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HomeMy WebLinkAbout08/20/2019 ARCADIA CITY COUNCIL REGULAR MEETING MINUTES TUESDAY, AUGUST 20, 2019 CALL TO ORDER— Mayor Verlato called the Study Session to order at 6:00 p.m. ROLL CALL OF CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS PRESENT: Amundson, Beck, Tay, Chandler, and Verlato ABSENT: None PUBLIC COMMENTS — No one appeared STUDY SESSION a. Report, discussion, and direction concerning a potential development project at the former Vons Corporate Headquarters site (618 Michillinda Avenue and 1101 W. Huntington Drive). Assistant City Manager/Development Services Director Kruckeberg provided a brief report on the potential development of the project. Brian Wenzel, Architect, Humphreys & Partners Architects, appeared and provided information on the graphics and design of the project. After discussion, the City Council provided comments on how the concepts might be enhanced through greater focus on decreasing density and apparent heights while increasing the parking, open space, and overall design quality. The item will be brought back at a later date for further consideration and discussion. The meeting ended at 6:59 p.m. Regular Meeting City Council Chamber, 7:00 p.m. 1. CALL TO ORDER — Mayor Verlato called the regular meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. 2. INVOCATION — Reverend Darwin Ng, Arcadia Police Department Chaplain 3. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE — Girl Scout Troop#7121 4. ROLL CALL OF CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS PRESENT: Amundson, Beck, Tay, Chandler, and Verlato ABSENT: None 5. REPORT FROM CITY ATTORNEY REGARDING CLOSED/STUDY SESSION ITEMS City Attorney Deitsch announced that prior to the regular meeting, the City Council met in a Study Session to receive a report from staff regarding a potential development project at the former 1 08-20-2019 Vons Corporate Headquarters site at 618 Michillinda Avenue and 1101 W. Huntington Drive; and that the architect appeared and received comments from the City Council. 6. SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION FROM CITY MANAGER REGARDING AGENDA ITEMS City Manager Lazzaretto stated that due to the number of speaker cards submitted regarding City Manager Item 12.a, the Mayor will be accepting comments from the public at that time, and that there will a 3 minutes time limit per speaker; and requested the City Council table City Manager Item 12.b so that staff can revise the ordinance to include citywide lost and found property, not just at the Library. Mayor Pro Tern Chandler concurred with the City Manager's request. 7. MOTION TO READ ALL ORDINANCES AND RESOLUTIONS BY TITLE ONLY AND WAIVE THE READING IN FULL A motion was made by Mayor Pro Tern Chandler and seconded by Council Member Amundson to read all ordinances and resolutions by title only and waive the reading in full. 8. PRESENTATIONS a. Mayor's Certificates of Achievement to TOPKids Center students for winning awards at the 2019 International Drone Design Competition. 9. PUBLIC COMMENTS Dan Bacani, Lee and Associates, appeared and introduced Goki Café, which will be going in at 214 N. First Avenue; he complimented Economic Development Management Analyst Tim Schwehr and Mr. Kruckeberg for the great they did to bring this business to Arcadia; he read a message from Ron Mills, who also indicated what an outstanding job everyone did and is looking forward to the grand opening; and indicated that this is a great example of the community all coming together to bring a great uniqueness to the City. Andres Webster, owner of Goki Café, appeared and invited everyone to their grand opening in October, and offered his services to the community. 10. REPORTS FROM MAYOR, CITY COUNCIL AND CITY CLERK (including reports from the City Council related to meetings attended at City expense SAB 1234]). Council Member Tay announced that he attended a seminar today in Santa Monica and City Manager Lazzaretto was the speaker, and indicated that the topic of discussion was "10 tips for Elected Officials", which he distributed to the other elected officials. Mayor Pro Tern Chandler indicated that he visited Del Mar Race Track this past weekend and saw Vince Foley and his wife Dolores, who are former Arcadia residents. Council Member Beck indicated that he was surprised at the number of residents in attendance at the meeting to complain about the configuration of Eisenhower Park, considering the number of community outreach hearings that the City conducted. Council Member Amundson indicated that he appreciated the accolades given by Dan Bacani to City staff, and feels that the Downtown area was in need of a coffee shop in that area; he also 2 08-20-2019 commented on the protests in Hong Kong and indicated what the American flag represents around the world. City Clerk Glasco announced that the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is offering services to veterans in the San Gabriel Valley, and provided the type of services; and he announced the ribbon cutting on August 23, at 11:00 