Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout09 September NewsletterI want to thank everyone who took the time to participate in our recent communication survey. Our consultants are currently analyzing the survey results and Council will be considering their proposed options for a new communication plan this fall. We are all looking forward to learning how we can consistently reach more people, especially since we continue to hear that residents are unaware of City policy and project developments. As your elected representatives, we rely on hearing from you when you have insights that would help us make more informed decisions on issues under consideration. Of course, the sooner we hear from you on a given topic, the greater the likelihood we can incorporate your thoughts in our deliberations. Our options for coming to you to directly solicit your input are limited by the requirements by the rules of Open Public Meetings and Public Records. We conduct Town Hall style meetings for large policy or project decisions that warrant the staff time and cost that such meetings require. Otherwise, council interactions need to be conducted within City Hall, either in person or through written or electronic means that can be captured and viewed upon request. It will be a while before we can start using any new communication channels, so here is a summary of the various ways you can stay informed and become involved with City Council activity. Online Follow City Council activity: click on http://cityofpt.us/video.html. There you will find information on both upcoming and past meetings. Each meeting has a posted agenda, and each item on the agenda has an Agenda Bill that contains all the related materials. Past meetings can be searched by topic and can be viewed by video streaming. For upcoming meetings, you have the option of providing electronic comments if you cannot attend in person. Simply click on eComment for the specific agenda item and follow the resulting instructions. The eComment period opens at 3 p.m. on the Thursday before the City Council business meeting and closes at 3 p.m. the day of the meeting. Your comments will be seen by council members in time for consideration and will become part of the official meeting record. Provide ideas or suggestions: Click on the SpeakUP Port Townsend button at www.cityofpt.us Media Outlets A weekly listing of all upcoming City meetings, including council committees and citizen advisory boards, is shared with The Leader (our paper of record), The PDN and KPTZ 91.9. Correspondence You can reach all council members by emailing citycouncil@cityofpt.us or individually at our city email addresses. You can find those and our phone numbers by clicking on the City Council button on cityofpt.us or by calling 360-379-5047. Good old U.S. Mail reaches us as well at City of Port Townsend, 250 Madison Street, Suite 2, Port Townsend, WA 98368. I look forward to sharing the new communication plan with you as soon as possible. You can watch its progress as it comes forward on future agendas. In the meantime, we look forward to hearing from you through these current channels. NewsletterNewsletter September 2017 A Note from the Mayor: 360.379.5047 • citycouncil@cityofpt.us • www.cityofpt.us SEPT • Page 2 Citizen Advisory Board Recruitment The following committees currently have vacancies or members whose terms may expire soon. Appointments are for three years. Arts Commission Civil Service Commission Library Advisory Board Lodging Tax Advisory Committee 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. Did you know that both residential and commercial properties in the City of Port Townsend are required to have garbage service through the City’s solid waste contractor, DM Disposal? Garbage service is so necessary for the preservation of public health that the City has regulated disposal of garbage since its incorporation. Ordinance No. 14, adopted April 20, 1878, imposed a fine of between five and twenty dollars for improper disposal of “birds, fish, bones, or any description of carrion or garbage.” Requiring garbage service of all developed properties does two things: by providing for a systematic method of disposing of garbage, it protects public health by reducing the risk of vermin and disease; and, it keeps costs for everyone down by providing a predictable revenue stream both for the contractor and for the County’s waste transfer utility. You may read more about the City’s requirements in PTMC 6.04.040(A) online: http://www.codepublishing.com/WA/PortTownsend/ If you don’t have active garbage service for your property, you may establish service by contacting DM Disposal at: (360) 385-6612. Dumping trash in commercial bin or putting your trash in another home’s bin or in a dumpster owned by a