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MAYOR JOE’S PUBLIC FORUM MAYOR JOE’S PUBLIC FORUM

MAYOR JOE’S PUBLIC FORUM - PowerPoint Presentation

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MAYOR JOE’S PUBLIC FORUM - PPT Presentation

August 13 2013 Setting the tone That was Gnarls Barkley with his hit song Crazy The lyrics include I remember when I lost my mind Does that make me CRAZY Hopefully after tonights presentation you wont think that he wrote this song about me ID: 223840

ymca plan project building plan ymca building project city stadium property funding community district hotel parking construction operation 2014 issues miscellaneous 000

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Slide1

MAYOR JOE’S PUBLIC FORUM

August 13, 2013Slide2

Setting the tone!

That was Gnarls Barkley with his hit song “Crazy”

The

lyrics include:

“I remember when I lost my mind”

“Does that make me

CRAZY

Hopefully after tonight’s presentation you won’t think that he wrote this song about meSlide3

Philosophy to start the day

“If

you’re not moving forward, you’re losing ground

.”

~ attributed to many

While change is not always welcome or viewed as positive initially, I hope to

prove that if

it is done properly, it will benefit the

community

Here’s a local example:Slide4

Philosophy to start the day

“That’s their interpretation of beautifying the lakefront. I’ve told a lot of people I don’t understand how you take a baseball field with grass and make it a parking lot and that beautifies the

area.”

~ WHS Baseball Coach Kevin Lenz – NWI Times

That of course was before he had a chance to see or play at Oil City

Stadium – The

quote obviously still serves as inspiration for me.Slide5

Philosophy to start the day

“One way to keep momentum going is to have constantly greater goals”

~ Michael

Korda

, author

I feel we have momentum, now we need to continue to push the envelopeSlide6

Philosophy to start the day

“It doesn’t matter how slowly you

go – so

long as you do not stop.”

~

Confucius

I had hoped by sharing that quote with you today, that you would forgive me for how long it takes to actually

institute change

!Slide7

Philosophy to start the day

Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results

.

~ Albert Einstein

As you’ll hear today, I may not have all of the answers or be 100% correct in

every one of my

assumptions, but it’s time to take some risks and change how we do certain

thingsSlide8

Philosophy to start the day

Mayor Joe’s Definition of

“Controversial

(the word will appear several times in the presentation)

Something can be viewed as controversial if it

can impact a

person’s

:

Employment

Salary or Income (Cost $$)

Home or property

Quality of Life

Philosophical believes

Or any Change that does not have unanimous supportSlide9

Agenda

Full Slate of Interesting –

Controversial

Topics

I usually thoroughly enjoy these Forums

But… this will be a tough presentation for me

I

am in the process of making

several

difficult decisions that impact

a

lot of people…and that’s not easy

For those of you who have not attended one of my past Forums, here’s a quick overview:

I’ll run through my presentation as

quickly as possible to

stay on

schedule – probably 45 minutes or so

I’d ask that you please hold your questions to the end

At the end of the presentation, I’ll stay

as long as needed to answer your

questionsSlide10

Agenda

Funding Plan Overview

WCC – YMCA Project

Stadium District Plan

New Hotel

Concept

Water & Sewer rates

Residential Matching Assistance (Grants)

Quiet

Zone (Whistle Ban

)

Miscellaneous ProjectsSlide11

Funding plan overview

Important background info for today’s presentation

Extremely unusual & complex financial situation

Our Assessed Valuation (Taxable Property) is expected to grow significantly in coming years

The growth will be short lived and then drop back down to slightly more than it is today

Goal – Capture the maximum opportunity for CitySlide12

Funding plan overview

New growth

will be

captured in

our TIF District:

Allows us to borrow to fund capital improvement projects

While

there is not enough time

to

discuss the

specifics

at a Public Forum, this

is

the

strategy that provides

the

biggest bang for our buck

Important Factors:

We don’t yet know all the financial details

Money must be spent on Projects

All debt will be repaid with Industrial tax revenueSlide13

Funding plan overview

With that said, we are hoping that

many

of the projects in our plan can be funded in the short term, versus waiting to pay as we go

Because the

Funds are

limited, m

y

hardest task is to identify the projects that provide the biggest benefit to the

communitySlide14

Funding plan

I thought

a brief review of the Funding Plan would clarify:

That there

will be Capital Funds available

Why

we will take on new

debt – (NWI Times)

That

none of the debt repayment will be paid by the residents

I was expecting to formally announce a few of these new projects today, but our final Financial Analysis was not completed in time.

