City Council Minutes 2014 10 28 SP

Home Browse Search

City Council Special Meeting Minutes October 28, 2014 Page 8 of 10 RTD ran against the railroad for commuter rail and as a result, there is no commuter rail to the north. She applauded the City staff for working diligently over many years on the underpasses. She noted at this point we are very close and asked the public to be patient. Mayor Muckle stated he has been advocating for the trail connection since he was on the Open Space Advisory Board in the late 1990's. He explained in order to get a meeting between the senior management of CDOT, RTD and the railroad, U.S. Senator Bennett had to call the railroad and request the meeting. He noted the City has worked on both of these underpasses along with other trail connections for a decade. The North Underpass project was targeted for 2015. He agreed switching projects would not make either project go forward any faster. He addressed the concern for lack of connection between the North End and the Steel Ranch subdivisions and the rest of the community. He noted the County budgeted money to help build an underpass under Highway 42 in the future. There will also be a traffic light at Paschal Drive. He agreed with Mr. Menaker on moving forward on the parking agreements and with Ms. Bradley the City can communicate better. He supported all the City Manager's adjustments to the budget. Council member Stolzmann inquired about the timing of the proposed underpass on Highway 42. She did not want the Steel Ranch residents to believe this particular underpass would be coming soon. Public Works Director Kowar stated it is not currently on the 5 -year CIP Plan. It is the City's plan to coordinate with Boulder County on the project, which may or may not come within the next five -year period. Council member Stolzmann agreed with staying with current schedule and trying to get into the BNSF queue. She stated if the opportunity arises where the project is in the queue, and if the North Underpass design is completed, and if the City can decide what project comes first, she favored the North End underpass first. She appreciated the City Manager putting the underpass in the following year. She addressed the golf course and voiced her appreciation for moving the transfer from the Water Fund to the General Fund. She noted there is a $100,000 difference in the costs and questioned the deletion of $40,000 for IT at the golf course. City Manager Fleming explained the $100,000 difference is a result of updated information on the projections. IT Director Neves explained the fiber optics project is ahead of schedule and was put in this year. Council member Keany agreed with Mayor Muckle's comments and voiced his appreciation of staff. He stated the budget is a very difficult process and one of the most important documents the Council approves. He appreciated staff finding ways to stage projects and hiring new employees. He addressed the Steel Ranch comments and expressed his disappointment the underpass is not happening sooner, but stated staff will do everything they can to get the project moving forward. He asked Public Works Director Kowar why the consultant did not know the box culvert would not be