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HomeMy WebLinkAbout04 April NewsletterNewsletterNewsletter April 2018 A Note from the Mayor: Mayor Deborah Stinson The EPA Region 10 Waters award program seeks to recognize excep�onal DWSRF projects, nominated by state DWSRF staff, that help borrowers maintain, or return to, compliance with the Safe Drinking Water Act, as well as achieve one or more elements of the WATERS award. Those elements include projects that: are well-planned, address affordability issues, are transferable to other communi�es, provide benefits for water or energy efficiency, as well as add resiliency and/or sustainability a�ributes. This award was presented to our Water Treatment Plant on March 7, 2018. Completed last year, the Water Treatment Plant uses state-of-the-art membrane filtra�on to provide as much as three million gallons of water per day to the City of Port Townsend. This project is considered efficient in that the design allows flow through the treatment process by gravity flow, elimina�ng the need and cost to pump. Depending on what we learn from the final town hall mee�ng, City Council may need to act on placing the annexa�on ques�on on the August ballot during the Special Business Mee�ngs on April 9 and 23. In that case, the materials for those mee�ngs will be posted and eComment opened by the preceding Thursday at www.cityofpt.us/video.htm. As always, we will be hearing and considering public comment as we deliberate op�ons. The town hall mee�ngs are intended to help us all be be�er informed by this �me. This ar�cle is being wri�en the day a�er our first Town Mee�ng addressing the topic of annexa�on to Fire Protec�on District 1 (d.b.a. EJFR). As announced in last month’s newsle�er, that mee�ng re-affirmed our City’s publicly derived Community Direc�on Statement and included only a high-level overview of annexa�on. This gave us all the opportunity to consider the ques�on of annexa�on in the context of the larger picture that City Council and staff keep in mind with every decision. It is my hope that everyone in a�endance heard loud and clear that our goals are to do no harm and to explore how annexa�on could help overcome challenges we face in making progress on that vision. The next town hall mee�ng will occur before you receive this, but a�er this newsle�er needs to go to press. In that mee�ng we will describe the governance structures and financial make-up of both the City and EJFR as they are today and explore how that picture could change with annexa�on. The third and final annexa�on town hall mee�ng will be held on April 5 at 6:30 PM (doors open at 6:00) in the Commons at Fort Worden. The agenda will include a brief recap of what the City, EJFR and the public learned from the first two sessions. With that common understanding of the underlying condi�ons, we will then spend the bulk of the evening reviewing and discussing a much deeper look at the choices and op�ons before us. Even if you had to miss the first two mee�ngs, I strongly encourage you join us for this final town hall. Your insights are important to us as we decide if when and how we put this annexa�on ques�on on an upcoming ballot. These town halls are being recorded and will soon be available on our website and PTTV Channel 98. It is our goal to have the recordings available on those venues within a week of each mee�ng. We are also working to get informa�on related to this topic posted on SpeakUp Port Townsend for residents who are unable to a�end the mee�ngs. Please visit our website, www.cityofpt.us, to find out when and where these informa�on resources will be available. Thanks to everyone who is engaging on this topic. I will use this space in the May newsle�er to provide a summary of what we learned from this process and to give you a status update on the annexa�on ques�on. 2017 EPA Region X DWSRF Waters Award – (Drinking Water State Revolving Fund) What’s next on the annexa�on topic? 360.379.5047 • citycouncil@cityofpt.us • www.cityofpt.us APR• Page 2 Water Street Enhancement Project Update Garbage Service is offering a Spring Clean-up April 16 - 20 PT Main Street would like to thank everyone for their community spirit and help with our “Celebrity Concierge” program. We have had posi�ve feedback with everything we are doing to support Downtown during construc�on. Below you will find the link to sign up to be a Celebrity Concierge for April, May and June. We appreciate your help and are looking forward to the Wrap Party in June! www.doodle.com/poll/9zgtdansnrzgrwuq For any ques�ons contact PT Main Street (360) 385-7911. This year the City Library has a few upcoming capital facility