Home » Government » Hill Street School project, Citizens Academy highlight Council’s November 8 meeting

Hill Street School project, Citizens Academy highlight Council’s November 8 meeting

A conceptual drawing provided by Gorman & Co. of the finished project.

Members of the Globe City Council: Mayor Al Gameros, Vice Mayor Mike Stapleton (District 4), and Council members Freddy Rios (District 1), Mike Pastor (District 2), Jesse Leetham (District 3), Mariano Gonzalez (District 5), and Fernando Shipley (District 6). All members were in attendance.

Hill Street School Project construction set to start in June

Dan Klocke, Gorman & Co. LLC’s project manager for the Hill Street School development, presented Council with a project update.

Klocke said the project is moving ahead according to schedule. The project is a 64-unit development, with 26 units in the old Hill Street School and 38 units in a newly constructed building.

On the permitting process, Klocke said the site plan has been submitted and Gorman expects to receive comments from staff this week. The site plan will then go to the Planning Commission for final approval.

Gorman has also been working on construction drawings, and those are at 50% completion. When they are 100% complete, they will be submitted, probably around mid-January, and will go through a lengthy review process for building permits.

Boring crews have already begun work to take soil samples that will be used by the structural engineer. Gorman workers will also be checking the structure and condition of the running track to be sure it will be safe for residents to use.

Gorman was awarded tax credit financing this past June. Klocke said they expect to close on the building’s financing at the end of May. Construction will then begin in the first part of June and is expected to take 17 to 18 months.

Klocke said the 1% sales tax increase that was recently passed in Globe will generate a little over $200,000 for the City from this project.

He praised the City of Globe for the helpfulness of staff and the Council’s willingness to work with developers.

Council recognizes Citizens Academy graduates

On behalf of Council, Mayor Gameros presented the 2022 Fall Session Citizens Academy participants with graduation certificates. There were 12 graduates this session, which is the third, including Mickey Knight, Frank Burldey, Crystal Corral, Bill Stewart, Danielle Madden, Grace Whelan, Anthony Martinez, Janelle Rhodes, James Owens, Travis Edwards, Sarah Alexander, and Brenda Blaine.

Council approves extra holiday vacation for all City workers

Council approved giving all City employees four additional holiday vacation days, from December 27 through December 30, 2022. For all Public Safety employees assigned to shifts, Council also authorized the allocation of four additional accrued holiday vacation days. City Manager Paul Jepson pointed out that this is the third year the City has offered extra vacation days for staff over the holidays. He said it has been very helpful in giving people a break and helping them return in January refreshed.

“We can’t always keep up with paying like some of the big cities do, and I think this is a small way we can say thank you to the employees that dedicate their time and commitment to our community.” Councilman Fernando Shipley

Also, Linda Oddonetto, director of Economic & Community Development, introduced three new staff members for the department: Connie Callaway, Grants Manager; Tony Manfredi, Deputy Building Official; and Mary Helen Sanchez, Development Services Technician.

Council also discussed providing a pay raise for Council members and the mayor starting in January 2025. Jepson explained that serving on Council is essentially a volunteer service to the community, but Council members do receive a small compensation to help cover members’ costs and trouble. Council members have not received an increase in the past 20 years.

According to state law, a current council can’t raise its own salary. So in order to provide a pay raise to all members, the raise will take effect in 2025, after the December 2024 election.

For Council members, the compensation will increase from $3,600 per year to $6,000 per year. The mayor’s salary would increase from $6,000 per year to $10,800 per year. These figures are in line with many other councils in cities of Globe’s size, Jepson said.

Councilman Rios pointed out that Council members don’t just attend meetings twice a month; they all also serve on committees and work on weekends and throughout their daily lives “to help move the City forward.”

This item will come back before Council at its next meeting for approval.

Motions approved

Council also approved motions for the following:

  • Accounts payable in the amount of $601,792.57
  • Facility use permits allowing Eastern Arizona College to utilize the City of Globe Active Adult Center for classroom use for art and physical condition courses and the City of Globe Fire Station for fire science and EMT courses. The college will use the Active Adult Center from August 22, 2022 through June 30, 2023, and the fire station from January 17, 2023 through June 30, 2023.
  • A donation of $5,000 to the Gila County Sheriff’s Posse for their patrol services in the City of Globe First Friday Events.
  • Bed tax distributions for the Gila County Historical Society for the fourth quarter of FY2021-2022 in the amount of $9,316.81 and the first quarter of FY2022-2023 in the amount of $11,227.71, for a total distribution of $20,544.52.
  • A change order to a contract with Superior Tank Solutions for the Hagen Tank Coating project in the amount of $144,900. City Engineer Jerry Barnes explained that this item is for painting the exterior of the tanks in the color Desert Sand.

To view this meeting online, visit https://youtu.be/Sb2JhoD–Tg.

To view documents related to this meeting, click here

Full minutes can be found by going to the City Hall website at https://www.globeaz.gov/government and clicking on Agendas/Minutes in the bottom left-hand corner.

The Globe City Council meets every second and fourth Tuesday of the month at 6:00 p.m. at City Hall. The meetings are currently open to the public at 50% capacity. Members of the public are requested to wear a mask except when seated. Seating is limited to allow for social distancing.

Members of the public can also participate in City of Globe public meetings by viewing the meeting live on YouTube. To view the Council meeting live stream, go to the City of Globe’s YouTube channel (search for City of Globe Arizona). Or click on the “Live Stream on YouTube” link at www.globeaz.gov.

To speak to agenda items before or during the meeting, you can call or text (928) 200-0154 or email council@globeaz.gov. If you desire to speak to the Council during an agenda item.

 

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