BURLINGTON BOARD OF FINANCE
BUSHOR CONF. ROOM, 1ST FLOOR, CITY HALL
BURLINGTON, VERMONT
MINUTES OF MEETING
November 8, 2021
MEMBERS PRESENT: Max Tracy
Karen Paul
Ali Dieng
Zoraya Hightower
Miro Weinberger
OTHERS PRESENT: Katherine Schad
Rich Goodwin
Dan Richardson
Jordan Redell
Chapin Spencer
Lee Perry
Corey Mims
Steve Roy
Cindi Wight
Kara Alnasrawi
Nic Longo
Jeff Glassberg
Mark Barlow
1.0 CALL TO ORDER and AGENDA
Mayor Weinberger called the Board of Finance meeting to order at 5:35 PM.
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- Motion to amend/adopt agenda
MOTION by Councilor Dieng, SECOND by City Council President Tracy, to adopt the agenda as presented.
VOTING: unanimous; motion carries.
2.0 PUBLIC FORUM (VERBAL)
2.01 Verbal Comments
Jeffrey Polubinski spoke as legal counsel representing several tenants on airport premises about the license agreement between the Airport and BETA Technologies. He said that the language within the license agreement would allow the City to terminate existing Airport leases, but that more detail and definitions are included in Attachment A of the agreement, which was not included in the materials for tonight. He said that his clients’ lease agreements include no such termination language.
Jim Richards spoke as the owner of Aerodyme Corporation, which is located on BTV Airport premises. He said that his business would be affected by the license between the City and BETA Technologies. He noted that his company serves a number of different organizations, pilots, student pilots, and numerous aviation jobs and aircrafts. He expressed concern that if construction begins in the areas that have been flagged as construction areas, it would interrupt access to his company’s facilities. He asked how this license agreement would interact with more longer-term planning occurring at the Airport.
Tom D’Urso spoke as the Executive Director of the Vermont Flight Academy, a tenant at the airport. He said that termination of his company’s lease would bring operations to a halt and would leave the Vermont Technical College with nowhere to access flight training.
3.0 CONSENT AGENDA
3.01 motion to adopt the consent agenda and take the actions indicated
3.02 October 25, 2021 Board of Finance, Minutes, Draft - approve the minutes.
MOTION by City Council President Tracy, SECOND by Councilor Hightower, to approve the consent agenda and take the actions indicated for items 3.01-3.02.
VOTING: unanimous; motion carries.
4.0 FOR APPROVAL AND RECOMMENDATION TO CITY COUNCIL
4.01 Approval to enter into a contract with Cargill, Inc., for FY22 road salt procurement - DPW
Director Spencer noted that this is a request to contract out for road salt in order to maintain streets, bicycle lanes, sidewalks, City lots, and the fire stations.
MOTION by Councilor Dieng, SECOND by City Council President Tracy, to approve and recommend to City Council that the Director of Public Works enter into a contract with Cargill to supply the City of Burlington with rock salt for winter maintenance of roads and sidewalks for $73.00/ton for Fiscal Year 2022, subject to review and approval of the City Attorney’s Office.
VOTING: unanimous; motion carries.
4.02 Railyard Enterprise Project - Award of Design Engineering Contract to Stantec Consulting Services, Inc. - Phase A - NEPA Process and Selection of a Preferred Alternative – DPW
Engineer Mims outlined the work that DPW would be seeking to contract out for the Railroad Enterprise Project in Fiscal Year 2022. He noted that the funding breakdown would be 90% federal/state match and a 10% City contribution (roughly $150,000).
MOTION by Councilor Dieng, SECOND by City Council President Tracy, to 1. “To approve and recommend that the City Council authorize the Director of the Department of Public Works to execute a contract with Stantec Consulting Services, Inc. for engineering design services for Phase A of the Railyard Enterprise Project in an amount up to $1,251,000, with an additional 20% contingency, totaling up to $1,501,200, subject to the review and approval by the City Attorney’s Office;’ and 2. “To recommend that the City Council approve the revised Railyard Enterprise Project Budget authorizing expense up to $1,551,200, in conformance with the attached “Revised Railyard Enterprise Project Budget FY22” document.”
VOTING: unanimous; motion carries.
4.03 Work Assignment Agreement #7 with Utility Services Co., Inc. for Design of Redstone Tank Structural Fortifications - DPW - Water Resources
Engineer Roy noted that during an inspection carried out in anticipation of a cell antenna corral, it was found that parts of the 1934 Redstone tank does not meet the code-required wind/ice loads. He said that this work assignment agreement requests additional funds to complete an analysis and design for tank structure modifications.
MOTION by Councilor Hightower, SECOND by Councilor Paul, to approve and recommend that the City Council authorize the Director of the Department of Public Works to execute a work assignment agreement with Utility Services Co. Inc. in an amount not to exceed $9,000 for the design of Redstone Water Storage Tank structural fortifications for cell antenna corral, subject to the final review and approval of the City Attorney's Office.
VOTING: unanimous; motion carries.
4.04 Reclassification Of Distribution Superintendent And Reorganization At McNeil - Burlington Electric Department - BED
MOTION by Councilor Paul, SECOND by Councilor Hightower, to recommend that the City Council approve the attached resolution.
VOTING: unanimous; motion carries.
4.05 Property Lease, Junior League of Champlain Valley, 3060 Williston Road, Suite 4 - Airport
MOTION by City Council President Tracy, SECOND by Councilor Paul, to approve and recommend that the City Council approve a property lease agreement for Suite 4 at 3060 Williston Road in South Burlington with the Junior League of Champlain Valley, on the terms provided in and substantially in conformance with the attached lease, and to authorize the Mayor of Burlington to execute the lease, subject to final review and approval by the City Attorney’s Office.
