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HomeMy WebLinkAboutminutes.council.19860324Re ular Meetin As en Cit Council March 24 1986 Joint Meeting with County Commissioners • 1 1 RFTA Supplemental Appropriation. ' 2 Employee Housing Guidelines. ' 4 LITTLE NELL SPA PUBLIC HEARING • ORDINANCE #9, SERIES OF 1986 - Appropriations 9 ORDINANCE #10, SERIES OF 1986 - Banning the Use of Leg-hold . 9 Traps RESOLUTION #9, SERIES OF 1986 - Expressing Disapproval of the Use of Leg-Hold Traps to be sent to the State ' 9 Legislature MAROON CREEK HYDROPOWER PROJECT CONTRACT AWARD • 9 ELECTION QUESTION PURCHASE OF VOLK PROPERTY 10 11 JENNY ADAIR POND 12 SHADOW MOUNTAIN BLOCK 47 • ' 12 CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PLAN ' 13 MALL FOUNTAIN RENOVATION 14 CLAIM OF MEL SOMER • 14 PITKIN GREEN ANNEXATION • 15 GOLF TOURNAMENT PROPOSAL 15 BIODOME PROPOSAL RFTA CITY ROUTES RECOMMENDATIONS • 16 18 CONSENT CALENDAR • 18 RAIL SERVICE PLAN 20 Reclular Meetin4 Aspen CitX Council - March 24. 1986 Joint Meeting with County Commissioners - Helen Kland ersd Blakey the meeting to order at 4:15 p.m. with Commission Madsen and Braudis, Councilmembers Isaac, Walls and Mayor Stirling present. 1. RFTA Supplemental Appropriataon. Bruce Abel, RFTA general manager, said at the February 11 RFTA Board meeting~develo ment established the budget of $71,000 foColor donDepartment of plan. Abel said UMTA through the Highways, will fund 530,000 of the study, which reprRFTAtwi801 percent of the transit related aso Ot to br in sthey~study up to be providing a minimum of 529, 9 559,000 which is the consultant commitment. Abts internal 571,000 recommended for this budget represen expenditures in addition to consultant expenditures. Abel said they are anticipating the possibility of supplementing existing staff for a minor portion of additional funds of 512,000. This TDP covers transit on a county wide, parking and circulation within the city of Aspen as well as Le ns Sc ttt and demands between Snowmass and Asp ltant on this study. Abel told Cleary has been selected as consu the Boards the money is available; however, when the budget was set, the exact money for the TDP was not known. Tom Blake asked why this study does not include parking at Snowmass. Abel said the town of Snowmass did not, indicate any interest and the scope of work that was sent out dnd inte rest uin that element. The city of Aspen did indicate a having the parking looked at, so that was obl meat 1Snow ass ops of work. Blake pointed out the parking pr not Snowmass cars. The TDP will look at an intercept lot for Snowmass. George Madsen said the RFTA fund balance is 51,000,000 and asked what the fund balance will be used for. Abel said RFTA capital fund balance can only be spent on capital; the operating fund balance can be spent on capital or operations. Abel said the highest priority item s are rolling stock and Rubey park. Madsen asked about using fund balance to increase operations to Glenwood or Redstone. Abel said that money would be av tt asaidl a tcounDy says that service is justified. Harry Trusco wide study on transit should include parking at Snowmass. Abel told the Boards RFTA is looking at Burn~ea oat tSn wmassans Abel macro level transportation demands genera said RFTA is involved in the larger transport et Boards udecbdednto in the internal functioning of Snowmass. Th bring this issue up at the joint consolidation meeting. 1 Re ular Meetin As en Cit Counc' M 24 198 Madsen moved to approve the supplemental budget appropriation; seconded by Braudis. All in favor, motion carried. Councilman Isaac moved to approve the supplement budget appropriation; seconded by Councilwoman Walls. All in favor, motion carried. 2. Emplovee Housing Guide fines. Harry Truscoted between authority, told the Boards the th ofo restrictedshousing has been 535,000,000 and $40,000,000 wor built in the community. Truscott said the housing authea~t thes handling different and unique items ev on house. t Truscott said went through the refinancialsof ha dling the management of the the housing office is community center and senior housing. Truscothe community are dealing more and more with quality of units in Jim Adamski, housing officer, reminded the Boards in One of athe annual report they listed goals and objectives. objectives was to investigate other sources of funding to provide mortgage financing for employees. Adamski said they used Pitkin County's allocation to provide about 5600,000 worth nterestarates for Pitkin County residents. Adamski said because i are getting lower, the housing office will look int f icef hasnbeen existing units. Adamski told Council the housing of working with the planning office to make sure that development provides employee housing that they generate. Adamski said the housing office has postponed the housing survey until Centennial project is complete. In June 1986 they will do an employer survey and in February 1987 they will revised eshowsea survey. Adamski pointed out the 1986 budget as 29 percent cost savings in government contributions. Adamski said the rental units at Centennial are 100 percehouses uabout there are still some sales units d he Boardse the housing office 400 local employees. Adamski tol sold 25 units in 1985 and has 4 units under contract. Adam ski told the Boards the 1986 employee and senior guidelines have changed very little except to make them morerovisionrienThe and to incorporate the city's payment in lieu p square foot costs have not been increased. Adamski said he would like to transfer the 1985 surplus funds to an eep1984e surnlus citizens account. The joint Board transferred th P monies into an account to be used to subsidizeo transfer the senior needs. The housing office 986a bud et co tains 518,000 as 1985 surplus. Madsen said the 1 g real estate commissions. Truscott answered the housing office gets 1 or 2 percent on sales of employee units. 