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HomeMy WebLinkAbout09 September NewsletterIt is hardly news that summer in the Pacific Northwest is spectacular. But I believe we are all especially apprecia�ve of this year’s bounty of pleasant weather condi�ons. Our ability to enjoy the great outdoors the last two summers was greatly hampered by the daily reminder that our region was enduring forest fires at the magnitude not seen in recent �mes. The constant smoke in the air also gave us very tangible proof that we are part of greater ecosystem that must be nurtured and protected. Fresh air and clean water are threatened by both natural and man-made causes. It is up to us to collec�vely do what we can to protect these precious life-giving gi�s. Two recent ac�ons by City Council this summer address this responsibility. The first ac�on was taken on July 15th when we resolved to have the City included in the Jefferson County Conserva�on District (JCCD). The JCCD provides a wide array of services that protect our environment. City residents enjoy increased food security through the capital and technical support JCCD provides to our agricultural community. We also benefit from access to the annual na�ve plant sale, tool share program, and soil analysis technical assistance on a range of ecological subjects. Prior to inclusion in the District, City residents were not paying for these services while our neighbors in the County bore the cost. Beginning in 2020, City proper�es will be assessed $5.00, plus $.10 per acre ($5.10 for most), the same annual amount paid on County parcels. City residents will also be eligible to run for posi�ons on the JCCD Board of Supervisors. You can learn more about JCCD at www.jeffersoncd.org. The more recent ac�on is s�ll playing out as I write. Many concerned County and City residents a�ended our August mee�ngs to express concern about the aerial spraying of glyphosate and other herbicides on private forest proper�es in Jefferson County. To be clear, no such spraying is allowed on any City property, within City limits or on proper�es in the County held by the City or other public agencies within our watershed. Concerns were expressed that the chemicals being sprayed on private proper�es could dri� into our watershed and reservoirs. We have received anecdotal informa�on from volunteer observers that condi�ons during spraying would have allowed such dri�. We contacted the company responsible for the spraying and the permi�ng agencies who monitored the spraying. While they believe the condi�ons would not result in contamina�ng our water or watershed, they are inves�ga�ng. The City is also conduc�ng a water tes�ng regime to ensure contamina�on has not taken place. These tests are s�ll underway and results will be posted in Latest News on our website: www.cityofpt.us. You can receive Latest News in your inbox by subscribing through Stay Informed on the same website. We sent a le�er to the company and permi�ng agencies reques�ng a halt to the spraying un�l our test results are in, although apparently all the spraying has already been completed. Finally, we sent a le�er to the agencies responsible for regula�ng aerial spraying: the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and Department of Agriculture. These le�ers ask the State to either prohibit future aerial spraying of glyphosate statewide or to gratn local authority to do so within our county. Copies of the le�er went to County, State and federal legisla�ve representa�ves and other related State agencies, asking them to support our bid for this regula�on. The DNR has an established a working group looking into this issue and you can follow their work at www.dnr.wa.gov/aerial-herbicide-application-working-group September 2019 Newsletter The mayor’s update Make A Difference - Volunteer on a City Board/Commission Consider applying today for vacancies on the following Council Advisory Boards and Commissions. Visit our website for descrip�ons, applica�ons, and mee�ng schedules or contact the City Clerk’s Office at (360)379-5083 for more informa�on. www.cityofpt.us/bc/page/boards-and-commissions Parks, Recrea�on and Tree Advisory Board Ac�ve Transporta�on Advisory Board Lodging Tax Advisory Commi�ee (collector posi�on) Planning Commission https://www.dnr.wa.gov/aerial-herbicide-application-working-groupmee�ngs to express concern about the aerial spraying of https://www.dnr.wa.gov/aerial-herbicide-application-working-groupmee�ngs to express concern about the aerial spraying of www.dnr.wa.gov/aerial-herbicide-application-working-grouphttps://www.dnr.wa.gov/aerial-herbicide-application-working-groupwww.dnr.wa.gov/aerial-herbicide-application-working-grouphttps://www.dnr.wa.gov/aerial-herbicide-application-working-group City of Port Townsend • 250 Madison Street • (360)385-3000 • www.cityofpt.us PROS Plan Update Is In The Works The New Dog Park Is Open Ruff Ruff!! Port Townsend has a brand new dog park for our furry family members