So u

ntil

the money is in the bank, it’s prudent

for me to

take the cautious approachSlide15

WCC opportunity

HistoryI know many of us “Old-timers” grew up in this building

It is an important part of our community and our past history

I

’ve fought hard to maintain the building and invest in improvements over the years

But, it’s a huge financial drain on the City’s budgetSlide16

WCC opportunity

Background

$

750,000 in (WCC only) annual operating expenses

$250,000 in (WCC only) annual revenue

$500,000 annual loss or

subsidy

None of the expected Capital $$ can be used to offset these operating costs

This loss was much worse in previous years, but improvements made have reduced the burden

New windows

Energy efficiency improvements

Staffing changes

Increased revenueSlide17

WCC opportunity

Background

Why is the subsidy so large?

Inherited building – but no budget to support it

Laws prevent or limit us from making a profit

Always more difficult for a public entity to increase costs or reduce the workforce

Always had surplus funds to funnel to operation

Tax Caps have changed that dynamic

Maximus “Good Government”

Study (2005/2006)

Recommended the sale of the buildingSlide18

WCC Opportunity

D

ecided to explore all options before divesting property

City Actions to Date

Internal Task Force reviews

Commissioned an IU-SPEA Study to review the operation and make recommendations

Study indicated the best

“Financial”

solution was to privatize the building as a Full-Service Heath Club

Makes sense – Gyms, Pool, Track, Fitness area, etc.

Issues with this solution included:

Displaced Youth/Seniors - Cost associated with the displacement

Difficult to return to current operation if project failed

Reviewed and studied other options including:

Streamlined City Operation

Privatization – non-Health Club operation

Sale of BuildingSlide19

WCC OPPORTUNITY

Ideal Solution would:

Continue to provide community minded programming similar to today’s operation

Continue to serve all age groups of the community

Allow the City to maintain ownership of the building

Reduce or eliminate the City’s $500K subsidy

Allow for a workable “Exit Strategy”

The only option that provided all of these benefits was the YMCASlide20

YMCA proposal

Lease the building for $1 per year

YMCA to pay all operating costs associated with their operation including:

Staffing

Utilities

Maintenance

YMCA to have complete control of the operation

Set their own ratesSlide21

YMCA proposal

Benefits include:

Immediate savings of the $500K annual subsidy

Continued and

Improved

Community Minded Programming and Facilities for all

ages

New operation will be much improved over today

YMCA Expertise

Renovations

New equipment

Additional Programming

ChildcareSlide22

YMCA proposal

Benefits include:

Continued

availability of facility for:

Emergency Shelter

Public Events

Building remains under City Control and Ownership

We will essentially act as the landlord and maintain the primary structural components of the building

Only people who choose to use the Facility will paySlide23

YMCA proposal

Important Factors:

Displaced employees will have multiple options

Bid/Transfer into open positions

Early retirement

Interview with the YMCA

Severance to all, including part-time employees

City will invest to renovate the lower level and complete the lobby restoration as planned

This would have occurred regardless of the option chosen

All donations to the lobby renovation will be used as intendedSlide24

YMCA proposal

Important Factors:

At least 4 of the 12 bowling lanes will be removed

Option to remove all 12 lanes is being reviewed

Cost – Funding dependent

Bowling League

options for this season limitedSlide25

YMCA proposal

Important Factors:

