The meeting can be seen in its entirety on the City of Hope’s Facebook page. 

Discussion involved itemized projected costs of buying and readying the property at Village Shopping Center for use for the fire department, the financing of which was approved by Hope voters at this past November's election with a portion of a one-cent per dollar sales tax.  Portions of the one cent will also be used to finance the building of a recreation and aquatic center at Sixteenth and Spring Hill Road, make parks improvements and maintain the parks facilities.  

The itemized costs to locate the department at the S-curve site as shown in the item's agenda memo can be seen below:

Acquiring the land from local owners will cost $100,000, with potential grant funding reducing costs of demolition, removing old surfacing and asbestos abatement at the site by $125,000. The project's total acquisition and use cost is estimated at $500,000.  About $3.3 million is the expectation of how much of the bond funds will be available to spend on building the new fire department.

At first, the owners of the land, Kathryn Dickinson and Rodney Bobo were charging $200,000.  But they agreed after the total costs of using their land were discovered, including for asbestos abatement, environmental studies and demolition, to reduce the cost to the city by half.  That reduces the total price (minus asphalt removal) to $526,872.

City Manager J.R. Wilson looked into the possibility of applying for grants for asbestos abatement, concluding that state-funded grants would be easier to apply to than federal and faster to receive.  A 100 percent grant for asbestos removal would reduce the cost by another $120,000, he said, which brings the cost of acquiring property for the new Hope Fire Department location down to being in line with that of purchasing other properties.

Co-owner of the property, Rodney Bobo said he would consider reducing the cost further and that it would be a good thing to get rid of a longtime eyesore in Hope.  He said he also believes the demolition cost, listed as $116,500, could be done less expensively if Bobo & Bain Construction were to take on the task.  

Bobo also urged the use of the Village Shopping Center over other properties considered because it allows for more room for expansion and use.  This was something he said he wished the decision-makers years ago had considered.

Director Trevor Coffee asked Bobo if he would be willing to price the project.  Bobo said he would need time first, but that other companies in town were also capable of doing it and this would mean the city could get a better price.

Wilson said the quote for demolition was the lowest after he sought estimates from three firms. But only the bidding process would establish the cost.  He asked the board for more time to seek out firms that could do the demolition and the asbestos abatement and possibly get lower costs for that work.

In answer to a question from Director Mark Ross, Wilson said eventually the board will have to make a decision between using general funds to buy part of the five acres of land on the fire department site or use nothing but bond funds.  Use of bond funds to cover the entire cost would restrict the city to use the land for the fire department only.  

If the city board chooses to purchase part of the five acres with general funds, Bobo said he was amenable to either giving the city the land he owned or offering it for a lower cost so it could be used for residential or commercial development.

On asphalt removal, for which two estimates of $21,000 and $71,000 are listed in the meeting agenda information, Wilson and other board members mentioned ways this could be done for less, even if the city’s equipment and crew were involved.

The splash pad contract was awarded by unanimous vote to RJR Enterprises for their low bid of $384,000, with additional costs for bathrooms and lighting. The board emphasized the importance of parking and future development plans. The Hope City Board discussed the approval of a $4,000 bid from RJR Enterprises for a new bathroom and other work and heard that the timeline for equipment procurement is expected to be 90 days. 

The board also reviewed the 30 percent plan for the design and construction timeline for the new recreation and aquatic center.  Clay McGill from BiLD Architects provided a slideshow and talk about the design. The board members asked numerous questions about aspects of the building, including about its pools, its roof, its exterior and parking.  Attendees of the meeting were also given the chance to ask questions.

The board reviewed proposed hours of operation and membership rates for the new aquatic and recreation center, as presented by Assistant City Manager Daniel Shelman and Hope Parks Superintendent Summer Chambers, which may include $5 daily passes and $40 monthly memberships. Concerns were raised about the affordability of swim lessons, with suggestions to offer free swimming lessons.  As Wilson said, there will be about two years in which to sort out these policies.

The board approved the signing of a $2,000 per year lease with Union Pacific for use of grounds around the Hope Depot Museum, negotiated down from an initial $5,000, and approved contracts for property sale. 

City Manager J.R. Wilson also reported on a successful citywide cleanup, with 28 loads picked up from city streets and four loads from city residents, totaling 56 cubic yards of refuse taken to the landfill.

Wilson also presented maps showing redesignations of major roads near the Hope Airport, which may make them more eligible for ARDOT repair or funds.

After the meeting, Marcia White, who in the comments period had expressed thanks to the board for approval of the Splash Pad contract, which now gets the project underway for building at Northside Park, said "I am excited for the citizens of Hempstead County and Nevada County and all the surrounding areas to be able to use this facility."

Above photo of Assistant City Manager Daniel Shelman with Parks Superintendent Summer Chambers is by Mark Ross.