendation of the Arcadia Police Department to close on weekends. The Highlands Homeowners Association would also like to have the park closed on weekends, In answer to a question from Councilmember Harbicht regarding a comparison of weekend attendance at Wilderness Park and Eisenhower Park, the Recreation Director stated that attendance is much higher at Wilderness Park, especially this summer, There are occasional large weekend crowds at Eisenhower Park at those times when there are special events, but not consistently as at Wilderness Park. The Recreation Director estimated there may be as many as 300 to 400 people at Wilderness Park on a Saturday or Sunday, whereas most weekends at Eisenhower Park there are under lOO people. Mayor Ciraulo commented that it seems Wilderness Park is becoming overused on weekends, and that the park was not intended for such large crowds, nor can the neighborhood handle the traffic, In response to a question from Councilmember Margett as to how many weekend users of the park are City residents, the Recreation Director estimated that figure may be as low as 10 or l5 percent, He also mentioned that the majority of the users of Eisenhower Park are not Arcadia residents, Mayor Ciraulo stated residents have said -3- S/lO/93 35:0216 they avoid Wilderness Park on weekends due to the problem of overcrowding, Mayor Pro tern Lojeski suggested that perhaps many people come to Arcadia parks because they offer a safer environment than parks in their own communities, Mayor Pro tem Lojeski requested that Captain Hinig expand on the Police Department's recommendation that Wilderness Park be closed to the public on weekends, Captain Hinig stated that one of the factors that has led to the overcrowding of Arcadia parks in general is that they are very safe; and Wilderness Park has the added attraction of being similar to a mountain resort area, Unfortunately, its popularity has grown so much that it impacts on the people who live in the area, There is also the problem of people leaving the confines of the park and moving into areas not inrended for the public, which presents the possibility of injury to visitors and also increases the risk 0: fire hazard, Councilmember Harbicht asked if the O'f~"~se of the park has led to an increase in the crime rate. Captain ~inig answered, no, there are simply too many people in an area c~at was designed to hold a maximum of l50 people, Also, this overcr,"wding has impacted on area residents more so than attendance at other City parks affects those nearby residents. _..i. ;:; Councilmember Fasching noted that, given the uniqueness and location of Wilderness Park, it might be called, instead, Wilderness Nature Center. Council could take steps to ensure its preservation as a nature center, such as closures, availability to residents and groups. and possibly an admission fee, Councilmember Margett concurred, and recalled that some organizations have, in the past, expressed interest in running Wilderness Park as an educational nature center. He feels that may be more in keeping with what the Council and the community desires, Councilmember Fasching stated that if Council is in agreement, he would like to have park operation remain as it is until a program is developed to convert Wilderness Park to Wilderness Nature Center, and then have the plan presented at a public hearing. Mayor Pro tem Lojeski asked how long it would take staff to come back with a program to leave the park open to the public during the week, and have it open on weekends only to Arcadia residents and groups on a reservation basis, The Recreation Director estimated something could be put together in a month. Mayor Ciraulo asked for comments from members of the Highlands Homeowners Association who were in the audience. Mr. Craig Bonholtzer expressed agreement that Wilderness Park is not a typical park, nor was it originally intended to be used as such. It was designed for use by Arcadia residents, or by organizations who wanted to meet up there, or for use by people who wanted to go there to study the animal and plant life. Jim Thomas, President of the Highlands Homeowners Association, agreed with the recommendations that the park be closed on weekends to the public, but would like to see it open to Arcadia residents on weekends, Jeff Howe commented that along with the increase in the number of people going to the park, there has also been an increase in gang activity, Planning Commissioner Emil Amato would like to see the park open only to Arcadia organizations on weekends, It was decided that the closure-reservation plan would be placed on the agenda for the September 7 Council meeting, Councilmember Fasching suggested that the Highlands Homeowners