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HomeMy WebLinkAbout10-05-2022 Special Council Meeting Summary Minutes MARANA AZ CELEBRATING 45 YEARS MARANA TOWN COUNCIL SPECIAL COUNCIL MEETING 11555 W. Civic Center Drive, Marana, Arizona 85653 Marana Police Department Community Room, October 5, 2022, at or after 11:00 AM Ed Honea, Mayor Jon Post, Vice Mayor Patti Comerford, Council Member Jackie Craig, Council Member Herb Kai, Council Member John Officer, Council Member Roxanne Ziegler, Council Member SUMMARY MINUTES CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL Mayor Honea called the meeting to order at 11:06 AM and directed Town Clerk to call the roll. Present: Mayor Honea, Vice Mayor Post [present at 11:11 AM and not present sometime after approximately 12:05 PM], Council Member Craig, Council Member Officer, Council Member Comerford [present at 11:10 AM], and Council Member Ziegler. Excused: Council Member Kai. The Town Clerk stated a quorum was present. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE/INVOCATION/MOMENT OF SILENCE: Led by Mayor Honea. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Council Member Ziegler moved, and Council Member Officer seconded the motion, to approve the agenda as dapresented. Motion passed, 6-0. Special Council Meeting Summary Minutes October 5,2022 Page 1 of 12 ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION/POSSIBLE ACTION D1 Relating to Parks and Recreation: Presentation, discussion and update regarding the Multi-Generational Community Center and Aquatics Facility project and possible direction related to budget authority and preferred amenities. Town Manager Terry Rozema provided opening remarks. Mr. Rozema said there have been many meetings with staff, the community, and stakeholders regarding this project, along with a visit up to a similar facility in Goodyear, Arizona. He said this meeting has two important focal points: facility amenities and cost. He explained that the S47 million included in the Master Plan would no longer be enough for the desired amenities due to subsequent increases in cost,and so a balance may be needed between cost and amenities. The goal of the meeting was to receive the Council's guidance and direction. The project team was introduced as follows: • Mr. Mike Rosso Architect/Project Manager with Architekton, Inc. • Mr. John Kane, Architect with Architekton, Inc. • Mr. Ryan Grabe, Architect with Architekton, Inc. • Mr.Peter Nimmer,Senior Project Manager with Abacus Project Management,Inc. Mr. Nimmer was introduced as the Project Manager for the Town. Mr. Rosso provided a PowerPoint presentation on behalf of the project team, a copy of which is on file in the Town Clerk's Office. He said the goals of the meeting were to: (1) provide the Council with an update on what has been done, (2) receive Council's input, and (3) discuss and receive direction related to the budget for this project. (1) Goal 1: Update on what has been done Mr. Rosso summarized the Goodyear recreation facility tour and showed photographs of the Goodyear facility in the PowerPoint slides. He highlighted what Goodyear liked and disliked about the facility. He said Goodyear thought the lobby area could have been larger and that it should have been designed to give staff a better visual of the gym and other areas from the control desk.He said Goodyear felt the gym was always packed and wished they had constructed a third court. The fitness area was good and had a diversity of equipment that didn't compete with local industry. Goodyear said if they were to do it again, Special Council Meeting Summary Minutes October 5,2022 Page 2 of 12 they would have straightened out the lazy river or eliminated it due to the amount of lifeguard staff required. Goodyear's recreation pool with slides and a water feature was a big hit, as was the teen lounge. Goodyear felt the teen lounge could have been twice the size and said it gets used all the time. Goodyear's competition pool was a 25-yard pool, which is likely the most multifunctional/multi-use kind of pool. Goodyear's community room was booked every weekend and was a huge revenue generator. Mr. Rosso next summarized the visioning sessions, community outreach, and focus group efforts for this project. He said the goal of these efforts was to hear what the community wanted and explained the dot polling and image/conceptual boards. He said outreach events included a dive-in movie, geographical outreach, and time with Town stakeholders, including with Town staff, the Marana Chamber of Commerce, the Marana Unified School District (MUSD), Marana's Police Department (MPD), and the Northwest Fire District (NWFD). Focus groups included seniors, teens, and youth, and they touched on aquatics, e-sports, and sports. Mr. Rosso showed a slide outlining the outreach timeline, stating there have been 11 outreach exercises thus far with additional outreach efforts scheduled for