to play and run! The City of Port Townsend’s Parks, Recrea�on, and Community Services department built a dog park at Mountain View Commons, funded by a very generous dona�on from local residents– thank you! The Mountain View Dog Park is approximately one acre in size and is subdivided into three sec�ons. Two of the sec�ons are large and provide a lot of room for dogs to run and play, and a third sec�on is smaller and dedicated to dogs that are smaller, older, or may just prefer �nier spaces. Of the two large areas, Parks Maintenance will rotate access so the grass in one area can rehabilitate while the other one is in use. The City has been interested in providing a dog park or unfenced off-leash areas as a respite to the City’s leash law that was updated in 2017 – the updated law now requires all dogs to be leashed at all �mes when on public property. The Mountain View Dog Park rises to this challenge! Within the confines of the enclosed fencing, dogs are free to roam, play, and run with each other. There are rules to follow when you and your best friend visit, though, so please abide as they are in place to ensure safety and cleanliness. Enjoy! Ruff! What the heck is a PROS Plan you ask? PROS is short for Parks, Recrea�on, and Open Space and is purposed with guiding City Parks and Recrea�on into the future. The plan is premised on a pre�y simple model: 1. Ask the community what it wants 2. Assess current parks and programs 3. Compare steps 1 & 2 to iden�fy areas where community needs are not being met 4. Develop a plan for how to meet those needs Pre�y simple and straigh�orward…but the heart of the whole plan is based on community feedback and, while we haven’t started yet, we will be asking you some ques�ons to help us out with step #1. Please keep an eye and an ear out in September for how you can par�cipate – we want to hear from you!! 1. Park Hours: Dawn to dusk. 2. Dogs must be licensed, vaccinated for rabies and wearing their ID tags. 3. Dogs must be leashed when outside of the designated dog park area. 4. Dogs must be accompanied by a competent owner/handler at all �mes; leaving una�ended dogs in the dog park is not allowed. 5. Dogs younger than 4 months old are not permi�ed in dog park 6. Dogs in heat are not allowed in dog park. 7. Aggressive dogs are not allowed in dog park; if a dog becomes aggressive, owner/handler must leash and remove dog from dog park immediately. 8. Dog food and treats are not allowed in dog park. 9. No more than 2 dogs per owner/handler are allowed at one �me 10. Owners/handlers are responsible for proper disposal of dog waste. 11. Owners/handlers are responsible for the ac�on of their dogs including damage to public property or inflic�ng injury. 12. Use of illegal drugs or weapons is prohibited. 13. Glass is not allowed. 14. Please respect park property; damage, destruc�on, graffi�, or vandalism is prohibited and punishable by prosecu�on. 15. Failure to follow park rules may result in removal from park. Mountain View Dog Park Rules and Requests City of Port Townsend • 250 Madison Street • (360)385-3000 • www.cityofpt.us JOIN US AT THE LIBRARY! From No-Knead to Sourdough (with Victoria Redhed Miller)Thursday, September 26, 2019 - 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Please join writer and speaker Victoria Redhed Miller for an evening talk about all things bread and bread making. She is the author of three books, Pure Poultry: Living well with heritage chickens, turkeys and ducks; Craft Distilling: Making liquor legally at home; and From No-Knead to Sourdough. She and her husband David live off-grid on a 40-acre farm in the foothills near Sequim where they began raising heritage-breed chickens in 2007, followed by turkeys and ducks in 2008. Learn more about Victoria at her website.www.victoriaredhedmiller.com Harvest Story�me at Finn River FarmsSaturday, October 5, 2019 - 12:30pm Join us for a harvest themed story�me at Finn River Farm on Saturday, October 5, at 12:30. Enjoy stories, songs, finger plays, games, apple tas�ng and other adventures. For families and children of all ages. For more informa�on about Library events visit www.ptpubliclibrary.org City’s New Water System Plan City Council and staff are finishing up the last few details necessary to adopt the next Water System Plan (WSP) for the City of Port Townsend water service area. Not only is a WSP required by State law, but it’s simply a good idea to have a plan for over 110 miles of pipe, two large storage tanks, two reservoirs, and 28 miles of large pipe to deliver the water from the reservoirs to the new ultra-filtra�on water treatment plant. This WSP will replace the 2014 interim plan and the previous plan completed in 2008. City staff has guided the plan through the public review process since last fall and final adop�on is expected soon. At first glance, the document appears rather large with over 1100 pages, 9 chapters, 91 tables, 27 figures and an appendix of 20 documents. However, most of