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Home My WebLink About08 August NewsletterNewsletterNewsletter AUGUST CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS: August 2021 08/02/21: Business Mee�ng 08/09/21: Workshop Mee�ng 08/16/21: Business Mee�ng Mee�ngs are subject to change. Please view our website calendar for an up-to-date mee�ng schedule. www.cityofpt.us/calendar A Note From City Manager John Mauro Consider applying to be on a City Advisory Board or Commission. Visit our website for descrip�ons, applica�ons, and mee�ng schedules: www.cityofpt.us For more informa�on contact the City Clerk’s Office at (360) 379-5083. The following Boards and Commissions have current and upcoming vacancies: • Arts Commission• Civil Service Commission• Financial Sustainability Task Force• Fort Worden Public Development Authority (PDA) • Library Advisory Board• Lodging Tax Advisory Commi�ee• Parks, Recrea�on and Tree Advisory Board• Salary Commission This morning I’ve enjoyed a trail run as the sun popped up, rode my daughter to summer camp at a park by bicycle, and found my way into work along our local streets. Like me, most of us use our parks, trails or streets every day, and they o�en func�on as community gathering places as well. Most of us also have well-formed opinions about the status and the future of our parks, trails and streets. We are a community unusually rich in natural assets and beauty, but we struggle to keep up with ongoing and deferred maintenance and a desire to improve our local ameni�es and access to them. Over the last several months, the City Council has been discussing whether and how to levy our “banked capacity” from the fire annexa�on to invest in those things most of us use and care about. Workshops in April, June and July led to a more robust public engagement effort: a website and survey, a booth at the Farmers Market, a Town Hall mee�ng, radio conversa�ons and more. The final piece of the engagement process is a Public Hearing, scheduled for August 9 at 6:30pm. City Council may then indicate their preference for if and how to levy this investment, and then City staff and I will incorporate their direc�on into our budget planning which kicks off in September. I expect us to be back in Council Chambers for that 8/9 mee�ng, so please do join in person or via the livestream. I’d also like to offer my thanks to those of you who completed the survey, visited the Farmers Market booth, came to the Town Hall mee�ng and otherwise engaged with us to help us get this proposal right. In some way, it’s disappoin�ng: the banked capacity investment doesn’t go nearly as far or wide as many of us hoped because the list of eligible projects (scored against a number of criteria) is huge: 174 projects! In other ways, it’s hopeful: if we start now on our backlog of projects – good projects that are backed by public process and exis�ng func�onal plans like the PROS plan – we can start making a dent over the years to get many of these projects completed. It’ll also help us get a handle on repairs and maintenance that will only get more expensive over �me, which helps to align with our financial sustainability goals. With our high-level 2022 workplan dra�ed at last month’s City Council and Department Director retreat, our Financial Sustainability Task Force about to kick off, and the 2022 budget process star�ng soon, this is a great �me to get and stay involved in our collec�ve work to ensure Port Townsend’s future remains bright for all of us. I look forward to seeing many of you at the Public Hearing or on a trail, at a park or in the street soon! (photos from the July 24 Farmer’s Market) City of Port Townsend • 250 Madison Street • (360) 385-3000 • www.cityofpt.us Port Townsend Water Supply Outlook While star�ng with an above average snowpack this year, the warm dry weather this spring and summer has resulted in rapidly diminishing stream flows. Based on historical summer weather pa�erns and the flow trend in the Big Quilcene River, the City expects to begin drawing from water stored in Lords Lake Reservoir around mid-August, about three weeks earlier than normal. Lords Lake Reservoir is currently full. Once draw down begins, there is approximately two and a half months of water available in the reservoir. Whether reservoir water supplies are sufficient depends upon the �ming of the fall rains replenishing the streams. Customers can help extend our limited water resources by conserving water. • This is a good �me to let your grass go dormant but if watering your lawn and garden, please do so early in the morning or in the evening. Cliff Mass, University of Washington Professor of Atmospheric Sciences, explains the science of spray at: www.cliffmass.blogspot.com/2015/08/how-to-reduce-water-waste-from.html • Addi�onal water conserva�on informa�on is available at: www.cityofpt.us/publicworks/page/water-conserva�on-�ps One of the City's most well known and visited parks is Chetzemoka Park. Chetzemoka Park sits on a gently sloped hillside overlooking Admiralty Inlet with a commanding view of the Cascade Mountains. This park has many unique flower gardens with an�que roses and other vines, heritage rhododendrons, and mature trees. The large grassy park includes a gazebo that you can rent for events, picnic areas, BBQ’s, a fire pit and mul�ple play structures, including swings and slides. There is also a kitchen shelter that you can rent for events but it is currently under renova�on un�l summer of 2022 at the earilest. Chetzemoka is a great place to visit for the day, enjoy the park ameni�es or go down to the beach and enjoy the beau�ful views. A Li�le History about the Park: Port Townsend’s first community park was established in 1904 as the first project of the newly formed Civic Club. Nearly 200 volunteers showed up to help carve the 6.53-acre park out of forested land that had been donated for the purpose by City Council. In 1987 the park beach was severely damaged by storms and high �des and an IAC grant-funded repairs to the beach access. An irriga�on system was installed in 1990 and the restrooms were improved. The gazebo/bandstand was completely reconstructed in 1991 modeled on the Victoria style of the original. In 1993 the play equipment in the park was upgraded and replaced while in 1995 an ADA restroom was installed. Repair work was done to the kitchen shelter