Montrose, CO — City Councilors met for their regular meeting Tuesday evening, June 15, to appoint a new member to the Planning Commission and consider a number of ordinances and resolutions.
Councilors Barbara Bynum, Dave Frank, Doug Glaspell, David Reed, and Anthony Russo met in City Council Chambers along with city staff. Due to changing COVID-19 protocols, members of the public were allowed to attend in City Council Chambers, or online via the Zoom platform.
The following is a summary of the primary topics discussed during the meeting.
Watch the meeting here.
IMMIGRANT HERITAGE MONTH PROCLAMATION
Mayor Doug Glaspell read a proclamation of the City Council proclaiming that June 2021 is Immigrant Heritage Month in the City of Montrose.
Glaspell said generations of immigrants from every corner of the globe have built our country’s economy and created a unique character of our nation.
“Immigrants have provided the United States of America with unique social and cultural influence, fundamentally enriching the extraordinary character of our nation,” Glaspell said.
Glaspell said that despite these countless contributions, the role of immigrants in building and enriching our nation has frequently been overlooked and undervalued throughout our history and continuing to the present day.
The mayor added that the United States, because of the Constitution, is a beacon of hope for people all over the globe seeking a better life and a peaceful future. Immigration enhances Montrose’s cultural diversity as foreign-born individuals add to the variety of languages, customs, and cuisines enjoyed in the city.
“I, Mayor Doug Glaspell, and the Montrose City Council do hereby recognize the month of June as Immigrant “Heritage Month in the City of Montrose,” and I call this observance to the attention of all of our citizens and encourage them to learn more about the social and economic impact of immigrants to our community and state,” Glaspell said.
PUBLIC COMMENT
Several members of the public addressed the council on various topics including a proposed housing development off Chipeta Road near the Cobble Creek Golf Community, the city’s comprehensive plan and growth, development density, and a new traffic signal at U.S. Hwy 550 and Chipeta Road.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Councilors voted unanimously to approve the minutes of the June 1, 2021, regular City Council meeting. The city’s archive of past meeting minutes can be found at CityofMontrose.org/ArchiveCenter.
PLANNING COMMISSION APPOINTMENT
Councilors voted unanimously to approve the appointment of Delphine Jadot as a regular member of the city’s Planning Commission.
More about the Planning Commission can be found here.
ORDINANCE 2543 – SECOND READING
Councilors voted unanimously to approve, on the second reading of the ordinance, the update of two sections of the city's Municipal Code regarding minimum roof pitch requirements.
According to Senior Planner Amy Sharp, city staff has undertaken a review of the Municipal Code Title 4, Chapter 4, Section 8.1 (4-4-8.1) and Title 4, Chapter 4, Section 8.2 (4-4-8.2) in order to update the performance standards for minimum roof pitch in the “R-5” Low Density/Manufactured Housing District and “R-6” Medium Density/Manufactured Housing District. This effort suggests modifications to the City of Montrose Municipal Code to update the performance standards to reflect current industry standards, which have changed since the current code was adopted.
This modification changes the minimum roof pitch from 3.5:12 to 3:12.
ORDINANCE 2544 – SECOND READING
Councilors voted unanimously to approve, on the second reading of the ordinance, a request to allow a property that is currently within the Montrose city limits to revert back to being outside of the city limits. According to Senior Planner Amy Sharp, the process is known as a disconnection or de-annexation from the city limits of Montrose.
The property, owned by Keith and Melissa Morris, is located at 16763/16765 6725 Road and is approximately 7.95 acres in size.
Sharp said city staff is recommending approval of the request.
The city received a letter from the property owners requesting that this property be disconnected from the city limits of Montrose and explaining the reasons for the request. This property is located at the eastern edge of the city limits and disconnection would not result in the creation of a county enclave. The city does not currently provide water, sewer or trash services to the property, which was annexed into the Montrose city limits in 2005 as part of the Lake Addition.
ORDINANCE 2545 - FIRST READING
City Councilors voted unanimously to approve Ordinance 2545 on first reading, designating the old Montrose County Jail located at 217 South First Street a City of Montrose Historic Property.
