Minutes of the workshop of the City Council of July 3, 2000 held at 5:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers.

PRESENT

Mayor Ronald Drake and Council Members                             Peggy Jones

                                                                                                Stephanie Karlin

                                                                                                Raymond Shuey

                                                                                                Betty Lynch

ALSO PRESENT

Paul Adams, City Manager

Ben Miranda, Interim City Attorney

ABSENT/EXCUSED

Marie Lopez Rogers

Albert Carroll, Jr.

2)         WORKSHOP ON KAIZU GIFT LOCATION

Discussion, review and direction as to the site for gift amenities from Kaizu, Japan.  For information only.

Vince Micallef, Library, Parks and Recreation Director, addressed the Council with a request for direction on placement of the Kaizu gift amenities.

Council Member Shuey discussed the Glendale Japanese Park.  He stated that he checked with the person in charge of that park and was told that it cost no more or less to maintain that part of the park than the rest of the park due to the type of plants that are used.

Mr. Micallef agreed.  He stated the additional cost was just the initial placement of those plants and the space they take up.  Mr. Micallef stated that maintenance costs once items were placed are going to be the same or similar.  He stated the initial cost was the preparation of the site for amenities.  He stated that if the items were placed at the Regional Park there would be an additional cost of the site itself and once established further costs would be incurred due to dust and debris over the next two years until the park is established.

Council Member Lynch stated that she still did not see the cost of the plants at Crystal Gardens and asked if it would be almost nil because it is already done.  She also did not see a cost at the regional park to place these items and the maintenance for that portion of the park.

Mr. Micallef stated that the plantings at both parks would basically be the same cost as the type of plants utilized would be same.  He stated costs would be in relation to the park as a whole and not just where the Japanese items themselves were placed.  He explained that the contractors stated it would be more difficult because of the lake and the island and the placement of those.

Council Member Lynch stated that the island creates some cost and we should be able to get some cost estimate for that island.

Mr. Micallef stated that the cost was basically for the gazebo itself and the contractors made mention that the amount of plants needed would be determined by whether they are placed in the park itself or whether an island was built for them.  He stated he had no more details at this time.  Mr. Micallef stated they do have conceptual drawings and staff could come back with more details and the amount of plants that would be required.

Council Member Karlin mentioned the recharge basins north of McDowell and asked if the original plans included a bridge, pathways and a parking lot to connect the two and a place for fishing.

Ken Sowers, Acting Community Development Director, stated that the original design had changed and he had not been involved in the final design.  He stated he was not sure the intent was to get from the south side to the north side.

Mr. Micallef stated that both the original plan and the plan developed through Stantech for Phase II would include the recharge site north of McDowell and Phase III would be around the park incorporating trails into the river bottom and throughout the park.  He stated he was not aware of a walkway that would go over McDowell and stated that the Flood Control District had spoken of something going under the freeway.

Council Member Karlin asked if this might be another site to be considered for placement of these items because the recharge lakes were already there.

Mr. Micallef stated that basically the original design was inclusive of the lake and that it was just a matter of whether there would be an island in the lake.  He stated that recharge lakes are not lined for the purpose of recharge itself.

Council Member Lynch stated that Continental Homes did have drawings when they were purchasing their home that included walkways and paths as mentioned by Council Member Karlin.

Mr. Micallef stated that maybe they came from the developer themselves.

Mayor Drake stated he realized that Mr. Micallef had put lots of work into this project.  He stated he would like the Council to decide whether we receive these gifts from the Japanese and that he wanted staff to decide where they should go.  He asked Mr. Micallef what his thoughts were about where they should be placed.

Mr. Micallef stated that a letter would need to be sent to the Japanese.  He stated there were time constraints staff would be faced with, with regards to how soon a site could be prepared.  Mr. Micallef explained that the amenities needed to be placed permanently whichever site is chosen.  He stated Crystal Gardens would be an equally good place for them to go as well as the Regional Park even though it faces time constraints.

Mr. Adams recommended that staff go back to the original design of the island and work toward that end and that a letter be sent to Kaizu directing them to ship items to fit into the City’s schedule.  He stated that costs would be incurred no matter where we place the amenities.  Mr. Adams explained that he believed it would be a wash whether the decision was to rebuild Crystal Gardens or to build the island in the Regional Park in Phase I.  He stated that the City could also work with Kaizu and accept these items within a workable timetable.

Council Member Shuey stated he had received several calls and the public was running 3 – 1 in favor of placing these items at the original site, the regional park.  He stated an amphitheater had been discussed at Crystal Gardens and this could be in the way of that.  Council Member Shuey explained that some time ago it was the City’s intent to have no after dark activities in that location and the gazebo would only be able to be used during the day.  He stated he would prefer not to have it on an island but to consider the possibility of placing it maybe on the far side of the lake where the public could walk around it.  Council Member Shuey explained with regards to the Crystal Gardens location, that he did not like the idea of having strings attached to the homeowner’s association or to the developer.  He stated if the decision was to accept the gift that the funding is there to build this regional park.  He stated there would be easy public access and stated his concern at Crystal Gardens with the need to park on the East Side and walk across the street to visit that location.  He agreed with Chief Adams that this was the right decision at this point.

