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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2014-08-04 City Council Minutes Approved City Council Minutes—August 4, 2014 At 7:00 p.m. Mayor Laurie Gere called the regularly scheduled Anacortes City Council meeting of August 4, 2014 to order. Roll call found present: Eric Johnson, Ryan Walters, Erica Pickett, Brad Adams, Liz Lovelett, John Archibald and Matt Miller. The assembly joined in the Pledge of Allegiance. Citizen Hearings Hershel Janz, 1120 King Street, spoke regarding the Tommy Thompson Trail. Mr. Janz reported that he had encountered motorcycles on the trail on two recent evenings and said that a stop needs to be put to motorized vehicles on the trail. Mr. Janz also commented that racing bicycles continue to be a problem on the trail. He noted the large number of different types of trail users and warned about the potential for collisions when cyclists are traveling too fast. Mr. Janz urged slowing down the cyclists and making the trail safer for everyone. Mayor/Council Communication and Committee Reports Mayor Gere invited the public to National Night Out on August 5, 2014 at 6:00 p.m. at Storvik Park where neighbors can meet neighbors and talk about safety issues. Mayor Gere proposed an additional agenda item 7c under New Business, the Lovric Temporary Construction Contract Agreement. Ms. Lovelett reported that she and Mr. Walters had attended a lengthy presentation about the Open Public Meetings Act and the Public Records Act and related compliance issues. She said that an electronic records management system is an important factor in complying with those laws and also makes records searches more efficient. Mr. Adams observed that the July 21, 2014 City Council meeting had begun at 6:00 p.m. due to the very large agenda for the evening and commented that he liked that schedule. He asked if other councilmembers would consider doing that more often. Mr. Johnson, Mr. Archibald and Mr. Walters all expressed support for the 6:00 time. Ms. Lovelett reminded that Council committees often meet at 6:00 before 7:00 Council meetings and asked how a 6:00 start would affect committee work. Mr. Walters agreed that would need to be considered. City Attorney Brad Furlong reminded Council that an ordinance would be required to change the regular time of the City Council meetings. Mayor Gere encouraged public feedback about the City Council meeting start time. Ms. Pickett moved, seconded by Mr. Johnson, to add Item 7c, Lovric Temporary Construction Contract Agreement, to the agenda. Vote: Ayes—Walters, Pickett, Adams, Lovelett, Archibald, Miller and Johnson. Motion carried. Mr. Walters reported receiving a lot of public input about the City during the Arts Festival over the weekend. He encouraged engaging more people in the 2016 Comprehensive Plan Update which has a good public participation process. Consent Agenda Ms. Lovelett proposed the following addition to the minutes of July 28, 2014 under the discussion of the Shannon Point rock removal project: Ms. Lovelett pointed out that there are issues pertaining to the logistics of where the riprap will be stored and wondered whether the City had the space to handle that volume of material. She stated that the NW Straits was depending on the City having a plan in place to take the rock and recommended that a continuing conversation between the organizations would be necessary to address this problem. Anacortes City Council Minutes August 4, 2014 1 Ms. Lovelett moved, seconded by Mr. Walters, to approve the following Consent Agenda items with the inclusion of her proposed addition to the July 28 minutes. Vote: Ayes— Pickett, Adams, Lovelett, Archibald, Miller, Johnson and Walters. Motion carried. Approval of Vouchers/Cancellation of Checks Council voted unanimously that the following vouchers/checks audited and certified by the City's Auditing Officer(Finance Director) and subsequently reviewed and approved by the Council Finance Committee on July 23, 2014 and July 30, 2014 are approved for payment as of August 4, 2014. Claims Check Numbers 73159 through 73328 in the total amount of$453,823.71 EFT Numbers 73156 through 73158 in the total amount of$11,906.00 In the same motion Council: approved the minutes of July 7, 2014, July 14, 2014 and July 28, 2014 as if read; accepted as complete the Q and R Avenue Paving Project, Phase 1 contract with Lakeside Industries, Inc. (14-030-TRN-002); and approved the Street Fair Application for the 2014 Eagles Barbeque