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Home My WebLink About12 - December NewsletterNewsletterNewsletter December 2016 A Note from the Mayor... Deborah StinsonMayor MAKE A DIFFERENCE! Citizen Advisory Board Recruitment The following committees have either vacancies or members with terms expiring on December 31, 2016. Appoint- ments are for three years. Arts Commission Library Advisory Board Non-Motorized Transportation Advisory Board Park Recreation and Tree Advisory Board Planning Commission Civil Service Commission Applications are available in the City Clerk’s Office on the second floor of City Hall, 250 Madison Street, Port Townsend, WA. Call 379-5083 with questions and to request an application form or download from www.cityofpt.us (Boards & Commissions). City residency or employment within the City is a requirement for most positions. It is hard for me to believe that it is already time to write the final newsletter of 2016. All in all, 2016 has been a positive year for the City of Port Townsend. I am pleased to report that this trend continues within the City as we prepare to close the books on the year and prepare for 2017. Several big projects are wrapping up with the end of the year. We will soon be celebrating another grand opening when we bring our new Water Treatment Plant and Reservoir online. This achievement is a nice cap to the opening of the Jefferson Healthcare’s new facility and the Building 202 project on the Fort Worden campus. And the work on the Howard Street extension is on track to provide shovel-ready commercial property early in 2017. All this construction activity is a very visible indicator of a local economy that is finally starting to recover from the Great Recession. This activity also generated a significant increase in the sales tax revenues that flowed into our City coffers. While the City is beginning to benefit from improving economic climate in general, these construction -related revenues provide us an influx to fund some one-time needs that have gone wanting under the tight budgets of the recession years. For instance, we can now fund an Affordable Housing Study, SMARTGov permitting and code compliance software, seasonal mainte- nance workers, downtown parking study, police equipment and vehicles, heavy equipment for Streets and Parks, and designs for Visitor Information Center improvements, a pedestrian walkway on upper Sims Way, the Water Street Overlay project and the 7th Street spur in the Howard Street Expansion area. Whew! All this investment leaves us well positioned to both encourage and respond to continued economic improvements in 2017 while continu- ing to make progress in year two of our Three-Year Strategic Plan. You can read that plan at www.cityofpt.us/dsd/cityplans.html. If you would like to help us work on these goals in the coming year, I encourage you to consider applying for one of our many Advisory Boards described below. It has been an honor to serve as your Mayor during this busy year and, thanks to your support and encouragement, I am looking forward to continuing in that capacity in 2017. 360.379.5047 • citycouncil@cityofpt.us • www.cityofpt.us The Sims Way Banner is a popular way for local organizations to promote their upcoming event. One banner is displayed for one week at a time during the months of March through October. Reservations will be accepted for the Sims Way Banner on a first come first served basis on Tuesday January 3, 2017. In order to schedule the display of your banner, please utilize the scheduling procedures outlined below: • Call City of Port Townsend Administration office 379-5047 or come by the office at 250 Madison Street, Suite 2 and ask if your preferred week for display of your banner is available. • If your date is available, you will be added to the schedule as tentative for the date. • Your reservation becomes confirmed when City Administration receives your completed permit application and required fees. This must occur within 10 business days after you have been advised that your requested week is available. • If the complete permit application and required fees are not received within 10 business days, your reservation will be canceled. • If your requested date is not available, and another option is not desired, you may be added as a “backup” to the schedule in the event that the application and fees are not received from the first applicant within 10 business days. The Sims Way Banner Permit Application, and list of fees, is available on the City website by accessing: Forms/Sims Way Banner. S i m s W ay Banners Winter Safety TipsWinter Safety Tips With the winter upon us, the days are darker in the mornings, and in the early evenings, it is important that you be safe if you are walking or bicycling in the dark. Here are a few safety tips: When walking in conditions that can make it difﬁcult to see, particularly low light conditions made worse by weather, it is important to carry a ﬂashlight and/or wear something reﬂective. (There are a variety of inexpensive reﬂective back pack zipper pulls and tags on the market. Additionally, your local running shoe store and bicycle store should carry small battery-powered lights that can blink or offer a steady light. These lights typically have a clip so they can be attached to clothes or backpacks. Another tip is to make sure to walk on the appropriate side of the road. For a road that has sidewalks on both sides of the road, it is acceptable to walk on either side of the road (facing oncoming trafﬁc or your back to oncoming trafﬁc) because you are separated from the automobiles. For a road with a sidewalk only on one side, it is recommended to use the sidewalk for traveling in either direction (with trafﬁc or against trafﬁc). Again, the sidewalk helps separate you from automobiles. If no sidewalks exist on the road, it is recommended that you walk facing oncoming trafﬁc. Also, you should get as far to the side of the road as possible to provide additional space between you and oncoming cars. When bicycling, you will want to ride on the right (going in the same direction as automobile trafﬁc). 