2 Regul ar Meeting Aspen Cit,~ Council March 24,_1986 Madsen asked if the housing office has an inventory of private rentals available. Truscott said the survey will help determine how many free market rentals there are. Madsen said in order to determine the need for employee housing, thebleusiTruscottetold to know how many free market units are availa the Boards at the time of the last survey there are about 2500 units in the metro area, and 400 of those were r~k tCircle. Ann Dunaway asked why the controls were taken off Pa Bowman said there were 8 different resale agreement and they unenforceable. Mayor Stirling observed that the gap in price betty cottr sa d rthe and employee units is getting closed upon. Trus last survey indicated there was overcrowding, pe apl a d not want too much, and people were living down valley th to. Ms. Klanderud asked how much money is being requested to transfer to the senior housing program. Adamski said they expect $13,000 for 1985, and in 1984 $8,000 w th then seniordhousMng Klanderud said the Boards need to get on wi program; however, by transferring this money for senior housing, the surplus is not being used to decrease the city and county's subsidy of the housing authority. That is a choice the Boards have to make. Ms. Klanderud asked for an Adamskiasa d the miscellaneous reimbursement of expenditures. housing office receives $7,000 annually from the Hunter Creek project. Adamski told the Boards funds also come from the asset management section from the county using staff time for community center related items. Adamski said the housing office gets revenues from the planning office for development reviews. Blake moved to approve the 1985 annual report and the 1986 housing guidelines; seconded by Braudis. All in favor, motion carried. Councilman Isaac moved to approve the 1985 annual report and the 1986 housing guidelines; seconded by Councilwoman Walls. All in favor, motion carried. CITIZEN COMMENTS 1. Councilwoman Walls moved to add to the agenda the reconsideration of the election for the Volk property; seconded by Councilman Isaac. All in favor, with the exception of Councilman Collins. Council scheduled this as VI (a) . 2. David White said he is glad reconsider the Volk property election. people sign petitions, they should be the Council is going to It is important that when listened to. 3 Regular Meeting Aspen City Cou cil March 24. 1 89~C 3. Stacy Standley said it is important that the citizens have a voice in the Volk property. Standley said the staff has not examined all options. There are techniques of financing like selling or trading unimportant open space parcels to acquire more important parcels. Standley said some city open space parcels may have value in the private sector but riend le condemnationuor Standley said the staff could look at a f y a land trade to maintain the tax free status the Volks require. LITTLE NELL SPA PUBLIC HEARING Mayor Stirling opened the public hearing on Ordinance #53, Series of 1985. Councilman Isaac moved to table Ordinance #53, Seins. o All Bin until April 1, 1986; seconded by Councilman Coll favor, motion carried. Alan Richman, planning director, entered into the reand the memorandum of March 19, 1986 ~ thee ur osepof lthetfirst section executive summary. Richman said p P in the memorandum is to go through the entire site from the front of the building addressing open space and skieras rand oback tto hotel design, the visual appearance, the mall are the skier areas and lifts. Richman said the first two conditions focus on open space and skier drop off. Richman said his original concern about open space was technical. Richman said what is more important to dnthee skierthdrop poff nand of the hotel. The applicant has m v meets the concern that the drop off is accommodated fully on the applicant's property; views of the mountain haveduced. apRichman and shadow effects on Durant avenue have been r said staff and P & Z discussed whether open space belonea should front or the rear of the hotel and how the drop off ar relate to the street. Richman noted two commercial buildings, Ajax Mountain and the City Plaza buildings, provide open space in front of the buildings but this space is essentially dead open space and does not contribute to the pedestrian experience and puts the commercial shops at a great distance f roi i cants in athe Richman said the open space provided by the app plazas and at the rear of the project is the proper orientation for open space. It is the most active portion of the site, is exposed to the sun, and is where the pedestrians and skiers will be. Richman told Council the proposed arcade of the hotel runs along Durant avenue and into Hunter street, which will draw people from the rear of the hotel onto the street. Moving the building back 20 feet achieves overlapping benefits and does not create a dead 4 Regular Meeting Aspen Cites Council March 24, 1986 courtyard. Richman showed Council the drop off design with 3 curb cuts on Durant; there is a concern raised bninheconflictslon department that these 3 curb cuts may create tur g Durant street. Richman said a better design may be to eliminate one curb cut and have the traffic flowing internally. With the proposed drop off plan, the conflicts have been externalized onto one of the major right-of-ways in town. Jay Hammond, city engineer, told Council the internal traffic would be low speed traffic, rather than higher speed traffic on Durant. Bill Kane, representing the applicant, said they do not have a problem with combining the curb cuts,, eer WO Kane lsaid the to evaluate it and work with the city engin feels the project can be amended to accommodai a the 1 a wl icant losing drop off spaces. Kane told Coun i PP presented 15 drop off alternatives to P & Z and then limited it to 5. Richman said the daily time use of the tP o& dZ°recommended be at different times. treet the d a ~allel rather than angle and the parking on Durant s P the applicant created two parking