on August 15, 2014 through August 17, 2014 from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. UNFINISHED BUSINESS Public Hearing: Ordinance 2930 Adopting 2015-2020 Capital Facilities Plan (CFP) Finance Director Steve Hoglund reminded that the CFP had been reviewed by Council at two study sessions and that the public hearing on the CFP remained open from the July 21, 2014 regular City Council meeting. He said a revised CFP incorporating revisions requested by Council was included in the Council packet and advised that the CFP required adoption by ordinance. Mayor Gere invited public comment on the revised CFP. No one present wished to speak. Ms. Pickett asked why the CFP still contained $3M for roads outside the city limits on March Point. Mr. Hoglund explained that those roads are in the Anacortes Urban Growth Area and have federal grant funding significance. He summarized staff's understanding of the Council discussion of these projects during the study session: that the items would stay in the CFP but would include a description clarifying that city funds would not be used for them. Ms. Pickett said it would not make sense to use City staff time to apply for a grant to fix a county road. Mr. Hoglund gave the example of the City working in conjunction with the County to get federal funding to improve both 6th Street and the County ferry landing. Mr. Archibald said he could envision funds becoming available for a project in the County that would be beneficial to Anacortes and supported leaving the items in the CFP. Ms. Lovelett said that since the roads in question aren't in the County CFP the collaborative project would not apply. Mr. Walters clarified that those roads are not in the County CFP because the County CFP only includes projects the County intends to build in the next six years. He did not have a strong preference on whether the items remained in the CFP but said that the revised description was an improvement. Mr. Adams said there was no harm in leaving the items in the CFP and it opened up potential to fund connections to the trestle. He observed that the City has worked with other jurisdictions such as the Samish to achieve grant funded road improvements. Mr. Johnson agreed. Mayor Gere summarized that it would not hurt to leave the items in the CFP. Mr. Johnson addressed the CFP items for the City Hall seismic retrofit. He said the new item for a feasibility study for a new city hall was estimated below the $15,000 threshold amount for CFP projects but that the study was needed. Mr. Johnson observed, with examples, that this item and all the CFP items need to include a systems analysis of ongoing costs which is not currently included. Mr. Johnson emphasized the need for a big picture of long term operations and maintenance costs to make good decisions and said that he would need that included next year in order to approve the 2016-2021 plan. Anacortes City Council Minutes August 4, 2014 2 Mr. Walters agreed 100%. Regarding the proposed maritime heritage center, he asked what its ongoing costs would be and stressed the need to design projects for the lowest total cost of ownership. He said he thought the MHC was only going to be included in the CFP for planning. Mr. Archibald said he thought it was going to be removed from the CFP until after the Comp Plan update. Mr. Miller agreed that the MHC should be removed from the CFP or at the least moved out several years. He agreed with Mr. Johnson that every CFP project should include the annual cost to own and operate the public facility and said that was specifically called for on the second page of the CFP. He said that was necessary to make good decisions and asked to incorporate that in future years. Mr. Adams said those were great suggestions that would improve future capital facilities plans and suggested changes in the project form layout. Mayor Gere observed that the current format had been developed by staff to be acceptable to the prior administration and councilmembers and encouraged Council to approve the proposed 2015-2020 CFP with the understanding that staff will dig deep into the CFP and budget in the year ahead and achieve a structure that meets the current council's needs. Regarding the maritime heritage center, Mr. Johnson noted the proposed $150,000 in 2016 for design would allow time to see how the idea fit into the updated comprehensive plan before any construction decisions were made. Mayor Gere added that the design was intended to be privately funded. Mr. Adams asked