a.m., at 415 South Ivy Avenue in Monrovia. Mayor Verlato announced that last week she meet with some members of the Audubon Society regarding the trees at Eisenhower Park; she further announced that "Mahjong with the Mayor" last week was a great success, and that the next "Mahjong with the Mayor" is Friday, September 13; that Saturday night she celebrated with the Tzu Chi Foundation and planted a tree at Whittier Narrows; she further announced that she will be attending the grand opening of the Veterans Center in Monrovia on August 23; that on August 31, she will be taking a bus tour of homeless shelters in Pasadena; she announced that September 3, will be the next"Coffee with the Mayor"; and noted that on the Consent Calendar are resolutions implementing Measure A, she thanked all the residents and taxpayers of Arcadia for voting on increasing the sales tax in Arcadia so that the City can keep and maintain its outstanding police and fire. 11. CONSENT CALENDAR a. Special and Regular Meeting Minutes of August 6, 2019. Recommended Action: Approve b. Resolutions implementing Measure A to be administered by the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration. Resolution No. 7268 authorizing the City Manager to execute Agreements with the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration for implementation of a Local Transactions and Use Tax. Recommended Action: Adopt Resolution No. 7269 authorizing the examination of Transactions (Sales)and Use Tax Records. Recommended Action: Adopt c. Contract with California Professional Engineering, Inc. for the Santa Anita Avenue Corridor Traffic Signal and Crosswalk Improvements at the intersections of Santa Anita Avenue and Alta Street and Santa Anita Avenue and Le Roy Avenue in the amount of $713,791, and approve an additional appropriation of $196,000 from the Transportation Impact Fund. Recommended Action: Approve d. Software Service Agreement with Tyler Technologies for the EnerGov Program for asset management, permit tracking, and community development software solutions in the amount of $96,120 annually. Recommended Action: Approve e. Accept all work performed by R Dependable Construction, Inc. for the Guardrail Retrofit at Arcadia Wash Project as complete. Recommended Action: Approve 3 08-20-2019 f. Accept all work performed by Pipe-Tech, Inc. for the Fiscal Year 2018-19 Annual Sewer CCTV Inspections as complete. Recommended Action: Approve It was moved by Mayor Pro Tern Chandler, seconded by Council Member Amundson, and carried on a roll call vote to approve Consent Calendar Items 11.a through 11.f. AYES: Chandler, Amundson, Beck, Tay, and Verlato NOES: None ABSENT: None 12. CITY MANAGER a. Report, discussion, and direction regarding basketball courts within the Eisenhower Park Improvement Project. Recommended Action: Provide Direction Public Works Services Director Tait, and Recreation and Community Services Director Somogyi provided the staff report, and provided the City Council with options. In response to Council Member Beck's inquiry, Community Services Director Somogyi responded that there is currently $11.6 million in the Parks Fund, and after the renovation of this project of $6.3 million, there will be about a $6 million balance; and explained that annually the Parks Fund accrues about $700,000 per year. Mayor Verlato announced the public comment process for this item, and that there will be a 3- minute time limit per person. Lena Hwang, an Arcadia resident, appeared and indicated that the basketball courts are a great addition to the park, and will be greatly missed by the community if not included; and stated that a stop sign is absolutely necessary for the safety of the pedestrians. Richard Castaneda, an El Monte resident, appeared and indicated that Eisenhower Park is the only park that he can exercise his dog without a leash; he stated that the dog park portion of the park was not designed by a dog lover, and the new design will have too much cement and it is important to have grass and open space so dogs can run; he shared his concerns about the dog park being closed during the renovation, and asked if another portion of the park can remain open. John Fredericks, an Arcadia resident, appeared and indicated that he was frustrated to hear that the dog park was going to be ripped out, and feels that closing the dog park for 9 months is excessive; he further indicated that he visits the dog park at least twice daily and suggested that the existing sprinklers should just be fixed and turned on instead of doing a dramatic design; he spoke about the patio canopy being proposed in the middle of the dog park, and feels that it should be moved to the west because that is where the dogs run. Stacy Rudzik, an Arcadia resident, appeared and indicated that staff has mentioned the outreach previously given to the residents regarding the renovation of the park, and noted that she received only one notice in February; she further indicated that things are happening to the park without community input, and that she was opposed to the dog park being closed for 8 months; she also noted that she cares about the homeless people in their area, and feels that with the park closed there will be no water access for the homeless. 