islands to define this parallel parking. Peter Forsch, Aspen Skiing Company, said all the drop off occurs on the applicant's property with a 12 footd gn a views as a 2f 1/2 the traffic movement. Forsch said the bull g story building because of moving it back from the street. Forsch said there may be a net increase in parking as the skier drop off could be used for short term parking during the of hes numbera of summer. Council concurred they would like to see t curb cuts reduced. Forsch said the applicant a lan Councilwoman staff regulating and managing the drop off spac Walls asked how this proposal compares with where the current Little Nell building is from the street. Kane said the existing building is 65 feet off the street; the proposed building will be 34 feet off the street, 26 feet plus an 8 foot arca e. Richman told Council from a percentage standpoint, this project is way beyond the 25 percent open space, requi reaidthe feels proposal is about 60 percent open space. Richman s the applicant has oriented the building properly, and he would prefer to have the open space occur at the rear of the parcel because that is where most of the public acti the a arcellwould place. Richman said open space to the f ront of p be more beneficial to the hotel guest than the public. Richman said the applicant has planned linking between the Little Nell and Tippler decks. This proposal will improve this area and make it much more usable. Councilman Collins said he would like to see a map showing the open space. Richman pointed out the arcade wrapping around the 5 Regular Meeting Aspen Citv Council March 24, 1986 building will also become usable public pedestrian space. Richman said having open space on the north side he function not where the sun does not rear ublice and ousable eveKane told Council open space, which is to be p the total site is 88,000 square feet with 61,000 square feet of open space. Councilman Collins said he would like to see a map with the original site, the conservation site, the limits of the SPA, and the footprint of the building. Councilman Collins asked how much of the conservati the zsize of going to become SPA. Richman said a portion equal to the parcel which is zoned CC/SPA. Forsch pointed out a very small portion of the hotel will protrude into the otn vacatedn zone. Forsch told Counc it d bat the SkiingeCompanynand the City Hunter street is jointly owne y of Aspen. The Skiing Company has reserved various easements on the city's portion of Hunter street. Richman stated neither Dean nor Hunter streets are used as part of the FAR calculations. Forsch said the Skiing Company is requested eith will vnnodor~e 1 icense or encroachment f oMa ora Sti rl in t ~askedyif the eastern building on Dean street. ortion of Dean street beyond Hunter has been vacated. Hammond P told Council Dean street ends at Hunter. Richman told Council the critical issue in visual impact is the view plane through Hunter and up the mountain and pworkinng with view. Richman said the applicants have been 9 computer simulation drawings to illustrate that the views will remain. Richman said the addition of this building along Durant street will complete the wall effect along the street. Richman pointed out the principle way of dealing with the shading problem is to accent the use of Hunter street as the major entrance to the mountain. Hunter street will be paved and necked down to Durant. Richman said moving the building back another 10 feet has made a big difference in reducing the shadows along Durant. Richman said Council needs to be convinced that the addition of the gondola building can be accommodated and yet showedv Coun it wthe the mountain. Larry Yaw, architect, pedestrian arcade which is protected by a ro the amount of snow roof is a flat roof to retain snow and reduce on the sloped roof . The sloped roof is shingled and designed to hold snow. There are two sets of avalanche guards. There is a secondary roof with a flat skirt around the pedestrian portion of the building to hold snow. Mayor Stirling pointed out some minority P & Z positions state this is not really the grand entrance to the mountain. Forsch said the applicants have moved the building back, and the Hunter 6 Regular Meeting Aspen Citv Council - March 24, 198 street entrance is wider than the existing malls in ante 'street area will be landscaped and devel T ed corner of the building has has been lengthened perceptually. h been angled, the roofs have been lowered. The arcade will add another 8 feet of dimension and activity. The en oot difference stairs up to the upper promenade. eaTheRichman said there will be from the promenade to the skier ar the ski 1 if t temporary improvements to thicom lete atrthe time the hotel improvements. The malls will be p is completed. The applicant has agreed if the lodge improvement district is not on line by the time the hotel o the Baste oftthe will take responsibility to finish Dean street t project. Joe Edwards read to Council the planning offci ate the nskierodrop P & Z. The memo states staff did not anti p off to use the entire front of the building and be nnin f f ice of providing open space. The memo stated the pia g feels the neck down for the drop off is illback ise Edwards said recommended stepping or moving the building having storefronts on the street is probably a good argument in the commercial core district. Edwards said this is a unique site with view and open space and multi-use problems., Eaccess sand with the gondola located here, it will be a mad or there is no need to draw more people to the area. Edwards said the SPA regulations state the applicant should creatively use land planning techniques like set backs, clustering, screening and buffering and architectural design to (1) preserve view planes; (2) avoid adverse environmental impacts, and (3) provide open space trails and similar amenities. Edwards said the inner courtyard is not usable for any public purpos 