that a representative of the MHC group present the idea more fully to Council. Mr. Johnson suggested that the annual CFP discussion begin with each department head presenting a vision of his or her department for the next ten years and how individual CFP projects fit into that vision. Mr. Walters said that the CFP in the packet did not include other edits that had been discussed during the study sessions including moving the Storvik Park parking lot (page 85)to 2015, requiring public vetting and community input on the 30th Street connection between Commercial Avenue and R Avenue called for in project T-1505, prioritizing the wetland restoration in H Avenue Park projects P-009 and P-041 to address fecal coliform problems, moving PSF-117 to underground the power lines at the fire stations to 2015, and increasing the price for updates to the Washington Park upper restroom. Mr. Johnson clarified that Ms. Lovelett wanted that restroom demolished and replaced. Mr. Walters added that page 9 of the CFP should not include the line that provides the Finance Director with authority to borrow to do CFP projects. Mayor Gere inquired if Council wished to postpone action on the plan pending staff revisions, or approve it as is. Mr. Johnson said some of Mr. Walter's suggestions were new to him. He suggested that councilmembers send a laundry list of requested changes to Mr. Hoglund who could poll councilmembers about them. Mr. Adams asked if Mr. Walters was willing to approve the CFP as proposed and make the revisions in the next annual plan or if he preferred to postpone action on the 2015-2020 plan until further revisions were made. Mr. Walters said he preferred to make the edits before approving the CFP. Mr. Adams asked Mr. Hoglund if there was a time constraint to approve the CFP. Mr. Hoglund replied that approval of the CFP was pressing and asked for a clear indication from Council on which edits were requested. Mayor Gere suggested continuing the meeting to August 11 to take action on the CFP including additional changes. Mayor Gere inquired one last time if any member of the public wished to comment on the proposed CFP. No one wishing to speak, at approximately 7:42 p.m. the mayor closed the public hearing on proposed Ordinance 2930. Mr. Hoglund read off the revisions he understood to be requested: • P-1300: Fund the Storvik Park Parking lot in 2015 • T-1505: Add a line to the description stating that, "The project will receive public vetting and Council approval before grants are applied for." • P-041: Fund the H Avenue Park Stream Restoration in 2015 • PSF-117: Fund emergency management mitigation at the fire stations in 2015 • WP-1400: Fund the Washington Park Upper Restroom in 2015 • Page 9: Remove section regarding Finance Director's Authority to Borrow Anacortes City Council Minutes August 4, 2014 3 Mr. Walters said the only remaining item was the maritime heritage center. Mr. Hoglund asked again for a consensus from Council. Mr. Walters asked for a clear understanding between mayor, Council and museum staff that the project should come back to Council for another look before it gets too far down the road. Councilmembers agreed. Mayor Gere confirmed that the project should stay in the CFP. Mr. Walters agreed. Mr. Walters moved, seconded by Mr. Archibald, to approve Ordinance 2930 adopting the 2015-2020 Capital Facilities Plan with the six modifications read off by Mr. Hoglund. Vote: Ayes—Adams, Lovelett, Archibald, Miller, Johnson, Walters and Pickett. Motion carried. NEW BUSINESS Contract Award: 2014/2015 Chemical Procurement Water Treatment Plant Manager Jamie LeBlanc offered to answer questions about the annual chemical contracts proposed in the Council packet. Ms. Lovelett reported citizen concerns about fluoride in the water and asked Mr. LeBlanc to explain why the fluoride used by the City of Anacortes is the right type and efficacious for dental health. Mr. LeBlanc said the plant uses sodium fluoride, the purest form available for drinking water, applies it within all established operating parameters and tests it for quality. Ms. Pickett reported conversations with two dentists who said fluoride has a huge positive impact on dental health, particularly in children. Mr. Walters reported an allegation that the fluoride used in municipal water systems is a waste byproduct of fertilizer production. Mr. LeBlanc said the City buys pure sodium fluoride which is regulated by the EPA and the CDC. He said the plant operates according to stringent Dept. of Health