Economic and Community Development Committee - Regular Meeting

I'm going to call the Friday, November 21st, 2025 meeting of the economic and community development committee to order. The clerk will please call the role. Council, present. President, present. And council. Announcement of open meeting recordings. Um, the recording is on the wall. Um, the announcement's on the wall. Is anyone here recording the meeting other than the clerk? this recording. Uh, review and approval of meeting minutes. There is none. First item on the agenda, we have nothing new. And subcommittee item 11454, a report on the investigation of the Mackie Park project. Director Stevens.

So for this, I know last I submitted and included in your packets and included in the packets for for this meeting for anyone watching. Um first is change order number five which has been in front of this committee before just for uh reminder of the substantial completion of the 21st. I believe with some delay that should that might extend into next week the construction of the concrete um pour has already been completed for the ADA accessible ramp. I believe all they're waiting for is installation of the um railings and we're trying to kind of coordinate the best date for that given some of the colder weather that we've had. Um so that might go into next week or uh first week of December just based off of uh their availability, but this contract is still to be completed um in full ready for final payment by December 12th. So we should have that park, it will be well and ready for event season for next year. um by and large also included in packets uh next is just to have everything um in its totality um at least in regards to the construction that's happening now. There's been a lot of uh misinformation uh kind of shared um emails that I've received that I just want to make sure that are addressed. So starting off, we have the notice of violation and response from Tyen Bond that was issued back in 2024 following some of this early investigation into Mackie Park. Uh the permits required violations and the recommendations from Tyen Bond the engineering uh company that we have on on call um and are also the lead engineers for this. Um so that in its its totality is there. Uh second secondly, uh following that we have the uh design plans that include the railings, the um ADA the inclusion of the ADA accessible uh picnic table. Um

actually the picnic table isn't on here, but it's mainly for the accessible ramp and railings. Um and uh that has been poured uh recently down in uh the concrete ramp enforcement. um diagram at the bottom of that page. Um and just to make sure that it is clear because I know this was a problem with the last uh set of construction was that there was no building permit pulled. The last inclusion is the filed building permit as of November 3rd. Construction started on November 5th. uh which includes the fif in to in its um in its totality 66 linear feet of railing for one ramp landings and a 10- foot long section by the parking lot to match the existing railings. Relocation of tables and installing a new sycamore round wheelchair accessible table with checkerboard. Uh site prep for one concrete ramp and landing, including the removal of stone dust, cutting into existing retaining wall and removing top removing subs soils. Changing grades, adding processed gravel to raise grades, including labor, equipment, and materials. 228 square feet uh plus or minus of concrete ramp and landing formed. Pour concrete striping forms, cleanup and ceiling concrete, including labor, equipment, and materials. And the transplant of shrubs and associated um labor there and cleanup. Um so that has been filed had been filed prior to construction beginning. Um, I'm happy to say that the ramp, as I believe you're both aware and and people watching are aware, the ramp as of now has been completed and all we are waiting on is again the the railings uh to be installed. I don't know if there are any questions. Um, I would also just like to address I know councelor Mack had positioned for a um

complete packet to be to be presented for city council um in terms of funding sources uh you know this information here of how this project's I would say secondary phase came together in terms of this additional work as well as maybe some of the the earlier um work on Mackie Park before my time But I would just want to get that in its in its to I keep saying the word totality, but I feel like that's kind of indicative of where we're heading with this project um once the once the final payment is submitted. So I would just like to um address that and say, you know, following the completion of this project and submission of final payment, I'd be glad to get all that documentation together and submission for city council to address councelor Mac's comment at the last city council meeting. I don't know if there are any questions for me, but um that's that's my full update on where this project uh currently is.

Thank you, Dr. Stevens. Counselor, I think the timing lines up well. You said December 12th, you're looking for completion and for final payment. Yes, final final payment. Um obviously weather dependent for the railing install, but I did see the concrete was finished. Um

I think that'll line up well for report out at our second December city council meeting. So, I hope that's the case. And that packet that council on Mac requested, I think it' be good to include our packet on this item. Um, long journey to get here and this work. Uh it I seeing this response from Tymon to the city uh on the building commissioners report uh is interesting but also seeing the plans and it looks like the first terrace for anybody who's watching that hasn't driven by has a ramp now uh kind of centrally located that it still retains the tables and has uh ADA compliant um seating and table uh accessibility. Uh the slope is in compliance. Um and there's a report that the stone dust material on the terraces are compliant with ADA standards. So uh good work, Director Stevens. It's a long journey. I think uh in totality is a good term for for the journey that he went on for this one. So uh I'll leave it to the chair, but I think this one's getting to be in good shape.

