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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2015-12-22 TranscriptionPage 1 ITEM 2. HARRISON STREET PARKING FACILITY — RESOLUTION SETTING A PUBLIC HEARING ON PLANS, SPECIFICATIONS, FORM OF CONTRACT, AND ESTIMATE OF COST FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE HARRISON STREET PARKING FACILITY PROJECT FOR DECEMBER 29, 2015. Mims: Move the resolution. Dickens: Second. Hayek: Moved by Mims, seconded by Dickens. Discussion? Throgmorton: Matt, I'd like to ask I think three questions, um, the:..the first is, uh, why is it necessary to be meeting? So, maybe somebody can answer that, and then secondly, um ... what would be the financial or other cost to, either to the City or to the developer, uh, to ... of not holding the ... a meeting on the 291', but instead just doing it at our regular meeting on the 5h. Uh, and ... and those are the two questions I want to ask, and there might be a follow up (mumbled) Hayek: Well, uh, why don't we, uh, Sue answer as much as she can, uh... one or both questions and then people can continue the discussion (mumbled) ...under the table. Dulek: I can only answer the why. The why is that the State code 64.4(4)(L) requires on a lease purchase agreement a public hearing on the plans and specifications. Doesn't require it be a public bidding process because it's not our contract. Uh, that is the City ... the City isn't bidding it out, uh, McComas is, but uh, the City still has to approve the plans and specs, and that is a City Council pass and staff has already has passed and City Council hasn't. So that's the why, um, that ... that the meeting has to occur. Hayek: And ... and my understanding is, uh... the ... the inclination not to delay is ... and this comes from ... from Eleanor, is that, um, the ... this was essentially just an oversight. We've been looking at this project and approved many different aspects of it over, uh... period of several years, um, and this is just a formality, and ... and the contractor is ready, uh, to ... put shovels in the ground and is mobilized, um, and ... and so there is a ... a delay factor here. Markus: (both talking) And so the damage would result from the delays according to the contract (several talking) the contractor hasn't provided, um, any cost estimates of the actual damage, but it seems like it's a situation where it really isn't a harm to the City to be approving it at this point. It's consistent with all the approvals that we've made, three or four, so ... that's why we want to have you scheduled (mumbled) This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council special formal meeting of December 22, 2015. Page 2 Throgmorton: Right. The development agreement has already been approved by the City Council and (mumbled) already signed the development agreement, right, so that's all ... a done deal, right? (several talking) Markus: And staff has approved and reviewed the plans for it, as well. It's a lease/purchase ultimately (mumbled) of the deck itself, so... Dulek: And as the comment says that the preliminary plans and specs were attached as an exhibit to the lease purchase agreement, which Council has approved. Final plans and specs, more detail, not a change in the overall plans and specs. Throgmorton: So, ideally this would have been done, uh, two weeks ago, four weeks ago (several talking) Dulek: Yes! Throgmorton:... oversight (several talking) Dulek: Yes. Markus: So who caught it? Hayek: I think Eleanor caught it (both talking) Dulek: I think Eleanor caught it. Hayek: Something in the back of her head said, eh, maybe we need to, uh, approve this but it would have just been part of everything else we've done, and that's right that we've already approved, um ... uh, the ... the preliminary, um, and that there are no material changes to it, um (several talking) Yeah. (several talking) Dickens: (mumbled) Markus: I guess the other point I'd make is that this was really done on the existing Council's watch. It seems appropriate to (mumbled) conclude, um ... this process, you know, having found out that this oversight is made, so ... I mean, you know, to ... to take it to the next Council and attempt to explain all of this, I suppose is fine, but it seems more logical if this Council's willing to take action to get result. Throgmorton: Uh huh. I ... well I ask... it's... it's worth being clear about this. I ... I ask because we all know there's been a fair amount of tension over this Council transition and statements have been made about how the new Council will be anti -growth, anti - development, uh, etc. Uh, and ... I wanted to make sure that this was not, uh, something that had been requested based on the fear that, uh, the new Council would be anti -growth, anti -development, etc. Cause I don't anticipate any difficulty whatsoever if this were being held on the 5t' instead of today. I just This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council special formal meeting of December 22, 2015. Page 3 want to make clear ... be clear among ourselves that that's not what's at stake here, that it's just ... uh, a matter of fixing an error, that, uh, was accidentally made by our fine City Attorney. Mims: I mean that's the way I certainly see it. It was an oversight. Everything has been approved. You know, they've got equipment there, working and something in one of the memos talked about that they wanted to get going, and rather than delay it for two weeks and delay them, it's our responsibility. It was made on our side in terms of the oversight, and so we should fix it as quickly as we possibly can to not negatively impact the contractor. So, I ... I never looked at it as having any relationship to the change in Council (mumbled) Hayek: No, I ... and ... and the fact that they're on site, ready to go, um, and that we have approved every aspect of this after, you know, thorough vetting, including the Economic Development Committee and the Council. At least the purchase agreement is (several talking) we've gone through all of it, and there's not been a ... any, to my knowledge, any, uh, concern whether on Council or, um, on the part of the public (mumbled) courtesy to the developer, uh, and a recognition of time is money aspect to having, uh, mobilized crews waiting to ... to proceed. Throgmorton: In principle they would not be able to begin construction till ... the 29h after the vote of this may, in principle, would ... isn't that correct? Markus: Yeah, and so ... but ... but then think about the other timing. So if you wait till ... if you wait till the first meeting of the new Council, then it's a subsequent meeting after that before it's (mumbled) because you're going to have to call for the public hearing. So then you're delaying (both talking) Mims: ...15th or 17th of January before the actual public hearing. Throgmorton: Oh I'm not advocating anything here at all (several talking) Markus: ...understand that. I'm just saying here's what the time ... because one of your questions goes to damage, you know, how were they damaged. Well, they can't start the construction, and the ... the reality is that this time of year, the weather plays such an impact on the actual construction (both talking) Throgmorton: ... springtime weather (laughing) Markus: ...which is why, you know, presumably you would hope that they'd get going, so... Throgmorton: Yeah. Okay. Thank you! Hayek: Okay, any further discussion on the resolution on the floor? Roll call, please. Okay, passes 6-0. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council special formal meeting of December 22, 2015.