According to City Planner William Reis, on April 27, 2021, the City of Montrose Historic Preservation Commission considered an application for historic property designation of the Montrose County Jail, located at 217 S 1st Street, as provided for in Section 4-15 of the Montrose Municipal Code. The commission voted unanimously to recommend the structure for approval as a historic property.
Reis said the structure meets the eligibility criteria per Montrose Municipal Code Section 4-15-3 (B) for the following reasons:
The building is over fifty years old. The building is associated with the development of the justice system in Montrose County, having been the first county jail, erected in 1885.
The building, although altered, is representative of county jails in nineteenth-century Colorado in its small size, stone construction, and narrow windows. The structure also meets the integrity criteria per Montrose Municipal Code 4-15-3 (C).
Councilors will vote on a second reading of the ordinance at the July 6 regular meeting.
WOODS CROSSING PRELIMINARY PLAT
City Councilors voted unanimously to approve a preliminary plat for the Woods Crossing development.
According to Senior Planner Amy Sharp, the Woods Crossing Preliminary Plat will subdivide a 72.88-acre parcel into a residential subdivision. The property is bordered by the American Village Subdivision to the south, on the north by Sunnyside Road, and on the west and east (county parcels) by agricultural fields and single-family homes.
The property is zoned “R-2” Low-Density District on the eastern side and “R-3A” Medium High-Density District on the western side. The intent is to divide the “R-2” portion into 141 single-family lots, and the R-3A” portion into 108 single-family lots and 28 townhome lots. A final plat will also be required within five (5) years of approval of the preliminary plat (City of Montrose Municipal Code, Section 4-7-5(C)(1)(a)).
The Planning Commission recommended approval of the Woods Crossing Preliminary Plat at its May 26, 2021, meeting. The City Council approved the preliminary plat is expressly conditioned upon city staff ensuring that all policies, regulations, ordinances, and Municipal Code provisions are met and that the applicant adequately addresses all of the staff's concerns prior to the execution of the final plat. The city staff is not authorized by this approval to execute the final plat prior to all conditions being satisfied.
PUBLIC WORKS FACILITY DESIGN CONTRACT RECOMMENDATION
City Councilors voted unanimously to approve a professional services contract to Chamberlin Architects in the amount of $179,806 for the completion of Phase I design studies and preliminary design associated with the replacement of the city’s Public Works facility.
The City of Montrose’s Public Works administration and operations are headquartered at a shop facility located at 1221 6450 Road. The facility is home to the city’s streets, parks, fleet, sanitation, water distribution, sewer collection, stormwater, and engineering operations. The site is bound by 6450 Road (city street) to the east, the Montrose Regional Airport to the north, the San Juan Bypass (CDOT Highway 50) to the south, and private property to the west.
Situated on a 9.5-acre lot, the site includes administrative offices, a fleet shop, a fuel station, wash bays, and various storage facilities that include laydown areas, covered storage, secure storage, and material stockpile areas. In addition to the 9.5-acre primary lot, the city also utilizes a 1.70-acre parcel immediately west of the shop for overflow fleet parking and salt/sand storage through a revocable lease with a private landowner.
Land for the Public Works shop was originally purchased by the city in 1947. The administration building was constructed on or around 1967 and has essentially reached the end of its useful life. In addition to the main building, the overall site layout and features do not meet the modern operational needs of the department. Primary deficiencies of the building and site include, but are not limited to, insufficient floor space for the shop and administration staff, low ADA accessibility, undersized restrooms, structural deficiencies of the building, poor operational layout, insufficient heated storage for cold-sensitive vehicles (such as Vactors, sweepers, and water trucks), insufficient wash bays, poor site circulation, poor separation of the public from operational activities, and lack of modern stormwater controls.
Project Vision
As a result of the issues being experienced at the public works facility and in anticipation of continued community growth, the city is looking to begin the process for design and eventual reconstruction of the Public Works facility. The vision is to create a Public Works facility that accommodates both existing and future operational needs. The site layout and building spaces will be situated and constructed such that future expansions (additional storage, shop space, office space, etc.) can be readily accommodated as needed 30-plus years into the future.