360.379.5047 • citycouncil@cityofpt.us • www.cityofpt.us At the water treatment facility, the filtration equipment has passed a functional test and is ready to go on line following final approval by the engineers and the State Department of Health. City operators and maintenance personnel continue training and hands on operation of the various pieces of equipment, such as pumps, tanks, valve operation, instruments, analyzers, programming and controls. It now appears that filtered water will be produced and put into the City’s water distribution system in late December. Outside the building, the curbs, paving, and landscaping are well underway. At the reservoir site, yard piping continues to be placed connecting the new 5 million gallon reservoir to the water system and isolating the old reservoir for demolition. Note that the paved trail along the east side of Rainier Street from Discovery Road to the intersection of Howard Street and 20th Street remains open. The trail access at Discovery road has been moved slightly to the north and signed to avoid the new roadway construc- tion on Howard Street. From 15th Street north, an orange construction fence is in place as a safety barrier to separate construction traffic from the adjacent trail. Monday, December 5, 2016 Fort Worden State Park Conference Center USO Hall 200 Battery Way Port Townsend, WA 98368 3 p.m. – 6 p.m. The Navy published a notice of availability in the Federal Register on Nov. 10, 2016 announcing the release of a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for EA-18G Growler airfield operations at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island. The Draft EIS is available for review on the project website (http://www.whidbeyeis.com). The release of the Draft EIS begins a 75-day public comment period, which will conclude January 25, 2017. This represents an extended public comment period to support public participation in this process. Solstice Crafting Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2:00-6:00 Join us on Tuesday, December 20, from 2:00 - 6:00 pm for an all ages holiday crafting event. All materials will be provided to create one-of-a kind keepsakes for yourself or to give as gifts! "Changeling" Shakespeare Reading Group Tuesday, Dec. 13, 5:00-7:00p.m. (meets the 2nd Tuesday of each month starting in December) A new reading group is forming at the Port Townsend Public Library. CHANGELING will meet monthly to read and discuss the plays of William Shakespeare. Readers will alternate roles scene by scene. The group will decide together about which plays to read, and everyone is welcome to join. The Navy will host five open-house meetings to provide members of the public the opportunity to ask questions of Navy representa- tives and submit comments on the Draft EIS analysis. Each meeting will consist of information stations staffed by Navy representatives. The local public meeting location, date and time is: Naval Air Station Whidbey Island Port Townsend LibraryPort Townsend Library December events! Library Program Break The Library will take a break from regular programs and storytimes from December 24, 2016 through January 8, 2017. Programs will resume the week of January 9th 2017. Water Treatment Facility 360.379.5047 • citycouncil@cityofpt.us • www.cityofpt.us The City of Port Townsend Water Department will be conducting its annual water system ushing through the end of December. Water distribution lines need to be ushed periodically to remove sediment and prevent water quality problems. This may cause temporary but harmless changes to the appearance of the water, which usually can be eliminated by running taps for a few minutes. If problems persist, please call 379-5001. “Look Here First!” for winter experiences—from shopping and dining to magical events, Port Townsend is the place to be during the winter. Port Townsend has gifts covered–there are thousands of great gifts available right here in our historic seaport and arts community. The public is invited to “Look Here First” for one-of-a-kind, imaginative gift ideas. When you buy locally, it gives back to Port Townsend’s local economy, which is a gift to our community. Individ- ually-owned businesses offer the personal touch and are a welcome contrast to anonymous malls or online buying. Gifts purchased from destination stores, Port Townsend restaurant gift certificates, movie passes, theatre tickets, and local artwork are examples of thoughtful gifts loved ones will cherish. For more information and a list of events, visit www.ptmainstreet.org The purpose of the building codes and regulations is to provide minimum standards to safeguard life, health, property and public welfare by regulating and controlling the design, construction, quality of materials, use, occupancy, location and maintenance of all buildings and structures within the city of Port Townsend. The City’s Building and Construction regulations can be found in Title 16 of the Port Townsend Municipal Code, available on-line at: http://www.codepublishing.com/WA/PortTownsend/ Our ordinances require a building permit for projects that involve new construction, renovation, alteration, relocation and or demolition of a building or structure. There is often a misconception that residential structures or accessory buildings do not require a permit. Most structures are subject to building code requirements, in addition, zoning setbacks, critical areas, shoreline regulations or any other site specific requirements may apply. Please call or visit Development Services to speak with a Permit Technician to determine if a building or land use permit is required for your project. We can help you identify required setbacks, locate utilities, and assess whether critical areas may be on or near the site. Working without an approved and issued building permit can result in fines, citations or increased permit fees. A stop work order can be issued on a project to cease work until the required permits are applied for and issued by Development Services. If you are hoping to start construction of a new project this coming spring or summer, now is a good time to start looking into the permit process and address any questions you may have ahead of time. Water System Flushing Code Compliance