business, without the owner’s permission is illegal – if you are caught you could be fined. Trash Pick-up Mandatory Service The City has started the adoption process for the City’s new Stormwater Management Plan and we would like you to be a part of the process. The City plans to have a public open house in the month of September 2017 to receive comments from the public on stormwater problems areas and stormwater in general. The specific date of the public meeting has not yet been set, so one way to stay in the loop is the City’s Capital Projects webpage. Please visit the following website http://www.cityofpt.us/dsd/capitalprojects.html and click on Stormwater Management Plan. Once a date is selected there will be more information posted about the meeting, but the website will have the most current information about the Stormwater Management Plan and the process for adopting it. The Stormwater Management Plan is a functional plan which addresses existing stormwater system conditions; the operation and maintenance of existing facilities and capacity for adding new facilities; identifying capital project needs; and how to finance capital and operational costs. Stormwater management is about drainage and flooding, as well as water quality. MAKE A DIFFERENCE! Stormwater Management Plan I want to thank everyone who took the time to participate in our recent communication survey. Our consultants are currently analyzing the survey results and Council will be considering their proposed options for a new communication plan this fall. We are all looking forward to learning how we can consistently reach more people, especially since we continue to hear that residents are unaware of City policy and project developments.As your elected representatives, we rely on hearing from you when you have insights that would help us make more informed decisions on issues under consideration. Of course, the sooner we hear from you on a given topic, the greater the likelihood we can incorporate your thoughts in our deliberations.Our options for coming to you to directly solicit your input are limited by the requirements by the rules of Open Public Meetings and Public Records. We conduct Town Hall style meetings for large policy or project decisions that warrant the staff time and cost that such meetings require. Otherwise, council interactions need to be conducted within City Hall, either in person or through written or electronic means that can be captured and viewed upon request. It will be a while before we can start using any new communication channels, so here is a summary of the various ways you can stay informed and become involved with City Council activity. Online Follow City Council activity: click on http://cityofpt.us/video.html. There you will find information on both upcoming and past meetings. Each meeting has a posted agenda, and each item on the agenda has an Agenda Bill that contains all the related materials. Past meetings can be searched by topic and can be viewed by video streaming.For upcoming meetings, you have the option of providing electronic comments if you cannot attend in person. Simply click on eComment for the specific agenda item and follow the resulting instructions. The eComment period opens at 3 p.m. on the Thursday before the City Council business meeting and closes at 3 p.m. the day of the meeting. Your comments will be seen by council members in time for consideration and will become part of the official meeting record.Provide ideas or suggestions: Click on the SpeakUP Port Townsend button at www.cityofpt.usMedia OutletsA weekly listing of all upcoming City meetings, including council committees and citizen advisory boards, is shared with The Leader (our paper of record), The PDN and KPTZ 91.9. CorrespondenceYou can reach all council members by emailing citycouncil@cityofpt.us or individually at our city email addresses. You can find those and our phone numbers by clicking on the City Council button on cityofpt.us or by calling 360-379-5047. Good old U.S. Mail reaches us as well at City of Port Townsend, 250 Madison Street, Suite 2, Port Townsend, WA 98368. I look forward to sharing the new communication plan with you as soon as possible. You can watch its progress as it comes forward on future agendas. In the meantime, we look forward to hearing from you through these current channels. Port Townsend Library Aug • Page 3 360-385-POOL(7665) • www.cityofpt.us/pool • 1925 Blaine St 360.379.5047 • citycouncil@cityofpt.us • www.cityofpt.us For more information about any of these events visit www.ptmainstreet.org SEPT • Page 3 Thanks to a $1500 donation from the Port of Port Townsend, the JeCo Aquatic Coalition has raised nearly $5,000 toward swim lesson scholarships at Mountain View Pool. Check out the MVP website at: http://www.cityofpt.us/pool/ or visit the pool at 1925 Blaine Street for scholarship applications, lesson schedules, and more information. Every child should learn to swim, so MVP oers swim lessons every month, Monday and Wednesday evenings, throughout the school year. The Port Townsend Main Street “LENT” (Light at the End of the Tunnel) Microloan application deadline is Monday October 2, 2017. The LENT Fund is a tool to offset some of the financial impacts businesses in the commercial historic districts endure from emergency situations, though business development proposals will be considered. Examples: Equipment failure, water/fire damage, construction impacts, theft recovery, moving expenses (within the Port Townsend historic districts). Business growth projects also considered but only in deference to emergency projects. The Port Townsend Main Street Program Mission: To preserve, promote and enhance our historic business districts. Save the Date: “Girls’ Night Out” Thursday, Oct. 5th, 2017 from 11 am – 8 pm Come to Port Townsend for a day and night of female camaraderie and shopping fun at Port Townsend Main Street’s Girls’ Night Out! This year’s theme is YOU SPARKLE at GIRLS’ NIGHT OUT! –Wear sparkles! Goodie Bags will be available to purchase at The Cotton Building, 607 Water Street, the day of the event. Proceeds benefit Jefferson Healthcare Foundation to help provide breast and cervical cancer screenings, care and treatment for low income Jefferson County residents and the Port Townsend Main Street Program, a 501c3 nonprofit. September 13th MERCHANT COFFEE TALK: Major Projects in Port Townsend. Join The Port Townsend Main Street Program for informative quarterly merchant coffee talks at the Cotton Building, 607 Water Street. Meetings start at 8:30 am and end at 9:45 am. Come mingle with fellow merchants and hear about a topic of interest to your business. $5 for Main Street Members / $7 Non-members. Please RSVP to admin@ptmainstreet.org or call 385-7911. Rock Painting at PT Farmers Market PT Community Center Lawn Saturday, Sep. 30, 10:00-1:00 Join PT Library Youth Services staff from 10:00 to 1:00 at the Farmers Market on September 30 and paint a rock! Find out about the rock painting craze, paint some rocks, and leave them around the community for others to find! Teen Movie Night Port Townsend Public Library - Carnegie Reading Room Friday, Sep. 8, 7:00pm-9:00pm Teens enjoy blockbuster movies and gourmet popcorn. 360.379.5047 • citycouncil@cityofpt.us • www.cityofpt.us SEPT • Page 4 Howard Street ExtensionSeton Construction, Inc. has been working on construction of the roundabout on Discovery Road, pouring of the sidewalks, and installation of the irrigation and rain gardens. Capital Projects Updates NEw Public Works Director We are happy to announce that Greg Lanning, the current Public Works Director for Grand Junction, Colorado, will be our new Public Works Director. Greg brings 14+ years of leadership experience. As Grand Junction’s public works director, he managed the department’s operations and more than 130 employees. Greg earned an MSCE in Civil Engineering from Colorado State University and an MBA from the University of Wyoming. We believe his extensive public works experience and desire to serve the Port Townsend community make him a great fit for our team. We look forward to Greg joining our team. We were excited and grateful to have the participation and input of our residents during our hiring process. We had 35 applicants apply for this position, and the top 5 candidates participated in a series of interviews with management, staff and council. Members of the public then had an opportunity to meet the finalists at a “Meet the Candidates” event that was well attended. We are happy to announce other positive changes in our Public Works Department: • Ken Clow Public Works Director, will transition to the role of Special Assistant to the City Manager and will remain on staff until his planned retirement at year’s end. Ken has been with the City for 17 years and his dedication to the City and his wealth of knowledge will be missed. • Dave Peterson, City Engineer, will be promoted to Deputy Public Works Director/City Engineer; In addition to his current duties, he will help the new Public Works Director manage the department. • Samantha Trone, Assistant City Engineer will assume new responsibilities in her role as Assistant City Engineer. She will supervise staff and oversee development review. • Laura Parsons joined the City, assuming the new position of Civil Engineer III in July. “I want to thank City of Port Townsend for a very respectful and thorough interview process. As a result, I know we share common core values and that will allow me to be very effective as your next director of public works,” - Greg Lanning