40 f eetarby said this hotel could be moved back anothe diminishing the size of the swimming pool area. Edwards said most of the objections to this building are that it walls off the view of the mountain. Edwards said he feelsrdst ursed Council mistake to neck down into Durant street. Edwa 9 to create a grander entrance to the mountain. Forsch said the applicant feels the decision to install a gondola is one of the most significant improvements to Aspen. Forsch said the gondola terminal cannot be moved to the east toetheswest conflicts with lift 5. The terminal cannot be moved because of the steep cliff face, which would require very high towers. The applicant has worked to make the hi nl t he bde s i gn the smallest, least visible as possible wi criteria that cannot be changed. Yaw said the building will be 44 by 52 feet; the machinery requires 20 feet in height above the loading platform with an addition 5 feet for maintenance. Yaw pointed out the loading entrance and how the mountain restaurants will be serviced through the gondola. Yaw told Council the north 7 Regular Meeting Aspen City Council - March 24. 1986 face will be glass and the south side will a one st orte bu lding Councilwoman Walls pointed out this will be Y going clear across Hunter street. Forsch said ahew~bi h d sna cannot be moved and is a base faciliti nt has odone computerized guest amenity. Forsch said the appl graphics to visually represent the gondola lift building. Councilman Isaac asked about handicap access to the gondola building. Forsch said there is an elevatorurn to theohotel, Councilman Isaac said a person would have to ret find the elevator and ride to the gondola. Forsch said the applicant would be willing to examine this area. Richman told Council the FAR has been calculated to be9includedg just the CC land. • 94 tie eTher applicants i e asking Council to the FAR would be approve an additional 2 , 000 square feet to d cs tided tin the FARt minute design details which may whichtdob not allow the use in Richman recommended that zones question should not be included in the FAR calculation. Richman told Council this FAR is within the 2:1 allowable within the CC zone district if employee housing were to be included on-site. The applicant is not providing employee housing on site but at the Holiday House. The building mass is withi umbertislofwless within the CC zone of 2:1. Richman stated the n significance than Council's concern and if they fthe site rothen works. If Council feels the project fits on 1.93:1 is an accurate measure of how the building fits. Gideon Kaufman, representing the applicant, pointed out the SPA allows change in use . The applicant could have requested to rezone the property CC and add SPA. Kaufman said the important issue is the size, mass and bulk of the building theT underl ding reads smaller than it is. Kaufman pointed out Y zoning would allow a building with an FAR of 2 if the land building is under that FAR. Kaufman told Council zoned conservation SPA were included, this building would be under 1:1, which does not include additional land owned by the applicant at the base area. Richman told Council P & Z supported the planning office that the conservation zone should not add to the FAR and recommended granting the variation. Richman said at conceptual level the applicants talked about getting an encroachment license for Dean street. The city attorney has recommended using a vendors agreement, which has been done for the McDonalds improvements. Richman told Council the vendors agreement would have the applicant indemnify the city and that the applicant would agree to maintain the malls area. This agreement would be part of the SPA agreement. Mayor Stirling said this mall-like area will have commercial uses. 8 Reaul_ar Meet' na Aspen -City Council March 24, 1986 Forsch said the Skiing Company would be willing to make the kiosk available for any community uses during the summer time and off season. Mayor Stirling continued the public hearing to March 26, 1986, at 5 p.m. at city hall. ORDINANCE #9. SERIES OF_1986 - Appropriations Mayor Stirling opened the public hearing. There were no comments. Mayor Stirling closed the public hearing. Councilman Isaac moved to adopt Ordinance #9, Series of 1986, on second reading; seconded by Councilwoman Walls. Roll call vote; Councilmembers Isaac, yes; Collins, yes; Walls, yes; Mayor Stirling, yes. Motion carried. ORDINANCE #10, SERIES OF 1986 - Banning the Use of Leg-hold Traps Mayor Stirling opened the public hearing. There were no comments. Mayor Stirling closed the public hearing. Mayor Stirling moved to adopt Ordinance #10, Series of 1986, deleting the last sentences of the title and the last two lines of the last whereas; seconded by Councilwoman Walls. Roll call vote; Councilmembers Isaac, yes; Walls, yes; Mayor Stirling, yes. Motion carried. RESOLUTION #9, SERIES OF 1986 - Expressing Disapproval of the Use of Leg-Hold Traps to be sent to the State Legislature Councilwoman Walls said this resolution states very well Council's intent. Council asked the staff to submit this to Aspen's legislators, the Governor's office, the Division of Wildlife, to Colorado Association of Ski Towns and other interested parties. Bil Dunaway said since the Council ref used to ban the sale of furs caught in such traps, it seems odd to be asking the state to adopt this. Councilwoman Walls said she feels it is easier to enforce this type of legislation on a state wide basis. Councilwoman Walls moved to adopt Resolution #9, Series of 1986; seconded by Mayor Stirling. All in favor, motion carried. MAROON CREEK HYDROPOWER PR©JECT CONTRACT ATi~ARD Mayor Stirling moved to table this until April 14, 1986; seconded by Councilwoman Walls. All in favor, motion carried. 