Request for Proposals and Design Team Recommendation
On April 15, 2021, the city issued a public solicitation to procure a design team for the performance of the following key work tasks associated with the design of the replacement facility. This work was divided into two major phases as shown:
Phase I
• Site survey and base map preparation
• Stakeholder engagement (internal, external, and public) and needs evaluation
• Traffic and circulation design study (incl. evaluation of 6450/San Juan signal warrants)
• Environmental investigation (incl. asbestos and site assessments)
• Geotechnical investigation
• Schematic building design
• Schematic site design
• Preliminary cost estimation
Phase II (Future)
• Detailed building and site design
• Preparation of construction plans and specifications
• Assistance with project funding and grants, as appropriate
The request for proposals included pricing for Phase I as this scope of work was relatively well defined. Work for Phase II is not well defined at this time and will depend on the results of Phase I. As a result, pricing for Phase II was not requested with this solicitation. This work would be awarded at a later date as a change order to the contract once the scope comes into focus.
Proposals were publicly received on May 17, 2021, from the three consultants, Chamberlin Architects, the Blythe Group of Grand Junction, and GSG Architecture in Greeley.
Each proposal was evaluated by the city Engineering and Public Works Departments and a score between 0 and 4 was assigned to each, based on weighted evaluation criteria. These criteria are intended to objectively quantify the best-value consultant for the project.
Based on the evaluation criteria and ratings, city staff recommends award of a design contract for Phase I of the project to Chamberlin Architects. It should be noted that the Chamberlin team includes the following sub-consultants:
• HDR Group (Denver, CO): Shop facility specialist
• Buckhorn Engineering, formerly DOWL (Montrose, CO): Civil, structural, and survey
• Turnkey Consulting (Grand Junction, CO): Traffic consulting
• Julee Wolverton (Montrose, CO): Landscape design
• Grande River Environmental (Clifton, CO): Environmental assessments
• FCI Constructors (Grand Junction, CO): Construction cost estimating
• Bighorn Engineering (Grand Junction, CO): Mechanical, electrical, and plumbing
Chamberlin’s proposal recommended performing an inventory of existing maintenance and service equipment as part of the Phase I design in order to help create better cost estimates going into Phase II.
Contract administration and project management will be performed by the city’s Engineering (site) and Public Works departments (buildings). The Phase I design effort was expected to cost around $200k, placing the proposed contract approximately $20k under budget. The project is proposed to be funded using reserves associated with the recent sale of city property on Banner Road in early 2019. The approved contract will be on a time-and-materials, not-to-exceed basis.
EMERGENCY REPLACEMENT OF TRAFFIC SIGNAL EXPENSE AUTHORIZATION
City Councilors voted unanimously to approve an emergency expense authorization for the replacement of the damaged traffic signal at Nevada Ave and Main St with a new, 2-arm style traffic signal, along with upgrading failing infrastructure (cabinet and underground) to bring the existing intersection traffic signals up to current design standards at a cost $322,000.
According to Public Works Manager Jim Scheid, on May 12 the city-owned traffic signal was severely damaged in a vehicle accident. After consulting with the city’s traffic signal and lighting consultant, it was determined that the signal needed to be removed because of unrepairable structural damage and replaced with a temporary signal. The city is working on a claim with the responsible party’s insurance company. The responsible party would be responsible for a portion of the total cost of this project.
The replacement, two-arm style traffic signal with two main posts and two pedestrian crossing pedestals has an estimated cost of $250,000. The lead time on this replacement is about five months. In the meantime the, the temporary traffic signal will have an estimated cost of $30,000 over the next five months. Staff also recommend including a 15 percent cost contingency for unforeseen issues or cost inflations. This brings the total expense to be authorized to $322,000.
STAFF REPORTS
City Finance Director Shani Wittenberg delivered the sales, use, and excise tax report for April 2021.
Read the report in its entirety here.
COUNCIL COMMENTS
City Councilor David Reed joined other councilors in commending city staff on a successful FUNC Fest held last weekend in Riverbottom Park. The city estimates the festival drew 5,000 in attendance over the course of the day.
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