the evening of October 6, 2022 and for the Fall Festival event on October 15, 2022. There is also an online survey on the Town website for additional input. He explained that the results of these efforts led to the following discovered priorities: • Recreation amenities: indoor sports/multi-purpose courts, large open space, indoor track, functional/strength training, and holistic health/wellness studios. • Community amenities: multi-purpose community room, multi- purpose classroom, multi-purpose performing arts area, and teen room for computers/games. • Exterior amenities: community center/aquatic center/park, splash pad, parking lot transformation capability, sand sports, parking and transportation, field activities, and relaxation spaces. • Aquatic amenities: night swimming capability, competitive swimming, lazy river, ninja/interactive course, and ample shade and misters. A surfing wave pool was identified as a priority,but the project team decided it would not be feasible from a cost standpoint. • Architectural features: indigenous landscape, shade roof, daylighting, showcasing interior from exterior, and an interior/exterior opening wall. Special Council Meeting Summary Minutes October 5,2022 Page 3 of 12 Mr. Rosso showed the Preliminary Program slide and said the preliminary programing differed from the Master Plan. The program includes a larger lobby, three gymnasium courts instead of two, a larger walking track, a bigger cardio/functional training loft, a larger multi-purpose/community room, a 25- yard pool instead of a 50-meter pool, the bath house being located in shared locker rooms, and two bodies of water (a lap pool and a recreation pool with slides, a water resistance channel instead of a lazy river, etc.). Mr. Rosso said the community center square footage would be approximately 66,225 square feet and the aquatic center would be approximately 41,100 square feet, and that it was likely with certain circulation efficiencies to get the square footage of the community center down to 61,000 square feet. Mr. Rozema proposed a lunch break. Mayor Honea concurred and a lunch break was taken from 12:05 PM until 12:26 PM. During the lunch break, Vice Mayor Post left the meeting. Mr. Kane presented after lunch. He showed slides with concept depictions and said he would explain where the project is today. He said they went through a series of explorations and went over various schemes. He stated there was a lot of land to work with and that the desire was to have an urban-looking project that would be catalytic and attract other business development in the area. Mr. Kane said the building was positioned so that programs would be of interest to those on the sidewalk, so the sidewalk would be shaded, and for height comparisons with other buildings, and he showed a concept depiction with art murals along an exterior wall. He said the gym would be the primary element at the corner of Bill Gaudette Drive and Marana Main Street that would anchor the corner and provide a wonderful urban edge. He also discussed positioning the pools, parking, and other amenities,worked on the floor plan, lighting plan, and parking plan, and he showed various slides with design concepts. Please see the PowerPoint slides for these depictions. He said many schemes came forward and were combined throughout the process. Mr. Rosso stated that stakeholders were also involved. Mr. Kane showed the conceptual floor plan for the first floor of the facility and described the design of the lobby and front desk area. He said they were still determining whether the front lobby area should have an open concept that Special Council Meeting Summary Minutes October 5,2022 Page 4 of 12 showed off the entire facility or whether it should leave more of a surprise element as people walk through. He said they took solar orientation into account and the desire to have surveillance as centrally located as possible. He said there will be steps for people to sit on next to the gym. He described the lifeguard areas and office functions, changing areas, and restrooms that are designed to serve both the recreation center and the aquatics area. Mr. Kane showed the conceptual floor plan for the second floor. He described a studio exercise and fitness training loft area with great views of the Catalina mountains. He said the indoor track wraps around and above the gym and has views of the mountains/sunsets to the west and the Catalinas to the east. If the budget allows, they are considering expanding the track to go over the locker r000ms. Mr. Kane then showed a series of conceptual design vignettes, which can be viewed in the PowerPoint presentation. Mr. Kane focused on efforts to invite people from Marana Main Street to the front door, including shading, a pocket park,a story wall,and as much glass as possible. He discussed various challenges in capturing views from all angles while still being cognizant of heat challenges