City Council continues to haggle over library details
 
8/14/07 by Joseph Xu
 

With many projects at hand, the Novi City Council, minus Toni Nagy, continued on its two most prominent projects Monday night: the library expansion and the gun range, approving various considerations, moving the former closer to the November ballot and the latter closer to completion. 

Amidst the forthcoming continuation of such projects, the city has recently had a small setback with the Zamboni fire at the Novi Ice Arena. Though the city originally hoped for a quick reopening of at least half of the Ice Area, further investigation uncovered smoke damage to the arena, forcing back the reopening date. 

City Manager Clay Pearson, however, remained optimistic, reporting that the city had seven or eight potential contractors that might fix the damages, starting as early as the end of this week. 

Moving on later into matters for council action, the council once again proved to be divided on a once unanimous subject: the library expansion proposal.  

At the previous meeting on July 23, the council began its first step into a division, in which council members Andrew Mutch, Toni Nagy and Lynne Paul voiced their concerns about city representation on the building authority, which would oversee the potential library expansion. The proposal ultimately failed because of this division. 

With that, city staff went back to the drawing board, coming back with a plan that provided more city representation. The council, however, met another rift with the delineation of power. 

With the new proposal, the building authority would have the power to choose whether or not to have a project manager oversee the day-to-day proceedings of the potential library expansion.  

Members Paul and Mutch did not approve of the proposal, citing the need for a requirement to have a project manager, who was deemed as “essential.” 

This, however, was rebutted by Mayor Pro Tem Capello, who stated that there were “certain persons [that] clearly don’t understand the language,” in that the motion was simply giving the building authority power to choose who would be the project manager, and that regardless of whether or not there was a project manager, there would still be a person who oversaw the day-to-day proceedings of the library expansion. 

Ultimately, motion was passed 4-2, with Paul and Mutch dissenting.

Later in the night, the council conversely moved forward unanimously with the previously divisive issue of the indoor gun range. Previously, members Paul, Mutch and Nagy were not in support of the gun range; however, Paul later consented to the gun range as a compromise for various other allocations during the budgeting process. 

Heeding to the council’s advocating status, the police department swiftly and effectively moved forward with the plan along with city staff, coming in front of council with two proposals, both of which, to the council’s pleasure, came under the budgetary limit: (1) the consideration to award a contract to Action Target Inc. for indoor range equipment and control system for $437,000, and (2) a consideration of an amendment to General Contractor services contract with Garrison Company for $74,600 for brick veneer and bio-swale project alternatives. 

“Excellent work,” Mayor David Landry emphatically commented. “It turned out exactly like you said it would; well done.” 

Other Matters for Council Action

Nagy absent, Paul late. 

1)      Consideration of the request of Hobbs and Black for Gold’s Gym for Preliminary Site Plan approval of a 10,480 square foot addition and façade modification to the existing Fountain Walk Shopping Center. The subject property is located in Section 15, south of Twelve Mile Road, west of Donelson Drive, in the Twelve Mile Crossing at Fountain Walk development in the R-C, Regional Center District (APPROVED 6-0)

2)      Consideration of Zoning Map Amendment 18.674 of Amson Dembs, LLC to rezone property located in Section 9, east of West Park Drive and south of Dylan Drive, from I-2, General Industrial to OST, Planned Office Service Technology. The subject property is 13.54 acres (APPROVED 6-0)

3)      Consideration of Zoning Map Amendment 18.670 with Planned Rezoning Overlay (PRO) SP 07-22 from he applicant, Haggerty Road Development, to rezone property located east of Haggerty Road, north of Eight Mile Road FS, Freeway Service District to B-3, General Business and consideration of the PRO Concept Plan. The subject property is 0.41 acres. (APPROVED 6-0)

4)      Consideration of Ordinance No. 07-124.18, an amendment to the Novi Code of Ordinances, Chapter 11 (Design and Construction Standards) and Ordinance Nos. 07-106.04 and 07-168.01, Chapter 12 (Drainage and Flood Damage Prevention), to add low impact development requirements for stormwater management systems; and consideration of resolution authorizing the City Engineer to prepare, approve and maintain the contents of an Engineering Design Maual that will contain detailed specifications regarding stormwater management systems. First Reading (APPROVED 6-0)

5)      Consideration of Ordinance No. 07-157.04, an amendment to the Novi Code of Ordinances, Chapters 31 (Streets, Sidewalks and Other Public Places) to add requirements to address franchise utility construction in the City’s rights-of-way. First Reading (APPROVED 6-0)

6)      Approval of Consultant Review Committee’s recommendation to award the Health Benefits Consulting contract to The Rains Group for a two-year period with an option for a third year effective August 14, 2007. (APPROVED 6-0)