YMCA is an extremely reputable organization

They have funding avenues simply not available to the City

They already have a proven track record in NWISlide26

YMCA

Timetable

Signed MOU in place

Finalize YMCA Lease ASAP

Employee bidding and transfers by year end

Close building on January 1, 2014 for construction

Estimated savings of closing the building for construction ranges between $

100,000

-

$200,000

Construction January – June

Reopen under YMCA control in June-July

If we cannot agree to terms with the YMCA by the end of construction, we will operate the renovated facilitySlide27

YMCA

This is

simply the

best business

decision

Not

everyone will agree with

it, but we can’t continue operating in the deep redSlide28

Stadium district plan

Now for controversial project #2

I hope you had a chance to review the graphic to get a feel for what I am proposingSlide29

Stadium district plan

This project will:

Provide the needed infrastructure for new BP investment

Provide the needed attractions to create a destination place

Provide new “diverse” residential opportunities

Provide

multiple new commercial opportunities

Serve

as the ‘Gateway’ into the Lakefront

ParkSlide30

Stadium district plan

While there are still some moving parts in the Plan, here are some of the highlights:

The project area includes all properties east of the Schrage Avenue east alley and north of 121

st

All of Old Standard Avenue

All of Old Center Street

All of 119

th

Street

All of Front Street

Over 75 properties will need to be acquired

(Additional comments on this topic later)Slide31

Stadium district plan

The Proposed Plan (market driven) includes:

A variety of New Residential units

New commercial/multi-use buildings

Senior Citizen market-rate apartments

Multiple new restaurants and eateries

Entertainment venues – Museums – Sports Facilities

An allotted area for new BP development

Road closures and new roadways

Oil City Stadium additions

100’s

of new parking spacesSlide32

Stadium district plan

Moving Parts - Entertainment Venues

Museums

Whiting-Robertsdale Museum (Refinery Component)

Chicago

Baseball Museum

Strong commitment to lease the 2

nd

wing if we build our museum

National

M

ascot Hall of Fame

Picking up momentum

Moved from a Pipe Dream to a reasonable chance

Flying their Team to Whiting in September to present a proposal

Sports Venues

Expansion of Oil City Stadium to accommodate Minor League Team

Currently reviewing a proposal to include an Ice Arena to accommodate a Minor League Hockey Team

Children’s Activity Center optionSlide33

Stadium district plan

Market Based Discussion

Heavy developer interest

Financing projects in Whiting is an issue

No development history

No market data to support condo sales prices

No history to support high rents for apartments

Glut of condos in Chicago market -

forcing high

pre-sell %

“Village

” Project demise

1500

Block 119

th

Street Project

will hopefully

open the door

Almost

all developers utilize the financial markets

Could determine final product mixSlide34

Stadium district plan

Acquisition of Property

I am well aware that acquiring someone property is not always a welcome event

We will be compassionate and take great strides in making sure the transaction is fair

If a property owner has been an asset to the City, we will bend over backwards to accommodate them

Finding new homes/apartments

Senior Building construction

Trading

, etc

.Slide35

Stadium district plan

Acquisition of Property

BUT………

If a property owner has neglected their property for decades, I will use every tool in my bag to acquire their property at the lowest possible cost

I won’t allow bad absentee landlords or property owners to impede our growthSlide36

New hotel concept

Moving on to controversial project #3

You have heard me talk about this in the past, but if we want to grow and increase our tax base, a local hotel is a critical component

As I stated in the past, such a hotel needs to fit our community, not a hotel developer’s plan

If it’s done right, a new hotel will not only provide a needed resource, but significantly benefit our tax baseSlide37

New hotel concept

We have been in discussions for months about possible locations, and the optimum location always points back to the Park

The most acceptable location in the Park is depicted on the layout on the table

This concept is a $20M investment

The back of house operations would utilize the back side of the parkSlide38

New hotel Concept

In the coming months, we will be discussing the project with multiple developers

At this point in time, I’m supporting this location and will work to move the project further ahead so we could fine tune the details

Public ProcessSlide39

Water & Sewer Rates

Now for controversial topic #4

To continue improving our water and sewer infrastructure, we will need to raise additional revenue

Example:

