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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2014-07-28 City Council Minutes Approved City Council Study Session Minutes—July 28, 2014 At approximately 7:07 p.m. Mayor Laurie Gere called the regularly scheduled Anacortes City Council study session of July 28, 2014 to order. Roll call found present City Councilmembers Eric Johnson, Ryan Walters, Erica Pickett, Brad Adams, Liz Lovelett, John Archibald and Matt Miller. CERT -Community Emergency Response Team Presentation Fire Chief Richard Curtis introduced CERT volunteers Rick Wallace and Ron Shrigley. Chief Curtis described the incredible community resource of the Community Emergency Response Team's 92 certified members plus 30-odd partially trained members on Guemes Island in addition to 182 certified Ham radio operators in the community. Chief Curtis advised that the emergency operations plan would be exercised during an earthquake drill on October 16, 2014. He also described the grant-funded CERT trailer recently purchased and stocked to allow the CERT team to serve the community during deployment. Rick Wallace, a retired 35-year firefighter committed to making Fidalgo Island a disaster resilient community, described the significant earthquake risk in the area. He said CERT is an extension of emergency services involving in depth training of volunteers to understand hazards in times of disaster and how to help save lives while keeping themselves safe. He described the historical development of the program since 1985 including adoption by FEMA in 1993 and a number of local training initiatives since 2001. He described the curriculum for the CERT training including firefighting, search and rescue, first aid and disaster psychology. Mr. Wallace then described future goals including building the West Skagit Emergency Preparedness Coalition, the Map Your Neighborhood project, the next CERT training, the Shake Out drill on October 16, 2014, TEEN CERT and creating a disaster resilient community. Mr. Wallace introduced Ron Shrigley, the driving force behind Island Quake 2014 (IQ-14). Mr. Shrigley reported on the mass earthquake disaster drill held on April 26, 2014 with fifteen different local agencies. He said the objectives were to have the groups work together and to develop a team of community volunteers to back up the emergency response professionals. Mr. Shrigley reiterated the reality of earthquake threats in the area and emphasized the need to continue training and drilling. Ms. Lovelett asked if there would be another CERT training for school district personnel soon and if training would expand to other types of emergencies. Mr. Johnson observed that councilmembers should have CERT training because they would be called upon during a disaster. Mr. Walters asked if the emergency plan was posted where Council could review it. Chief Curtis said it would be made available to Council. Councilmembers thanked the many CERT volunteers in the audience for their generous commitment to the community. CERT volunteer Brock Ward urged Council to commit to get involved with the Great Shake Out on October 16. Mayor Gere committed herself to participating on 10/16 and thanked the volunteers for building a safer community. Living Democracy-Skagit Presentation Howard Pellett, 5293 Guemes Island Road, described Living Democracy of Skagit County. He said the movement started over a decade ago in Pennsylvania to combat perceived abuses in communities such as sewer sludge, fracking, and factory farms among others. Mr. Pellett said it was now a worldwide revolutionary movement with 150 community bills of rights in the United States and around the world. He said a group in Anacortes invited the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund (CELDF)to give a democracy school which made Anacortes a hotbed of the local movement. Mr. Pellet said there would be another democracy school locally and he urged councilmembers to attend. Mr. Pellett said his group was circulating a petition asking local residents to support a community bill of rights with the purpose of asking the County Commissioners to take the lead in developing the community bill of rights. He passed out a brochure presenting an idea of some issues that might be included but he said the community should define the bill of rights. Mr. Pellett reported on the group's June 25, 2014 presentation to the Skagit County Commissioners. Mr. Pellett invited those interested to visit www.celdf.org and asked Council to consider supporting the effort. Bill Bowman, 3809 37th Drive, thanked Council for adopting Resolution 1889 regarding oil rail car safety standards. He then read from prepared remarks, which he had distributed to councilmembers, explaining Anacortes City Council Study Session Minutes July 28, 2014 1 the environmental and corporate threats that led Living Democracy Skagit to propose a Community Bill of Rights. Calling for a new Populist movement, Mr. Bowman described the group's proactive Community Bill of Rights petition which would be presented to the Skagit County Commissioners. Ms. Lovelett said it was great to start building momentum for communities to determine the direction that they want to go in the face of egregious abuses of wealth and power. Mr. Johnson suggested the local group develop a website so residents can keep up with the discussion. 