Association send a letter to its members advising them that this matter will be heard at the Council meeting of September 7, and that prior to the formalization of any action the park will be closed on weekends. Mayor Pro tem Lojeski suggested that the park remain open until the September 7 meeting. at which time the public will be able to comment before a course of action is decided by the Council. A discussion followed regarding whether or not to close the park on weekends before the September 7 Council meeting, and how this information would be communicated to residents. Council also addressed the point of why this matter was being deliberated in a study session rather than a regular Council meeting, -4- S/lO/93 1 1 I I USE OF COMMUNITY CENTER 07 jiJ . :,J{; 3, UPDATE ON LIBRARY EXPANSION In..,,).. '}() 35:0217 Councilmember Margett noted that if the park were to be closed on weekends, it would not impact heavily on Arcadia residents, since the majority o'f users are not from Arcadia, Councilmember Harbicht felt that any decision on closing the park should be one reached at a regular Council meeting, Councilmember Fasching preferred to close the park until the September 7 Council meeting, on an emergency basis, It was MOVED by Mayor Ciraulo, seconded by Councilmember Fasching, and CARRIED on roll call vote as follows to close Wilderness Park immediately on weekends to the general public, but to honor any reservations which have been made or requests by non-profit Arcadia organizations who would like to use the park, AYES: NOES: ABSENT: Councilmembers Fasching, Margett, and Ciraulo Councilmembers Harbicht and Lojeski None Councilmember Fasching again requested that, if possible, the Highlands Homeowners Association advise their members of the weekend closure. It was MOVED by Mayor Pro tem Lojeski, seconded by Mayor Ciraulo, and CARRIED on roll call vote as follows to DIRECT staff to prepare a report in the form of a public hearing for the first Council meeting in September regarding the contemplated closure of the park on weekends to the public, AYES: Councilmembers Fasching, Harbicht, Lojeski, Margett, and Ciraulo None None NOES: ABSENT: The Recreation Director presented requests from two organizations to deviate from current policy regarding use of the Community Center, The first was a request from the Arcadia Board of Realtors for a reduction in the regular fee of $600 for their upcoming fundraiser. The City Attorney cautioned that if the Council is being asked to make a decision on this request, the item should be placed on the agenda of the next Council meeting. Councilmember Fasching remarked that, considering the expenses associated with operating the Community Center, he does not feel the City should lower fees for fund-raising activities, Councilmember Harbicht inquired as to why organizations are charged an extra fee of $200 for fundraisers, and a brief discussion of this matter followed, The second request was from the Arcadia Chinese Association, which, in the past was denied a waiver of the fee; they are again request- ing a waiver for an upcoming event. It was the direction of Council that the existing policy be maintained but that it be reviewed by Council at a later date, and that the Arcadia Board of Realtors and the Chinese Association be advised of this decision, Councilmember Fasching suggested that at the same time, perhaps Council could review the costs and income associated with the Community Center, The City Librarian introduced Richard Nardini and Chris Anbrisino of Charles Walton Associates, who presented schematic drawings and information with regard to costs associated with the Library expansion, Mr, Nardini explained the "Design Camp" process, after which his firm started developing some designs and putting costs to them, When costs went beyond the budgeted amount, the project was reanalyzed with regard to requirements of future needs, If population growth rates remain constant, the proposed Library building would be functional until at least the year 2005; and considering the extra space in the basement. the life of the building could be extended 30 years, The square footage to be added is about l2,l82 square feet, down from the original l5,OOO square feet, -5- 8/l0/93 4. SOUTHWEST MUS EUM ~:"I\" '/il 5, CLOSED SESSION (Gov't. Code See, 54956,8) 0/1) -1 " 35:0218 Mr, Ambrisino reviewed some of the work to be done as part of the Library expansion, which includes seismic upgrading, providing a fire sprinkler system, and installing access for the handicapped, Shelving for books has been increased 27 percent, there will be a new audio~visual department, and an equipment room has been developed which will provide access to computerized