the 1100 pages is appendix material that is included for ‘one stop shopping’ and easy reference. The narra�ve, including the tables and figures, is about 200 pages. The WSP is essen�ally an engineering document that reviews current and future water needs and ul�mately recommends system standards and improvements over the next 20 years. The area served by our water distribu�on system extends beyond the City limits in certain cases, with a current popula�on of nearly 10,500 and the projected (or planned for) popula�on of 13,000 in the year 2036. This calculates to a demand of 1.2 million gallons per day (MGD) of water on average in the year 2036. Good news: our treatment plant capacity is about 2.05 MGD and more than able to serve our needs in the year 2036. In addi�on to calcula�ng future needs, the WSP analyzed or modelled flow through the distribu�on system under various flow condi�ons. We want to ensure we have adequate amounts of water where and when we need it. General household water use is easily handled throughout the system; however, when you consider the amount of water needed under more severe demands, we find flow (and pressure) can be improved by adding pipe or increasing the size of the pipe. Other pipe in the plan has been iden�fied for replacement due to age or condi�on. At the end of the WSP document are recommenda�ons in the form of a list of capital improvements, such as repain�ng the tall tank at the treatment plant, pipeline projects in Grant, Gise and Has�ngs and a list of old pipes that need to be replaced over �me. This list is priori�zed along with cost es�mates and distributed over a 20-year period ensuring an adequate water system well into the future. The City Is Entering Budget Season for 2020 Following is a list of important dates: September 3 – “Call to budget” to all department heads. October 1 – Finance Manager provides preliminary 2020 budget to the City Manager November 4 – Public hearing on property tax November 18 – Public hearing for first reading of proposed budget December 2 – Budget adop�on City of Port Townsend • 250 Madison Street • (360)385-3000 • www.cityofpt.us Community Happenings Save The Date: November 2, 2019 Celebrating the Collaborative Spirit of a Thriving Community Join us for theGateway Plaza - Jaqua Sculpture Dedica�on Details about the dedica�on and other events that are also taking place on November 2nd will be sent out at a later date. The dedica�on starts at 4:00 p.m. The Port Townsend Elks Lodgeis having their 2nd annual First Responders Appreciation Celebration Breakfast is from 9-11, and Lunch is from 11-1 $10 for members and guests. Come say hi to all our amazing first respondersincluding our Port Townsend Police officers. Sunday September 15th Reach for the Stars - Port Townsend’s 17th Annual Girls’ Night OutThursday, October 3, 2019 from 11:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. Port Townsend’s 17th Annual Girls’ Night Out features a day filled with girlfriend camaraderie, celebra�on, and fun coordinated by the Port Townsend Main Street Program. This year’s theme is “Reach for the Stars”! The artwork was created by Star Wald Design. Port Townsend stores will be hos�ng special events, in-store promo�ons and refreshments from 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. The evening ends with the popular “Wrap” Party at 8:00 p.m. GET YOUR GOODIE BAGS ON OCTOBER 3 AT THE COTTON BUILDING! Goodie bags featuring socks, scarves and more are available at the Co�on Building during the event ($25 while supplies last). Goodie bag donors include The Clothes Horse, About Time Clothing, Expressions, Tickled Pink Retail, Elevated Ice Cream and Candy Company and other small gi�s. They will also include a schedule of events and coupon book to plan your fun. The goodie bags are popular and sold out last year. The Girls’ Night Out raffle will feature prizes of gi� cer�ficates, gi�s and experiences valued at over $500. Proceeds from Girls‘ Night Out benefit Jefferson Healthcare Founda�on 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. This event is sponsored by the Port Townsend Main Street Program, Jefferson Healthcare, Kitsap Bank and many generous par�cipa�ng local businesses. For Girls’ Night Out updates, follow the Port Townsend Main Street Program at www.ptmainstreet.org, Facebook, Instagram and Twi�er. *Subject to change. Community Meeting - Port Townsend Creative Districts Wednesday September 11th 2019 | 5:30 - 7:00 p.m. | Fort Worden Commons, Room A Come hear about the Port Townsend Crea�ve Districts concept and give your input on how to support a year-round economy through sustainable jobs in the arts and crea�ve industries in Port Townsend. The crea�ve districts will include the downtown and uptown historic commercial districts and Fort Worden. Port Townsend Main Street Program is working with community partners to submit an applica�on to ArtsWA for crea�ve district designa�on for Port Townsend All are welcome - Please come!