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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2011-04-11 City Council Minutes Approved GSSY Off'. City Council Study Session Minutes—April 11, 2011 At 7:30 p.m. Mayor Maxell called the regularly scheduled Anacortes City Council study session of April 11, 2011 to order. Eric Johnson, Nick Petrish, Erica Pickett, Bill Turner, and Cynthia Richardson were present. Brad Adams and Brian Geer were absent. EDASC—Tourism Bureau and Tourism Promotion Area for Skagit County EDASC Executive Director Don Wick explained that the Economic Development Association of Skagit County is the fiscal agent on this project. He said the County is investing some tourism dollars to look into creating a Tourism Promotion Area (TPA) and Tourism Bureau. Mr. Wick noted that 6.5M people live within a 100 mile radius of Skagit County and the area is poised to be a prime tourist destination. He said the local chambers of commerce have a long history of promoting tourism in the region and are strong advocates for creating a Tourism Board and TPA. Mr. Wick introduced Stephanie Hamilton, Executive Director of the Anacortes Chamber of Commerce. Ms. Hamilton said the Anacortes Chamber is very excited about the possibility of forming a Skagit Tourism Bureau. She said the Skagit County Chamber Executive Directors Association (SCCEDA) has been performing this function with very little funding but that is not its primary mission. Ms. Hamilton said regional hoteliers realize that to compete in the marketplace they need a county-wide tourism bureau. Many Anacortes hoteliers participated in the marketing plan and budget. She said that because of its recreational amenities Anacortes will benefit from guests who stay at any lodging in the county. She described the Skagit Tourism Bureau as an extended arm of the Chamber's current tourism promotion efforts using the City's 2% hotel/motel tax. She stressed that the Chamber will work closely with the Tourism Bureau to be sure the Anacortes message is promoted. She emphasized that the TPA fee is assessed to visitors based on night stays and nothing is paid by businesses or the City. For comparison, she said the Anacortes Chamber spends $30K per year on tourism promotion whereas neighboring counties spend hundreds of thousands of dollars per year. She added that funding for tourism promotion has been cancelled at the State level as of July 1. She concluded that the Anacortes Chamber staff and Board are strongly in favor of the proposal and she urged councilmembers to support the project. Ms. Hamilton introduced Terica Taylor, formerly of EDASC, who has been contracted set up the TPA after her past successful experience doing the same thing east of the mountains. Ms. Taylor then explained the technicalities of the proposal referring to a binder of materials that had been provided to each councilmember. She said Anacortes and other participating cities would have to enter into an interlocal agreement with Skagit County to manage the TPA. She urged councilmembers to review the materials in the binder with the City's legal team in preparation for a vote on the issue at a future regular City Council meeting. Ms. Taylor provided an overview of enabling legislation and reviewed positive results at other locations in the state that have created TPA's such as Spokane and Tri-Cities. She said TPA funds are managed by hotel owners and managers. Hotels with 40 rooms or more would collect a$2 fee per room night; hotels with fewer than 40 rooms would not have to collect and pay the fee. She added that Anacortes has three hotels with 40 rooms or more. She said the vote to form a TPA is taken among the hoteliers who will collect 60% or more of the fee. She said she has been meeting with hoteliers for 6-8 months and is now confident they are ready to take the vote but first they need to know which cities will participate. Ms. Taylor then summarized the goals of the proposed Tourism Bureau including marketing to larger events and sporting tournaments, pitching stories to media about local festivals, and inviting meetings and conventions to locate in the region. Mr. Turner asked what"sports tourism" means. Ms. Taylor mentioned youth sports tournaments. Mr. Wick pointed out that the County is in a better position for sports tournaments than Seattle. Ms. Taylor emphasized that organizers will work with local organizers to increase business rather than compete with existing projects; the goal is to generate new business. Ms. Taylor then discussed how TPA funding flows. She said once a TPA is formed there will also be a non-profit Tourism Bureau with its own board of directors which will be contracted to manage the TPA Anacortes City Council Study Session Minutes April 11, 2011 1 funds. The County Commissioners serve as the pass-through collector of the fees and