The new owners of the Lett Hotel visited at length with the Yuma City Council during its regular meeting last week.
Mayor Tim McClung and council members Terri Frame, Jerome Benish, Vanessa Dischner, Marc Shay and Dan Baucke were in attendance. Zach Diaz was absent. It also was the first meeting for Eric Duthie as city manager. He was sworn in during the meeting.
Lupe Hernandez and Jose Nevarez presented their plans for the rundown Lett Hotel early in the meeting. The Lett, located at the intersection of W. Second Ave. and S. Ash St., has a strong connection to Yuma’s history, but has fallen into disrepair over the decades.
City Attorney Kathryn Sellars first gave a brief review. A court order was issued in May to abate the property. The owners did not respond within the allotted 60 days, so the city is within its right to move forward with plans for abatement and demolition.
However, Hernandez and Nevarez still harbor hope to save the building. They are seeking an alteration certificate to replace the porch and remove the shed in the back, but asbestos testing needs to be done first. They said they had just purchased the building in May, and have been having issues with the court abatement order. All the windows have been boarded, the yard cleaned and the doors secured. They said asbestos and lead testing was scheduled for later last week.
“We have grown very fond of the building,” Nevarez said.
He said the plan is to have four two-bedroom apartments in the building. He said it all could be done in 18 months after receiving final approval to move forward.
He said they have been having trouble finding a structural engineer to come to Yuma, but are getting closer to having one. Nevarez said if it is determined the building is no good for saving, they will start the process of tearing it down.
McClung said he would like to see it saved, but the city has been hearing the same story for 30 years. He said there needs to be a specific timeline from the owners. Sellars pointed out the lot also would have to be rezoned.
The owners said they were not informed by the previous owners of all that would be needed to save the building. It was suggested they seek counsel to look into the holding the former owner and realtor accountable.
Swimming pool funding
The council and City Clerk/Treasurer Karma Wells, who has been serving as interim city manager, discussed potential funding for a new swimming pool.
Wells had scenarios done on bonds issued for a $5 million pool. The 10-year one showed annual payment of $622,000, and $460,000 over 15 years. She reported that in 2014, 1-cent in sales tax generated just shy of $1 million.
There was discussion about having a sunset to a new sales tax, and it would be clearly earmarked specifically for the pool and recreation. Decisions will have to be made soon if the city is going to have a ballot question in the November 4 election.
Snow removal, street work and more
The council passed the first reading of an ordinance amending the Yuma Municipal Code concerning snow removal.
It reiterates that property owners must remove snow and ice from sidewalks within 24 hours after accumulation.
It also expands the city’s responsibility in the downtown Yuma area to include between S. Main and the alley to S. Ash St. to the west and S. Albany St. to the east from Second to Fourth avenues.
A public hearing will be held prior to the ordinance’s second reading at the next meeting, August 19.
The city still plans to redo sections of Third and Fourth avenues off of S. Main this year. It has been told it will receive an $850,000 grant from the Department of Local Affairs, but has not received the paperwork yet so hiring a contractor cannot be done yet. Wells told the council the city staff is moving forward with as much as it can until the grant is finalized.
Speaking of grants, the council was informed the city has successfully applied for $1 million in grants.
Wells told the council the city has received three bids from firms for the updated comprehensive plan. They were to be interviewed earlier this week, and then it will be before the council for final approval at its next meeting. McClung noted the city is going to want to have as much community involvement as possible during the comprehensive plan process.
Amendments to the Personnel Manual dealing with personal time off and the Family Medical Leave Act were approved. The portion about employees driving vehicles home and back was tabled.
Shoni Doyle was appointed to the Library Board.
Resident Jeff Denney addressed the council during public comment regarding his concerns with the Yuma Police Department. One of his points was that the police are not approachable, and one gets the runaround when getting to visit with them. He also noted the alleys and gravel roads in town are in bad shape.
The council had a brief discussion about potential utility rate increases. Electric, water and wastewater rate increases will be coming.
The council also had a discussion about accessory dwelling units. There is a moratorium in place right now as an ordinance is formulated to better regulate additions to residences serving as a separate living space. Council members provided some direction to Sellars in moving forward with the ordinance.
An executive session was held at the end of the meeting. One part was for discussion about a possible purchase of property. The other part was to discuss compensation for the Clerk/Treasurer during the City Manager transition.
After returning to open meeting, the council approved a motion phasing down Clerk/Treasurer Karma Wells’ portion of city manager salary over the next seven payrolls, and then have a salary of $100,000 after the transition is completed.