THE STATE OF UTAH
COUNTY OF SEVIER
CITY OF RICHFIELD
At the City Council
In and For Said City
October 10, 2023
Minutes of the Richfield City Council meeting held on Tuesday, October 10, 2023, at 7:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers of the Richfield City office building located at 75 East Center, Richfield, Utah. Mayor Bryan L. Burrows presiding.
- OPENING REMARKS
- PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
- ROLL CALL
- EXPENDITURES
- MICRO-SURFACING PROJECT APPROVED
- STREET PROJECT FOR CENTENNIAL PARK APPROVED
- OTHER BUSINESS
- EXECUTIVE SESSION
- RECONVENE & ADJOURN
- OPENING REMARKS were offered by Councilmember Thomas.
- PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE was led by Councilmember Street.
- ROLL CALL. Present: Bryan Burrows, Brayden Gardner, Kip Hansen, Elaine Street, Kendrick Thomas, Michele Jolley, Tyson Hansen (Not voting). Excused: Tanner Thompson.
- EXPENDITURES APPROVED. The Council reviewed the September 2023 Warrants. Motion: Approve the warrants for September 2023, Action: Approved, Moved by Kendrick Thomas, Seconded by Kip Hansen. Vote: Motion carried by unanimous roll call vote (summary: Yes = 4). Yes: Brayden Gardner, Elaine Street, Kendrick Thomas, Kip Hansen.
- MICRO-SURFACING PROJECT APPROVED. Mr. Farmer explained that this is the same project the Council discussed at its last meeting, and no changes have been made. Mr. DeMille suggested the Council consider including another schedule to seal-coat the pump track. That would give us a better price than if we did this alone without being part of a road project. Councilmember Thomas declared a conflict of interest because he is an employee of Jones and DeMille Engineering.
Motion: Approve a micro-surfacing project as presented, Action: Approved, Moved by Kip Hansen, Seconded by Elaine Street. Vote: Motion carried by unanimous roll call vote (summary: Yes = 4). Yes: Brayden Gardner, Elaine Street, Kendrick Thomas, Kip Hansen.
- STREET PROJECT FOR CENTENNIAL PARK APPROVED. Mayor Burrows noted that the road is considerably higher than the apartments and wondered if we would lower it and drain everything to the east. Mr. Farmer stated that in the current plans, there is a type B1, which is the regular curb and gutter, and he is suggesting that we install an H curb so it would just retain the dirt and we would pave up against it. He was talking about installing this on the west side. It is not a City standard, but that would also be an option. Councilmember Thomas thought it would look better and perform better if it was the regular curb and gutter.
Victor Torok lives in the townhome, and it is the one that got flooded. He wondered if he could work with his HOA to negotiate with the City to help address the low point where his building is, but if the road is going to be dropped, he may not need to. Mr. Farmer stated that the road would not be dropped that much, but there would be a curb and gutter, and the water would run away from his building instead of towards it.
He explained that there is still a low point on the HOA property, and we need to figure out a plan for where to put the water because, outside that curb, the whole neighborhood drains to that low point. He wondered what he would need to do to displace that water under the street so that it goes to the grass or some other solution. The last time he was flooded, the curb and gutter could not handle all of the water, so it ran to that low point. Mr. Farmer will look into this.
Mr. Farmer stated that six trees on the island must be transplanted or removed. Mr. Farmer will check on the price to transplant them. Councilmember Hansen wondered if we would not be better off starting with smaller trees. Mayor Burrows stated that if they are ash trees, there is no point in moving them because they do not do well in our climate.
Mr. Farmer asked about the trees in the Health Department’s parking areas. Councilmember Gardner and Councilmember Hansen like the idea of having parking here. Mayor Burrows wondered about just putting gravel in there for now. Mr. Farmer said that we could make this a deductible quantity and see the price, and then we could take it out if we do not want to spend the money on that.