2016 Comprehensive Plan Update -Vision/Values Statement Senior Planner Libby Grage provided an update on the 2016 Comprehensive Plan process, the Community Advisory Committee's (CAC's)activities to date and planned for the future, and the draft vision and values statement recommended by the CAC and the Planning Commission. Ms. Grage reviewed the Comp Plan update schedule through June 2016 and described work completed to date and currently underway. Ms. Grage next described the work performed by the CAC, which includes 12 members (four from each ward) appointed by the mayor and confirmed by Council. She said the CAC had formed three study groups: Housing and Transportation; Land Use, Economic Development and Tourism; and Community Design, Sustainability and Services/Infrastructure. Ms. Grage outlined the steps of the process for each of the study groups including drafting vision and values, developing concepts, refining concepts, and then defining a preferred plan. She gave examples of each phase for one of the study groups. Ms. Grage listed the extensive activities of the CAC, meeting twice per month as the full committee in addition to study groups. She listed examples of some of the topics addressed, presentations entertained, and studies and analyses undertaken including an inventory of businesses, a land capacity analysis, an employment analysis, a fiscal analysis/cash flow forecast and an analysis of re-development potential. Ms. Grage then reported on the CAC Study Group meetings to date and topics addressed. Ms. Grage next presented the draft vision and values statements prepared by the CAC. She recapped the community input to date that had informed the statement. She reported that the CAC had recommended the draft vision statement to the Planning Commission which had slightly revised it at its June 11 meeting, resulting in the following: Anacortes is a unique and friendly marine community which supports cultural diversity and economic vitality, balances sustainable growth with respect for our history, and protects the natural environment for now and the future. Ms. Grage also shared the Values Statement which was organized under four main headers: Pursue Environmental Sustainability, Pursue Economic Vitality, Provide a Supportive and Connected Community, and Embrace a Culture that Celebrates Anacortes's History and Beautiful Natural Setting. Ms. Grage invited Council discussion of the vision statement. Mr. Miller said he liked it. Mr. Walters said "economic diversity" is critical to have in the vision statement and that"vibrant, unique waterfront" is also very important. He said in general the statement was pretty good but needed to say a few of those key things. Mr. Archibald said he preferred "waterfront"to "marine". Ms. Grage explained that the committee included "marine"to differentiate the Anacortes saltwater waterfront from lakeshore or riverside waterfronts. Mr. Archibald said Anacortes has all kinds of waterfronts. Mr. Johnson urged not losing sight of the "excellent public lands" listed in the Other Considerations and said that was more specific than "natural environment" and worth mentioning. Mr. Adams said the vision statement was a good draft and should be considered a draft until the Comp Plan is final. Ms. Pickett thanked the committee for all its work. Ms. Lovelett said she really liked all the vision statements, that"pursuing environmental sustainability" is at the top of the list and balancing that with economic growth is key. Regarding the Values Statement, Ms. Pickett noted "Provide good access to town amenities," and said she thought that reflects the recurring desire to protect areas where people can meet one another without a schedule and without a charge, such as parks, the market, etc. She urged adding that somewhere, under"Provide a Supportive and Connected Community." Mr. Archibald suggested, "Provide multiple opportunities for community gathering." Ms. Lovelett said she thought"good access" meant ways to get to library, parks, etc. such as transit and bike lanes. Mr. Walters said both those points were important but that"waterfront" in the vision statement was most important. He urged some specific editing to the vision statement. Ms. Lovelett suggested each councilmember spend some time reviewing the statement and Anacortes City Council Study Session Minutes July 28, 2014 2 then submit suggestions to Ms. Grage. Mayor Gere agreed and commended all the volunteers who had worked so hard. Ms. Grage closed with the schedule for upcoming public involvement opportunities including a workshop on MJB properties at the end of August, ongoing CAC meetings, and a City booth at the Saturday Farmers Market. Presentation on Potential Parklets Parks and Recreation Director Gary Robinson described to Council what parklets are and solicited input on the concept. He described a parklet as a public space in an urban/downtown area where parking would normally be that instead invites human interaction. He displayed examples from other jurisdictions. Mr. Robinson showed an example of where a parklet might be located wrapped around the SE corner of 5th Street and Commercial Avenue, and another example of where a mid-block parklet might be situated within a couple of parallel parking spaces. Mr. Robinson said the discussion of parklets arose out of an expressed need to create more spaces for the public to congregate downtown. He said they should be public spaces, not tied to the adjacent businesses. He suggested they be in place for one month at a time, at least initially, and that businesses would submit a permit for a parklet as is done for a street closure, with a $100 fee. He added that if parklets turned out to be popular a lottery could determine locations. Mr. Robinson said the City could pursue sponsors for the platforms and suggested that the initial design concept included a metal framework with a tile floor, metal posts and wire rails. Mr. Robinson inquired