approve the annual budget. The Board of Hoteliers is the decision maker for expenditures. Communities with one or fewer hotels with 40 or more rooms get one vote on the Board and all other communities get 2 votes. In addition, each community appoints a non-voting ex officio member. Ms. Taylor explained the provision in the draft interlocal agreement for disbanding the TPA if the hoteliers choose to do that in the future. Mr. Turner asked if the proposal is modeled after other locations. Ms. Taylor said yes, it is modeled after the Yakima TPA. She noted that the TPA fee is not collected on government or long-term stays. It is collected by the hotels, sent to the Department of Revenue, then comes back to the TPA. Mr. Turner asked who makes the budget and whether the County commissioners will take a fee. Ms. Taylor said the Tourism Bureau writes its own checks and drafts the budget, hoteliers vote on and approve the budget. The County Commissioners then approve or reject the budget but don't have a line item veto. She said Skagit County has said it won't charge an administration fee and that will be written into the interlocal agreement although some communities do charge a fee. She noted that the County has committed $60K to help form the Tourism Bureau and recognizes its value. Mrs. Richardson asked how the new marketing program will coordinate with the 2% money the Chamber spends to promote Anacortes. Ms. Taylor responded that the Tourism Bureau's job is to bring visitors into the region and each Chamber and hotel can and will continue to market themselves. She said city-based visitor programs will continue to be important. She also noted that the Chambers of Commerce will each have a seat on the Tourism Board. Mrs. Richardson asked how other TPA communities know that their increased stay nights are due to the TPA. Ms. Taylor explained the calculations. Mr. Turner requested statistics for similar cities that have not formed a TPA, for comparison. Ms. Taylor said she would provide those in the next few weeks. Mayor Maxwell asked what the next steps are in the process. Ms. Taylor asked councilmembers and their legal team to review the proposed interlocal agreement and send any desired changes to Skagit County. She added they will probably bring the agreement back for a City Council vote in the next month. Library Centennial Presentation Library Director Cynthia Harrison introduced Children's Librarian Doug Woods who assisted her in presenting a slide show and narration summarizing the history of the library which celebrated its centennial in March. She said the roots of the library date back to 1889 when there was a reading room at 2nd Street and Q Avenue. Annie Curtis Bowman chaired the Library Board and was the first librarian. In 1901 an ordinance established the library. In 1908 the City voted to pursue a Carnegie Library grant. In 1910 the required matching funds were raised. Luella Howard was hired as librarian and served until 1940. March 1911 was the grand opening. The library's assembly room became a social and musical center. The children's library was moved to the basement and has been popular ever since. In 1917 during WWI the library sent books to soldiers at the front and closed temporarily during the flu epidemic. In 1946 Ruth Brinkley was hired as library director and she commuted to the University of Washington every week to finish her librarianship degree. Ms. Harrison mentioned that like others in their era both Howard and Brinkley censored books. In 1967 the library moved into the old hospital building where, after a$67K remodel, everything was on one level. In 1969 the Friends of the Library was formed and supported the later construction of the children's wing. In 1972 Doug Everhart was hired as library director and then in 2006 Ms. Harrison joined the library as its director. Ms. Harrison described how changing technology has changed library operations over the years. She recalled that computers arrived in 1982. The coin-operated computer cost$.50 for 15 minutes. In 1989 the library automated the card catalog which was a huge advance. In 1991 the library bar coded the collection and automated the checkout system. By 1994 the library catalog was available over the internet and the following year the library received a grant to establish internet access in the building. In 1997 the Library 2020 Committee recommended a new library building. In 1998 the Library Foundation was formed and raised $1.2M of donations to supplement city funding for the new building. The Foundation continues to raise funds for an endowment to fund library operations into the future. In 2000 voters approved a$6M bond for constructing the new library on the old library site. In 2001 construction began and the library operated out of the basement of City Hall for 18 months while the new building was