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Home My WebLink About07 July NewsletterJuly 2018 Newsletter the mayor’s update RECYCLING – A CHANGING LANDSCAPE Port Townsend residents have been du�fully cleaning and sor�ng recyclable materials for curbside pick-up since 1997. This behavior reflects our collec�ve desire to lighten our impact on our fragile and cherished environment. So, it is understandable that several of us have been alarmed recently when seeing sorted materials occasionally being co-mingled in what appears to be a standard garbage truck. There are a couple of issues that led to this situa�on. First, the truck used to maintain separa�on during collec�on has experienced some mechanical breakdowns and, due to the age of the truck, many of the parts must be manufactured before repairs can be made. When this occurs, our contracted collec�on provider DM Disposal uses another truck that co-mingles the materials that are eventually baled in Port Angeles before being sent to the Tacoma material recycling facility. It is there that the materials are separated and sent to market. One might think that the obvious fix is to replace the sorted materials truck. But there is a larger and more complex issue that may render that rather expensive fix moot. This second issue is global and thus much more daun�ng to address. Most of the recyclable materials generated by the western United States have been processed by companies in China. China has now adopted a broad an�pollu�on campaign, which in the big picture is a posi�ve step. The implica�on for us is that, since January 1, imports of various types of plas�cs and paper have been banned and standards are �ghtened for materials China does accept. While there are some domes�c processors, this rapid disrup�on to the recycling chain has resulted in a massive buildup of recyclable materials. Recycling facili�es are now having to pay to send materials to landfills rather than being paid for what had been raw materials for other products, an outcome that is not sustainable or desirable here or elsewhere. Here is a link to a report by the New York Times that provides more details: www.ny�mes.com/2018/05/29/climate/recycling-landfills- plas�c-papers.html Our Public Works Department is working closely with Jefferson County to explore our op�ons for providing recycling services in this evolving landscape. There is a mee�ng of the County’s Solid Waste Advisory Commi�ee scheduled for June 28 that may have already yielded some ideas by the �me this newsle�er is in your hands. At this point, I cannot predict the immediate and long-term status of our recycling services. What I can do is encourage you to join me in con�nuing the prac�ce of sor�ng recyclables un�l it is determined a new process is called for. We should also remember that waste reduc�on is achieved with three R’s where Recycling is the last op�on. The first is Reduce – consider the materials that make up products and their packaging before making a purchase. The second is Reuse – is there another use for this item that could put it to work rather than put it in the landfill? Each of us making these seemingly small decisions several �mes a day will add up to smaller landfills, fewer pollutants and overall cost savings for us all. CELEBRATING THE BIGGEST PROJECT OF THE YEAR The Water Street Enhancement Project is wrapping up a�er a full six months of construc�on ac�vity. This has been a major undertaking for a city of our size and age. There were of course some very challenging moments, but overall our crews kept the disrup�ons to a minimum. I thank our business owners, their employees and those who live downtown for their pa�ence and flexibility while the streets and sidewalks were torn up and replaced. I also thank “the locals” who made the extra effort to navigate the construc�on zone to shop and dine. And thanks to our Main Street Program for making that naviga�on so compelling and fun. The finishing touches will be done in early July. One of those improvements includes some new striping intended to improve safety for bicyclists. More details on this can be found elsewhere in this newsle�er. The main thing to keep in mind is that we all share the road –pedestrians, bicyclists, cars, buses and trucks– keeping speeds down and eyes up and alert is the best way to keep us all safe. The next big project of the year, is the Jefferson Street sidewalk project. We did a spotlight on this project in the May newsle�er, which you can accesson our website. Once construc�on begins, check the Capital Projects page of the City website for project updates. city project updates & announcements BIG QUILCENE RIVER DAM REPAIR Big Quilcene River Timber Crib Diversion Dam Repair Project will be star�ng construc�on in July 2018. The Big Quilcene River Diversion diverts water from the river into a pipe, which supplies water to the City of Port Townsend and Port Townsend Paper Mill. The dam was constructed in 1928 of �mber logs and is in need of maintenance and repair. The project will divert the river to work on the dam and replace deteriorate �mber logs, upgrade the dam crest and downstream concrete apron repairs, replace a sluice gate, and armor the river bank. The project was awarded to Seton Construc�on of Port Townsend and is scheduled for comple�on by October 2018. STREET UPGRADES, ROAD REPAIRS & PAVEMENT PRESERVATION This summer, the City’s street department will be doing street maintenance projects throughout the City. The maintenance methods will vary depending on the condi�on of the roadway: 1) failing streets with extensive cracking, 