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HomeMy WebLinkAbout06(360) 379-5047 (email: citycouncil@cityofpt.us) www.cityofpt.us June 2008 City of Port Townsend from Mayor Michelle Sandoval June 5 at 6:30 p.m. will be the third in a series of town meetings the City Council has recently convened. If you have not yet been to a town meeting, I hope that you con- sider joining us at McCurdy Pavilion for an evening of conversation with your neighbors. We have had great participation at each of the previous events and I trust this topic on “Affordable Housing and Jobs” will be equally engaging. For those of you who have attended in the past, this is another piece of the puzzle in discovering our strengths and weaknesses as a community and we will dis- cuss how to move forward in a productive manner to preserve a vital and diverse community. Someone recently asked me why they should care if there is affordable housing in our town, I was surprised that someone would sincerely not under- stand why we should all care… the essence of our community is nourished by having a range of ages, as well as economic and life style diversity. And though you may not have a problem finding hous- ing or need a job, what would our town be without that range of citizens? Who will be the teachers, the librarians, the farmers, the grocers, if they can’t a find a place to live? Can we really affect market trends? How do we consider the relationship of jobs to this problem? Can we really create jobs that pay top wages locally? Join us to listen to invited speakers and share your voice in creating solutions. Recent Land Use and Other Issues As citizens of Port Townsend, you might find a number of recent matters of interest. Code enforcement. The City Council recently adopted Ordinance 2952 (March 31, 2008) provid- ing for stepped up code enforcement and tougher penalties for violations. Council stated that in cer- tain enforcement situations (including a repeat vio- lation, a violation by a contractor or someone who should reasonably have known the activity was subject to city code and regulation, damage to the environment, or damage to city property) mone- tary penalties should be imposed (in addition to required restoration and correction of the unper- mitted activity). Penalties are increased to $250 per day for ongoing violations. Additional mone- tary penalties apply for damage to the environ- ment, damage to city property, and other catego- ries. Stop work orders should be issued to pre- vent ongoing violations. Ordinance 2952 is avail- able on the City website. Street uses. City code restricts use of the public right of way for private purposes. While minor landscaping may be permitted, placing any struc- tures, fences or other obstructions such as rock- eries or landscape timbers is not allowed. Demolition or exterior alteration of historic homes. The City Council approved on an interim basis a regulation that would prohibit demolition or partial demolition of an historic home unless necessary due to structural failure or economic hardship. Ex- terior alterations to historic homes are required to adhere to design standards. An historic home is defined as one that meets certain architectural and historic criteria. Proposed demolitions, partial demolitions, or alterations require permits. Prior to the interim regulation, demolition regulations and design standards only applied to downtown commercial buildings. Ordinance 2969 (passed February 19, 2008) is available on the City web- site (www.cityofpt.us). For additional information, contact the City Development Services Department at 379-5095. TOWN MEETING III “Achieving a better balance between jobs and housing “ Thursday, June 5, 2008 Doors open at 6:00 p.m. Meeting time 6:30—9:00 p.m. at McCurdy Pavilion (refreshments will be served) Japanese Delegates visit Port Townsend in May The first group of delegates was the Japanese Rhododen- dron Society, led by Homare Yashiro. Mr. Yashiro cultivated a special rhodo- dendron that was donated to the City in honor of the 40th anniversary of the Sister State relationship between Hyogo Prefecture, Japan and Washington State Following this visit, the City of Port Townsend’s Sister City delegates from Ichikawa, Japan toured our town and met with the Mayor after a visit to Whitney Gardens. Dinner was held in their honor at the home of Keith and Jeinell Harper and a reception was held the following day sponsored by Mirabelle Catering with music provided by Kristen and Otto Smith. The Ichikawa and Port Townsend Sister City Groups alternate exchanges and Port Townsend will be sending a delegation to Ichikawa in the Spring of 2010. Photos of the Sister City visit may be viewed on the City’s website http:// www.cityofpt.us/SisterCity/. Anyone interested in the Sister City program may contact Catherine McNabb at 379-5089 or cmcnabb@cityofpt.us. Wednesday Farmers Market Opening June 11 3:30 – 6:30 p.m. Uptown at Polk & Lawrence Over 20 local farms, plus… cheese, wine, bread, chocolate, chickens & eggs. Dinner foods to stay or to go. Friends of the Port Townsend Library Used Book Sale Where: PT Community Center (Lawrence & Taylor Streets) When: Saturday, June 14, 2008 9:00 a.m.— 2:00 p.m. Open to the Public 8:00 a.m.— 9:00 a.m. Open ONLY to Friends of the Library (join or renew at the door) Summer Reading Begins June 19 1:00p.m.-4:00p.m. Sign up for sum- mer reading at the Library, make your a-mazing reading log and start read- ing/listening to earn free books!! Read to Rover starts June 25 at 11:00 a.m. Come to the Library and read to a dog! Sign-ups required. Congratulations to the City’s Rhody Bed Race Team! From the left: David Timmons, Samantha Trone, Scottie Fos- ter, Mary Heather Ames, and Tyler Johnson. Right: They are shown accepting the Best Pit Crew Award. Go Team! The City’s participation in the Bed Race was to bring awareness to the Relay for Life that will be held July 18 -19 at the Blue Heron Middle School. The League of American Bicyclists Names Port Townsend a “Bronze” Level Bicycle Friendly Community (BFC) The League of American Bicyclists recognizes com- munities that actively support bicycling and inspires them to improve conditions and opportunities for bi- cycling. The BFC designation is determined by a set of standards that are called the Five Es: Engineering, Education, Encouragement, Enforcement and Evaluation. As a representative of the League of American Bicy- clists, David McCulloch will present the prestigious bronze level award to the City at the Monday night Council Meeting on June 2 at 6:30 p.m. Summer in PT—It’s a busy place The Port Townsend Police Depart- ment would like to remind everyone of the law pertaining to pedestrians in a crosswalk (RCW46.61.235). The vehicle operator’s responsibility Vehicle operators shall stop and remain stopped to allow a pedestrian or bicycle to cross the roadway whether it is a marked or unmarked crosswalk. Any vehicle approaching from the rear shall not over- take or pass the stopped vehicle. The pedestrian’s and bicyclist’s responsibility No pedestrian or bicyclist shall suddenly leave a curb or other place of safety and walk, run, or other- wise move into the path of a vehicle which is so close that it is impossible for the driver to stop.