projects planned to restore and preserve one of our community’s most treasured resources through replacements, repairs and renova�ons. Projects include: replacing the Annex roof and windows and, repairing the historic retaining wall along Lawrence and Harrison Streets in front of the Charles Pink House and the grand stairs in front of the Carnegie Library’s original entrance. In addi�on, renova�ons to the public restrooms are planned thanks to the generous support of the Port Townsend Public Library Founda�on. These projects are made possible through City bond refinancing totaling $500,000 and a generous dona�on from the Port Townsend Library Founda�on of up to $83,100. The first phase of this work will likely be the roof and windows over the spring and summer. The designs for the public restroom renova�ons are being drawn by the local architectural firm Terrapin Architecture. All projects are expected to be finished by the end of 2018. DM Disposal will sponsor an annual spring clean-up program to collect certain bulky items not normally a part of the regular collec�ons program, without cost to the customer for pick-up. Spring clean-up will include up to three addi�onal bags or cans of garbage on customer’s regular service day, up to three addi�onal cans of yard waste on customer’s regular service day and one appliance per household. Acceptable appliances includes refrigerators, stoves, microwaves, dishwashers, freezers, hot water heaters, washing machines and dryers. A surcharge may apply to refrigerators and freezers to cover the disposal fees. There will also be two extra weeks of yard waste pick up: April 9-13, and April 23-27. Photo by John Earl Contact Project Manager Laura Parsons, P.E. if you have any ques�ons: 360-385-3000 X2191. Replacements, Repairs, and Renova�ons for the Historic Carnegie Library The Water Street Enhancement Project construc�on con�nues, and a big milestone has been reached. The concrete for the Tyler Street plaza has been poured and pedestrians may now walk on the new surface. Installa�on of the 12-inch water main is complete as well. The next focus is construc�ng the Joint U�lity Trench (JUT) and installing the 12-inch storm line. Addi�onal some trees will be replaced because of the damage they have caused to the infrastructure. New, less invasive street trees will be planted, and when the project is complete, there will be more trees than before. The new street trees will be irrigated and have electrical plugs in the tree wells so they may be lighted. Traffic will con�nue to be one lane at varying loca�ons along the project length with flaggers direc�ng traffic and available to help pedestrians cross the street. 360.379.5047 • citycouncil@cityofpt.us • www.cityofpt.us APR • Page 3 Dove House Advocacy Services, 1045 10th St., Port Townsend, WA 98368. Contact us at 360-385-5292 or development@dovehousejc.org Open House & Art for Consent Event - Saturday, April 7th 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Dove House’s offices, 1045 10th St., PT. Learn about what Dove House does, make art that promotes messages of consent, and enjoy hot dogs. Art for Consent – Saturday, April 21st 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Jefferson County Library, 620 Cedar Ave., Port Hadlock. We’ll have chalk and other art supplies on hand. We look forward to making art that promotes messages of consent with you. DIY Bird Feeders Charles Pink House - 1256 Lawrence St. Wednesday, Apr. 4, 3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. Children ages 6-11 are welcome to come make a bird feeder to take home. All materials will be provided by the Library. Creator’s Cafe for Teens Charles Pink House - 1256 Lawrence St. Wednesday, Apr. 25, 3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. Teens ages 12 – 18 are invited to come make bu�ons and magnets. The Library will provide magazines and pa�erns to create with. Teens are welcome to bring their own small pictures to put in bu�ons and magnets. Snacks are provided. Judith Adams - A Fierce Language: Falling in Love with Poetry Port Townsend Public Library - Carnegie Reading Room Friday, Apr. 20, 7:00 - 8:00 p.m. Drawing on diverse poets, including the rich contribu�on of Washington State’s poets, poet and performer Judith Adams takes us on a journey to rediscover the music, power, humor, and strength of poetry, showing how it can radically enhance, change, and even save our lives. She’ll also discuss the joy of reci�ng poetry by heart, listen to audience members’ experience with poetry, and lead exercises to fire up the poet in all of us. Judith Adams is an English-born poet who has lived in the United States since 