Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutNatural Resources Advisory Board - Minutes - 02/06/2002L MINUTES CITY OF FORT COLLINS NATURAL RESOURCES ADVISORY BOARD REGULAR MEETING 281 N. COLLEGE February 6, 2002 For Reference: Randy Fischer, NRAB Chair - 226-5383 Ray Martinez, Council Liaison - 484-0181 Mark Sears, Staff Liaison - 416-2096 Board Members Present Kelly Ohlson, Steve Ryder, Nate Donovan, Linda Knowlton, Don Rodriguez, Randy Fischer Board Members Absent Reagan Waskom, Phil Murphy Bonnie Pierce resigned from the board effective today. Staff Present Natural Resources Dent: Terry Klahn, Mark Sears, Michelle Pawar CPES Admin: Tom Vosburg Utilities: Jay Rose, Kevin McBride, Brian Janonis Guests Eric Hamrick, Councilmember Jerry Kaltenhaus, Citizen Dave Wiles, Citizen Roger Crieborn, CSU student Karen Wagner, Larimer County EAB Sally Craig, P&Z Board Nancy York, AQAB Agenda Review No changes. Community Separators, Tom Vosburg Vosburg provided a brief background of the project. Discussion • Ohlson: Could we get updated on when different dollars were budgeted? What month and year, and how much was allocated? The regional study was adopted in April, 1999. As a result, Council sent a memo to CPES staff asking what it would take to do the next step. We said there would be a price tag of about $40, 000 on each project. With the adoption of the 200012001 budget we had $40, 000 to support the Fort Collins/Timnath/Windsor project. We have a biennial budget process, and on the Natural Resources *isory Board • February 6, 2002 Page 3 of 6 • Ohlson: If this was a private company and we had to jump through all of these ridiculous hoops for $20,000 we wouldn't do it. • Pawar: What's important is the grant represents the inter -jurisdictional spirit. We think of it as the spine, it's not the dollar amount. The hoops aren't significant, there's a lot of wiggle room. • Vosburg: We expect property owner outreach to happen before the open houses. The last phase of the plan is the plan document. We want to match conservation options to parcels, and write a GOCO grant application. • Ohlson: What's the grant cycle for GOCO? • Ryder: There are two open space cycles. The first is March 4, the second is August or September. • Ohlson: We need to make that deadline. If you're concerned about the schedule my suggestion is this. You could advise Council to revisit the assumption for the Wellington separators. They could request John to give staff direction to move it up. • Ohlson: There are citizens discussing an initiative for this fall dealing with community separators. Maybe the organization should rethink their schedules, or it may be taken out of their hands. There's a lot of frustration of things not getting done. • Fischer: It's frustrating to not have had the opportunity to sit down much earlier. I would suggest it would be worthwhile for people who are interested, and a representative of the citizens initiative group, to sit down and meet with you and Michelle, and if necessary Greg Byrne, to put the cards on the table. We should be working as a group. • Pawar: We can meet with you and the folks working on the initiative. I don't know about forming a group. It is a very sensitive project. We want to get it done. • Ohlson: If we're not built in, and things aren't moving, people will take matters in to their own hands. It's about timing. It's been two or 3 years since the money was passed. People are at the boiling point. It's easy to get on the ballot for something like this. • Fischer: We need to hear your ideas much sooner than later. We're not working on "city -time", we're working on the clock. It takes time and effort to get something on the ballot and support it properly. • Ohlson: This was a great discussion. I appreciate your candor and your work. I apologize for not coming earlier. It's not staff practice to bring RFP's in the working stage to boards. You're in the loop now. 1 hope you have some confidence. Udall Natural Area — Storm Water Treatment Facility, Kevin McBride McBride said he wanted to provide the board with an update and status on the project. The two main objectives are to clean up stormwater before it's discharged into the Poudre River, and provide wetland habitat lost along the urban corridor. Fischer: It looks like there will be a lot of earthmoving. Most of it is to get to the water table. If we don't, we'll be high and dry. Natural Resources