in 1998 and more recently in 2016. In 2002 a new play structure was erected at the north side of the park. Chetzemoka Park City of Port Townsend • 250 Madison Street • (360) 385-3000 • www.cityofpt.us Rainier Street Regional Stormwater System PT Public Library and Online Programs Programs update: Library programs are taking a break in August to give staff a chance to plan programs for the fall. Thank you wonderful readers for making our annual Summer Reading Program a wonderful success. The library has a new featured database - Reference Solu�ons (Formerly ReferenceUSA) Reference Solu�ons is a powerful online reference and research tool providing library cardholders instant, real-�me access to accurate, in-depth informa�on on U.S. businesses (59 million) and U.S. residents (310 million). Reference Solu�ons makes it faster and easier to find new business opportuni�es, research execu�ves and companies, find news ar�cles, conduct job searches, research papers, locate addresses and phone numbers, conduct market research and much more. If you have been out on the Larry Sco� Trail recently you may have no�ced a large excava�on at the intersec�on of Mill Road and the trail. This excava�on is a deten�on pond (approximately 1 acre in size), and is a City project that is designed to handle stormwater runoff from the Howard/Rainier Street commercial/manufacturing corridor. The corridor runs from north of the Discovery Road roundabout to south of the roundabout on Sims Way near Goodwill. The Howard/Rainier Street corridor lands are glacial �ll ‘hard pan’ soils that do not readily allow stormwater to soak into the ground. Therefore, to meet state and city stormwater regula�ons, upcoming developments along the corridor would need to install deten�on ponds to manage storm runoff from new roofs, driveways and parking lots. Deten�on ponds prevent flooding and overloading of the stormwater system as well as provide treatment for contaminants found in stormwater. Because of their large size, these ponds take up significant por�ons of the proper�es where they are situated. As an alterna�ve, the City has invested in, and installed, the Rainier Street Regional Stormwater System. This system allows property developers in the “benefit area” to purchase a por�on of the system’s capacity so they don’t have to construct a deten�on pond on site. By buying into the system, developers have more constructable land on their respec�ve sites. Please see the Benefit Area Map on the Stormwater Regional project page. www.cityofpt.us/publicworks/project/regional-stormwater-facility Rainier Street Regional Stormwater System is located in an area of highly permeable sandy soils that allow the stormwater to infiltrate runoff from the en�re “benefit area.” This infiltra�on also recharges the groundwater. A new 1500-foot long pipe connects the runoff from the Howard/Rainier Street commercial/manufacturing corridor proper�es to the pond. This project was funded through a State Community Economic Revitaliza�on Board (CERB) loan as well as the County’s Public Infrastructure Fund (PIF) Grant and from the City’s Stormwater Fund. Jefferson County has also been instrumental in facilitat- ing the permi�ng and construc�on of the project, and the City warmly acknowledges the partnership and assistance the County has provided. The project has already benefited two upcoming developments, and the City looks forward to work- ing with more developers along the Howard/Rainier Street corridor in the coming years. City of Port Townsend • 250 Madison Street • (360) 385-3000 • www.cityofpt.us Main Street Upcoming Events We are con�nuing to profile City staff members so you can learn more about the team and their work from their perspec�ve. Check back here each month to see a new staff profile. This month is Kathi Johnson from our Library. How long have you worked at the City of Port Townsend? It will be 18 years on October 1st What do you currently do in terms of job du�es? Work with the patrons. Shipping and receiving, invoices, inter-library loans, ordering and anything else that needs doing. What do you like or enjoy most about working at the City? Working in the library is the best job I have ever had. The people I work with are great and fun to work with. We all care about each other and watch out for each other. I love seeing all our patrons and all the kids that come into the library excited about reading. Is there anything else you would like to share about yourself, your job, or your team with the public? I am on the Jefferson County Fair Board, Superintendent of the Home Arts Department and work hard to make sure that the fair is a fun and educa�onal ac�vity for people to enjoy. I am sad that again this year we must do a virtual fair, but it will be happening on August 13, 14, and 15. With live entertainment on Sunday August 15th from 10:30 am to 3:00 pm at the Erickson building at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds. We hope to have pie and ice cream available as a fundraiser. Introducing City Staff Mountain View Pool Update Welcome back Concerts on the Dock! Thursdays in August and September 2nd. Venue opens at 4:30; Music from 5-7pm at Pope Marine Park. Come to dance, see your friends, enjoy a drink and hear great music in a scenic se�ng. A Beer/ Wine & Cider Garden featuring locally made beverages, add to the fes�ve atmosphere. Bring a chair or blanket and se�le in for some great tunes. This free music on the waterfront is presented by The Port Townsend Main Street Program and Homer Smith Insurance. Hidden History Tours: First and Third Saturdays at 1pm—meet at the Haller Fountain (Taylor/Washington), join Key City Public Theatre Actors as they take you on an interac�ve walk through town of Port Townsend’s new Hidden History signs. These entertaining tours are free. Sign up at www.keycitypublictheatre.org On July 26, 2021, Mountain View Pool discon�nued the need to make an appointment. As we transi�on away from COVID opera�ons, and in compliance with guidelines from the State Department of Health, reserva�ons will no longer be available and there will be no capacity limits. We ask that patrons circle swim if there are 3 or more people in a lane. Hours of opera�ons and lane set up will remain the same un�l further no�ce. We appreciate your pa�ence as we work towards fully reopening the facility. Kathi’s puppy, Gyspy