SANTA FE RAILYARD COMMUNITY CORPORATION
Board Meeting, Tuesday, May 2, 2006, 5-7pm
Santa Fe Public Library Community Room, downtown branch
Attending: Steve Robinson, Craig Barnes, Ellen Bradbury, Stan Crawford, Robert Dunn, Devon Ross, Robert Stang, Daniel Tully, David Vlaming
Also Attending: Richard Czoski, Melissa Collins, Karen Keeling, Tony Sawtell, Mary Anne Redding, Marcia Berridge, Bob Sarr, Emily Crawford, Don Wiviott, Cathy Putnam
Call to Order: The meeting was called to order at 5:06 pm by President, Steve Robinson.
Agenda: Motion made by David Vlaming to approve agenda. 2nd by Devon Ross. None opposed. Motion carried.
Minutes
Motion made by David Vlaming to approve the Board meeting minutes for April 4, 2006. 2nd by Craig Barnes. None opposed. Motion carried.
Financial Report:
David Vlaming presented and reviewed the financial statements for March 2006. Fixed assets remain consistent with prior months and the long term total liabilities are mostly due to the Infrastructure loan. Therefore, lease revenues, City reimbursements and timing differences are contributing factors to the total net deficit as lease revenues will not be realized until construction commences. Mr. Vlaming stated SFRCC is working well below anticipated expenses for business operations. Robert Stang commended Richard Czoski, Executive Director, for financial operations.
Motion made by David Vlaming to accept the financial statements for March 2006 as presented. 2nd by Craig Barnes. None opposed. Motion carried.
Executive Director’s Report:
Leasing:
Mr. Czoski expressed he wished to slightly deviate from the Agenda and discuss the Hike & Bike Trail. He stated on the south end of the Railyard park, where the caboose is currently located, there will be a pedestrian crossing located on St. Francis Drive, either an underground tunnel or an overpass as suggested by the City of Santa Fe. Mr. Czoski asked for board input regarding crossing options. SFRCC board members expressed interest in an overpass as being the safest alternative to an underground tunnel.
Mr. Czoski proceeded with the Leasing report and states there have been several potential tenants requesting more information on the Baca Street area. SFRCC has received three offers for Parcel E-1 (currently where the Santa Fe Audio Visual is located) that includes retail, residential and a restaurant.
· Live / Work Space Update: There will be an informational early neighborhood notification meeting held on May 3, 2006 located at Warehouse 21. The new design of the A-1 Building will be presented based on utilizing the International Building Code (IBC), which is consistent with state requirements. Additionally, there is a BCD-DRC hearing scheduled for May 18, 2006 at 6:00 pm located at the City Council Chambers. There have been ongoing discussions regarding the methodology of measuring square footage. This will be beneficial in moving forward with measurements of buildings in the future.
· Farmers Market Update: Will operate in the Railyard during the 2006 season. Richard stated he believed the Santa Fe Farmers Market Institute has selected a contractor for their new building.
· OddFellows Land Exchange: The land exchange in the Baca Street area has been approved by the City of Santa Fe. OddFellows will utilize a portion of Parcel SS for parking.
Interim Parking Plan
· The City of Santa Fe has requested an interim parking plan and has approved funding in the amount of $75,000 to hire a parking consultant to design and construct an interim parking plan adjacent to SITE Santa Fe and south of Warehouse 21 and implementation of traffic control.
· Lighting design will be incorporated in the plan. The parking plan study is anticipated to be completed on May 24, 2006.
· Projected parking needs have been obtained from the tenants and users. Consultant is working with both the projected needs and spaces available. The projected number of spaces is anticipated to be available in the next few weeks.
· Discussions are in progress regarding potential parking fees; however, a decision has not been reached. Parking spaces that are available in 2006 may not be available in 2007 due to the Railyard Park Project and tenant construction projects. Preliminary projections show, given the time and day of anticipated uses, that requirements could be as high as 800 parking spaces.