Thank you, Mr. President. I appreciate your update. Thank you very much. I'd like this concise consolidation of all the important information um up to this point. I think this is great and I think counselor Max's request of the financial piece of it will be a good addition to this especially once it's

um completed in totality. Um I do appreciate all of the work that you've done. You know, this is something you inherited. you've said many times in the past and I you've been nothing but transparent, complete, followed up, you know, very very um thorough in the whole process. President Tyro started with you phasing through the investigation. Again, I really appreciate that because we this is I think a really great example of how things work in terms of being transparent um acknowledging that there's an issue and uh being completely open about how we have to acknowledge it and fix it and hope it doesn't happen in the future. Uh, and it's nice to see it coming to an end. And it's it's within the time frame that we had, you know, hoped for when we kind of got to a little bit of a block in the summertime and it kind of got picked up and uh said, "Okay, we got to try to do something different here." Um, and really kind of stayed along the same path, but I'm really glad that it's done and we know that we're going to get a full season next year. We can move on. I think that's the biggest piece of it. So, thank you again both for your work on this and I'm glad that the committee was able to um offer oversight and just kind of stay on top of it. But I do fully believe just with the work that you've done for your department that whether or not we were checking in with you, it would have gotten done anyways. I'm very very confident about that. So, thank you again.

Absolutely. And I do appreciate um President Tyrop's your suggestion that if you can be available for our second December meeting, I think this I would like this to come from the director just because they've done so much work. I think you you've earned that to present to the council and it can be this information. And I think it's, you know, we've kind of whittled it down um along with if you do have the payment and again if this doesn't work until January, that's fine, too. But

by we should have the final payment ready by the 12th. So even though it's not gone through the city's full warrant process, it can at least be shown that it's going through processing and it can be understood what the final cost uh for this additional work was. as long as you're comfortable and you if you believe it's complete because it's going to you're going to be owning it then I think it would be great to have you available at the meeting to give that update because also if counselors have questions leading up to as you know our packet is published like 2 days you know within 48 hours and usually at the weekend but in case anything comes up or some you know conversation or questions I I think it's a good reason for you to be there too so this can really get closed out on a complete note um so I appreciate you being available to be able to do that and um again, President Towers, thank you for that because I think us reporting out has gone well so far, but uh it would be nice to have you there for the completion piece of it.

It's my first day. It might as well or one of my first days I think I was presenting on this, so might as well close it out. Nice end of the year close. Nice end of the year close out. Exactly. Exactly. Uh that was the only item that I placed on the agenda for this meeting. Is there any other comments, questions, discussion about the item? Can I make a motion for it? uh yeah to recommend that director Stevens gives an update at our second December meeting just in case we don't meet um before then uh with a report packet of the park project for 2025 uh to the full council second motion made by council by president Ty seconded by councelor Gazinsquez all any discussion all those in

just got you quick uh just a quick matter of discussion because I think you know as the chair said uh you know chair's given over draft dozen updates on community development to the full council. Uh that has been very positively received. They've been very thorough and um I think appreciated. Uh this department even though it's just one department does a lot in our city, handles touches, handles a lot of grants, projects um programs like CDBG. Um, so while the Mackie Park project I think highlighted uh a need to talk more about the community development department, I think it a side effects that we learned a lot more about the work that the department does and um maybe we could also meet in December uh to talk about some of the upcoming work and and keep the conversation of economic development going now that we can kind of uh choose to talk less about Mackie Park. Uh, fortunately,

great. Um, yeah. No, I I appreciate that, uh, President Tyrus, and I do agree. I think, um, I'll take a look, but I was thinking now you've been fully staffed for at least a couple of months. I know that Iris is still the newest member of the department. Um, and Amy's not far behind her, but I think we could maybe do a staffing update, too, if you could have that prepared for our next meeting for this committee. Uh, and you I can report out on that, however we decide to proceed. I don't want to commit yet cuz I want to think about it, but I think at least staff wise if we can make that part of your November update, which will be in December, um I think that'll be um that'll be good. But I I am glad that we've this this uh committee has uh met pretty consistently. We've obviously gotten all of your monthly updates, which we've requested from the beginning, and it is very interesting to see how many things are are in the works along the way. So, I appreciate that as well. Anything else on this? Okay. Uh so if there is nothing further, I'll show you a motion to adjourn.

Go on. Oh, I'm sorry. No more discussion. Okay. On um the uh the motion by the president to uh at our second December meeting have director Stevens report out on the item. Any further discussion? All those in favor say I. I. I. Those say no. Motion passes. Anything further on tops of the meeting. Great. [laughter] Motion made to seconded, seconded by me. All those in favor say I. I. Those post say no. Motion passes. Meeting stands adjourned. Thank you everyone.