Montrose, CO — City Councilors met for a work session Monday morning, March 15, to meet a number of new employees, review possible code revisions, and preview proposed contract awards for new public infrastructure and asbestos work on a Park Avenue property.
Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, City Councilors Roy Anderson, Dave Bowman, Barbara Bynum, Dave Frank, and Doug Glaspell met online along with city staff via the Zoom platform. The public was also invited to attend. The following is a summary of the primary topics discussed during the meeting.
Watch the meeting here.
INTRODUCTION OF NEW EMPLOYEES
City Councilors were introduced to six new employees who were hired to fill a few new positions while backfilling a number of vacated positions.
Nancy Bartz will serve as a new animal shelter technician. Debra Lueck will work as a customer service representative at Public Works. Ariana Meraz will serve as a civilian report-taking technician at the Montrose Police Department. Ashley Pietak was hired as the guest services and community events coordinator. Samantha Vallejos was hired as a human resources generalist and Bridget Warren was hired as the Black Canyon Golf Course restaurant manager.
MURA PHASE II PUBLIC INFRASTRUCTURE CONTRACT AWARD
City Councilors heard a recommendation to approve $1,410,029 in expenditures for construction of public infrastructure associated with Phase II of the Montrose Urban Renewal Authority, MURA, project. This includes the extension of North 6th Street west of Grand Avenue to make way for new housing along the Uncompahgre River.
The scope of work includes the extension and/or relocation of utilities between North 6th and North 9th Streets as well as the extension of North 6th Street west of Grand Avenue.
Montrose City Engineer Scott Murphy said the contract award includes the award of a construction contract to Mountain Valley Contracting in the amount of $1,077,729, a survey and engineering support contract to Del-Mont Consultants in the amount of $67,300, and dry utility expenditures totaling $265,000.
In support of community housing needs, the Basecamp Apartments development is a market-rate, one-to-three bedroom, multiple-unit housing development designed for the southern portion of the overall Colorado Outdoors plan of development. The MURA Board entered into a development agreement with Range Development in the spring of 2020 to help facilitate the construction of 96 market-rate apartment units at the southern end of Colorado Outdoors.
As part of this development agreement, the MURA committed to reimburse for horizontal site improvements at the apartment site and to design and construct the public infrastructure needed to support the project. As the first step in this agreement, the MURA Board also awarded a construction contract to Del-Mont Consultants, of Montrose, for the design of this public infrastructure in early 2020. During the 2021 budget process, the city elected to budget for the construction of the public infrastructure aspects of the project.
The city put the project out to bid in February and received six bids from companies working out of Delta, Mesa, and Montrose counties. Mountain Valley Contracting of Grand Junction was the low bidder for the work.
The public infrastructure project will include the extension of mainline power and natural gas utilities from their existing location at North 9th Street down to the project site. These tasks are expected to cost $265,000 ($225,000 to Delta-Montrose Electric Association and $40,000 to Black Hills Energy) and would be paid for directly by the city.
The developer of the Basecamp Apartments is required to pull a building permit by April 1. All 96 apartment units are scheduled to be complete by December 31, 2023.
NORTH SECOND ROW VACATION ORDINANCE
City Councilors heard a proposal to vacate a portion of the public right of way along North 2nd Street.
Part of the existing house at 127 North Lot Avenue encroaches into the North 2nd Street right of way. The owner has requested that the city vacate a 12 by 150-foot strip of land (approximately 1800 sq. ft.) along the right of way. This portion of North 2nd St. dead-ends into Paseo del Arroyo Park on the west side.
Under the arrangement, the city would retain an 88-foot wide ROW, which is sufficient for the street and sidewalks. The right of way vacation would have the added benefit of allowing enough buildable area for two or three new lots under the REDO and Subdivision Regulations. The amount of land proposed for vacation would place the entire house on private property. If approved, the resulting lot would be a total of 150 by 62.5-foot in size (9375 sq. ft.).
City Senior Planner Amy Sharp said the owner has committed to building one additional dwelling unit on the site as part of a redevelopment plan that will be submitted to the city. City staff is recommending that the right-of-way strip be vacated at no cost to the adjacent owner to facilitate the creation of additional residential uses in the downtown area. This right-of-way vacation is permitted because the right-of-way area is no longer needed by the city. When the city no longer has a need for a particular right of way, it can opt to vacate it and transfer ownership to the adjacent property owner.
DAYTIME SOCIAL SERVICES MUNICIPAL CODE REVISIONS
City Councilors were presented with a revision to the city's Municipal Code that would specify the types of daytime social service activities that are allowed in the B-1, B-2, B-2A, and B-3 zoning districts.
Senior Planner Amy Sharp, along with Assistant City Attorney Mathew Magliaro, said the effort suggests modifications to the Code to include daytime social service activities as a use by right in these zoning districts. Uses such as food banks, soup kitchens, and counseling centers have previously been and are currently located in these zoning districts. This modification clarifies that these current uses are operating legally and provides clarification for similar uses in the future.
Additionally, these daytime social service uses are compatible with other uses by right in these zoning districts. It meets the intent of the commercial districts as it provides for the exchange of goods and services in a reasonable and orderly manner.
Recommended Actions:
1. Add “daytime social service activities” to the B-1 zoning district as a use by right. Uses by right in the B-1 zoning district are also allowed in the B-2, B-2A, and B-3 zoning districts.
The complete language change is as follows:
“Daytime social service activities by a social service provider, to include food storage; food distribution without monetary remuneration as a food pantry and/or food service without monetary remuneration as a soup kitchen; laundry facilities not for profit; showers; counseling to include alcohol and/or substance abuse counseling; and/or religious education and counseling. This use by right expressly excludes the overnight sheltering of people.”
ASBESTOS ABATEMENT OF 931 NORTH PARK
City Councilors were presented with a plan that includes a contract award for asbestos abatement in a structure at 931 North Park Avenue to Acumen Environmental Services in the amount of $95,682.
Public Works Manager Jim Scheid said the building was previously the Powderhorn Industries building and was recently purchased by the city. After evaluating the structure and the systems within, it was determined that the most cost-effective approach for eventually having a site that will suit the needs of a transit center is to remove the existing structure and start with a clear site. The asbestos abatement is the first step in making that happen. With the council’s approval, this would be followed by the removal and disposal of the remaining metal buildings on the site.
Scheid said the cost of the abatement work was higher than normal due to the amount of asbestos to be removed, along with the difficult type of abatement work.
The contract amount of $83,203 contingency. Acumen Environmental Services of Glenwood Springs was the lowest bidder from among eight bids the city received.
The abatement of this structure supports the effort to help relocate the All Points Transit center to a location that will better suit the needs of the community and the surrounding region. It is the staff’s understanding that the council may consider using undesignated fund balance reserves to complete this project.
STAFF COMMENTS
City Manager Bill Bell said the city’s Downtown Visitor Center, located at 107 South Cascade Avenue will reopen to the public today, March 15, following months-long closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Public Works Manager Jim Scheid reported the city’s amphitheater project is underway in Cerise Park. City Engineer Scott Murphy reported the city’s new water tank is under construction on Sunset Mesa.
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All City Council meetings are recorded and made available online via the city’s website and cable channels 191 for Charter subscribers and 970 for Elevate subscribers. Replays of council meetings are also broadcast at 6 p.m. on the same channels on days that the council is not in session.
In addition, each regular meeting is archived on the City of Montrose’s YouTube channel.
Residents can watch all regular City Council meetings and work sessions live through the city’s website at CityOfMontrose.org/Video.
For more city news visit CityOfMontrose.org.