· The underground parking structure may not be utilized for public parking until the core and shell above the structure are substantially completed due to code and safety requirements. The life safety and garage exhaust systems are part of the building above the garage.
Archaeology Update
· Archaeological field work for SFRCC is complete and the final report is expected from SHPO within the next 30 days.
· Interim clearance for the park will occur at the end of May 2006.
· Archaeological work has been authorized to be conducted where the St. Francis Drive overpass to the hike-bike trail will exist (south of Alarid Street) to expedite construction.
· The Archaeological permit for field work expires on June 10, 2006.
NMFA Loan – Phase II and Lease & Management Amendment No. 4
· NMFA Loan Phase II – requested $7.5 million.
· Approved by Public Works on April 24, 2006 and approved by City Finance on May 1, 2006.
· The NMFA Loan Phase II request will go to City Council on May 10, 2006.
· Amendment No. 4 to the Lease & Management Agreement defers completion of construction of the Underground Parking Structure from July 2006 to January 2008.
· Amendment No. 4 to the Lease & Management Agreement also defers SFRCC’s option to terminate the Agreement from January 1, 2007 to July 2008 if the City of Santa Fe does not complete the underground parking structure by January 1, 2008.
New Business:
· Mr. Czoski informed the Board of Directors that SFRCC Board Member, Richard Hertz, has resigned. Mr. Hertz was a valued board member and will be greatly missed. The selection committee was advised to reconvene.
Infrastructure Update
A discussion was held regarding utility expansion fees which could be as high as $300,000 - $400,000. SFRCC did not anticipate these fees and assumed most of the expense would be paid by individual tenants as they developed their parcel.
SFRCC will “stub up” the electrical connection to each parcel. The electrical expansion fee is required when the transformer is installed. Since SFRCC will not be installing the transformer, no fees will be due. SFRCC will pay expansion fees for transformers required for common elements such as street lights. No fees are due for natural gas connections.
Expansion fees for water taps are controlled by the City owned Sangre de Cristo Water Department. They have offered to allow SFRCC to install water mains in the street, but, not the “T” connection to each parcel. The tenant / developer would be required to install the connection and meter at their cost when the parcel is developed. This would eliminate SFRCC being required to pay upfront fees, but result in damaging the newly installed streets. SFRCC will meet with officials of the Water Department to suggest the “T’s” be installed and capped off until the meter is set. The tenant / developer would pay for the meter when the meter is installed by the water company.
· Underground Parking Structure: The City of Santa Fe is scheduled to issue the Notice to Proceed to the Railyard Company, LLC the week of May 1, 2006. Utility and water line relocation across the footprint of garage have been completed. Currently working with Mariah Media, Inc. to negotiate easements for the tie-back structural connections for the parking garage shoring.
· Patton / Ortiz Demolition: The contractor has begun the abatement process and will proceed with the removal of asbestos from the stucco.
The demolition of the Patton building and Ortiz building is on schedule and is anticipated to be completed within the next 60 days.
· Baca Railyard Infrastructure: A total of 13 sets of plans for the Baca Infrastructure Project were issued to bidders. Bids for construction took place April 4, 2006. Only one bid was received. The bid provided by TLC Plumbing & Utility Co. was very close (within 5%) to the estimate provided by Klinger one year ago. Baca infrastructure is on schedule and anticipated to commence in late May 2006.
· North Railyard Infrastructure: Construction is on schedule and anticipated to begin June 2006 and be completed by December 2007. A bid packet for the North Railyard infrastructure should be available in the month of June 2006.
Stewardship of Plaza and Alameda
The City and TPL agreed that SFRCC is the most qualified entity to manage the common areas of the Conservation Easement north of Paseo de Peralta. The City amended the Lease and Management Agreement to increase SFRCC’s responsibilities in 2005.
Public Comments:
Devon Ross inquired about the process of design for the overpass needed for the Hike-Bike trail that will cross St. Francis.
