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HomeMy WebLinkAboutJune 2014From Mayor David King June 2014 Again With the Bicycles! It’s as bad as it looks but no worse. On March 26th a northbound car cut me off by turning left into the parking lot at the Kah Tai Care Center as I was bicycling to work down Kearney Street. I hit the brakes hard and went over the handlebars as opposed to hitting the car and going over that. I fell in a heap a couple of feet shy of the horrified driver's right side - landing largely on my head. I can still hear the egg-cracking sound of my helmet hitting the pavement. He hadn't seen me coming. I called Alice who rushed over and took me to the emergency room. A CT scan showed that I did not have a con- cussion and had not broken any bones but by that night my left eye was swollen shut. I filed a police report and the driver was cited for failing to yield. Did right: Helmet, helmet, helmet, and helmet. It has been retired honorably with bloodstains. Do Better: I was not visible enough. I was on my way to work and all in gray. And I was riding outside the fog line on the shoulder - there's not much of a bike lane there on Kearney. As there was no one else on my side of the street I should have been out in the lane to be more visible to oncoming drivers. My new helmet is bright yellow and I'm now wearing a matching yellow vest with reflecting stripes. Under the circumstances I’m OK with the dorky look. Did I mention that I was wearing a helmet? Three Year Strategic Plan In April Council adopted the three-year strategic plan that I mentioned in the March newsletter. We have put a link to it on the home page of the City’s website and it’s available at City Hall in hard copy. The plan is on a single page to keep it simple and accessible. It is intended to help Council manage priorities while we go through the Comprehensive Plan update process and further to communicate those priorities to the community. It doesn’t include all we will work on in the next three years but it will remind us of what we have to complete during the period and of our limitations – money and staff time – to protect us from overcommitting. It’s a “living” document and will almost certainly change in the future – given we never know what we don’t yet know. Much of it will be familiar: Sustainable Future for Public Services and Facilities Financially, we must envision a new future for the City Library within the constraints of budget and space, and for parks and recreation given the inconclusive results of our collaboration with the County. At the end of April Council adopted a plan for Mountain View Commons that will leverage $800K of grant funding in order to pay for the urgent repairs to the roofs and HVAC systems from existing revenue. Estimated cost for the- se repairs is $2.6 million. A significant portion of the balance of $1.8 million is funded from savings in energy costs resulting from upgrading the HVAC system. Accompanying this is a proposed limited-term lease agreement with the School District for 15 years, with provisions for extending it another 15. This will allow us to stabilize the cost of managing the facility so that the community non-profit service organizations and our City Police can continue to operate there. It will also allow continued operation of the pool though it does not ensure against some unexpected failure too expensive to repair with operational funds. The estimated total cost of the repairs to Mountain View is $5.5 million and the City will need a partner or additional public funding in some combination to take on the differ- ence. It’s Council’s hope that the City securing the near-term future of Mountain View will encourage individuals and organizations to confidently investigate the possibilities of this location and partnering with the City for the long -term. The most costly work ahead will be on our water system. At this time last year we’d decided on ultraviolet light for the federally required secondary treatment of our water to protect against Cryptosporidium and Council had ap- proved a schedule of utility rates that would have been adequate for those costs. Because of State Department of Health concerns about the resources available to monitor and control the impacts on our watershed, and the cost of addressing those concerns, we’re installing a more costly filtration system. In April Council adopted an agreed “Notice of Correction” with the DOH that stipulates how the watershed is to be managed while we install filtration. We’re trying to secure funds to help pay for the additional cost. We’ve applied for a combination of loans and grants from the State and the US Department of Agriculture totaling more than $12 million and if we’re successful with a fair percentage of those applications we should be able to hold to our adopted rate schedule. Strong Education Community Culture We commit to a strong supporting role in the exciting educational and cultural developments that are underway in our community; the PDA at Fort Worden, the Port Townsend School District on library services and the Maritime Discovery Program, and the Northwest Maritime Center’s development of their professional training facility. Improved Infrastructure We’ll be connecting Howard Street to Discovery Road sometime in 2015, a project we’ve been working on for years. Funding for this project is largely from state transportation grants. This will improve access in and out of the business park north of Sims Way and