VOTING: unanimous; motion carries.
4.06 Request to Execute a Contract with Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc. (VHB) for Services to Develop a Long-Term Sustainability Implementation Plan for BTV - Airport
MOTION by Councilor Paul, SECOND by Councilor Dieng, to approve and recommend that the City Council authorize the Acting Director of Aviation to approve a contract between the Burlington International Airport and Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc. (VHB) to develop a long-term sustainability implementation plan for the Burlington International Airport in an amount up to $178,200, subject to final review and approval of the City Attorney’s Office.
VOTING: unanimous; motion carries.
4.07 Request to Execute a License Agreement with Beta Technologies, Inc. (BETA) to Initiate Earthwork to Create a Developable Area at the Burlington International Airport – Airport
City Attorney Richardson began by explaining that this agreement is a short-term agreement between the City and Beta Technologies to conduct some earthwork. He stressed that this agreement is a very limited license and not a permit. He said that this is the first step and initial agreement that stands by itself, that the City and Beta have worked out an agreement for earthmoving in a permitted project that has already been approved by the State and the City. He stressed that this license agreement would not remove existing tenants or occupants of buildings, but to prepare ground. He noted that the agreement is through March and does not in itself create a long-term relationship between the City and Beta Technologies.
Acting Director Longo said that the land in question is not currently occupied. He said that there are non-aeronautical tenants that would be impacted by this agreement. He said that the Airport is not prepared to present this agreement in a public format, since there are ongoing negotiations with Beta and with those other tenants. He said that none of the speakers during public forum are impacted by this license agreement.
Mr. Glassberg noted that this is a ground lease transaction that would enable the development of the Beta facility. He said that because this groundwork was previously permitted and is a benefit to the Airport, it seemed logical to create a plan to move that plan forward, while working to negotiate the longer-term transaction and longer-term agreements with tenants. He noted that the larger, longer-term transaction would require Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approval as well as approval from the Board of Finance and City Council.
Councilor Barlow said it would be good to have further information available. Mr. Glassberg said that there are no lessees who occupy buildings on the airfield whose interests would be affected. He noted that there are two ground lessees whose interests would be affected by this license, and they do not have long-term lease rights.
MOTION by Councilor Paul, SECOND by Councilor Dieng, to approve and recommend that the City Council authorize the Acting Director of Aviation to execute a license agreement between Burlington International Airport and Beta Technologies, Inc. to Initiate and perform earthworks to create a developable area at the Burlington International Airport, subject to final review and approval of the City Attorney’s Office.
VOTING: unanimous; motion carries.
4.08 Authorization to extend Let's Grow Kids contract to cover Early Initiative Manager family leave, up to $22,400 - Economic Recovery
Executive Director Alnasrawi said that in FY2018, Let’s Grow Kids was chosen to assist the City in its Early Learning Initiative. She noted that the manager is going on family leave and that the contract is slated to end at the end of December. She said that this request would ask for a few weeks of additional support for the Early Learning Initiative program. Executive Director Alnasrawi added that when they conducted the budget process, they were aware of this, and they budgeted $25,000 for it.
Councilor Dieng asked about the interaction between Let’s Grow Kids and Early Learning Initiative programs. Executive Director Alnasrawi said that Let’s Grow Kids has been working with the Early Learning Initiative Manager, but is being phased out and the Early Learning Initiative program will run independently. She said that this would extend the Let’s Grow Kids contracts until the Early Learning Initiative Program manager returns from family leave.
MOTION by Councilor Dieng, SECOND by City Council President Tracy, to approve and recommend to the City Council that it authorize the Economic Recovery Manager to enter into a contract extension by executing a seventh amendment to the existing contract with Let’s Grow Kids for professional consulting services for up to an additional $22,400 for a total over the life of the contract of $169,154, to cover the family leave of the Early Learning Initiative Manager, subject to conditions enumerated in the agreement to be reviewed and approved by the City Attorney’s Office.
VOTING: unanimous; motion carries.
4.09 Kieslich Park - Use of Conservation Legacy Funds – BPRW
Director White said that the Burlington Parks, Recreation, and Waterfront department is seeking up to $250,000 for improvements to Kieslich Park. She noted that this was approved unanimously by the Conservation Board and the Park Commission. She said that improvements include the renovation of Redstone Cottage and construction of paths from Cambrian Rise and North Avenue to the Burlington Greenway. She said that the $250,000 represents 27% of the budget, and that they will also seek grants and private dollars in addition to this funding. She noted that the project will also receive a $5,000 grant from the Preservation Trust of Vermont.
MOTION by Councilor Dieng, SECOND by City Council President Tracy, to recommend that City Council approve the disbursement of up to $250,000 of Conservation Legacy Funds for the planned improvements to Kieslich Park.
VOTING: unanimous; motion carries.
4.10 Market Factor Adjustment to Planning Director Compensation – Mayor
MOTION by Councilor Paul, SECOND by City Council President Tracy, to approve and recommend that the Council approve the reclassification of the Planning Director, a Regular, Full-Time, Exempt, Non-Union, Market Factor to a new compensation range of $99,000 - $118,600.
VOTING: unanimous; motion carries.
5.0 ADJOURNMENT
5.01 Motion to Adjourn
With no further business and without objection the meeting was adjourned at 6:00 PM.
RScty: AACoonradt