9 Reaular_Meetina Aspen City Council - March 24, 1 986 Councilman ,Isaac said he does not favor the agreem ets to bet an Deanes as It is an increasing amount of money and g exorbitant amount. Assistant City Manager Mitcheanes a d Citnwas has already approved this agreMitchell thointed Bout the city is- negotiated over a long time. p getting the Deanes' property as well as the abil omi so of ethis Herrick ditch rights, which increases the econ project. Mayor Stirling requested staff, circulate the agreement with the Deanes. Councilman Collins said the bids ranged from $250 ,000 to over a million dollars, and there were questions large spread. Counci FPaand would likedmore information on the regarding the initial R bidders, qualifications, performance bonding, manageseask d what hydroplant after it is completed. M tchelln reminded Council happened to Sheaffer & Roland. Sheaffer & Roland did an economic analysis, which showed the project was not economical. The Deanes and Musick appealed to staff feeling if this went to bid, it would cost less than the analysis showed. Mitchell said the plant will be economical and the pay back is substantially higher than the estimate. All in favor, motion carried. ELECTION UESTION PURCHASE OF VOLK PROPERTY Councilwoman Walls said she has consistently opposed purchasing the Volk property for open space and voted against st a lbad hdeal~ an election as the proposal from the Volks wa Councilwoman Walls said she received a letter also renuested asking for reconsideration.t isha bad dealn the electorate would reconsideration because if i recognize this and vote against it. Councilwoman Walls said the threats started, and if she changed her vote it would appear she was giving into pressure. Any time in the future Council had a controversial issue, people would start recall campahadsheardtthe would seta precedent. CouncilwomaneWcouldsreconsider. It would recall drive is off and she feels sh not do well to have this type of controversy going on while the Council is searching for anew city manager. Jon Busch thanked the Council for reconsideration of this issue. Busch said what they have discovered is that the open space master plan adopted by Council gives specific directions that Council is encouraged to take when looking at open space acquisitions, methods of supplementing the °pmitteeawouldube through non-cash methods. Busch said his com willing to work with staff on the ballot questi urchase lnl ansa also try to come up with some alternative p P Councilman Isaac said he feels it is inappropriate for a group of citizens to threaten Council with recall for a stand on one ~- 10 Regular Meeting - Aspen City Council March 24. 1986 issue. Councilman Isaac said when Councilmembers take a stand on issues, it does not mean they are not doing their job. Busch said his committee is proposing alternative ways of purchasing the Volk property which would address the concerns about the cost of the property. Busch said the recall doeBusch sa id eif the issue of purchasing the Volk property. committee cannot come up with a purchase package that is acceptable to the community, they will turn this down. Hans Gramiger said this issue would put a burden s n cketbookt majority who elected Council to look after the city po , Andre Ulrych said they feels 1700 people signed this petition, and this is not a silent minority. Ulrych said their point is that this issue should go to an election, not whether Council should vote to purchase the property. Mayor Stirling said he feels the issue is whether Council is willing to respond to citizens asking Council to hold an election. Mayor Stirling said this would be a non-binding election. Mayor Stirling suggested scheduling an election June 3 , 1986 as the earliest possible date. Mitchell told Council said he will have to check with the Volks to see if they are still interested in a proposal. Mitchell told Council the staff has looked at possible sites for trades, and there is not land available for trade. Councilwoman Walls moved to reconsider the Volk election question; seconded by Councilman Isaac. All in f avor, with the exception of Councilman Collins. Motion carried. Mayor Stirling moved to set June 3, 1986, as the special election, and to direct the staff to see if the Volks are still willing, and any other alternatives that may help this purchase and adopt Resolution #7, Series of 1986; seconded by Councilman Isaac. Councilman Isaac said he will vote favorably to have an election; however, he is opposed to purchasing the property at the price that has been offered. All in favor, with the exception of Councilman Collins. Motion carried. FENNY ADAIR POND Jay Hammond, city engineer, reminded Council they requested a ir Ad total cost for this pond, which will be project including a ramp into the a permanent addition and will be a Jenny revegetated to provide access. Hammond requested construction, who did the original bid. an updated bid Hammond said f rom M & M M & M added 11 Rectular Meeting Aspen City Council -- March 24, 1986 $2,000 to their bid to do all 3 ponds and th22 x760. 1 Last) fall Adair. This brings M & M's total price to $ Council appropriated $16,760 on a bid of $20 ,760 The ustaf f tis city could do a certain amoouriation tof c$4 000 for $2,000 to requesting an additional appr p Hammond cover the ramp and $2,000 for increathatcmats be usable f or this said the city only has two trucks Y project. Cindy Shafer said this money could come either from the land fund or the contingency. Mayor Stirling moved to make an additional appropriation of $4 , 000 for the dredging the ponds and adding n ae. rsamep o nde d hby the money come out of the 6th penny fu , Councilwoman Walls. Councilman Collins asked if this project has been re-bid. Hammond said he got a bid from Aspen Earthmodv fo $24a OOOhand did the Jenny Adair pond, and the Art Museum po not include the Rio Grande pond. Councilman Collins asked about a master plan for this area. Tom Cardamone, A. C. E. S. showed a map of the area. Councilwoman Walls said she likes the idea of the ramp so that people can use this area. Councilman Collins said he is worried