Council Member Jones stated that the original and the second plans for the regional park basically have no difference in design except for the addition of an amphitheater.    She explained that the original plan had 270 parking spaces and the second plan would include more passive activities but would only include 210 parking spaces.  She asked if loss of parking spaces could be a problem.

Mr. Micallef stated that depending upon the type of event or performance at the amphitheater and if  baseball season was going on at the same time, that it was possible that all of the parking spaces could be in use.

Council Member Lynch commented on a combination of what Mr. Adams and Council Member Shuey said.  She stated that she also would like to have the gazebo where it could be used.  She stated it represented a center of family life and being surrounded by water and inaccessible would not encourage family life as they were trying to do.  Council Member Lynch stated if baseball fields, tennis courts, etc. couldn’t be provided then the city should look at the cultural nature of things.  She explained that the passive recreational needs were not being served in any part of the City, north or south.  She stated they need to forget about up north and down south and look at the city as a whole.

Mr. Micallef agreed that was an excellent idea and that if the City wanted a setting for concerts, etc. this plan could allow for a very cultural climate.

Council Member Lynch stated that the City had no site for crafts fairs or art shows and that maybe they should not be worrying about baseball fields, etc.

Council Member Karlin stated that she understood that one of the concerns of Kaizu and the need to ship the gazebo so soon had to do with the wood it was constructed of.

Mr. Sowers explained that in the meetings with the Japanese in May it was stated that delivery of the gazebo and lanterns would have to take place at a certain time because the longer it sets without being put together the more chance it would have to warp.  He stated that the Japanese had stated they would send their workers over the first week in November to assemble it and would provide a list of equipment needed to do that so that we could have it available to them. 

Mr. Sowers stated that the land at Crystal Gardens did belong to the City and he only contacted the HOA and Mr. Spiekerman regarding the intended plans to be a good neighbor.

Council Member Karlin asked if anyone had contacted the Japanese regarding the possible delay.

Mayor Drake stated that a letter would be drafted stating the delays we have and giving the timetable staff was looking at and asking them to work within our schedules.

Council Member Jones agreed with Mr. Adams recommendation and stated that she believed the wet weather was the problem in Kaizu.  She stated there were a couple of issues; establishing a tentative schedule with Stantech in order to give them a real place and a date that they would be willing to work with.  She stated that materials could be stored where they would be dry until the City was ready for them.

Mayor Drake stated that he felt staff could make the decision on whether to build a pond or to build a park and then to figure out the best time,  according to the construction schedule, to coordinate the shipment of the materials to arrive after that.

Mr. Sowers suggested that Kaizu hold the amenities until the City could place them.  He stated to store them would be quite expensive.

Mr. Micallef referred to the drawings of the second site plan of the Regional Park 2 site that included the lake and the amphitheater.  He stated it was in the second plan and not the original where the gazebo would be on land.  He used the ramada in that plan to represent what a gazebo as well as the statutes placed around it might look like.

Council Member Lynch asked if it would then not include tennis courts.

Mr. Micallef stated staff did not want to take away other amenities but that the amenities could be placed somewhere else.

Council Member Lynch asked where the people would be if tennis courts were on top of an amphitheater.

Mr. Micallef stated that the conversation was that the amphitheater would be centrally located with the concept of a terraced grass berm to provide persons further away the ability to see.  

Council Member Jones asked that the Council defer to Stantech to provide the different options available.

Council Member Shuey stated that he envisioned a gazebo on the outer edge of the park on the far side of the lake so the lake would act as a reflecting pool with the stone lanterns and trails at the southwest corner and possibly moving the lake further to the east.

Mayor Drake suggested that the City accept the lanterns and the gazebo and put them in the park.  He stated the Council would leave it up to Mr. Micallef and the new City Manager as to what to do from there.  He stated that as soon as staff had a good handle on the timing of all the plans, a letter would be sent to Kaizu.

Mr. Adams stated staff would sit down with Stantech and coordinate with Kaizu so that they could plan the shipment and assembly by their people as needed.

ADJOURNMENT

There being no further business to come before the Council, Council Member Lynch moved to adjourn.  Council Member Shuey seconded the motion.  Motion carried unanimously.

Meeting adjourned at 6:15 pm.

                                                                                                                __________________________________

                                                                                                                                    Mayor Drake

____________________________

Linda M. Farris, CMC

City Clerk

CERTIFICATION

I hereby certify that the foregoing minutes are a true and correct copy of the minutes of the workshop of the City Council of the City of Avondale held on the 3rd day of July, 2000.  I further certify that the meeting was duly called and held and that a quorum was present.

____________________________

City Clerk