2) moderate cracking, or 3) preserving and extending the life of paved roadways. For failing streets, the treatment is reconstruc�on, or full pavement removal and replacement. When the roadway has failed beyond repair, all pavement must be removed along with poor soils under the roadway. New gravel is placed below the roadway and overlain with new asphalt pavement. This treatment will be applied on Washington Street from Harrison Street to Van Buren Street in front of the Post Office. For moderate cracking the treatment is known as “mill-and-fill,” similar to the WSDOT project on Sims Way, which removes/mills a por�on of the thickness of the road and places/fills with hot asphalt. We plan to do mill-and-fill projects on Has�ngs Avenue from the City Limits to Howard Street and on Washington Street from Sims Way to Van Buren Street. The shoulders on Has�ngs will also be widened by 5�. on each side of the exis�ng roadway in prepara�on for chip seal in 2019. Both projects will start arpound the end of July 2018. For pavement preserva�on, we plan two maintenance treatments to seal out water and extend the life of the pavement. Chip seal applies an emulsified oil (yes, you can mix water and oil) to seal out water and adds gravel to give a li�le strength and trac�on. The second treatment applies the emulsified oil only, without the chip. This treatment, known as fog seal or seal coat, is one of the least expensive preventa�ve maintenance treatments and is recommended for newer pavements such as the roadways around City Hall. We are fortunate to be able to contract with Jefferson County for chip seal at a very reasonable price. Skilled County crews have been applying this treatment throughout the County every year for many years. Chip seal will be applied this summer on Walker Street from Washington Street to Lawrence Street. We hope to contract with the County for this treatment on a regular basis as part of a comprehensive pavement preserva�on program. Check the Public Works website for informa�on on this street maintenance program and dates and detour routes for repair work. NEW STRIPING ON WATER STREET The striping is in line with current bicycle design guidance documents and the prac�ces in other ci�es. A “door zone” is iden�fied by double white lines, an area in which bicyclists use cau�on for doors opening from parked cars; bike lanes for bikes only are iden�fied by solid white lines and bike symbols. Where motor vehicles may share the space with bicycles, the white lines are dashed and bicycle “sharrow” (shared roadway) markings are used. Motorists may use this area when the full travel lane is not available. These dashed bike lanes are known as “advisory” bike lanes. SAFETY FOR PEDESTRIANS AND BICYCLISTS As part of the Sims Way (SR20) overlay, the Washington State Department of Transporta�on (WSDOT) has improved the Sims Way crossings by bringing the curb ramps into compliance with ADA (Americans with Disabili�es Act) standards. City staff has also worked closely with WSDOT design staff to improve the bicycle striping, including the use of green, paint which is the standard for bicycle lanes. Again, note that the solid white and green lines are not to be crossed by motor vehicles; the broken lines are for merging of bicycles and motor vehicles. RECYCLING – A CHANGING LANDSCAPEPort Townsend residents have been du�fully cleaning and sor�ng recyclable materials for curbside pick-up since 1997. This behavior reflects our collec�ve desire to lighten our impact on our fragile and cherished environment. So, it is understandable that several of us have been alarmed recently when seeing sorted materials occasionally being co-mingled in what appears to be a standard garbage truck. There are a couple of issues that led to this situa�on.First, the truck used to maintain separa�on during collec�on has experienced some mechanical breakdowns and, due to the age of the truck, many of the parts must be manufactured before repairs can be made. When this occurs, our contracted collec�on provider DM Disposal uses another truck that co-mingles the materials that are eventually baled in Port Angeles before being sent to the Tacoma material recycling facility. It is there that the materials are separated and sent to market. One might think that the obvious fix is to replace the sorted materials truck. But there is a larger and more complex issue that may render that rather expensive fix moot.This second issue is global and thus much more daun�ng to address. Most of the recyclable materials generated by the western United States have been processed by companies in China. China has now adopted a broad an�pollu�on campaign, which in the big picture is a posi�ve step. The implica�on for us is that, since January 1, imports of various types of plas�cs and paper have been banned and standards are �ghtened for materials China does accept. While there are some domes�c processors, this rapid disrup�on to the recycling chain has resulted in a massive buildup of recyclable materials. Recycling facili�es are now having to pay to send materials to landfills rather than being paid for what had been raw materials for other products, an outcome that is not sustainable or desirable here or elsewhere. Here is a link to a report by the New York Times that provides more details: www.ny�mes.com/2018/05/29/climate/recycling-landfills-plas�c-papers.htmlOur Public Works Department is working closely with Jefferson County to explore our op�ons for providing recycling services in this evolving landscape. There is a mee�ng of the County’s Solid Waste Advisory Commi�ee scheduled