with additional windows. He thanked the Council for their feedback during the presentation,which is included in Goal 2 below. (2) Goal 2: Council Input [as received throughout the presentation under Goal 1] Council Member Ziegler asked about Marana youth swim competitions. Parks and Recreation Director Jim Conroy said the goal was to host youth swim events at the 25-yard multi-purpose pool and to not have to turn anyone away, as could be the case with a 50-meter competition pool. Mayor Honea asked if there would just be one pool, and Mr. Conroy stated there would be two: a 25-yard multi-purpose pool and a recreation/play pool with a zero-degree entry and water features, including a water resistance training feature (instead of a lazy river due to staffing concerns). Mayor Honea expressed concern that the 25-yard pool would be too small. Mr. Conroy stated it would be a 10-lane pool that could be used for competition and other activities, including concurrent activities. Vice Mayor Post expressed concern that unique water features may attract too many people from outside Marana and that the facility could become overcrowded. Mr. Conroy explained access to the facility could be restricted to Special Council Meeting Summary Minutes October 5,2022 Page 5 of 12 Town residents and that a fee schedule would be brought before Council at some point in the future. Council Member Ziegler expressed concern at the facility not being open to everyone. Mr. Rozema explained that a fee associated with membership would deter people who live far away and that a higher fee could be charged to non- residents as an alternative to not allowing non-residents in the facility. He said non-residents have contributed to the facility through paying the half-cent sales tax. Council Member Ziegler stated she did not want to do what Goodyear had to do in subsequently restricting access after opening due to over-demand. Mr. Rozema stated the Town was not as populated as Goodyear, Arizona, and that our facilities would be similar to the YMCA. He stated that the YMCA generally does not feel overcrowded. Council Member Officer suggested a possible restriction based on ZIP code. Deputy Parks and Recreation Director Wayne Barnett said that Goodyear allows members to bring non-resident guests to the facility and allows for scheduled sessions to prevent overcrowding. Mayor Honea recommended the Town build a state of the art center and then figure out ways to control access if it ends up becoming overcrowded. Council Member Ziegler commented that this was a good problem to have. Council Member Craig asked if there would be restrooms in the pool area. Mr. Rosso said there would be around four restrooms to serve the pool deck. Another feature of the facility included gates to close off the bodies of water from the locker rooms so those restrooms could still be used without fear of people drowning when the pools were closed. Council Member Ziegler asked if the lobby/teen room area was free or if payment was required for these areas. Mr. Kane stated these areas were free, similar to the Goodyear facility. Mayor Honea said Goodyear thought their teen room was too small, and it was a good-sized room. He said Marana has around 2,000 school-aged youths with Special Council Meeting Summary Minutes October 5,2022 Page 6 of 12 laptops within walking distance of the facility, so the teen room needs to be large and equipped with excellent Wi-Fi. Mr. Kane agreed. Mayor Honea asked if there was one way into the facility with regards to security. Mr. Kane said there was generally one way in,but there was a corridor that leads out the back through gate controls, similar to Goodyear. Mayor Honea stated security is really important, and he asked whether personnel would be stationed at both access points. Mr. Kane said a lifeguard station would serve as a control point, but that otherwise the project has not reached that level of detail yet and that the concern would be taken into account. In response to questions from Council Member Comerford and Council Member Officer, Mr. Kane stated the current plan was to have the outside bottom floor walls to consist as much as possible of glass and said there would be a border of trees. He showed concept depictions of the exterior and interior of the facility. Council Member Comerford commented that the glass must be good quality so it doesn't get hot in the facility. Council Member Ziegler complimented the concept design photos. Council Member Comerford expressed concern at the potential volume level inside the facility. Mr. Kane explained that acoustic surfaces would likely be used, like in Goodyear, to absorb sound, but stated the project had not reached that level of detail yet. Mayor Honea asked if the wall dividing the indoor courts from the outside could be designed to open up to combine the outdoor courtyard with the courts for really large events, such as Founders' Day or the Holiday