HomeMy WebLinkAbout03 March_NewsletterNewsletterNewsletter
MARCH CITY COUNCIL
MEETINGS:
March 2022
A Note From Mayor David Faber
ROADS!
Oh man, let me tell you how o�en I hear people decry the state of
our local roads. O�en. Near daily. Believe me, I know, and I experience
it first-hand as a mul�-modal commuter myself: I walk about 5 miles
a day on average, bike frequently to des�na�ons throughout town,
& drive a couple �mes per week, all on our local roads and trails.
Nigh�me walks can get uncomfortable, with sudden soggy feet as I
step into water-filled potholes, and bike rides are even more
uncomfortable than driving a car along ru�ed and uneven road
surfaces. Our city has some lousy, lousy streets! What are they
going to do about it?!
Oh yeah, “they” are me (plus the rest of City Council and our City staff, but you can always
direct your ire toward me).
Let me tell you, then, that star�ng with this year’s budget, we’ve finally started to turn the
corner on our decades of deferred road maintenance. The City's superstar Public Works
Department (led by the incomparable Steve King, who took over the project from our former
Public Works Director Greg Lanning) has been spearheading for the last few years a
"Comprehensive Streets Plan" for the City of Port Townsend, including cataloging the condi�on
of each of our local streets and strategizing on how best to repair our local roadways to
ensure that they don’t fall back into their current state of disrepair (or worse). Our budget
this year includes hundreds of thousands of dollars to improve our local rights-of-way in a
variety of ways, and this is just the beginning. We are planning to con�nue this process for
years to come.
The first set of projects may feel small and isolated (ADA ramps on Lawrence Street, pavement
restora�on on Pacific Avenue, sidewalks for 9th street, for instance), but we have to start
somewhere, and they each serve a vital community value.
I will con�nue to advocate for us to invest and reinvest in our community streets, focusing on
improvements that help our community be�er use our public spaces, including improved
walking, biking, and driving facili�es. Please bear with us, however. This will be years in the
making. It’s a major li�, but the issue is on our radar and ac�vely being worked on, so I
encourage you all to thank our Public Works employees if you see them out and about!
Graffiti Warrior
City of Port Townsend
250 Madison Street
(360)385-3000
www.cityofpt.us
03/07/22: Business Mee�ng
03/14/22: Workshop Mee�ng
03/21/22: 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
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• Climate Ac�on Commi�ee• Historic Preserva�on Commi�ee • Library Advisory Board• Lodging Tax Advisory Commi�ee• Parks, Recrea�on, Trees and Trails Advisory Board• Planning Commission
We welcome Don as one of our newest
volunteers! Don is helping to clean up graffi�
around the community.
The best way to report graffi� is through our
online concern form.
Just click the "report a concern" box on the
homepage at www.cityofpt.us.
City of Port Townsend • 250 Madison Street • (360) 385-3000 • www.cityofpt.us
Welcome New City Staff
Our people are the City organiza�on. Whether it’s the reliable flow of water or wastewater,
circula�on of library materials and programs, processing of permits and payments, or opera�on
of public mee�ngs, upkeep of our parks and streets, or 24/7 police services – and a whole lot
more – these things happen because people make them happen. City staff work hard, work
together and are commi�ed to public service. Over �me, they’ve literally built Port Townsend
and con�nue to maintain and improve it for future genera�ons.
The City hasn’t been spared the all-industry, na�onal-scope recruitment and reten�on
difficul�es brought by the past few years of the pandemic. Finding great talent, par�cularly
now, means being crea�ve and proac�ve. Retaining talented staff means inves�ng in professional development and an
empowering, collabora�ve organiza�onal culture and, in some cases, ac�vely training staff into new roles.
Especially given these challenges and our extra efforts, I’m par�cularly excited to introduce a few new staff to you:
• Paige Wynkoop started as Associate Librarian on January 12. She is responsible for planning programs for
all ages, offering story�mes, cataloging materials, and assis�ng patrons at the reference desk.
• Ron Logghe started as Finance Manager on January 24. He is responsible for coordina�ng annual report,
financial repor�ng, budget and audit func�ons as well as day to day supervision of the Finance Department.
• Michael Todd started as our new Facili�es & Parks Manager on February 28. He is responsible for the opera�on,
maintenance, day-to-day supervision, and general ac�vi�es related to the City’s parks, open spaces, and
facili�es.
• Connie Anderson is star�ng as our next Finance and Technology Services Director on March 16. She will be
responsible for a range of cri�cal City finance and technology func�ons like budge�ng and financial repor�ng,
forecas�ng and financial analysis, municipal audits and IT network security, as well as leading the Financial
Sustainability project which will kick off in earnest later this year.