A new water line is needed on 119

th

Street between Schrage & New York

Estimated Price Tag - $1 million

Annual Gross Water Department revenue - $550,000

Rates have been flat for 13 years

Because we have made considerable operational changes to improve our efficiency

I will request a small $3 to $5 monthly increase soonSlide40

Residential matching grants

Somewhat controversial topic #5

We’ve been flooded with calls asking why the matching residential grants are not available

The answer is:

We are attempting to allocate

funds

to resurrect the program for

ONE

more round of grants

Absolutely no guarantees, but the program will not be available any sooner than spring of 2014Slide41

Residential matching grants

Important Points

Must help a broad based portion of the community

Must focus on areas in need of development

Need

a large pot to be able to distribute fairly

Poor

use of Tax dollars, need special 1-time funds

Special

program – cannot fund indefinitely

Commercial Investment critical to community

Will continue limited commercial grants ~$50,000 total

Impact shared across entire community

Stirs economic development to improve tax base

Detailed Strategy

availableSlide42

Quiet zone

No Controversy here

Everyone agrees that this is a project worth pursuing

Background

3 independent railroads

80+ trains a day

Low vehicular traffic counts

No requirement for railroads to improve technology like other communities

We have taken the necessary steps up to the point of committing the funds

$400,000 per crossing x 6 = $2.4 millionSlide43

Quiet zone

There is valid increased public concern

City Council has identified the project as one of their top priorities

It all comes down to funding

Barring an unforeseen catastrophe with our Funding Plan– this project

will

be funded

Even after funding is allocated, the project will not happen overnightSlide44

Miscellaneous News/issues

Lakefront Update

End of September – Current Phase complete

November – INDOT Phase begins

Connecting trails over tracks

Entry way beautification

Existing pathways redone

Event structure – Gazebo - Formal Garden

Design underway with completion next year

Finished Landscaping

Spring/summerSlide45

Miscellaneous News/issues

Lakefront Update

Whihala Parking Improvements

Next summer

Dog Beach

2014 start – Late Fall – Early 2015 completion

Whihala Lighting

Late 2014 into 2015

Administration Building – Boat Club

2015?Slide46

Miscellaneous News/issues

Lakefront Update

Gun Club Restaurant

Conceptual Drawing – Vavrek Architects

Start construction January, 2014

Completion – Fall?

Beach Parking

Reviewing sign policy – 1 sign at each entrance

New Parking Enforcement Crew beginning next yearSlide47

Miscellaneous News/issues

Atchison Avenue Parking (St. John)

Nearing Completion

Joint Project – City of Whiting & Parish

Increased parking – allow for new development

Dog Park

Whiting Dog Beach – Hammond Dog Park

Little League Improvements

T-Ball Field – by next summer

?Slide48

Miscellaneous News/issues

Indianapolis Boulevard

May bid letting

June – November construction

Includes:

Paving, Lighting, Turn lanes, Sidewalks, Trees, Sewer lining,

H

ydrant improvement

Partnership with:

INDOT and HammondSlide49

Miscellaneous News/issues

117th

Street (Cleveland to

tracks)

Bond fund dependent

Will be ready for bid this fall

Includes:

Paving, Sidewalks, Lighting, Sewer, Water, Oliver Street intersection improvements, Brick restoration at Park entry, Bike Path connections

Hoping for January letting – 2014 constructionSlide50

Miscellaneous News/issues

Parking Projects

1500 Block 119

th

Street

Building construction dependent

Spring 2014?

Schrage/White Oak/Ohio (Whiting

B

aptist Church)

Acquisition Dependent

Church agreement not finalized

Spring 2014?

St. Mary’s Church discussion

– School & ParkingSlide51

Miscellaneous News/issues

ADA Compliance

Sidewalk ramps – crosswalks

Goal to be 100% compliant by 2015

Playground Analysis – Upgrades

2014-2015

Illiana Hotel

City has taken action to take ownership of the property via the tax sale process

Stay tunedSlide52

The End

Q&A’sOne stipulation – If you ask a question, please let me know if you live in Whiting or in Robertsdale