South Weber City Council Work Meeting, Jun 19 (TPD0905028)

Dak reported the watering truck makes its rounds first thing in the morning (6:30-7:30 pm), watering down the roads and the slopes of the piles. He said they turn the cannons on the piles when needed. Dak said they have dumped pond fines on the slopes, and it is hoped the vegetation will take hold soon. He said that material being blown on the slopes is preventing growth. Dak said that they have put down mag chloride, and they have used “gorilla snot” on the material piles slopes. He said the slopes are stabilized because the pond fines material is very heavy and shouldn’t blow.

Councilmember Poll asked why they are pushing dirt. Dak said it is either waste or byproduct, as they are going for the gravel and the other materials aren’t needed at this point. This material is being processed at a slower pace, and they push it out of the way. Dak reiterated they have treated the pile to keep it from blowing. Councilmember Poll argued that the pile is causing dust, because as they add to it, it keeps becoming a fresh pile. Dak said the pond fines is dumped on the pile to hold it together, so the dust may be coming from places where they are actively processing the material.

Dak reported they are close to phase 3 (40-50 feet), and they will provide the city with a letter when they begin phase 3. He said when they begin depends on the rock stockpile, so it could be soon or next year.

Councilmember Poll said he thinks the water cannons need to run all night before sunrise. Councilmember Thomas suggested starting at 3:00 am. It was pointed out that if they start too early, it will dry out. Councilmember Thomas suggested running them twice a night, from 10:00 pm to midnight, then again at 4:00 a.m. Dak said that is a lot of water, and Weber Basin is monitoring how much water they are taking.

Dak said they treat the floor with mag chloride twice a year, and they dump pond fines as they go. He said the pond fines is a quick fix, but vegetation is best (for dust mitigation.) Dak displayed an aerial view of the pit, showing where vegetation has grown, stock pile areas and traffic areas, the active mining area, and the crushing plant. He said in the fall the stock piles will dwindle down.

Councilmember Thomas commented on the new trees Staker Parsons has planted on the berm. Dak reported these trees are more mature and resilient to wind, with a caliper of three inch or better. They have installed bubbler watering at the base of the trees. Installing fences behind the trees to give them a fighting chance was discussed. Dak said they may be able to install some sort of wood fences; he will bring this up with Randy Anderson.

Dak reported they treated the weeds on the parking lot with weed killer, but they didn’t cut them down because they have gone to seed and if they knock them down the seed will spread. They will be cut in the next week or two.

Randy Anderson arrived at the meeting at this time.

Dak said they feel they are in good shape. Councilmember Thomas asked if they will hydro-seed on the pond fines. Randy said they have to settle, so they will schedule to do this by the fall.

Dak addressed the inspection report form that was presented at the last meeting. He said the city is welcome to inspect any time, but they are hesitant to provide input when items (on the list) are outside the scope of development agreement. He said not all of the items are enforceable. Councilmember Thomas responded that this is fine, but the inspection report does provide a mechanism for discussion and meetings.

Dak referred to section 10.14 of the agreement which addresses periodic and annual reviews. He said they are willing to work with the City Council and will come any time, but he wants to get back to scope of agreement. Dak said if they city gives the inspection report to the city engineer, then we are headed in the right direction. He said in previous public meetings not a lot of residents came in with concerns, and he was shocked at the number that showed up. He said there are always issues with the gravel pits, at all their locations, and he said this company prides itself in doing a good job at being neighborly.

Randy said he thinks they have a good relationship with the city, and they will do whatever is reasonable and what they can do to mitigate problems. He said he has concerns about posting the information on the web site. Randy said if you post the information on the internet, there are a certain amount of citizens who will thrive on complaining. He said in those cases not much gets accomplished in a public meeting because no matter what is said, the citizens don’t want to hear it.