Advis._y Board February 6, 2002 Page 4 of 6 • Ohlson: Is this owned by Utilities? It was a joint purchase between Stormwater and the NRD. • Ohlson: Was it purchased equitably, with this in mind? Yes, natural wetlands and stormwater treatment. • Ohlson: How big is this? About 25 acres. • Fischer: What will the riprap look like? • Rose: We're putting in dirty rip -rap. In the past we've used grout. We'll be filling the voids with dirt. We'll seed the soil so native grass species will come up. We're also placing wells where we can plant cottonwoods and willow. • Sears: We're looking at putting 24 inch culverts as planters. Cottonwood trees have a head start if they're in planters. • Donovan: Is it true that pink rip rap is cheaper. Yes, because we can obtain it locally. • Ohlson: This is better than what 99% of the planet is doing. What wouldn't I like about this? There are some hardened structures. There's a concrete bottom pond, we're doing that to make maintenance easier. It's going to take a while to get things re -vegetated so it wont look real good for a while. • Ohlson: What would we have done twenty-five years ago? Nothing just put the pipe right into the river. • Fischer: Will there be public access to this side of the river? Mark Sears explained the proposed placement of the trail. • Rodriguez: Will there be an education piece to this? Kevin said, we plan to utilize it when the trail is in. We'll do interpretation about what's going on here. It's always important to do interpretation about the resources we're trying to protect as well. • Fischer: Looks like a good project to me. I'm anxious to see it get started. Retreat The retreat was scheduled for Saturday, March 30 at Lory State Park, from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Members will provide their own lunches. NRD staff will bring beverages and required office supplies. Jacoby Farm, Mark Sears Sears provided details about the proposed purchase. It is a 160 acre parcel, and has been valued at $12,000 an acre, or $1,920,000. • Fischer: Do we own the gravel rights: Yes, but we weren't looking into mining this site. • Ohslon: What is your recommendation? I've thought of this as a high priority piece to get. It's not been mined, there's a small 3 acre pond. I don't know ifwe would retain it forever. If the City of Windsor ever had a natural areas program and wanted it, we might sell. • Ohlson: Is the price fair? Yes, veryfair. • Knowlton: Is it ours if we want it? Yes. • Fischer: I think it's a fair price, well worth having. Natural Resources oisory Board • February 6, 2002 Page 5 of 6 Rodriguez: Would the County weigh in? We're working with the County. The County's a little nervous. It's City owned property, and the City is buying it. Linda Knowlton made the following motion: Move that this Board support a staff recommendation to Council to purchase the Jacoby Farm. The motion was seconded by Don Rodriguez, and passed unanimously. Election of Officers, Randy Fischer Kelly Ohlson made a motion that if the two current offices are willing to continue in their roles they be allowed to. Linda Knowlton seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. Randy Fischer was re-elected as chairman, and Nate Donovan was re-elected as vice - chair. Committee Assignments, Randy Fischer This item was postponed to the February 20 work session. New Business • Kelly Ohlson saw in the P&R minutes that the LaPorte trail is going in. Sears said he'd ask Foreman to bring it to the Trails Committee. Kelly Ohlson asked if it's too late for input. Randy Fischer said the Trails Committee has been meeting for some time now and wonders if there's some reason they didn't want to bring it up. • Kelly Ohlson would like clarification on the exact wording that went to Council on the state trail agenda item. • Kelly Ohlson feels the NRAB should be involved in the process of naming natural areas. • The Hydrogen Task Force memo is ready for distribution to Council. • Don Rodriguez said New Belgium is negotiating on the Oxbow site. • Randy Fischer was wondering if anything new has happened on the I-25 Open Space Task Force. Joe Frank was supposed to be checking on this. Donovan said there hasn't been any action yet, maybe mid -February. • Randy Fischer is shocked to find a major highway going through CFP (100' easement). • Randy Fischer wants to discuss the Hazaleus issue at the work session. Monthly Feedback Kelly Ohlson