about disturbing this area, as it is very sensitive. Councilman Collins said he feels the ramp will change the feel of the whole area. Hammond said the entire ramp will be topsoiled and seeded. Hammond said there may be a possibility that the ramp could be shorter, than is shown in the map, with a steeper grade All in favor, with the exception of Councilman Collins. Motion carried. SHADOW MOUNTAIN BLOCK 47 Assistant City Manager Mitchell requested this be addressed at the end of the meeting in an executive session. Mayor Stirling moved to meet in executive session March 26 , 1986 at 7 p. m. ; seconded by Councilman Isaac. All in favor, motion carried. CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PLAN City Manager Schilling said in improving the sidewalk around street, heating the sidewalk, location. The CCLC worked with come up with a design scheme for require one way streets on both the past the city has discussed the Wheeler, nec kdowns to the and creating an outdoor dining Benedict architect firm and has this location. This design does Hyman and Mill . A budget for 12 Regular Meeting As~e_ n City Council March 24 ~ 1986 this project has been prepared. Mayor Stirling said Council has rejected this earlier because of the one-way problem. Schilling told Council the CCLC's budget for this project is 5120,000, including heating the sidewalk. Councilwoman Walls said the city spent a lot of money on the Wheeler, and money needs to be spent on roof repair and air conditioning. Councilwoman Walls said this seems more like his his lnot highe on than a city project. Councilman Isaac said t his priority list. Mayor Stirling agreed there are more immediate needs at the Wheeler. Cindy Shafer , finance director, told Council the general fund will have savings greater than anticipated, some of this is from the CCLC budget which could be a source of funding for the mall fountain. Ms. Shafer presented the priorities of capital improvement projects from Council's work sessions. The only change is to move open space acquisitions into a category to be purchased through cash rather than financing because the nature of these acquisitions are not know at this time. Ms. Shafer said many of the project costs are just estimates at this time. Ms. Shafer said the capital improvement plan should be evaluated each year during the budget process as the priorities could change. Mayor Stirling said between the general fund savings, the Castle Ridge sett 1 ement and the CCLC surplus there may , be almost 5500,000. Mayor Stirling said Council should adopt this plan and get moving and then make adjustments in the future. Ms. Shafer pointed out there were savings in all departments in combination with an increase in interest income. Mayor Stirling asked if the CCLC surplus is in fact available. Ms. Shafer said there is a 532,000 surplus. Mayor Stirling moved to adopt the 1986 budget and 5 year capital improvement plan as outlined in Ms. Shafer's memorandum; seconded by Councilwoman Walls. Councilman Isaac said he would 1 ike to delay the Moore pool improvements for at least a year because he is not convinced the amount usage of the pool deserves this type of investment. Councilman Isaac said he would like this delayed until the school can contribute and be part of this program. Councilman Isaac said he would be in favor of making the necessary improvement to clean up the structure. Councilman Isaac moved to amend the motion to drop the Moore pool improvements for 1986 and move them to 1987 to see if the school can contribute. Motion DIES for lack of a second. All in favor, motion carried. 13 Regular Meeting Aspen City Council March 24, 1986 MALL FOUNTAIN RENOVATION Mayor Stirling moved to proceed this spring with the proposal as outlined in the city manager's memorandum of Ma the fulll 532,000 do all the work on the mall fountain allocating have staff oversee the 4 conditions, making this amore efficient and less sophisticated set up and fund this from the 1985 CCLC overage; seconded by Councilwoman Walls. City Manager Schilling said he is not a fan of sole source but in this instance if the city were to solicit bids this project could cost 2 or 3 times this budget. Schilling told Council there is a big advantage completing this all at once rather than in two phases . All in favor, motion carried. Mayor Stirling asked how the various approved capital improvement projects will proceed. Schilling said those Prk~ the necessaby cash, staff will proceed on and bring bac documents to Council. Those projects which will take financing will have to be approved by the electorate. CLAIM OF MEL SOMER City Attorney Taddune said when claims are denied by the city's insurance company, people can appeal to Council. Taddune told Council this claim arises from damage to an automobile allegedly towed. Taddune pointed out these damages didn't occur until after a substantial time after the tow . Councilman Isaac moved to agree with the adjustor and deny this claim; seconded by Councilwoman Walls. Councilman Isaac said he does not see any reason the city is liable in this claim. Councilwoman Walls agreed the city cannot justify a claim for damage that did not show up for 3 months. All in favor, motion carried. PITKIN GREEN ANNEXATION Mayor Stirling said this is a proposal to annex lot 7 block 1, Pitkin Green subdivision. Mayor Stirling asked why this annexation is being requested, and whether this request fits in with the city's annexation strategy. Michael Lipkin showed Council a map where this parcel is located. Lipkin said one reason for annexation is that this lot is accessed through city property. This lot is a member of the Pitkin Green homeowners, 14 Reclular Meeting Aspen City Counc~1_. - March 24. 