Mayor Petersen disagreed, stating that Staker Parsons has done good things and the city wants to get the information out there that these things are happening. Dak said he is fine with that, but Randy said he doesn’t even like that kind of stuff put out there because people will complain. Mayor Petersen said that right now the residents think the city and the gravel pits are not doing anything to address the issues. Randy said we need to use caution about what is put out there. He added that when the berm was built it was a huge expense, and it is a huge improvement of what was there.

John Grubb arrived at the meeting at this time.

Councilmember Thomas said the city needs to discuss what will happen to the pits in the future. He said if we have a vision of what the area will be, we can start marketing eventually. Businesses that have long term plans can look at the area for future projects. Randy said this will be beneficial for Staker Parsons as well in order for them to market for eventual sale.

Matt said Staker Parsons will be on next week’s agenda for a public report. Matt asked about the map Staker Parsons had talked about putting together showing areas that have been reclaimed, finished, areas of active mining, etc. He requested that the map include a line for phase 3. Dak said he is hesitant to have the city post the map on the website. Matt asked how this would hurt them.

Councilmember Thomas said the report should consist of a report on things they have been doing, like the trees, irrigation, parking lot, and it would be great if they had a slideshow to show those things. Randy said in the past they would also bring up how much money Staker Parsons has given to the city.  Matt said this is a good opportunity for Staker Parsons to sell that that they are good neighbors, and to show what improvements they have made over the last year.

Matt suggested having reports at work meetings and regular meetings quarterly. Randy said quarterly is a lot. Dak suggested maybe twice a year, in the spring and fall. It was decided they would report in April and July.

Dak stated Maverick is still interested in the commercial property, and they are finalizing the decision on a fair price to offer to Maverick. Councilmember Poff said he has some concerns about Maverick.

Councilmember Thomas and Mayor Petersen said Maverick should be given a deadline for completion.

Matt said Dak had mentioned installing an electronic/digital sign at the entrance of the pit and the city, and allowing the city to have space on it to advertise events, etc. Matt said he can take pictures of the sign at Staker Parsons headquarters for an example of what it may look like.

Councilmember Thomas was excused at 6:45 p.m. Dak and Randy also left the meeting at this time.

2009-2010 FY BUDGET:  CAPITAL PROJECTS AND COUNTRY FAIR DAYS:   Matt reported the Capital Projects fund money is transferred over from what is left over in the general fund at the end of the fiscal year.

In regard to Canyon Meadows Park, Matt said the Railroad Club is requesting $35,000 in the budget to purchase track. They had originally proposed $10,000. John Grubb said this will purchase longer lasting ties, and he indicated this will cover about 2/3 of the track. He said they will also solicit for additional funds. Matt reported since the addition of the railroad to the plan, the phasing has changed a little. He also said that Perry Homes had said they would like to pay their park impact fees up front in order for the city to build a playground, but due to this market this plan is now on hold. The funds from Canyon Meadows Park is restricted money. Councilmember Poff asked Matt to check into the slanted power pole in Canyon Meadows.

Matt provided a spreadsheet showing projects, estimated costs, and what funds the city would pull to pay for them.

Matt reported the city has had to get geotech studies done in order to identify feasible sites for the water tank. Councilmember Poff is frustrated about the city having to pay for those, and he said he is not supportive of the road (for the tank). Matt said we have to go through the process to identify an appropriate site, and he doesn’t know how we could have done it any differently.

The funds for the Lester detention basin constitutes the city’s share of that project. Street overlay projects will be bid separately. There are also funds in streets and class c roads for overlays. It is also planned to redo the city office parking lot.

The Council asked Matt to provide a spreadsheet of city roads, showing how many years old they are, thereby allowing the city to prioritize street improvements.

Matt said Weber Basin will patch 475 East, then we will let it sit through this summer and winter, and the city can possibly do an overly next July. This is estimated to cost $150,000.

Matt said we don’t have the funds to do all the projects listed on the spreadsheet. He said there should be approximately $500,000 to transfer to capital projects at the end of the year.