Festival. Mr. Kane explained that would interfere with the urban design concept and that flood plane issues would make it difficult. Council Member Ziegler suggested opening the facility up during those events on a limited capacity,such as for restroom use. Mr. Rozema explained that it would be very expensive for a glass interior/exterior wall to be constructed. Mayor Honea suggested large doors as an option to allow access to the gym during large events. Council Member Comerford asked about the possibility of an outdoor amphitheater. Mr. Rosso explained the project is required to have a retention Special Council Meeting Summary Minutes October 5,2022 Page 7 of 12 basin due to floodplain concerns, and that additional monies could be expended to shape the retention basin into an amphitheater. Mr. Conroy said they have been spending a lot of time looking at including an amphitheater, and he thinks it is a great idea if the Town can afford it. He and Council Member Comerford discussed the possibility of partnering with MUSD,the Marana Health Center, or NWFD with regards to the amphitheater. Council Member Craig commented that the primary concern for the fitness part of the building was the urban look with glass walls. She did not want any building design alterations that make the courtyard accessible to the gym to dilute the urban look. Mr.Conroy commented that the gym flooring was made of very durable material and can handle anything, and that how that flooring is accessed is a detail that needed to be fleshed out. Council Member Ziegler commented that she hoped this facility would be an"if you build it, they will come" moment for attracting businesses to Marana Main Street. Mr. Rozema said that in speaking with others, the exterior aesthetics of the facility would likely be a major factor in whether they are interesting in bringing businesses to the vicinity. Council Member Ziegler commented that it would be nice to have restaurants nearby and hoped street crossing would be made easy. (3) Goal 3: Budget Discussion Mr. Nimmer provided a presentation on the cost estimate (for more information, please see the PowerPoint slides). The updated cost of the facility is almost $60 million. He said they should have a contractor on board next month and a guaranteed maximum price by May of 2023. Council Member Ziegler commented that the project went from $44 million to $47 million and now to $60 million. Mr. Nimmer stated no one could have imagined how much costs increased over the last two years with inflation. He said people believe things are slowing down, but no one can with certainty predict the future. He also explained that the cost estimate is very conceptual at this stage. Special Council Meeting Summary Minutes October 5,2022 Page 8 of 12 Mr. Rosso explained that these numbers are Master Plan numbers escalated to 2023 numbers. Mayor Honea stated that the Town is building a much different structure than those being built and replicated in Maricopa County. He said the Town has an identified funding source, and that there is no restriction on when the building needs to be paid off. He said the decision could be made for the building to be paid off over additional years in order to get the facility the Town wants. With an identified funding source, the other operations of the Town would not be affected. He said that, if needed,the Town could use reserve funds for the project and pay the reserve back with the half-cent sales tax revenue. Mayor Honea was of the opinion that the Town should build the best center it could build. He said the biggest complaint about the Goodyear facility was that it was too small and running out of space a month after it opened. He said the Town needs to build a bigger facility.He said the Town should do it correctly and not worry about the extra cost, and that costs go up and down and may go down next year if the economy crashes. Council Member Comerford agreed with Mayor Honea and said we wouldn't want to regret the decision down the road. Mr. Nimmer stated that both the current design and program price from two years ago are around the same cost,and that the design team has done a good job of keeping the scope as costed-out the same. He said nothing could be done about the increase in prices due to inflation. Mayor Honea asked how long design and construction would take. Mr. Nimmer said we are at a point where direction from Council is needed before the project moves forward, and the impression he is getting so far is that there is not a need to scale back the project. They are currently in the design period, and he stated that construction likely would start in about 10 months with 15 months of construction time. The likely completion date would be Fall of 2024. Council Member Ziegler asked how materials would be procured Mr. Nimmer said the Town will hire a construction manager at risk (CMAR) who will handle the procuring of materials. He also