[MissoulaGov] Committee Update 3/3/10

[Bob Jaffe]

Greetings,
This morning in conservation we approved a contract to finish out the Milwaukee Road commuter bike trail between Russell and Reserve. The total cost of the project is in the $800,000 range. This includes the consulting cost associated with putting the acquisition deals together, the actual acquisitions, the engineering and the construction.  The work should be done by this summer. It is mostly paid for out of CTEP funds with part coming from the 2006 open space bond. Here is a link to the map:
http://www.ci.missoula.mt.us/DocumentView.aspx?DID=2860

We also approved a contract to purchase and install playground equipment for Pineview park for $100,000. This is being paid for from the $750,000 SID that was established to rebuild the park. Here is a link to more information including pictures of the new equipment.
http://www.ci.missoula.mt.us/DocumentView.aspx?DID=3221

In PAZ we set a public hearing to vacate the Jim Meyer subdivision at the request of the owner.  This is a narrow piece of land on the east side of south Reserve street. It runs from Reserve to where Kensington dead ends. The owner had subdivided it into two lots in order to facilitate some kind of commercial development. The project fell though and the current owner does not want to be obligated for all the infrastructure improvements that were required with the subdivision. It is the first time a plat has been vacated in Missoula in nearly twenty years.

Over lunch we met with the Downtown Association. We were at the Double Tree. They served these chicken sandwiches with bacon and melted cheese with a side of potato salad. It was delicious. We spoke mostly about the BID and the downtown master plan. We learned that the North Higgins street project bids were in and it looked like things are in order to move forward.  We also learned that Mountain Water is going to replace the 65 year old water main that runs down north Higgins ahead of the project. This work should start in a week or two. As soon as it is finished they will start on the streetscape project. I asked why they were not coordinated to happen simultaneously and was told it will actually be less disruptive to business this way. I'm skeptical.

In A&F set a public hearing to consider a change in the transportation impact fee.  The impact fee was established a couple of years ago after extensive study and review from a special committee. In order to charge an impact fee you have to do a study to quantify the cost of the added growth. Average numbers were established for the number of trips generated by different kinds of development and the cost of those trips.  We then agreed to set the impact fee for development at 50% of that cost.  The new study was done to establish the trip generation from commercial and residential development in the downtown core. The study area was based on the downtown master plan study area.  It came back showing that development in this area had trip generation 25% less than average for commercial and 33% less for residential. The new proposal would make those reductions in the fee for development in this area.  The next obvious thing to look at is whether we should do a study to see if some of the outlying areas should be charged a higher fee.

In Public works we approved the purchase of the year's road materials. Prices were actually down 13%.
We also reviewed amendments to the agreement for the financing for the Miller Creek road reconstruction.  The project is financed from about $1.1 million from the county road fund. This money was collected from developers in the miller creek area in anticipation of future road improvements.  At one point it was referred to as the "bridge trust fund." Another $1.2 million is coming from Twite and the Maloney ranch developers as an advance on future impact fees for when they build out their subdivisions. A few hundred thousand more is coming from the city's impact fee account.  Everything is pretty much in order at this point so work should start this spring.


Thank you for your interest,

Bob Jaffe
Missoula City Council, Ward Three
1225 South 2nd West
Missoula, MT 59801
(406) 880-2052


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