for June 28 that may have already yielded some ideas by the �me this newsle�er is in your hands. At this point, I cannot predict the immediate and long-term status of our recycling services. What I can do is encourage you to join me in con�nuing the prac�ce of sor�ng recyclables un�l it is determined a new process is called for. We should also remember that waste reduc�on is achieved with three R’s where Recycling is the last op�on. The first is Reduce – consider the materials that make up products and their packaging before making a purchase. The second is Reuse – is there another use for this item that could put it to work rather than put it in the landfill? Each of us making these seemingly small decisions several �mes a day will add up to smaller landfills, fewer pollutants and overall cost savings for us all.CELEBRATING THE BIGGEST PROJECT OF THE YEAR The Water Street Enhancement Project is wrapping up a�er a full six months of construc�on ac�vity. This has been a major undertaking for a city of our size and age. There were of course some very challenging moments, but overall our crews kept the disrup�ons to a minimum. I thank our business owners, their employees and those who live downtown for their pa�ence and flexibility while the streets and sidewalks were torn up and replaced. I also thank “the locals” who made the extra effort to navigate the construc�on zone to shop and dine. And thanks to our Main Street Program for making that naviga�on so compelling and fun.The finishing touches will be done in early July. One of those improvements includes some new striping intended to improve safety for bicyclists. More details on this can be found elsewhere in this newsle�er. The main thing to keep in mind is that we all share the road –pedestrians, bicyclists, cars, buses and trucks– keeping speeds down and eyes up and alert is the best way to keep us all safe.The next big project of the year, is the Jefferson Street sidewalk project. We did a spotlight on this project in the May newsle�er, which you can accesson our website. Once construc�on begins, check the Capital Projects page of the City website for project updates. The final phase of work funded by the 2015 voter-approved Mountain View bond is underway! This work follows a year-long planning effort that dissected the opera�onal needs and desires of the tenants housed in the campus buildings, consis�ng of four City departments (Police; Prosecu�ng A�orney; Informa�on Technology; Parks, Recrea�on, and Community Services) and five non-profit organiza�ons (Food Bank, Working Image, KPTZ, YMCA, Red Cross). This informa�on was then used to determine the most efficient and effec�ve loca�on to house each tenant and iden�fy building improvements needed to implement the plan. Now, finally, construc�on has begun! Among this last phase of improvements, the major work includes: • Exterior pain�ng of campus buildings; • A new ADA (Americans with Disabili�es Act) accessible entrance to the main building; • New accessible curb ramps for greater access between Mountain View and the bus stop; • Automa�c door openers at building entrances and throughout Mountain View Pool’s locker rooms and natatorium; • A new locker room, bathroom, and office space for the Police Department and Prosecu�ng A�orney; • Polished concrete flooring for easier maintenance in the hallways; • A new fire alarm system to replace an outdated one. Addi�onally, the project also includes improvements to the interior space of the Food Bank and Working Image areas – work which is fully funded by a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) from the state Department of Commerce. These improvements include: At the Food Bank: • Reloca�on to four adjacent rooms for greater management and more efficient service provision • Polished concrete flooring for easier maintenance • Ceiling fans to assist with air distribu�on • Storage area for boxes • Upgraded electrical configura�on to be�er accommodate freezer and refrigerator equipment • Wall pain�ng At Working Image: • Reloca�on to different rooms • New carpet • Cabinetry for sor�ng and storage • Wall pain�ng • Electrical and HVAC improvements • Double door installa�on to connect adjacent rooms Prior to this final phase, Mountain View Commons has received other improvements over the past few years – also funded by the same 3.6M voter-approved bond. These completed projects include: • Replacing old oil-burning boilers with more efficient propane boilers; • Reviving defunct heaters and air handling units throughout the campus buildings; • Replacing the old, undersized air handling/ven�la�on system for Mountain View Pool; • Re-roofing the old classroom building to fix leaks, improve structural integrity for greater seismic resistance, and add insula�on for improved temperature control. The construc�on is planned to conclude in October but opera�onally, Mountain View is s�ll “open for business” and will be throughout the project. The Port Townsend community deserves a big “THANK YOU” for your support of the bond and greater support for Mountain View Commons and all the service providers that reside there – this would not have been possible without you! The Jefferson County Noxious Weed Control Board (JCNWCB) has partnered with the City of Port Townsend to work towards reducing the infesta�ons of poison hemlock within City limits. Poison hemlock is a lethal plant that can be found in and around Port Townsend’s roads, trails, and public areas, and is classified as a noxious weed required for control by state law. Poison hemlock has several look-a-likes but can be iden�fied by