1986 and for bookkeeping and tax purposes, it would be easier to include the lot in the Pitkin Reserve subdivisionCe th klPitkin there are two wells on the property, which serve Green water supply. Lipkin said these wells will continue to service the Pitkin Green subdivision., scussedtthis Cr questnwith Mitchell told Council he has not di staff to know the concerns. Mayor Stirling moved to direct staff to take under consideration the proposed annexation of lot 7 block 1 Pitkin Green subdivision and report back to Council April 14; seconded by Councilman Isaac. All in favor, motion carried. Lipkin said this parcel is zoned R-30 in the county and he is requesting R-30 in the city. Lipkin said this is a developable lot . GOLF TOURi~1AMENT PROPOSAL Assistant City Manager Mitchell said the staff has met with Valerie Allen, Starr Enterprises. There is an opportunity to have a senior golf pro tournament on August 26th. Mitchell said the Council appropriated an initial $5,000 to put this tournament together. Mitchell said the city would incur no further costs. Starr Enterprises has a sponsor to make all the arrangements for this tournament. Mitchell said staff feels this is an excellent first step for the golf course. Mayor Stirling asked who the sponsor will be. Mitchell said they won't tell the city until the contract is signed; that is part of the contract. Councilman Isaac asked about denial of the sponsor if the sponsor if contrary to the feelings of the community. Councilwoman Walls said this possible denial should be part of the contract. Mayor Stirling suggested adding language to section 1 .1 that the Council should approve the tournament sponsor or sponsors. Mitchell suggested having the attorney review this as he is not sure how Ms. Allen intended her compensation to worto he cholf recommended the prof its of this tournament go back in g course . Mayor Stirling asked what 1 iabil ity the city would have if this tournament does not turn up a profit. Mitchell said once the city has given Ms. Allen the responsibility for the tournament, it is up to her to make it work and for any future tournaments, she will get compensation from the sponsors. Mayor Stirling suggested Mitchell return with the golf pro and golf superintendent to answer questions about this contract. Mayor Stirling moved to refer this to staff adding the caveat of the Council approving any sponsor or sponsors and returning to Counc it by April 14 , 1986; seconded by Councilwoman Walls. All in favor, motion carried. 15 Regular Meeting Aspen Citv Council March 24. 198.6 BIODOME PROPOSAL Patty Carl son, Eagle's Nest Foundation, told Council they are interested in building a biodome on the Marolt/Thomas property in a set of trees to the right of the community gardens. John Katzenberger, Windstar foundation, told Council they have been working on a greenhouse that also uses aquaculture in a geodesic dome. Katzenberger presented a slide show of the projects at Windstar. The dome is glazed with a system to trap heat inside the dome. A basic concept is to conserve soil and water. The dome at Windstar is a 50 foot dome, 5/8 of a sphere. The plan for the dome at the Marolt property would be to have 3/8 of a sphere, there will be a lot of growing area but the profile of the dome would be reduced. The slides showed the growing areas and the crops grown. Katzenberger told Council Colorado imports 44 percent of its food, and a biodome could augment fresh local food production. Councilman Isaac said he is concerned that Mrs. Marolt has stated no structures can be put on her property until August 1986. Councilman Isaac said there is also the possibility the highway will go through this property. Ms. Carlson said the Foundation is asking for a 3 year experimental program from June 1986 to September 1989. Ms. Carlson told Council the biodome is able to be moved. Ms. Carlson said this project would provide fresh food for the senior citizens. City Manager Schilling told Council this proposed biodome would be in connection with the community garden. Steve Burstein, planning office, told Council this appears to be on the Thomas property, which is zoned conservation. Ms. Carlson said this project could supplement seniors income by salaries to them to assist with volunteers and provide free day care with educational programs. Councilman Isaac asked about the possibility of locating this at the high school. Ms. Carlson said this land is zoned to have agricultural uses and they will construct this dome to have as little impact as possible. Mayor Stirling said this is an exciting concept but he would like to know more about the location, the scale. Mayor Stirling said the idea has merit but it may cause controversy. Councilman Isaac said staff should contact PCPA and other groups interested in the Thomas property . Ms. Carl son said there will be a section of produce that will be sold to the community to help supplement the salary of the staff. Councilwoman Walls said this is a great idea but would like alternative locations looked at because there may be a lot of opposition to a building on city's open space. Katzenberger told Council the footprint is 1900 square feet and would be about 20 feet high. Council asked staff return with as much information as possible on April 14 , 1986. 