Councilmember Thomas asked about the new curb and gutter and the condition of the old curb and gutter. There is some longevity lost in cutting it, but if the cost is significant, it would be better to cut it. Mr. Farmer stated that it is whether or not we can get the sidewalks upgraded without taking the curb and gutter out.
Mayor Burrows asked Mr. Torok if he would park in this parking area if the City developed it. Mr. Torok stated that he would park in the current parking lot at the park now before he would park at the one by the Health Department because of security issues. We invested all this money in the pump track, but we are not taking care of the community around it. Mayor Burrows explained that the parking along the road would go away.
Mr. Torok stated that it is his fault for buying a home where he cannot park a truck in the driveway or park a vehicle on the road because it is too narrow, and he cannot park behind his house. To keep that property valuable and sustainable, a place to park, a sidewalk, and a proper road are important. We just built a pump track to invite how many more thousands of people there.
Councilmember Street stated that there are secure locations where you can park vehicles, and we need to encourage more of that because it is not the City’s responsibility to provide places for people to park trailers. Mr. Torok stated that parking on the street in most of our neighborhoods is just necessary. He is grateful that the City is doing something because that will improve a lot of things.
Councilmember Thomas declared a conflict of interest because of his employment. To him, this project is kind of a gut punch because we are spending this much of class C road funds on something like this. We are committed to that area and heavily invested in that park, and we need to do what we need to maintain it. He would like to see us develop a more long-term street maintenance plan where we have our streets evaluated, a condition assessment done, and a good game plan going forward to ensure we are using the class C funds as prudently as possible to maintain our roads. He does believe that this is in the best interest of the City and that park.
Mayor Burrows wondered if we would put weight restrictions on this road. Mr. Farmer stated that we can do that.
Motion: Approve the Centennial Park Street project, including the additional parking, Action: Approved, Moved by Kip Hansen, Seconded by Brayden Gardner. Vote: Motion passed (summary: Yes = 3, No = 1, Abstain = 0). Yes: Brayden Gardner, Kendrick Thomas, Kip Hansen. No: Elaine Street.
- COST OF SEWER LINE FROM 1300 TO 1500 SOUTH ON 350 WEST WAS DISCUSSED. Mayor Burrows explained that we had agreed to pay the connection cost for Sagebrush Grill, which is approximately $2,000. Jared Cefalia is asking us to participate in the cost of the sewer line. Mayor Burrows thought there were some concerns about the quality of work on some of it. Mr. Mogan explained that it includes the bore under the highway at 1300 South. Pete Harward cameraed part of that, and there is a bad spot under the road. Mr. Mogan told Mr. Cefalia that he would have to get a professional camera crew to inspect that whole line. There is an area in the south where the bank kept caving in. There was a 2-inch private water line and a fiber line, so the bank was really soft, which created some deflection in the pipe. We want to have it cameraed to ensure it is acceptable before we take ownership.
Sagebrush was on an old 3-inch pressure line that pumped north to Cove View Road, and we had no way to maintain that pressure line if anything ever happened. There was some discussion about the line only servicing Cefaila’s development and Sagebrush Grill. There is some possibility that the Jorgensen property could connect to this line. Mr. Mogan thought that Pizza Hut could potentially connect to this line. He explained that Pizza Hut and the Plaza flow into a lift station.
The cost Mr. Cefalia gave for the line from 1300 South to 1500 South was $72,500. Councilmember Hansen felt the invoice was vague. Another copy of the invoice received today showed a cost per linear foot of $73. Mayor Burrows stated that we have committed to pay for the connection to Sagebrush, which is approximately $2,000. He asked where the connection for Sagebrush would be. Mr. Mogan stated that the connection is in the middle of the entrance to their business.
Councilmember Hansen stated that he favors anything that helps us eliminate septic systems. Using Google Earth to get a measurement of 500 feet from where the connection was for Sagebrush Grill to 1500 South, and at $73 a foot, it would cost approximately $37,500 plus the $2,000 for the Sagebrush connection. Half of this cost would be $18,250. Councilmember Thomas asked if we would use the money from the sewer fund to pay for this. Mr. Hansen stated that the sewer fund is not in great shape, but there is enough to cover this, and we could take the money from impact fees. Councilmember Gardner would be open to paying half of the cost for the 500 feet since no one else can connect to that line.