its purple blotched stem and its complete lack of hairs. Poison hemlock grows in several sensi�ve areas within Port Townsend such as at Blue Heron Middle School, the Port Townsend High School, Kah Tai Lagoon, the Fairgrounds, and alongside roads and trails. Because of its toxic nature and its prevalence within the city, lethal poisonings are a genuine concern. For this reason city officials have made resources available to start controlling this plant in collabora�on with the county’s noxious weed control board. The project focused on removal of poison hemlock on rights-of-way, because these act as vectors for seed spread. The roads targeted were those around Kah Tai Lagoon, the Golf Club, Sims way, and the Food Co-op between May 21st and June 21st. A seed bed is expected to be present, and regrowth of poison hemlock in future years is an�cipated. For this reason City officials are currently working with Joost Besijn, the coordinator for JCNWCB, to establish a mul�-year plan on controlling poison hemlock. For more informa�on about poison hemlock, or if you think you have seen this plant on your property, please visit the JCNWCB website at: www.co.jefferson.wa.us/195/Nox- ious-Weed-Control-Board. Poision Hemlock Information Mountain View Improvements Update JOIN US AT THE LIBRARY! The Helpdesk at the Bo�om of the World (and Other Antarc�c Improbabili�es) Thursday, Jul. 12, 7:00-8:30pm Port Townsend Public Library - Carnegie Reading Room In 2010, David Pablo Cohn left his comfortable position as a senior Silicon Valley research scientist to become "the Helpdesk at the Bottom of the World" for a season, fixing jammed printers and rebooting frozen laptops at the US Antarctic Program's South Pole Station. Family Movie Night featuring Coco Friday, Jul. 6, 6:30-8:30 p.m. Unexpected Brass Band & Strawberry Shortcake Social Friday, Jul. 20, 5:00-6:30 p.m. Port Townsend Library - 1220 Lawrence St. Enjoy a late a�ernoon strawberry shortcake social with music provided by Port Townsend’s own the Unexpected Brass Band. Ukuleles Unite! for Kids Tuesday, Jul. 31, 2:00-3:30 p.m. Charles Pink House - 1256 Lawrence St. Lizardopolis Thursday, August 2, 2-3:30 p.m. Visit the Library’s website for more informa�on and a full list of events: www.ptpubliclibrary.org Attend a Community Event The City encourages ac�ve par�cipa�on in local government by solici�ng interested ci�zens to serve on various advisory boards and commissions that make recommenda�ons on specific issues or policies to the City Council. Current opportuni�es to serve include: make a difference: join a citizen advisory board • Library Advisory Board • Lodging Tax Advisory Commi�ee (Recipient) • Parks Recrea�on and Tree Advisory Board • Non-Motorized Transporta�on Advisory Board • Civil Service Commission (must be a resident of Port Townsend for three years) GET INVOLVED IN YOUR COMMUNITY! 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 the City website at www.cityofpt.us under City Hall/ Boards & Commission. City residency or employment within the City is a requirement for most positions. Appointments are generally three years. More information on the individual boards and commissions can also be found on the City’s website. Concerts on the DockJuly 12th - August 30thEvery Thursday 4:30 p.m., music from 5-7:30 p.m. Pope Marine Park Plaza Downtown Port Townsend rocks with all-ages free. Local vendors and a Beer, Wine & Cider Garden contribute to the fes�val atmosphere. Bring chairs or blankets and se�le in for some great tunes, dance, see friends, enjoy a drink and have a bite. Merchant Coffee Talk July 25th at 8:30 a.m.Cotton Building Featuring Safety in the Stores with the Port Townsend Police. Admission is FREE for Main Street members, $5 for nonmembers. Please RSVP by July 23rd to admin@ptmainstreet.org or call the office at 360-385-7911. LENT Low-Interest Loan Program or Port Townsend Commercial Historic Districts Deadline is July 16th. Lent loans are a tool to offset some of the financial impacts businesses endure from emergency situa�ons, though business development proposals will be consid- ered. The Port Townsend Main Street Program is a non-profit 501 (c) 3 organiza�on: Our mission is to preserve, promote, and enhance our historic business districts. For more informa�on, visit www.ptmainstreet.org David Pablo Cohn financial impacts businesses endure from Mountain View Pool is Open During Construc�on - we are headed into our busiest �me of the year. Star�ng June 18th, we'll be offering two morning and evening swim lessons. Summer is the perfect �me for people of all ages and abili�es to learn to swim. Visit www.cityofpt.us/pool to view our schedule and find out more info on our summer programming. Spring Cleaning is in Full Effect for our Parks Department. Make sure to check out the progress at Chetzemoka Park and watch the new roof go on the gazebo. If you would like to rent a the kitchen shelter or gazebo call 385-3000 x2193 for more informa�on. Development Services – Hours Changing – July 16th Effec�ve July 16th, the third floor counter in Development Services will be open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Permit applica�ons will be accepted each day un�l 3:30 p.m. Saff will con�nue to be available normal working hours to return phone calls and messages. Please contact Lance Bailey at 360-390-4048 if you have any ques�ons regarding this change. Thank you for your pa�ence as we look for ways to be�er serve all of our customers. You can also find more fun summer reading programs on the website: www.ptpubliclibrary.org/Kids/summer-read-18/summer-read-18.html