create new opportunities for business development along Howard (there is already inter- est.) Information about this is in the City’s Transportation Functional Plan, which is available (along with a wealth of other information on transportation subjects) on the City Plans page of the City’s website. Look for it in the “What can we help you find?” dropdown menu on the home page. Healthy City Organization We’ll have to deal with the structure of our City administration because of pending retirements. We have been revising City financial and travel policies to document and codify some changes to those policies in preparation for new staff coming on. We have been increasing staffing levels strategically as revenues rebuild but as local businesses will attest the recovery is more anemic than robust and City staffing levels are still far from what they were prior to the recession. A consequence of reduced staffing levels has been less staff support for advisory boards and committees and public outreach generally. Technology can provide cost-effective options and the City has added a Citizen Participation Suite to the Granicus software that we use to record and display City Council and other public meetings. The new module can gather communication from citizens, not just make information available to you – for instance by providing a link for public comment right on the online agenda so that citizens can provide input to Council without physically attending. Look for more on that. Comprehensive Plan At our meeting on May 4 Council approved a Public Participation Plan to help guide community involvement in the update of our Comprehensive Plan. While it is not intended to be limiting or restrictive the plan recognizes limitations in staffing that will dictate how much we can take on. Staff is planning to develop a preliminary work plan and schedule later this summer and we expect there will be revisions to the Participation Plan as the process evolves. As required by statute the City’s Comp Plan is primarily a land-use document. But it touches on many aspects of the community’s vision for the future because it requires us to be explicit about our values and aspirations in order to justify land use decisions within the City. Twenty years ago the comprehensive plan process was dominated by the conflicting values of managed growth and private property rights and we were bound up by that conflict for years. Those tensions continue and remain one of many issues we can either choose to be polarized about or try to deal with as best we can. I hope we can avoid the pitfall of focusing on what we don’t want and concentrate on what we do. An affirmative vision our community as durable and effective – and fitting - as the one we’ve developed for marine trades and a working wa- terfront might coalesce around the Port Townsend School District’s STEAM variation of STEM education: Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math. Look Forward Clearly However we go there is work ahead. Political arguments often focus on what is bad about opponents’ positions. Politi- cal solutions require establishing workable compromises where two positive values collide – like public access and free speech as described by City Attorney John Watts elsewhere in this newsletter. But moderation requires that the facts are complete and fairly presented in order to know where the center is. “Facts” are abundant today – the world window that is my iPad gives me instant access to information undreamed of in 1996. But in the presence of overload we gravi- tate to familiar “truths” that are assembled by others. Beware of “Confirmation bias” – our tendency to favor infor- mation that confirms our beliefs or hypotheses. Though exhibited by some national politicians and news organizations to the point of caricature, it’s common to all of us and as natural as sweat. Comprehensive planning won't capture everything. It’s a chapter in our story, not the entire tale. But it is my hope that at a minimum it captures and codifies our determination to work together because I think our challenges are only going to get more complex and potentially more divisive. To work through them the skill of addressing issues effectively and without rancor will have to become habitual and welcome, despite the bruises and bumps encountered along the way - like riding a bike. June 2014 Free Speech Sidewalk Rules - John Watts, City Attorney The City Council adopted free speech sidewalk rules in Ordinance 3091 on March 3, 2014. The Ordinance (and Chapter 9.46 PTMC where the Ordinance is codified) is available on the City website. This article provides information on the limited reach of the rules and some background. The rules limit to 4‟ wide by 6‟ long by 5‟ high the amount of sidewalk space one person can occupy with objects or displays while engaged in First Amendment activity. (Seattle Center rules limit a free speech area to 3‟ by 3‟.) The rules apply “per person,” meaning two or more members of a group each can use a separate 4‟ by 6‟ space. No permit is required for the activity. Permits can be requested for use of larger areas. Within the 4‟ by 6‟ space, a person can put up tables and as many signs up to 30” by 48” as possible. This allows a person at least 60 square feet of signage (for example, two tables and six signs). This is more than the 40 square feet of signage a business with 40‟ of frontage is allowed. To maintain safe access and public enjoyment of the public space the rules also