1976. Adams has published four books of poetry and recorded several albums of her work, and her poems have been published in numerous magazines and anthologies. Saving Tarboo Creek - Author Talk Port Townsend Public Library - Carnegie Reading Room Monday, Apr. 23, 7:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. When the Freeman family decided to restore a damaged creek in Washington’s Olympic Peninsula—to transform it from a drainage ditch into a stream that could again nurture salmon— they knew the task would be formidable and the rewards plen�ful. In Saving Tarboo Creek, Sco� Freeman ar�ully blends his family’s story with powerful univer- sal lessons about how we can all live more construc�ve, fulfilling, and natural lives by engaging with the land rather than exploi�ng it. Join us at the Library for our exci�ng April events! Youth Events: April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month - Dove House Events: Embrace your voice! Be part of the solu�on! 360.379.5047 • citycouncil@cityofpt.us • www.cityofpt.us APR • Page 4 The update to our Cri�cal Areas Ordinance is nearing the finish line! We first announced updates to our cri�cal areas regula�ons in the November 2016 newsle�er and then again in June 2017. It’s been a long process and we’ve received some excellent input from the public, Planning Commission and the Climate Ac�on Commi�ee. We are now ready to move ahead to the next step – public hearings before the Planning Commission (an�cipated on April 12) and the City Council (an�cipated on May 7). If you have provided comment, thank you! If not, there is s�ll �me to provide input. Why regulate cri�cal areas? Cri�cal areas are fragile resources that are sensi�ve to the impacts of urban development, or may pose hazards to the community if developed. The city regulates cri�cal areas and their required buffers through the Port Townsend Municipal Code (PTMC) Chapter 19.05. There are 5 required sec�ons to the CAO: 1. Cri�cal Aquifer Recharge Areas 2. Fish and Wildlife Habitat Conserva�on Areas 3.Frequently Flooded Areas 4. Geologically Hazardous Areas 5.Wetlands. Though not required, the City’s CAO currently includes: Cri�cal Drainage Corridors (CDCs). This sec�on may be revised or removed from the CAO as part of the update process. The City regulates cri�cal areas for the benefit and protec�on of our residents: • To protect the public health, safety, and welfare • To allow for reasonable uses • To maintain beneficial func�ons and values of cri�cal areas such as: -Water quality protec�on -Fish and wildlife habitat -Flooding reduc�on -Erosion control -Reduc�on of cumula�ve adverse impacts Where do I review a copy of the dra�? A copy of the dra� is available online at: www.cityofpt.us/dsd/compplan.html. Please be aware: amending code requires rounds of review and ongoing updates. The dra� may be modified numerous �mes before adop�on. Updated dra�s are made available in concert with materials posted for Planning Commission and Council workshops or hearings. For mee�ng schedules and to view materials previously presented to the Planning Commission, please use the link to Mee�ngs: Agendas, Minutes, Videos and eComment on the City’s website. Why update? The Growth Management Act (GMA) requires the City to periodically update its cri�cal areas regula�ons. In 1995, the GMA was amended to require the use of Best Available Science or "BAS" when designa�ng and protec�ng cri�cal areas. All ci�es and coun�es are required to update their cri�cal areas regula�ons to include BAS, or state money may be withheld. Update Approach The City’s approach has been to incorporate: Mandatory revisions necessary to comply BAS and State requirements, address issues raised at the local level, and reduce redundancies and make clarifying edits How do I provide comment? • A�end the public hearings before the Planning Commission (an�cipated April 12) or City Council (an�cipated May 7) Public hearing with the Planning Commission (an�cipated on April 12) and the City Council (An�cipated on May 7) • Use eComment on the City’s website • Submit wri�en comments to the City Clerk at 250 Madison Street, Suite 2, Port Townsend, WA 98368. City Seeks Input on Cri�cal Areas Update Ci�zen Advisory Board Recruitment Appointments are for three years. Call 379-5083 with ques�ons and to request an applica�on The following commi�ees currently have vacancies or members whose terms may expire soon: Arts Commission, Library Advisory Board, Historic Preservation Committee, Historic Preservation Committee Parks Recreation and Tree Advisory Board, Lodging Tax Advisory Committee (Recipient) Non-Motorized Transportation Advisory Board.