Authority authorizes staff to pursue railroad lease and considers $15,000 curb-and-gutter expense

The Chair opened a meeting of the authority and authorized staff to pursue a lease option with the railroad for a property adjacent to the project, and the board discussed construction changes including a proposed curb-and-gutter installation that staff estimated would cost about $15,000.

In a presentation on legal matters, the staff member who requested authority said the railroad had told them it would take about "60 to 90 days" to assemble numbers to purchase or lease the property and that the railroad expected a lease could include a 60-day termination provision but could be structured as a long-term arrangement. "We have an option to lease that property, and that can be done in 60 to 90 days," Randy said, asking the board for permission to apply for a lease and report back on proposed provisions.

The Chair moved to authorize staff to start the process and the motion was seconded and recorded as approved. The staff request said a lease would not preclude later acquisition: it would allow the authority to develop and regulate the site in the near term while preserving the option to buy later.

During the construction update, project staff said the work was originally a city-led project and described road-relocation elements tied to the new gymnasium: curb and gutter in place of a ditch on the church side, modification of existing catch basins, moving a drive back from the road, and shifting utility poles. "The major benefit is the aesthetics of it," a staff member said of installing curb and gutter, adding it would prevent ongoing washout of the shoulder and reduce future maintenance needs.

On contingency and budgets, staff reported the project began with roughly $1,100,000 in contingency and had allocated about $50,000 to date. After consulting with the contractor, staff said the curb-and-gutter work "we think [is] right around $15,000." The Chair moved to approve a $15,000 expenditure from contingency for that scope and said the board should be asked for additional funds if costs exceed that amount; the transcript records the motion and a second but does not record a roll-call or final tally for that motion.

Staff also reviewed schedule milestones, including the gymnasium pad and the upcoming steel erection; they described a likely mid-January topping-out ceremony subject to the mayor’s availability and confirmed a contractor pay application had been submitted and processed to keep payroll on schedule.

Procedural business followed: the board moved to approve the minutes and to approve invoices; those motions were made, seconded and carried as recorded. The Chair then moved to adjourn the meeting.

The authority directed staff to pursue the railroad lease option and to return with proposed lease provisions; the $15,000 curb-and-gutter motion was recorded in the transcript but the vote outcome for that specific expenditure is not shown.