City of Orem s2

CITY OF OREM

CITY COUNCIL MEETING

56 North State Street Orem, Utah

April 24, 2012

3:30 P.M. WORK SESSION

CONDUCTING Mayor James Evans

ELECTED OFFICIALS Councilmembers Hans Andersen, Margaret Black, Karen A. McCandless, Mark E. Seastrand, Mary Street, and Brent Sumner

APPOINTED STAFF Bruce Chesnut, City Manager; Jamie Davidson, Assistant City Manager; Greg Stephens, City Attorney; Richard Manning, Administrative Services Director; Stanford Sainsbury, Development Services Director; Mike Larsen, Public Safety Director; Chris Tschirki, Public Works Director; and Rachelle Conner, Deputy City Recorder

CARE PRESENTATIONS – Major Grant and Facility

· Utah Regional Ballet (URB)

Michele Moon, applicant, expressed her condolences on the passing of Mayor Jerry Washburn. She then played a portion of their Mid-Summer Nights Dream performance from March. She indicated this is a great opportunity for children to perform with a professional company and professional dancers. There are only two professional ballet companies in Utah, Ballet West and the Utah Regional Ballet.

Bill Shupe, boardmember, indicated this year he helped the ballet with grants. URB has been able to grow over the past few years because of the partnership they have with the City of Orem and the CARE grant. As they did their planning for the next year, they saw a need to hire male dancers. They were able to hire four male dancers. He asked the City Council to continue to support the URB in their efforts to grow. Their goal is to become another Ballet West. He expressed his heartfelt gratitude for the funds the City Council has given them in the past.

Mayor Evans asked what area URB encompasses. Mrs. Moon indicated they mainly perform in Utah County; however, they have performed in Salt Lake City, and they will be performing in Montreal, Canada in May. Jacqueline College, artistic director, wanted to provide an opportunity for professional dancers to be able to stay in the area to work and perform.

Mayor Evans then questioned what venues they perform in. Mrs. Moon said last year they performed at the SCERA, Orem High School, and the Covey Center for Arts.

Mrs. Black asked what percentage of their performances are in Orem. Mrs. Moon indicated that fifty percent of their performances are in Orem.

Mr. Shupe said they also took their outreach program of the Nutcracker into many of the Orem schools last year.

Mr. Seastrand stated his understanding of the intent of the CARE Tax is to allow the organizations to grow and become self-sufficient. He asked what URB is doing to allow them to pay for the increase in operation costs. Mr. Shupe indicated that URB is a 501c3 organization. They survive on ticket sales, private donations, government grants, and fundraising. He said he is not sure that there will ever be a time that they are revenue neutral. It is the same situation with the Utah Valley Symphony, Ballet West, and the Utah Opera Company.

Mr. Seastrand asked whether they will be able to increase ticket sales. Mrs. Moon said they did increase their ticket prices this year, and they have three new board members who will focus on marketing their events.

Mr. Seastrand questioned how their ticket prices are compared to other dance opportunities. Mrs. Moon said they are higher than other organizations in Utah Valley; however, they are much lower than Ballet West.

Mr. Shupe indicated this year they added a special Monday night performance of The Nutcracker at a discounted price, and they filled the performance hall. Their plan is to continue to come up with ideas to increase their exposure and increase the attendance at their performances.

Mr. Seastrand asked whether URB has venues where they actually make money from their performance. Mrs. Moon replied that they do. She said she loves performing at the SCERA, and the stage crew is very good; however, the stage is too small, and they do not have the equipment necessary for URB to do everything they need.

Mrs. Moon stated this year they were able to get a private donation that allowed a low-income elementary school to attend a matinee performance of the Nutcracker. That may be the only opportunity for some of those students to see a performance of that magnitude.

· The Center for Story

Louise Wallace, Library Director, introduced members of her staff in attendance: Meg Spencer and Elliot Wilcox. Mrs. Wallace expressed her appreciation to the City Council for their support of the Center for Story. She updated the City Council on progress of the architect, noting there has been great support for the project. They have asked for $1.925 million to come from CARE funds, and the remainder will come from donations. They received $50,000 from the Sorenson Legacy Foundation, and they are so grateful to them for that support. They continue to work with the fundraising and have many ways that people can donate. They will be having a Fabric Art Boutique June 11-16, 2012, and all proceeds will go to the Center for Story.

Mrs. Wallace then played a short presentation about the Center for Story. She also reviewed a small sampling of the programs they currently provide at the Library, noting that many times people wishing to attend an event have had to leave because there was not enough seating. They look forward to the construction of the Center for Story, so they have more room for their patrons. Mrs. Wallace indicated their attendance numbers continue to rise, and many of the other arts organizations have shown an increase of twenty-three percent over the last four years. Michael Kaiser, Director of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, stopped in Salt Lake as part of his nationwide tour. He stated, “In the arts, all ships rise together. A healthy arts environment is dependent on diverse organizations, large and small.” The Center for Story is an important part of the cultural life of the community for individuals, families, and for other arts entities. It is an important part of making life better for everyone. She thanked the City Council for their past and continued support.

Mayor Evans asked how much more money needs to be raised for the Center for Story. Mrs. Wallace indicated they still need $744,000.

Mr. Sumner asked Mrs. Wallace to give a timeline of what will happen once the money is raised. Mrs. Wallace explained that the construction will take approximately ten months, and the bid process will be approximately three months.