said he appreciates that Michelle and Mark are listening to their feedback. He likes that the board is getting more feedback in writing. Natural Resources Advis—y Board February 6, 2002 Page 6 of 6 Action Log - Strike the community separator update. - Try to schedule Meadow Springs Ranch tour — May or June - Change stewardship fund to long term natural areas funding. Future Agenda Items February_ Resource Recovery Farm Committee Assignments Long Range Financial Planning Hazaleus Property March 6: City Plan Update process, Ken Waido March 20: Pollution Prevention program update, Susie Gordon Future: Fossil Creek project Rolland Moore Park Master Plan Approval of Minutes The minutes of the December 5, 2001 meeting were unanimously approved as written. Committee Reports Randy Fischer said there would be a meeting of the Solid Waste Committee on Wednesday, February 20, at 4:30 p.m. in the Maple Tree conference room. Announcements Sears said the third Senior Environmental Planner position has been approved as a permanent full time employee. The primary focus of the position is restoration ecology. This position will also supervise the ranger program. Ohlson said the opening of the Rivendell expanded recycling drop off site has been scheduled for March 22, 2002. Adjournment The meeting adjourned at 9:45 p.m. Natural Resources Advisu_y Board February 6, 2002 Page 2 of 6 off year we received an additional $40, 000 for the Fort Collins/Wellington separator project. • Ohlson: How much was the 2000 grant? It was $20, 000, and it came in 2001. It came to a regional cooperative. $10,000 was to hire a planner to provide technical assistance to Timnath. The other $10, 000 subsidizes the remainder of the project. • Ohlson: Is the City organization moving forward on both projects? Right now we're not staffing the Wellington plan. We're not talking about working on it until 2003 or 2004. From an Advance Planning point of view there needs to be clarification of the Fort Collins urban growth boundary. Joe Frank wrote a memo about what it might take, and that's the way we've been thinking about it. The County has been successful and moving forward in the Wellington area. • Ohlson: You folks could change on your own, or be directed by Council to move forward. By 2004, there will be no more Wellington separator. I'm hearing that you'd like us to get started on it faster. It's appropriate to suggest that we re- evaluate, and move it up in priority. • Pawar: We are internally looking at the Wellington study. • Ohlson: I'm still not clear who the lead on this project is. I have been loaned to Michelle. I'm the project manager. • Pawar: We had been internally talking about the project. It sounded like it should most appropriately be put in Natural Resources. I'm the project sponsor, Tom is the project manager. • Ohlson: I first brought up the Loveland/Fort Collins separators in 1983, that's nineteen years ago. We're a little impatient to get going. There's a financial responsibility. • Wagner: Wellington has some expansive annexation plans. In year or two, it could look much different. We're already working in Wellington area. We're a partner with the County, and County staff is working up there. • Fischer: Did I hear you correctly to say one of the reasons we're not moving forward with the Wellington separator plan was because we want to maintain our options for growth in that area? There's a graphic in the adopted City Plan. We haven't resolved the issue of if the urban growth boundary is fixed or moving. It doesn't mean we're not trying to do conservation easements • Ohlson: When there's misinformation you really must counter it. • Hamrick: How would you do deals if you don't have any money. • Sears: We have flexibility in the natural areas program, particularly in the river area. • Hamrick: It would be good to know how much money we're talking about. • Ohlson: Is there anyone in staff that thinks we can't legally spend City Natural Areas monies on the Windsor and Wellington separators? A couple ofpeople have raised eyebrows. We have a staff attorney. It would be irresponsible for us to interpret law. • Hamrick: You need to ask for definitive opinion, and resolve it. • Pawar: Keeping in mind that we'd like to keep the grant, if we need to change the scope of work, we can ask the State for approval to change the scope of work within allowances that don't impact the obligations we've made.