explained there were procurement methods that could cut costs to the Town. Council Member Ziegler commented that she Special Council Meeting Summary Minutes October 5,2022 Page 9 of 12 would like to explore options of cutting out middlemen to reduce costs. Council Member Comerford said the Town did something similar when constructing Town Hall. Mr. Rosso explained that the estimates are based on their best guess, and that today's dollars are being used to estimate tomorrow's dollars. If there is a crash, costs could come down, but they don't want to be in a position where they underestimated the costs. Council Member Ziegler asked about the public art policy and Mr. Rozema explained that the concept mural on the wall as you come into the building was one idea. He said the policy could be satisfied through art or architecture. Additionally, Mr. Rozema mentioned that the art could be an opportunity to incorporate Heritage from the Strategic Plan. At Mr. Conroy's request, Mr. Nimmer explained the timeframe for getting a CMAR on board. Mr. Nimmer said there are three strong companies being considered and said one would likely be selected by mid-November. The CMAR will assist in the design process and help with materials, suppliers of materials, and with pricing. He said all three bidders have virtual design capacity and will be heavily involved in the design. He explained that if the Town is not happy with the CMAR, the Town can go with another contractor. He explained the contractor will be responsible for raising the building out of the floodplain, explained the scoring process, and said the Town will be part of selecting the contractor. Discussions ensued about the next steps in the procurement process. Mayor Honea said citizens should receive some return on their investment as soon as possible. He said they do not see the design process, but they will see when the construction begins. Mr. Rozema said he believed he had a good sense of direction from the Council and summarized the following points to be sure: • The Council is comfortable with the amenities discussed, described, and depicted at the meeting today (with the understanding that around five acres of space outside of the aquatics center and recreation center won't be addressed right away, such as an amphitheater, sand volley ball court, etc.). Special Council Meeting Summary Minutes October 5,2022 Page 10 of 12 • The Council is comfortable with Mayor Honea's desire to spend approximately $60 million on the project instead of scaling it back to remain within the previously discussed budget. Council Member Craig stated she was in agreement and liked the new design. Council Member Comerford was in agreement and did not want to be sorry later if they chose to scale down the project now. Council Member Ziegler said she was in agreement and liked what she was shown. She thanked Mr.Conroy and the design team. She said the half-cent sales tax will sunset once the facility is paid for and asked Mr. Montague how long the half-cent sales tax would need to be in place for the $60-million project. Mr. Montague estimated it would take roughly nine years. Discussion ensued regarding the sunset clause, and it was determined after locating Ordinance No. 2021.022 that Section 4 required the Town to rescind the tax once the facility was paid for. There was consensus among the Council Members present regarding the two points summarized by Mr. Rozema above. Mr. Rozema thanked all involved in the project and praised the speed at which it was moving. He said he felt it would be a great amenity and centerpiece in the Marana community and that it was important to get it right the first time. He said Town staff and the project team would take the direction received from Council and run with it. EXECUTIVE SESSIONS Pursuant to A.R.S. § 38-431.03, the Town Council may vote to go into executive session, which will not be open to the public, to discuss certain matters. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS Notwithstanding the Mayor's discretion regarding the items to be placed on the agenda, if three or more Council members request that an item be placed on the agenda, it must be placed on the agenda for the second regular Town Council meeting after the date of the request, pursuant to Marana Town Code Section 2-4-2(B). ADJOURNMENT Mayor Honea asked for a motion to adjourn the meeting. Special Council Meeting Summary Minutes October 5,2022 Page 11 of 12 Council Member Ziegler moved, and Council Member Officer seconded the motion, to adjourn the meeting. Motion passed, 5-0. Meeting adjourned at 1:50 PM. CERTIFICATION I hereby certify that the foregoing are the true and correct minutes of the Marana Town Council special meeting held on October 5, 2022. I further certify that a quorum was present. David L. Udall, Town Clerk •14<SCil MARANA AZ ESTABLISHED 1977 Special Council Meeting Summary Minutes October 5,2022 Page 12 of 12