Mrs. Black said she has attended some of the programs that were mentioned earlier. It will be a much better situation for the attendees once the Center for Story is constructed. She asked Mrs. Wallace to display pictures from some of their highest attended events. The pictures showed many programs where people were standing in the back in order to watch the event. The storytelling wing was designed for 120 people; however, they have set up as many as 200 seats for some of their programs.

Mrs. Wallace stated the Council had requested additional information about the utility costs, and the architect worked with many people to obtain that information. Last year they shared information from the utility companies based upon the square footage of the Center for Story. They pulled utility bills from the Children’s Wing at the Library because that building has its own meters with Questar Gas and Rocky Mountain Power. They estimated $7,800 for gas and $31,300 for electric. Now, based on the type of equipment and fixtures being used in the new facility, they are saying it will be approximately $9,500 for gas, which is $1,600 higher, and the electrical came in at about $28,000, which is down $3,300. Overall the estimated cost for both is $37,500, which is $1,600 lower than previous estimates.

Mayor Evans expressed the need to continue to get accurate information out to the community because there are still some people thinking the ball fields will be removed for this facility.

Mr. Andersen asked how much of the $1.6 million is in the bank and how much is promised. Mrs. Wallace said the $1.2 million pledge from the Ashton’s is sitting in their bank account, and the rest is in the City’s accounts.

Mr. Andersen then remarked that they are projecting $300,000 per year from the CARE Tax. He asked if it is their intent not to start building the facility until all of the funds are in the bank, or if they anticipate bonding to start the building a year or two before the allocations have been distributed.

Mrs. Wallace said that is a question for the City Manager. She is just working on raising the additional $744,000.

Bruce Chesnut, City Manager, stated their charge right now is to continue to fundraise for the additional $744,000. They are not looking at bonding at this time. They have committed not to use any General Fund monies for this facility and are focusing on raising money for the construction as well as the continuing maintenance of the facility.

Mr. Seastrand asked whether they have received any indication from the architects that construction costs will be higher with the delay in building the facility. Mrs. Wallace said the architect has told them it is a bit unpredictable. They spoke with a cost estimator when they first started this process, and he told them they had approximately one year before they saw an increase in construction costs and then there would be a small incremental increase.

Mrs. Black clarified that if the costs were to go up, they would have to raise more funds.

Mrs. Wallace agreed. They will not be asking the City for more money. They could do some redesign to help save costs if necessary.

5:00 P.M. STUDY SESSION

CONDUCTING Mayor James Evans

ELECTED OFFICIALS Councilmembers Hans Andersen, Margaret Black, Karen A. McCandless, Mark E. Seastrand, Mary Street, and Brent Sumner

REVIEW OF AGENDA ITEMS

The Council and staff reviewed the agenda items.

CITY COUNCIL/STAFF NEW BUSINESS

City Manager Bruce Chesnut

Mr. Chesnut indicated the Recreation Department is getting ready to hold open houses to get input for the Recreation Master Plan.

Mr. Andersen said that a few months ago they spoke about improvements to the City Center ball fields. Mr. Chesnut advised that they have a list and are working with the baseball groups about what needs to be done.

Mrs. Street indicated they have a group of volunteers who have donated time and materials to remodel the snack shack, and they have done a great job.

Mr. Chesnut said one of the self-determining baseball groups the City is working with remarked that Orem has the best snack shack of any place they go to play ball.

Mr. Andersen asked whether the CARE funds allocated this year can be set aside for the field improvements. Mr. Chesnut explained that after the open houses, staff will compile a priority list based on the information they gather from the residents. He explained that the ball fields will probably be high on the list.

Councilmember McCandless

Mrs. McCandless advised she attended the Utah League of Cities and Towns conference and had attended a class on land use laws. The talked a lot about billboard legislation, and the League expressed a need for all cities to have a conversion clause regarding billboards in place before the Legislative session next year.

Mr. Davidson indicated the League has also requested cities complete a billboard survey, so they can add information to the statewide inventory. Staff is currently working on that.

Councilmember Andersen

Mr. Andersen said he has spoken with a number of residents in the Hidden Hollow neighborhood about traffic issues on their street. There will be people here to speak to it during personal appearances.

Public Safety Director Mike Larsen

Mr. Larsen gave a report on the Great Shake Out that was held last week.

The Council adjourned at 5:55 p.m. to the City Council Chambers for the regular meeting.

6:00 P.M. REGULAR SESSION

CONDUCTING Mayor James Evans

ELECTED OFFICIALS Councilmembers Hans Andersen, Margaret Black, Karen A. McCandless, Mark E. Seastrand, Mary Street, and Brent Sumner

INVOCATION /

INSPIRATIONAL THOUGHT Jamie Davidson

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Ryan Clark

APPROVAL OF MINUTES

City Council Meeting of April 10, 2012

Mrs. McCandless moved to approve the minutes of the April 10, 2012, meeting of the Orem City Council. Mr. Sumner seconded the motion. Those voting aye: Councilmembers Hans Andersen, Margaret Black, Jim Evans, Karen A. McCandless, Mark E. Seastrand, Mary Street, and Brent Sumner.

MAYOR’S REPORT/ITEMS REFERRED BY COUNCIL

Upcoming Events

The Mayor referred the Council to the upcoming events listed in the agenda packet.

Mayor Evans indicated the Recreation Department will be holding several open houses in regards to the Recreation Master Plan. The first open house will be held tomorrow at the Fitness Center from 4-7 p.m.