if this general description sounded reasonable to Council Mr. Johnson said he liked parklets but not taking away downtown parking. He asked if the Comp Plan addressed downtown parking. Mayor Gere said yes. Mr. Walters said the concept sounded good but he raised concerns about sightlines for drivers and suggested that wood construction would have a warmer feel than metal. Mr. Johnson asked how many parklets were envisioned. Mr. Robinson said it would depend on how successful the concept turned out to be with the public. Ms. Lovelett urged focusing more resources on beautification at the southern end of Commercial Avenue. Mayor Gere said that was also being addressed. Mr. Archibald mentioned the proposed alley park near 22nd Street as an example. Mr. Miller said the parklets may not require much in the way of City resources and mentioned sponsorship. Mr. Adams suggested getting the trial model at 5th and Commercial installed this year and said it was a great idea. Mr. Robinson advised that based on feedback from Council staff would proceed along the lines presented. Discussion about Rock Removal Project at Shannon Point Mr. Robinson referred to the April 14, 2014 presentation to Council by the NW Straits Foundation for the Shannon Point Rock Removal project. Mr. Robinson advised that additional issues had arisen that he wanted to be sure Council was aware of including 1) Eventual erosion of the shoreline could extend back to existing homes. 2)Who would be liable if that happened? 3)What about rising sea level?4)Would public beach access increase or degrade? 5)What was the substrate under the large rip rap? 6)What about 100 years of plant and wildlife re-establishment? 7)Where would the Guemes Channel Trail go if not on this beach? 8) Is more monitoring needed than what is called for by the NW Straits proposal? In light of those questions, Mr. Robinson presented some options and requested direction from Council. Options included letting the project proceed as previously approved, turning the project down completely, holding a public meeting to gather more input, hiring a technical consultant to get a second opinion about the potential impacts (cost might be as much as$6,500), meeting with the concerned parties to address the issues raised, or other options that Council might propose. Mr. Robinson said that the project had merit to increase the usefulness of the beach for wildlife and human access and said it was possible to eliminate the erosion and trail routing concerns. He recommended working with NW Straits and the concerned neighbors to ensure the project met everyone's needs. Mr. Johnson observed that at the April presentation Mr. Johannessen had advised that erosion would not affect the developed upland property and suggested that paying $6,500 for a second opinion on that topic would not be out of the question. Mr. Walters agreed that hiring a technical consultant would be the way to decide and argued against soft armoring. Mr. Miller said Council needed more information and possibly Anacortes City Council Study Session Minutes July 28, 2014 3 a different notification process for surrounding properties. Mr. Adams observed that the neighbors had expressed compelling concerns and raised liability concerns so the City needed more expert opinion but he suggested a public meeting first. 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. Ms. Pickett asked if an expert could be hired and confined to the question of whether there is a hazard to uphill neighbors, and if so, how much of the existing bed would have to stay in place to mitigate erosion concerns. Mr. Robinson suggested allowing NW Straits to develop an alternative concept that works for everyone rather than hiring a consultant to evaluate the current proposal which was effectively off the table. Mr. Archibald asked if there was a time pressure to make a decision. Mr. Robinson said no, that NW Straits was committed to getting the project right. Mr. Archibald said that that being the case, Mr. Robinson should go forward with the avenues he was working on. Mr. Walters agreed. Mr. Johnson asked if the homeowners' association president could be invited to express an opinion. Mayor Gere agreed. Barbara Ballentine, 2402 Washington Court, president of the Sunset Cove Homeowners'Association, reported that the group had met with NW Straits Foundation representatives earlier in the evening and the consensus was that they were very cooperative. Ms. Ballentine indicated that the HOA agreed to continue discussions among the parties to get the project done in a mutually acceptable manner and said they were all for the habitat restoration but were concerned about their own habitats. A representative from NW Straits Foundation thanked the HOA for meeting with them and moving forward. Mayor Gere inquired if anyone else in the audience wished to address Council. Walt Guterbock, 2005 29th Place, a member of the Community Advisory Council, addressed Ms. Grage's presentation of the Comprehensive Plan Vision Statement. He said regarding "maritime"vs. "waterfront", maritime trades are one of Anacortes' strong points so that's why they wanted that word included. Tom Glade, 210 Mansfield Court, spoke regarding the rock removal project. He urged Council to find out what the berm really consists of, whether it is big rocks on top of little rocks or what. He suggested a consultant do a cut through the area to determine the composition of that area. There being no further business, at approximately 9:15 p.m. the regularly scheduled Anacortes City Council study session of July 28, 2014 adjourned. Anacortes City Council Study Session Minutes July 28, 2014 4