City looks over cost of proposed community center
When Nevada voters approved renewing the city's 1/2-cent parks and recreation sales tax in 2005 for nine years, it was thought that it would bring in enough money over its life to complete all of the proposed projects.
Now it appears that is not the case and the number of projects may need to be curtailed or the scope of some of the projects may have to be scaled back.
Nevada city manager Bill McGuire told the city council Tuesday night that according to one estimate he has received that it will cost between $5.5 and $7.5 million to build a new community center, which is more than the sales tax will generate at the current level of collections.
McGuire said that the sales tax brings in between $700,000 and $750,000 per year and after taking out $150,000 to replace the amount of parks property tax that was lost when the tax rate was rolled back to zero when voters approved the sales tax, there is about $600,000 per year to work with.
"With only $600,000 per year coming you must accumulate money to do large projects if you're doing them on a pay-as-you-go basis," he said.
According to McGuire's estimate the tax will generate a total of about $5.4 million.
Voters approved the tax for the purpose of building a community center complex, making improvements to Earp Park, new lighting and parking at Bushwhacker Field and Lyons Stadium, paved bike and pedestrian trails and improvements at the Twin Lakes Golf Course complex.
Since the city began collecting the tax in 2006 the only money spent for projects approved by the voters is the annual payment for the lights at Lyons Stadium and Bushwhacker Fields, which the city leased to the Nevada R-5 School District for 99 years and for construction of ball fields at Twin Lakes Park.
An additional $40,000 has gone to pay Adams & Associates for part of the cost of developing a master plan for the city parks.
Adams & Associates and their subcontractor, Bucher, Willis & Ratliff won the contract to develop the parks master plan. The parks board selected Adams largely because of their association with Bucher, Willis, who has a nationally renowned park planner on their staff.
"By the end of this year there will be about $1 million in the park construction fund," he said.
When Dick Meyers, Russ Kemm and Bill Gillette were elected to the city council in 2006 they froze spending on the parks projects, including the money to pay for additional work on the park master plan.
"We put a hold on this because of the budget crisis. We wanted the parks board to come to us with a plan," Russ Kemm told the council.
The 2007 city budget contains no money for work on the projects approved in 2005.
The parks board was told that 2007 was for planning and they have been frustrated that they did not have any money to continue the planning process that was started, Tim Wells said.
McGuire agreed that the parks board had frequently brought that issue up at their meetings.
McGuire told the council that the city's 2008 five-year capital improvement plan contains all of the park projects.
He said that the plan includes $3 million for a community center based on the cost of the one recently built in El Dorado Springs.
McGuire told the council when he first went to the parks board "new ball fields were a big issue and we tried to get them done for 2008."
"What did we get for the $40,000 spent for planning?" Tim Wells asked.
McGuire said that there were two schematics; one for Twin Lakes and one for Earp Park.
In other business the council:
* Approved the appointment of Frankie Davis to the parks and recreation board.
* Forwarded a request from Ted Moore, M.D., to the parks board to name the city's soccer field at Walton Park in memory of Joe McHugh, who was a long time supporter of Nevada's youth soccer program.
* Approved the purchase of a new copier for the public works office for the low bid of $6,559 from Copy Products, Joplin. The current copier at the public works office will be moved to the parks and recreation office.
* Passed on first reading a special ordinance amending the 2007 city budget to allow the public safety department to purchase equipment for a Nevada Homeland Security Response Team.
* Held a public hearing and voted 3-1 to pass on first reading a special ordinance approving the annexation of a cul-de-sac in the Deer Run Subdivision, owned by J.C. and Barbara Wiseman. Once the annexation is approved the developers will dedicate the entire street, Deer Run Drive, to the city.
* Passed on first reading a special ordinance confirming the acquisition of additional right-of-way to accommodate the equipment needed to replace the city's north interceptor sewer line. The replacement of this sewer line, which runs along the North and West side of Nevada, is part of the sewer improvement project to be paid for with the $15 million of bonds approved by Nevada voters in 2003 and August 2007.
* Passed on second reading a general ordinance to revise Chapter 11 of the Municipal Code to change the current testing procedures for journeyman and master electrician. The change will include having the Prometric Company conduct the testing and raise the passing score from 70 percent to 75 percent.
* Passed on second reading a general ordinance to revising Chapter 25A of the Municipal Code to change the current testing procedures for journeyman and master plumbers. The change will include having the Prometric Company conduct the testing and raise the passing score from 70 percent to 75 percent.