Mount Pleasant RDA discusses park restroom, irrigation and funding for equestrian arena; agrees to track in-house labor costs

Mount Pleasant Redevelopment Agency (CERA) members spent the meeting focusing on finishing a new park restroom and related site work and on how to pay for remaining construction at a partially funded equestrian arena.

The discussion centered on the delivery and installation schedule for a prefabricated restroom, procurement and irrigation details, and a proposal to assign a public-works “special projects” employee to carry out conduit, utility stubs and other labor-intensive tasks that would otherwise be contracted out.

Why it matters: The RDA has a state grant that covered part of the arena and park work but not enough cash to finish everything. Agency leaders said using in-house labor and equipment—billed and reimbursed through the RDA—can reduce total cost compared with contracting, but that RDA staff must produce a clear scope, time tracking and cost spreadsheet before the council or finance director can approve reimbursements.

Justin, parks staff, reported that the prefabricated restroom is expected to arrive in February and that playground equipment has already been purchased. "The last word I got, it would be delivered the February," Justin said. He asked staff to prepare the pad and permit work so the restroom can be set when it arrives. Justin also said the restroom unit is precast and will require a prepared pad rather than on-site pouring.

Chris Clark, Main Street coordinator for Mount Pleasant, provided an informational overview of Main Street activities earlier in the meeting; that item was informational and not part of the RDA’s decisions on park or arena work.

Staff and board members discussed irrigation plans and vendors. The design and materials lists for the park sprinkler system had been circulated; staff said Mountain Land (a turf irrigation vendor on the state cooperative contract) and other preapproved vendors are options for procurement. Staff said some vendors previously listed with the state contract (for example, Schultz) are not on the current state-approved list.

On restroom operations, members discussed options for remote or timed locking and keeping at least one family restroom available during winter. Justin described radiant heat under the restroom slab and thawing walkways as part of winter-use planning and said the project will be ADA-compliant.

The equestrian arena discussion focused on remaining work: driving posts in rocky ground, setting panels and chutes, installing water hydrants, running power to the announcer stand, and other infrastructure. RDA staff said that, with the current $600,000 project budget and an initial $300,000 cash match required for part of the grant, there is not enough contingency to contract all remaining tasks.

The RDA director said reimbursement of public-works time and equipment is the likely path: public works payroll would pay the employee, and the RDA would reimburse the city for hours and equipment used on the defined scope. "It'll be incumbent upon me as the RDA director to find the source of funds within that scope of work so we could reimburse time," the RDA director said.

Board members stressed the need to define the special-projects position’s scope narrowly and to track hours and equipment rates precisely. As one board member put it, the RDA needs to know "what the scope of work is, and then as work is done on that scope, it gets billed hourly to that individual project." Staff agreed to prepare a spreadsheet showing estimated in-house costs (labor, fuel, equipment rates) compared with contractor bids.

Staff noted the grant rules: parts of public-works in-kind labor can advance the project but cannot be counted toward the grant’s required cash match. The RDA director and finance staff said they will quantify which costs can be reimbursed by the RDA and which cannot count against the grant match.

Next steps and direction: Staff will produce a line-item spreadsheet for (1) conduit and power to the restroom and path, (2) pathway construction to restrooms, (3) utility stubs, and (4) sidewalks; and will provide an estimate for arena-specific remaining costs. The RDA asked that the proposed scope for a special-projects employee be brought back with hourly tracking and equipment rates so the council and finance director can consider authorizing reimbursements. Members also requested a council agenda item to decide whether to assign a specific public-works employee to the projects.

Votes at a glance: The board approved meeting minutes for Dec. 10, 2024 (motion and second not specified in the record; outcome: approved) and approved the invoice register dated Dec. 1–Dec. 31, 2024, for $7,592.05. Roll-call votes recorded in the transcript for the invoice register included Lynch: yes; Russ: yes; Rhonda: yes; Keith: yes. The invoice register included repairs for multiple apartment units at Wasatch Walk/Wasatch Block buildings and totaled $7,592.05.

Staff and board members agreed to return with the requested spreadsheet and a proposed scope for the special-projects assignment at the next meeting.