built. The new library opened in 2003. In 2005 the library received a$650K bequest from the Manieri family to develop the jazz and swing collection. As a result, over 1600 CDs have been selected and added to the collection as well Anacortes City Council Study Session Minutes April 11, 2011 2 as performances, scholarships and an instrument drive. Ms. Harrison said the library continues to be a community center just as it was 100 years ago. Nearly 500 people per day visit the library and still more use the meeting rooms daily. She said internet is now a huge component of the information services the library provides. In addition, the library has recently upgraded its automated checkout system. Ms. Harrison then summarized her December 13, 2010 presentation about the evolving library, explaining how the library fulfills the needs of the community for education, economic health and personal enjoyment in the 21st century. She said the library's website provides the most up to date information on current offerings at the library. She said the dedicated staff and volunteers will continue to evolve to serve the community as cost effectively as possible and closed by noting that the library continues to serve as a community center and meet the needs of all members of the diverse community. Mr. Turner noted that the library accepts magazine donations. Ms. Harrison said the library fills in any gaps in its collection with donated magazines and the rest are offered to the public in the free rack. She said donated books are reviewed for quality and are added to the collection if appropriate or donated to the Friends Shop for sale to support the library. She said the library does not need National Geographic magazines or legal, medical or text books that are over three years old. Mr. Johnson remarked that the Grant Station program at the library is a wonderful asset for non-profit organizations. Mayor Maxwell thanked Ms. Harrison and the library staff for serving the community so well. Mrs. Richardson remarked that parents of young children continually praise the wonderful children's programs. Guemes Channel Trail Presentation Parks Director Gary Robinson and GIS Coordinator Rob Hoxie provided an overview of the potential route of the Guemes Channel Trail from the existing Tommy Thompson Trail terminus at 11th Street and Q Avenue west to Washington Park. Mr. Robinson noted that a 2100-foot paved section of the trail has been completed from Edwards Way east towards town and it is already very popular. He said that the next phase will possibly continue from the east end of that segment to approximately Lovric's Marina. He noted that engineering, construction and funding would need to be resolved to allow that to happen. Mr. Robinson reported that the Anacortes Parks Foundation is actively assisting that effort with fundraising, public awareness and deed research. Mr. Robinson said one specific section of the trail that can be worked on soon at relatively low cost is the connection from 6th Street to the existing Tommy Thompson Trail terminus at 11 th Street. The proposed route would wrap north along Q Avenue to 4th Street, west to N Avenue, then back south to 6th Street to route users past attractive waypoints such as the Depot/Farmer's Market, the Port's improvements near the Transit Shed, and N Avenue Park. Mr. Turner endorsed that route. Mr. Petrish asked if the trail will connect to N Avenue Park and the Port's park at Railroad Avenue. Mr. Robinson said signage will link the trail to those destinations that are just off the route. The plan is to build a 10'-12' wide paved route the entire way. Mr. Turner asked if the railroad right of way is privately owned in some places. Mr. Robinson said a very detailed analysis is being performed. He noted that the trail construction may actually assist adjoining property owners to preserve their high bank waterfront from erosion. Mr. Robinson described the downtown section in detail and showed photographs of each segment, addressed landscaping and potential parking reconfiguration, and noted access to the new public restroom at 4th Street. Mr. Turner endorsed the proposed route because it has minimal traffic. He remarked that cyclists using the trail include tourists who support the local economy. Mr. Robinson said the whole city is working together on the trail effort and all new projects for sidewalks and streets are being planned and built with this vision in mind. Mr. Petrish asked how the trail will connect to the Port's waterfront esplanade. Mr. Robinson said the different routes have different uses and paces but will all connect to one another. There being no further business, at approximately 8:50 p.m. Mayor Maxwell adjourned the regularly scheduled Anacortes City Council study session of April 11, 2011. Anacortes City Council Study Session Minutes April 11, 2011 3