16 Regular Meeting Aspen - City- Council March 24 , 1986 RFTA CITY ROUTES RECOMMENDATIONS Mayor Stirling noted the Highlands has the highest ridership figures. Bruce Abel said the school is a high demand generator on the Highlands route. Abel told Council as a result of some suggestions from the Aspen bus service advisory committee, the RFTA staff did an analysis of the off season ridership. The staff looked at ridership during last off season, did a boarding and alighting surveys to determine ridership per route segment, put together a cost allocation model to determine the costs and utilizations of each route. Abel said they looked at passengers per mile, passengers per hour, and passengers per trip and charted this for the Council. Abel said their analysis showed during off season the city routes averaged 16 passenger per hour. Abel told Council in terms of transit industry standards, this average is very respectable use for a community like Aspen. Abel said the staff recommendation is to maintain the current headways between trips for the city routes. The appropriate means of providing less service is to cut back on the hours when the service starts and stops. Abel told Council RFTA will have a public hearing on these recommendations March 27. Abel said other issues for this recommendation are the air quality in Aspen, and the role of public transportation in getting people out of their cars. Abel said ridership has been increasing, and they want to continue that trend. Abel told Council the off season is getting shorter. Abel said the passengers per trip analysis indicate RFTA does have the ability to use smaller vehicles. Abel said he will recommend that the Blue Bird buses be replaced by smaller vehicles. Abel said the boarding and alighting counts show that RFTA should provide a high frequency corridor on Main street. Abel said the inbound Highlands route will be changed to come in Main street. This change will have a bus going down Main street every 15 minute s and will provide access to lodges on Main street. Mayor Stirling suggested getting comments from lodge owners south of Main street. Abel said the recommendation of the 1979 TDP was to bring the Highlands route down Main street because the majority of riders wanted a Main street destination. Abel said this system is much simpler and provides access to a greater number of pillows. Councilman Isaac said one of the reasons for the present Highlands route was to split up the noise factor on Main street. Abel said these changes will create an internal shuttle system within the commercial and lodging core, with a high level service and an easy system to understand. Abel said the other route change being recommended for the in-bound Mountain Valley route is to have it use Spring rather than West 17 Rectular Meetin4 Ashen Citv Council March 24, __1986 End to reinforce the concept of the internal shuttle and to provide access to City Market. The theory behind using West End street was to provide access to the Gant. The counts show that ridership from the Gant is almost non-existent because the Gant provides van service. Mayor Stirling asked how soon RFTA would have smaller buses. Abel said they will spec them this summer and do not expect to have them running before next summer. Abel told Council he is in the process of working out a financing plan. Mayor Stirling moved to direct Councilman Collins at the RFTA public hearing to support the high frequency corridor on Main street, changing the routes as outlined and going for the smaller buses, the shorter service day in the off season makes sense; seconded by Councilwoman Walls. Councilman Collins asked about the bus shelter plan. Abel told Council shelters have been ordered and they expect delivery in April and are working with the city staff on the appropriate approvals. Abel told Council they hope to have these shelters installed this summer. All in favor, motion carried. Mayor Stirling moved to put off Banners over Main street, City Manager search and financial performance report to March 26 , and suspend the Council rules to go to 9:15 p. m. ; seconded by Councilwoman Walls. All in favor, motion carried. QQNSENT CALENDAR Councilwoman Walls moved to approve the consent agenda; seconded by Councilman Isaac. The consent agenda is special event permit Filmf est ; 1 iquor 1 icense s renewal - Charlemagne . All in favor , motion carried. RAIL SERVICE PLAN Tom Baker, planning office, introduced Randy Parton and Noel McGaughy who are going to tell Counc it what their initial concepts are. Randy Parton told Council said he has been fascinated by Aspen and by railroads. Parton said they would like to run a first class passenger service from Stapleton airport in Denver to downtown Aspen. Parton said this service will offer more dependability than other modes of transportation and allow people to get here in one day. Parton said a secondary service they would like to explore running rail services for down valley commuters. Parton told Council the British are making a 18 Regular Meeting Aspen Citv Council ~ March 24• 198 bus like which runs on the rail with a diesel engine. It is much quieter than the old rail cars. Parton presented a rail service report to Council. Ptotdiscuss if Council feels this is a good idea, they would like using the Rio Grande property as a station siteo Grande rishta they will also have to work with Coun this w 11 have to go to an of-way rail alignment. Parton said election and they would like to be included onrvi a in November ballot. Parton said they would like to start se 1987, which is 100 years after the first do awith the c tySpRio Parton said they have a 1 of of work to Grande and Union Pacific. Mayor Stirling asked how many cars this would entail. Parton said for the Denver service, they will use an engiDenverhayweekn on running 2 long trains and 5 short trains from Mayor Stirling asked if this can be integratan he hash setDup Baker told Council the timing is excellent, meetings with the TDP consultant for tomorrow. Mayor Stirling directed this be integrated into the TDP and the transportation plan work and get information back as soon as possible; seconded by Councilwoman Walls. Parton, told Council before they can complete easervice will analysis, they have to know from Rio a 1 d ecosts on what it will cost. Parton told Council they det cost to build the tracks from Woody Creek to Aspen, the cost to build two terminals, and the employee costs. Parton said they used conservative ridership figures, and running the train at 30 percent occupancy would be the break even point. All in favor, motion carried. Mayor Stirling moved to continue the meeting to Wednesday, March 26, 1986; seconded by Councilman Isaac. All in favor, motion carried. Council left Chambers at 9:20 p. m. ~ ~~~ ~ -- Kathryn S. Roch, City Clerk 19