Mr. Czoski stated the City of Santa Fe may hire Parsons Brinker Hoff to do the design. Input for the design will probably be a public process where SFRCC can be heard as a stakeholder group. However, SFRCC is not directly involved because this area is not in SFRCC’s leasehold.
Devon Ross asked what the status was regarding the Live-Work project.
Mr. Czoski stated the statutory Early Neighborhood Notification Meeting has been held, however, a second ENN Meeting will be held for informational and commenting purposes only. The BCD-DRC Hearing will determine whether approval is granted. SFRCC will arrange a meeting with the Stakeholders group to discuss remaining issues including final building design and square footage and to review any changes prior to the scheduled BCD-DRC meeting to be held on May 18, 2006.
Craig Barnes asked what the status was regarding removal of dirt from where the Underground Parking Structure will be developed.
Bob Sarr (a member of the public attending the meeting) of Santa Fe Southern Railway stated that hauling the dirt via rail is more efficient. Mr. Sarr spoke with the contractor for the parking garage and was informed it may be more profitable to haul the dirt by road. Mr. Sarr reiterated he was waiting for a response from the developer as this question had not been resolved.
Bob Sarr stated discussions have been held with the City of Santa Fe requesting the rail infrastructure to be re-built concurrent with the Railyard Project construction. Bob stated this work needs to be completed in a timely manner simultaneous with the other construction activities. Mr. Sarr stated he believes the State of New Mexico may fund this. Mr. Sarr stated he believed improvements to the rail were estimated at $750,000. He asked if there has been an economic analysis conducted regarding the estimated cost of performing the rail improvements at a later date.
Mr. Czoski stated there has not been a detailed analysis conducted; however, he believes the work may cost twice as much if completed after the Railyard Project is completed.
Robert Stang made a comment as to whatever political capital that has been acquired should be utilized to raise funds for the rail improvements needed. Mr. Stang stated various ways to finance these improvements should be considered as well.
Steve Robinson asked Mr. Sarr if all documentation has been completed to describe the scope of work necessary for the rail upgrades for a bid to take place.
Mr. Sarr stated he believes he has enough information to select a contractor to conduct the engineering.
Mr. Robinson asked Mr. Sarr if the firm completing the engineering would be the same firm to complete the rail improvement work.
Mr. Sarr indicated that it would be the same contractor.
Mr. Czoski said this work can be completed in conjunction with work already committed to be completed by Santa Fe Southern. Road “C” access will be needed by November of 2006 in order to accommodate the parking garage construction. Mr. Czoski asked Mr. Sarr how long it is anticipated to complete the rail work.
Mr. Sarr stated it will take about six (6) weeks to complete after funding has been received.
Stan Crawford asked how the Plaza and Alameda space will be managed for the vendors with the Farmers Market. Mr. Crawford reiterated the importance of preserving integrity of the market.
Mr. Czoski said he is working with Lleta Scoggins, as a consultant to complete policies and procedures on how the area will be operated. Mr. Czoski met with the Trust for Public Land on this subject. Establishment of policies and procedures are underway.
Calendar
Included in the Board packet were copies of the meeting calendar for the next two months. Board Members were asked to mark their travel plans and return one copy to SFRCC Office Staff.
Executive Session: Motion made by David Vlaming to enter into Executive Session. 2nd by Robert Dunn. None opposed. Motion carried.
The Board of Directors did meet in Executive Session, closed session, pursuant to exceptions to the Open Meetings Act and nothing was discussed except possible disposition of real property any potential litigation review and personnel matters and no final action was taken during the Executive Session.
Motion made to return to Regular Session by Stan Crawford. 2nd by David Vlaming. None opposed. Motion carried.
Next Board Meeting Monday, June 5, 2006 5-7pm (location TBD).
Adjournment Motion made to adjourn by Stan Crawford. 2nd by David Vlaming. None opposed. Motion carried. There being no further business to come before the Board, the meeting adjourned.
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