standards and keeps the fluoride at the lowest end of the allowed scale. He reported that staff is careful to get proof of quality from its fluoride suppliers and tests the product on site before adding it to the water. Mr. Walters asked if the cost of treatment plant chemicals is up or down compared to prior years. Mr. LeBlanc said this will be the first full year of operation at the new water treatment plant which has completely different chemical usage from the old plant. He said the overall chemical cost should be about the same as the prior year. Mr. Adams said he was looking forward to a cost comparison after the next year. Mr. Adams moved, seconded by Ms. Pickett, to accept the 2014/2015 chemical bids. Vote: Ayes— Lovelett, Archibald, Miller, Johnson, Walters, Pickett and Adams. Motion carried. Mr. Johnson suggested the Council Public Works Committee look into the fluoride question. Contract Award: Pump Station 14 Improvements Matt Assistant City Engineer Matt Reynolds requested Council approval of a contract to build a concrete containment basin at sewer Pump Station 14 located at the Washington State ferry terminal. Mr. Reynolds advised that the City upgrades one pump station each year. He explained the need for the chemical containment basin. Mr. Reynolds reported that staff solicited bids for the project from five contractors off the Small Works roster and received three proposals with the low bid from Scimitar Construction for$31,500 compared the Engineering Estimate of$33,500. He recommended awarding the contract to Scimitar. Mr. Walters inquired if this was a typical price for pump station work. Mr. Reynolds said yes though the size of each station differs. He added that the wastewater staff do much of the upgrade work at the pump stations themselves but that this concrete work was more appropriate to bid out. Ms. Lovelett moved, seconded by Mr. Johnson, to award the contract for Pump Station 14 improvements to Scimitar Construction in the amount of$31,500. Vote: Ayes—Archibald, Miller, Johnson, Walters, Pickett, Adams and Lovelett. Motion carried. Temporary Construction Agreement for Ingress and Egress—Guemes Channel Trail Mayor Gere explained that this item had been added to the evening's agenda because the contract allowed only one month from approval to perform the contracted clean up on the ingress/egress route and the City was hoping to start construction on the trail as soon as possible. Anacortes City Council Minutes August 4, 2014 4 Mr. Reynolds summarized the contract and the timeline for Segment 7 of the Guemes Channel Trail, which heads east from the existing trail segment. Mr. Reynolds explained the construction access challenges for Segment 7 and said that the Lovrics had agreed the prior week to allow construction access through the Lovric property at the east end of the segment. Mr. Reynolds said that would offer a huge benefit for constructability. Mr. Miller asked roughly what it would cost to provide construction access from the west end. Mr. Reynolds said just repairing the existing trail after construction access would cost more than $40K and that Segment 7 construction cost would be less from the east end as well. Mr. Johnson asked if there would be any access from the west end. Mr. Reynolds said the contractor determines means and methods. Ms. Lovelett asked what the $46,009.43 was for. Mr. Reynolds said it was to pay Lovrics to remove equipment and material that was currently in the way of the access route. Ms. Pickett commented that access from the east also allows the existing trail to remain in public use and avoids construction traffic through the San Juan Passage development. Ms. Pickett moved, seconded by Mr. Johnson, to adopt the contract with the Lovrics to provide access for building the Guemes Channel Trail. Mr. Walters asked if the access contract would be paid for out of the grant funds. Mr. Reynolds said yes, the current project estimate was$695,000 against the $700,000 grant with no matching funds required. Mr. Adams thanked the Lovrics for their cooperation. In response to a question from Mr. Archibald, Mr. Reynolds said the east end of Segment 7 terminates at the Lovric property line, approximately at Illinois Avenue. Vote: Ayes— Miller, Johnson, Walters, Pickett, Adams, Lovelett and Archibald. Motion carried. There being no further business, at approximately 8:08 p.m. the regularly scheduled Anacortes City Council meeting of August 4, 2014 was adjourned. 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