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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOUNCIL - AGENDA ITEM - 10/15/2013 - FIRST READING OF ORDINANCE NO. 141, 2013, APPROPRAgenda Item 15 Item # 15 Page 1 AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY October 15, 2013 City Council STAFF Craig Foreman, Director of Park Planning & Development SUBJECT First Reading of Ordinance No. 141, 2013, Appropriating Unanticipated Revenue from the Public Service Company into the Capital Projects Fund for the Trail Acquisition and Development-Special Funds Project. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The purpose of this item is to appropriate $1,250,000 from Public Service Company (PSCo or Xcel) into the Capital Project Trail Acquisition/Development - Special Funds. The Public Service Company’s (PSCo) West Main Pipeline Project required easements across City- owned Coyote Ridge, Colina Mariposa, and Hazaleus Natural Areas located along South Shields Street between Fort Collins and Loveland and on the Kingfisher Natural Area near Timberline Road. PSCo has agreed to provide $2,000,000 as compensation for the easements, and as mitigation for the project’s community wide impacts. From the PSCo revenues, funding in the amount of $1,000,000 will be used for the construction of a ten-foot wide concrete regional trail on the east side of Shields Street from Fossil Creek Drive to Trilby Road. Funding in the amount of $250,000 will also be used for the removal and relocation of the Poudre Trail at the Woodward Technology Center. The remaining $750,000 of PSCo revenues will be used by Natural Areas for various projects along the Poudre River. These funds were appropriated in the Natural Areas Fund by Ordinance No. 090, 2013. STAFF RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends adoption of the Ordinance on First Reading. BACKGROUND / DISCUSSION In late 2011, Public Service Company (PSCo) approached the Natural Areas Department to discuss the West Main Project and the need to replace an existing natural gas pipeline located within several City- owned natural areas. Negotiations with PSCo resulted in a payment of $2,000,000 to the City for the natural area easements and to offset the community impacts of the pipeline project. Staff reviewed a variety of trail projects, and determined construction of the regional trail along Shields Street from Fossil Creek Drive to Trilby Road was the best use for $1,000,000 of the PSCo funds. This regional trail is included in the Council-adopted Parks and Recreation Policy Plan. The trail will generally be placed on land disturbed by the pipeline project. Constructing the trail now avoids the need to restore this area and then disturb it when the trail is constructed in the future. Constructing this section of the regional trail will also create an incentive for Larimer County and the City of Loveland to connect to and complete the trail. The Woodward Technology Center project will result in the City obtaining 31 acres of natural area. City staff determined $250,000 of the PSCo funds should be used to remove the section of the Poudre Trail on the site and relocate within the restored natural area. The remaining $750,000 in PSCo funds will be used to acquire, restore or otherwise improve natural areas along the Poudre River. If any funds remain after completion of the trail projects, it will be used for other trail construction needs. Agenda Item 15 Item # 15 Page 2 FINANCIAL / ECONOMIC IMPACT The $1,250,000 available for trail projects augments existing limited trail funding allowing these funds to be used for other needed trail projects. The project appropriation of $1,250,000 for the trail projects includes $12,500 for 1% Art in Public Places (APP). Of this amount $9,750 will be transferred to the APP project in the Cultural Services and Facilities Fund for the artwork and the remaining $2,750 will be transferred to the same fund for the maintenance of the artwork and operations of the APP program. The total amount transferred to APP will be $12,500 or 1% of the total project cost. Funding for the annual operation and maintenance cost of the 1.0 mile of new trail from Fossil Creek Driver to Trilby Road is estimated at $10,000 and will be included in the 2015 Parks trail maintenance Budgeting for Outcomes offer. The relocated Poudre Trail annual operation and maintenance cost at the Woodward Technology Center is in existing Parks budgets. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS The new trail location along Shields Street has been reviewed by the Natural Areas staff and will be located close to the street to minimize impacts to the natural areas. The relocated Poudre Trail at the Woodward Technology Center will not be located right next to the river, as it is now. The new trail section will provide nice views of the river as it traverses the restored natural area. BOARD / COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION The Parks and Recreation Board and the Land Conservation Board were informed of the project over the past year through staff updates. The Boards were supportive of these projects. PUBLIC OUTREACH The trail project from Fort Collins to Loveland was discussed with the community during the 2008 Parks and Recreation Policy Plan update and is listed on the City’s trail development web page. The Poudre Trail relocation at the Woodward Technology Center has been shown at several open houses for the Woodward project in 2013. ATTACHMENTS 1. Woodward Proposed Trail Map 2. Xcel Loveland Trail Map ATTACHMENT 1 ATTACHMENT 2 - 1 - ORDINANCE NO. 141, 2013 OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS APPROPRIATING UNANTICIPATED REVENUE FROM THE PUBLIC SERVICE COMPANY INTO THE CAPITAL PROJECTS FUND FOR THE TRAIL ACQUISITION AND DEVELOPMENT - SPECIAL FUNDS PROJECT WHEREAS, pursuant to Ordinance Nos. 008, 009, 010, and 011, 2013, as adopted by the City Council in January 2013, the Public Service Company has paid to the City $2 million in exchange for certain easements across natural areas in the City; and WHEREAS, Public Service Company sought the easements in order to complete its west main natural gas pipeline project through portions of the Coyote Ridge, Colina Mariposa, Hazaleus, and Kingfisher Natural Areas; and WHEREAS, these funds are to be used on projects which help mitigate the impacts of the easements on the community; and WHEREAS, City staff recommends that $1,000,000 of these funds be used for the construction of a ten-foot wide concrete regional trail on the east side of Shields Street from Fossil Creek Drive to Trilby Road; and WHEREAS, City Council approved completion of this regional trail in the adopted Parks and Recreation Policy Plan; and WHEREAS, City staff recommends that $250,000 of these funds be used to remove the section of the Poudre Trail that is on the Woodward Technology Center site and to relocate the trail within the restored natural area; and WHEREAS, the remaining $750,000 of the Public Service Company funds will be used to acquire, restore or otherwise improve natural areas along the Poudre River; and WHEREAS, the $750,000 for natural areas was previously appropriated in Ordinance No. 90, 2013, leaving $1,250,000 for the other trail projects to be appropriated with this ordinance into the Capital Projects Fund Trail Acquisition and Development - Special Funds Project; and WHEREAS, Article V, Section 9, of the City Charter permits City Council to make supplemental appropriations by ordinance at any time during the fiscal year, provided that the total amount of such supplemental appropriations, in combination with all previous appropriations for that fiscal year, does not exceed the current estimate of actual and anticipated revenues to be received during the fiscal year; and WHEREAS, City staff has determined that the appropriation of all unanticipated Public Service Company revenue, as described herein, will not result in total appropriations in excess of the current estimate of actual and anticipated revenues for fiscal year 2013. - 2 - WHEREAS, Article V, Section 10(b), of the City Charter authorizes the City Council to transfer by ordinance any unexpended and unencumbered appropriated amount or portion thereof from one fund to another fund, provided that the purpose for which the transferred funds are to be expended remains unchanged. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS as follows: Section 1. That there is hereby appropriated for expenditure from unanticipated revenue in the Capital Projects Fund the sum of ONE MILLION TWO HUNDRED FIFTY THOUSAND DOLLARS ($1,250,000) for the Trail Acquisition and Development - Special Funds Project. Section 2. That the unexpended appropriated amount of TWELVE THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED DOLLARS ($12,500) in the Capital Projects Fund - Trail Acquisition and Development - Special Funds Project is hereby authorized for transfer to the Cultural Services and Facilities Fund and appropriated therein for the Art in Public Places Program. Introduced, considered favorably on first reading, and ordered published this 15th day of October, A.D. 2013, and to be presented for final passage on the 5th day of November, A.D. 2013. __________________________________ Mayor ATTEST: _______________________________ City Clerk Passed and adopted on final reading on the 5th day of November, A.D. 2013. __________________________________ Mayor ATTEST: _______________________________ City Clerk