• Carrie Hite is star�ng as our first Director of Parks and Recrea�on Strategy on April 1. She will be responsible
for leading a highly-visible and inclusive three-year public and stakeholder engagement and decision-making
process around the future of the municipal golf course, master-planning of the Mountain View Campus, the
future of the pool and aqua�cs, and any associated funding mechanisms that may be required for implementa�on.
New staff will help us take on our ambi�ous work plan, adding their own energy and talents to our community to
serve you be�er. I am commi�ed to making the City an even greater place to work and inves�ng in our staff to ensure
our collec�ve success as a community. You can help. If you see or talk to them, please welcome them to our special
town – and perhaps thank them for the work they’re already doing to benefit us all!
A Note From City Manager John Mauro
The Bell Tower Park got a Makeover!
Jess Norton and Wildflower Landscaping have donated their �me to
refresh the landscape beds at the Bell Tower Park. City Council accepted
the dona�on in January of 2022 and renova�on work was completed.
The aged rhododendrons are being preserved and rejuvenated with com-
post tea, English ivy and an invasive laurel hedge were removed,
and low
maintenance shrubs are being installed. All mature trees are being
preserved.
Wildflower Landscaping has adopted the park and will maintain the
new landscaping for the first year in coopera�on with the Parks Team.
Thanks so much to Jess and the crew. We appreciate the community
involvement from a long-�me local company!
City of Port Townsend • 250 Madison Street • (360) 385-3000 • www.cityofpt.us
New Pavement on Cook Avenue!
DM Disposal - Spring Clean Dates Announced
Water System Maintenance - Rate Increases
The December newsle�er included an ar�cle providing informa�on about a 3% rate increase effec�ve January 1,
2022. The ar�cle also indicated that a future rate increase would likely result as part of the final Paper Mill agreement.
The final Water Supply Agreement was approved at the end of 2021. The development of a Water Supply agreement
marked a historic effort in providing water sustainability for the City of Port Townsend for the next 20 years.
Extensive informa�on is available on the City’s EngagePT website at: www.cityofpt.us/engagept
The agreement ensures that equitable costs for untreated water are covered by both the City and the Port
Townsend Paper Corpora�on (PTPC). This equitable coverage of costs is accomplished by each en�ty paying for
actual volume of water consumed. As a result, the City an�cipates approximately $4.5 million per year will be paid
by the PTPC while the City’s expected share will be approximately $500,000 per year based on historical consump�on.
Payment for raw water consump�on will fund opera�ons and maintenance of the system as well as replacement
of transmission pipeline, sec�ons of which are now approaching 100 years in age. The City and PTPC begin paying
for raw water April 1, 2022. City customer water rates will increase beginning April 1, 2022 as follows:
The monthly water base rate increases from $22.06 to $23.13. Water usage charges increase from $3.12 per 1,000
gallons used to $3.27 per 1,000 gallons used. The water capital surcharge remains $22.00 to fund ongoing capital
improvement projects. These rates also reflect applicable business taxes that the water u�lity incurs such as State
Excise Tax (5%) and City U�lity Tax (18%). This represents a change in the u�lity bill format for water and all u�li�es.
Seton Construc�on rebuilt and resurfaced Cook Avenue as part of the Trailcrest
Development. A special thanks to Bruce Seton and Seton Construc�on who did
this work voluntarily. While not a requirement as part of the permi�ng completed
in 2011, Bruce has determined that it’s the right thing to do for the neighborhood
and the City.
DM Disposal sponsors an annual spring clean-up program to collect certain bulky items not normally a part of
the regular collec�ons program, without cost for pick-up.
April 4-8 - addi�onal yard waste
April 11-15 - addi�onal garbage/bulky items
Spring clean-up includes:
• Up to three addi�onal bags or cans of garbage
• Up to three addi�onal cans of yard waste on customer’s regular service day
If you have any ques�ons or will need a bulky item picked up during Spring Clean, please call DM Disposal:
(360) 385-6612.
City of Port Townsend • 250 Madison Street • (360) 385-3000 • www.cityofpt.us
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 KT LaBadie our Code Compliance
Officer with the Development Services Department.
How long have you worked at the City of Port Townsend?
7 months
What do you currently do in terms of job du�es?
Code Compliance. I am responsible for responding to ci�zen concerns and performing code enforcement for building,
land use, nuisance, shoreline, and zoning code viola�ons.
What do you like Or enjoy most about working at the City?
The people. My coworkers are some of the most dedicated and friendly people I’ve
ever met, and the business owners and residents of Port Townsend are also fantas�c.
My background is in water resources so I especially enjoy any cases related to the
protec�on of our shorelines.
Is there anything else you would like to share about yourself, your job, or your
team with the public?
We are here to help, so please reach out to the staff at the Development Services
Department. It is be�er to know upfront what the building and zoning regula�ons
are than to try and correct something a�er the fact.
Introducing City Staff
PT Public Library