information, The current Library has approximately l75 seats; the new facility will have 30l seats, There will be a Friends Book Store, an art room, group study rooms, and a room for the local history collection, Because of budget limitations, no exterior elevations have been done, but the cost presented by the architects provides for an attractive building, possibly brick and stucco, Mayor Pro tem Lojeski asked if it would be possible to add more square footage in 15 or 20 years, if it were necessary, Mr, Nardini explained that a separate building would have to be added, because I adding another expansion to the Library would bring it to more than 36,000 square feet. If more than 36,000 square feet, the building must be of fire-rated construction, meaning the infrastructure would have to be constructed of fireproof materials, I t would add approximately another $500,000 to the cost, most of it to bring the existing building from a non-fire-rated to a fire-rated status. Councilmember Harbicht commented that more than half the money to be spent on this expansion is to bring the existing building up to current standards. He also noted that future advances such as information on laser disks may dramatically reduce the amount of space needed for storage, ensuring that the building should be functional for more than another 15 years. Referring to the architect's report on costs, Mayor Pro tem Lojeski asked questions and was given clarification regarding the 8 percent contingency figure, the 4% construction management figure, the bidding expenses, and the construction quality control testing, Councilmember Margett asked the architects if there was any consideration given to building a new Library and how that expense would compare with expansion, and was told that it would be more costly. Councilmember Fasching was concerned as to where the City would get the funds to pay for the Library expansion. It was the understanding of the City Librarian that part of the money would be coming from the Capital Improvement Fund and part from the Facilities Construction Fund. Council directed the City Manager to bring a report back at a regular Council meeting showing costs, an analysis by the Finance Director as to the status of the Capital Improvement and Facilities Construction Funds, and that the Capital Improvement Program be amended to include the Library expansion, The City Manager reviewed a report prepared by staff regarding a Request for Proposal received from the Southwest Museum located in Highland Park, The museum, which houses a collection of American Indian artifacts, has outgrown its current facility and is seeking a new location. It was felt that the County Park in Arcadia might be a suitable place for the museum, After a discussion of the advantages and drawbacks of having such a facility in Arcadia, it was the consensus of Council that there was no interest in bringing this museum to the City, 1 The City Attorney announced that, "We're going to have a Closed Session now under the listed Government Code Section to discuss with Mr, Williams, our negotiator, certain price and terms and land acquisition aspects to the property at the northeast corner of Second and Santa Clara to the 210 Freeway, This concerns ongoing negotiations with representatives of Costco, Western Security Bank, Emkay Development Company, and the Los Angeles County Public Works Department. Thank you." At 8:30 p,m, the City Council ENTERED the CLOSED SESSION, ADJOURNED and RECONVENED the regular meeting to continue the regular agenda, -6- 8/l0/93 I il 6, LOJESKI (City Codesl Armory Property) HARGETT (Redev, Projects) FASCHING (Concert at San~a Anita) 35:0219 ITEMS FROM COUNCILMEM8ERS Mayor Pro tem Lojeski asked staff about the application of City codes to the growing of certain vegetable products in front yard areas, and raised an inquiry about Library use of armory property, Councilmember Margett expressed a general concern for Council backing of redevelopment projects, Councilmember Harbicht stressed the need to gather all information and move step by step towards any final action. Councilmember Fasching raised some general concerns regarding the presentation by Santa Anita officials regarding a potential concert at Santa Anita, A brief general discussion occurred and staff addressed questions on entertainment permits and zoning, ADJOURNMENT At 9:55 p,m, the City Council ADJOURNED to 7:00 p,m, on Tuesday, August l7, 1993, in the Conference Room of the City Hall Council Chambers, for an Adjourned Regular Meeting to conduct the business of the Council and the Redevelopment Agency, and any Closed Session necessary to discuss personnel, litigation matters or evaluation of properties, ATTEST: Jos Ju .7. 8/l0/93