provide some limitations on where objects and displays can be placed. Structures can’t be placed within the crosswalk area (to allow pedestrians to safely enter or leave the sidewalk when crossing a street), next to parking areas (to allow ingress and egress to cars), within fire lanes, within the middle part of a sidewalk, within 20 feet of public art, and within 10 feet of the stairs to Pope Marine or the entrance to Pope Marine Building, City Dock and the Wave Viewing Gallery (to allow enjoyment of public art and unobstructed access to public facilities). These limits apply only to structures like tables and free-standing signs placed on the sidewalk. The rules do not prohibit anyone from handing out leaflets, gathering signatures for a petition, demonstrating, or carrying a sign in any of these areas – with one exception. The rules prohibit leafleting or someone carrying a sign within 20 feet of public art - to allow members of the general public to be able to enjoy the art. The Mayor supports removal of this prohibition as too restrictive. He also supports reducing the “no structures within 20 feet of public art” to 10 feet. Council has agreed to consider these changes at an upcoming meeting. Free speech rights are not absolute and communities may balance them with limits as to where and to what extent free speech may occur in public spaces so long as those limits are “reasonable time, place and manner restrictions.” Council‟s limits meet this test. As reported in the Leader and the PDN, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) declined to assist the individual with tables and signs at Pope Marine Park in his effort to resist the rules. Have Questions about the new Drinking Water Treatment Facility? A new list of Frequently Asked questions (FAQs) is available at the City‟s website. City staff generated the list based on what we‟re hearing from community members. Here‟s a sampling... Q: Why does our drinking water source require more treatment than other water sources, like wells? Q: Why did the City decide to switch from UV to membrane filtration for drinking water treatment? Q: What‟s the difference between UV radiation and membrane filtration treatment? Want Answers? Visit our “Current Projects” or “Water” pages on the City‟s website at www.cityofpt.us. Look for Drinking Water Treatment Facility FAQs. YMCA Summer Meals and Ac- tivity Program. From June 16 through August 22 the Jefferson County YMCA will provide 10,000 meals and snacks to over 300 children countywide through the free Summer Meals and Activity Program. Your financial support or volunteer participation strengthens the existing programs in Chimacum and Port Townsend and will increase Quilcene's program. For locations and site hours visit www.jeffymca.org/summer-meals. WIC Openings and Farmer's Market WIC has openings and is looking for those who qualify. WIC serves those 5 and under, breastfeeding, postpar- tum and pregnant woman. WIC is a supplemental nutrition pro- gram that provides monthly checks for fresh fruits and vegetables, milk, cheese, eggs, cere- al, whole grains, and peanut butter. In June, checks that can be used at Farmer's Market will be available. Up to $40 will be issued for each person who is eligible! Call 385-9400. A Sampling of June Community Events - Come Join the Fun! June 6-8 June 23 Brass Screw Confederacy Steampunk Hootenanny Main Street‟s Summer Solstice Pub Crawl June 12 June 29-July 6 Main Street „s 24th Annual Taste of Port Townsend Centrum‟s Festival of American Fiddle Tunes June 20 Main Street‟s Solstice Shop Stroll Visit PTMainstreet.org, Enjoypt.com or PTguide.com for a complete list. Friends of the Port Townsend Library Used Book Sale Sat., June 14 9am - 3pm (8am for Members of the Friends) Held at the Community Center Uptown PT PROTECT YOUR CHILD’S SMILE: Schedule A Dental Exam The Washington Dental Service Foundation (WDSF) Smile Mobile is a fully equipped mobile dental clinic and it‟s coming to: Jefferson County Public Health 615 Sheridan Street June 23 - 27, 2014 For appointments or info. call 1.888.286.9105. Appointments should be scheduled by June 13. The Smile Mobile provides dental care to children (0-18yrs) with limited family income. YOU, your family, and neighbors are all invited to the ALL COUNTY PICNIC: A Gathering of Neighborhoods Sunday, August 17, 11am – 4pm at HJ Carroll Park, Chimacum All residents of Jefferson County are invited to gather at the 2nd Annual All-County Picnic at HJ Car- roll Park in Chimacum to discover the many agencies available and options you have for disaster preparedness. This family-friendly event is presented by Local 2020 (www.L2020.org) and the Jefferson County Department of Emergency Management (www.jeffcoeoc.org). Financial sponsors include: Port Townsend Paper Co., Jefferson Healthcare, Port Townsend Rotary; The Food Co-op, State Farm, All-State, Farmer's and Wilson Insurance companies. Thanks also to the City of Port Townsend and Jefferson County Parks and Recreation. To request information about having a booth for your non-profit or business, as it is related to disaster preparedness, please contact Judy Alexander at: lightenup@olympus.net. LIBRARY MOVING HOME THIS SUMMER The Library will move back to the Carnegie facilities this summer. We expect to complete the move in mid-July with an early August Grand Re-Opening. We will be closed for several weeks while we move. Check the library website--ptpubliclibrary.org-- for updates on the move and summer program schedules.