4 08-20-2019 Max Chu, an Arcadia resident, appeared and commented on the need for a sound barrier in the area of the park, at the 210 Freeway at Second Avenue; he stated that the lack of a sound barrier affects the quality of life, and that the park is too noisy, and urged the City Council to address the noise; he submitted a petition to "reduce ambient noise caused by the lack of sound barrier on the 210 freeway at Second Avenue" to the City Council. Carolina Garzzia, an Arcadia resident, appeared and urged the City Council to reconsider the idea of removing the basketball court at the park; she indicated that she supports the sound barrier wall, and also suggested a round-a-bout at Colorado and Second Avenue; she suggested more lighting, and trees on her street because it is dark; and she also suggested locking up the park between 10:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. because she notices a lot of shady people hanging around the park late at night. Eric Aldaco, an Arcadia resident, appeared and indicated that his issue is beyond the basketball court; he commented on the planning, demolition, and construction of the park, and indicated that the City should of placed a big billboard public notice on the property so that it was visible to the neighbors on Newman Avenue; and he read a letter from a neighbor who also indicated they did not receive notice regarding the construction of the park, and expressed their opposition to the removal the basketball courts. Ruby Aldaco, an Arcadia resident, appeared and thanked Mayor Verlato for bringing this matter up again; she indicated that she understands there were community meetings, but no meetings with the residents that live near and around Eisenhower Park; she stated that there are no basketball tournaments going at the park at this time; and commented on the lack of lighting when exiting the park on Newman Avenue. Patricia Araiza, an Arcadia resident, appeared and indicated that she was offended by the terms and comments made by Mayor Pro Tem Chandler and Council Member Beck; she requested a crosswalk for the safety of the pedestrians; and requested that the construction of the park be stopped so that the neighbors have input; and requested full disclosure of what the design of the park is going to be, including what types of trees are going to be installed. Shirley Fang, an Arcadia resident, appeared and applauded the renovation of the park and the basketball courts; she indicated that she agrees with the comments made by Mr. Chu regarding the need for a sound barrier wall; she indicated that she is concerned about safety, that a couple of weeks ago she noticed homeless people sleeping at the park, and wandering around the gap of the freeway at Colorado and Second Avenue. Sam Chung, an Arcadia resident, appeared and indicated that he was pleasantly surprised and happy with the construction plans of the parks, but was concerned about the comments being made by the other speakers; and provided other alternatives for playing basketball in the community. Jim Fanous, an Arcadia resident, appeared and thanked Ms. Somogyi and staff who took the time to address questions he and his neighbors had; he wondered why residents are complaining that they did not know what was happening at Eisenhower Park; he indicated that he will be watching the construction of the park very carefully; and asked that if a basketball is considered to the north, he would like to meet because it would abut his property. At 8:48 p.m., the Mayor called for a recess, and reconvened at 9:00 p.m. 5 08-20-2019 In response to Council Member Amundson's inquiry, Director of Recreation and Community Services explained the different outreach efforts made to the community. It was moved by Mayor Pro Tem Chandler, seconded by Council Member Tay and carried on a roll call vote to approve Option 4 to continue with construction for the Eisenhower Park Improvement Project and do no modification to the scope of work. AYES: Chandler, Tay, and Beck NOES: Amundson and Verlato ABSENT: None It was moved by Mayor Verlato, seconded by Council Member Beck and carried on a roll call vote to approve Option 1 to utilize $21,000 in Park Impact Fee Funds to renovate the basketball courts located at Camino Grove School and install additional fencing and parking lot improvements. AYES: Verlato, Beck, Amundson, Chandler, and Tay NOES: None ABSENT: None b. Ordinance No. 2362 amending Article IV, Chapter 3 of the Arcadia Municipal Code by adding Section 4304 concerning lost and found items at the Arcadia Public Library. Recommended Action: Introduce This item was tabled and will be brought back for consideration at a later date. 13. ADJOURNMENT The City Council meeting adjourned at 9:21 p.m. to Tuesday, September 3, 2019, 6:00 p.m. in the City Council Conference Room. Mriir ;// rr, b/ .yor of the City of Arcadia ATTEST: • f n / U/I Chief T.uty City Clerk/ Recor.--' Manager 6 08-20-2019