Motion: Approve the expense of $21,000, including the $2,000 connection for Sagebrush Grill, for half of the cost of the sewer line from 1500 South to Sagebrush Grill, Action: Approved, Moved by Kip Hansen, Seconded by Kendrick Thomas. Vote: Motion carried by unanimous roll call vote (summary: Yes = 4). Yes: Brayden Gardner, Elaine Street, Kendrick Thomas, Kip Hansen.
- UPDATE ON ONGOING PROJECTS. Mr. Mogan updated the Council on the progress of the sewer project. They are currently working on 400 West, but they will be pulling off for this weekend. They will move on to do the sewer line for the Mountair Motel next. The Business Park project is progressing with the water line complete, and the sewer line will be complete next week.
A lot is going on with the spring. We should be close to putting in the clay wall, but there is still a lot of flowing water. We are running around 1,400 gallons a minute, about where we were. The water is just running down the spring ditch. Mayor Burrows stated that there have been 3 or 4 different constructions on the spring. Mr. DeMille noted that we dug up a whole building we did not know existed. There is water boiling up in a different location almost every day. Mr. DeMille stated that when we dug it up, it was like an underground lake, and it flowed about 2,000 gallons a minute for about three days. There is a concern about needing to remove the building that we were going to leave until we do a pool project and can relocate the boiler. However, water is coming up from the floor of the collection tank. They have dug out a truckload of lumber—all of the forms they used to form the older structures. Mayor Burrows said that a relative of Mark Jensen used to go outside and get a bucket of water out of the ditch for their water back in the City’s early days.
- OTHER BUSINESS. Mr. Hansen stated that he has been looking for some equipment to replace some of our old equipment. He has currently bid on a truck to replace Kim Blackett’s. We were the high bidder this morning on a 2014 with 34,000 miles. We want to get it for more than $20,000. We are trying to purchase a new plow truck and have found a couple, but we have not purchased anything.
Councilmember Gardner wondered if we had rented many tent spaces at the parks for the eclipse. We had rented eight tent spaces and 2 RV spaces. Councilmember Hansen has a friend in Shelly, Idaho, and they hosted one of these events. They were in panic mode, too, and they ended up with half of what they anticipated, but it was still more than what they could handle.
Councilmember Street hopes they will be ready for this at the Visitor’s Center. She is hoping not to have very many people go in, so she is having a table out front with maps if they have questions. The County is planning to use this as a command center. She talked with a City Manager from Oregon, and he said that they just all arrive and then leave, so we should not worry a lot about it.
She also told the Council that the Sevier Valley Community Theater will perform Arsenic and Old Lace. She has the part of the old lady who mixes up the potions. That will take place on October 27, 28, and 30th.
Councilmember Thomas reported that our application to CIB was submitted, and we will probably be on the agenda for their November meeting.
Councilmember Thomas also reported that he is working on some engineering for the “R.” He is trying to sort out where the property lines are so we can determine the location.
The City is working with some gentlemen from the State on a Brownsfield grant to get the property north of I-70 cleaned up.
We have applied for a T-Mobile grant to fix and install sidewalks at Centennial Park, along with some benches and shade structures.
Mayor Burrows reminded the Council of the Fall Festival on October 13. He also reported that the grass at the new park is coming in, and it looks really good. We received a grant from Rocky Mountain Power to install some trees at the new park.
- MEETING ADJOURNED. At 8:09 p.m., reconvene and adjourn. Motion: , Action: Adjourn, Moved by Elaine Street, Seconded by Brayden Gardner. Vote: Motion carried by unanimous roll call vote (summary: Yes = 4). Yes: Brayden Gardner, Elaine Street, Kendrick Thomas, Kip Hansen.
PASSED and APPROVED this 14th day of November 2023.