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HomeMy WebLinkAboutApril 2014From Mayor David King April 2014 Mountain View – The Whole Is Greater Than the Sum of the Parts For more than twenty-five years I have passed Mountain View, first School now Commons, at least twice a day. For years I voted there (mail-in is just not the same). My son went to school there. I tried to reach consensus with other OPEPO parents there. I have friends who used to teach there and who work there now. I am often distracted by the view of the mountains as I pass by - it comes by its name honestly - but it always lifts my spirit to be part of a community that has reserved its best places for schools and other public uses. On March 11 the Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce held their monthly after-hours mixer at Mountain View. It gave the not-for-profit businesses now located there a chance to show off their services together. The event was very well attended and it struck me how well the facility is working as a home to these activities that were in no way considered when the facility was built. The wide hallways, for instance, awash with children for many years, function as the common area within the facility - people coming and going between the Food Bank and Working Image. Because of the pool and the gym and the YMCA there are always kids around. Our police chief has repeatedly said how much police operations benefit from being so intimately a part of the community in this location. For those unable to get to the mixer the City has published an excellent brochure, largely written by the ten- ants, that is available at Mountain View and at City Hall. I cannot improve on their own summary. “We clothe. We educate. We entertain. We Feed. We Protect. We Recreate. We ride, and We repair. We are the Mountain View Commons.” Proposition 1 Public Safety Sales Tax – The Next Phase But age and deferred maintenance have caught up with these old buildings. The roofs are failing and, though we made some repairs to the pool itself, operations there and throughout the campus are daily threatened by its worn-out plumbing and heating systems. The estimated cost for addressing years of insufficient care is over $5.5 million and Council will be developing several options to bring forth for a public discussion on the cam- pus's future to see how (and if) we can stay there. A plan to do so is a Council pre-requisite for a long term lease for the facility with the School District, and a lease is required for the City to make significant investments there (and take advantage of $800,000 of approved grants from the State). All scenarios to ensure the future viability of Mountain View that Council will consider seriously, or alternatives like leaving and building a stand- alone police station elsewhere, involve using the public safety sales tax (PSST) money currently allocated to the County when that agreement sunsets in May of 2015. By any measure, passage of the PSST in 2010 has been of great benefit to both the City and the County and through us to our citizens. The benefit to the County is about $620K per year plus the approximately $212K allocation from the City's portion. The rest of the City’s share, about $212K, is allocated to our police. The City's temporary allocation to the County not only sustains operations at the Recreation Center and Memorial Field but is extending the County’s ability to maintain programs and facilities in the rest of the County into 2015, hopefully providing sufficient time to develop alternatives. And the County's ongoing implementation includes significant benefits to the City. For instance the County supports senior services at the Rec Center (along with senior services at other community centers in the County) from its 60% of the revenue from the tax increase (not from the City’s portion) so this valued program should continue past 2015. Policy Differences As I wrote in the February newsletter the innovative and collaborative parks and rec plan that was proposed by City Manager David Timmons and turned down by the County was not unrealistic or unprecedented. In 1987, the City and County established mutual arrangements to jointly finance improvements and investments in the Recreation Center and McCurdy Pavilion at Fort Worden. The approach used County debt capacity in a manner similar to the City Manager’s proposal. In 2013, we were able to re-open the pool through similar joint arrangements. But the County and City have explicitly adopted and have been implementing two very different policy approaches to dealing with reduced revenues for the last several years. The County - referring in its 2014 budget to “A 5-year Plan to Constrain Expenditures” - has adopted a defensive policy of defining and limiting expenditures to existing revenue sources and this has directed them to “…find al- ternative providers or funding for services & facilities to reduce the burden on the county General Fund. Inform county citizens about county finances, & size county services based on the revenues the state and our citizens choose to provide.” (From the County’s adopted strategic plan of 2010 – 2011) The City by contrast “…while balancing operating budget needs over the last five years of the “Great Re- cession”…chose to invest in a three-part long term economic development and budget stabilization plan” (from our 2014 budget). And in fact during the period we have expanded our commitment to provid- ing community services by subsidizing with free or well below market rental costs the growing culture of community services that has taken root at Mountain View. I’m not contrasting City policy to County policy to value one over the other, but for the moment the Coun- ty’s direction of reducing obligations versus the City’s of increasing capacity limit common ground for joint action. I continue to believe that the interlocal agreements that we reached prior to, and in support of, the original ballot measure commit us to a special effort here with respect to other priorities. But as I sit here at my desk I am in at least five overlapping jurisdictions: City, County, Port, School District, and Hospital District. I have been tireless to the point of tiresome about collaboration between these jurisdictions (I think I’ve even used that phrase before) and have regretted the money silos we must work within. But not all gaps can be bridged and some are warranted. The number of executive positions held by elected officials as heads of various County departments almost ensures a more conservative approach than the City’s – probably as our founders intended. But my focus is on Port Townsend. Deciding About Mountain View Becomes the First Priority I am very proud of the direction we’ve taken and to have been part of what we have accomplished in the City, not only our public investments but what community members and organizations have accomplished. We don’t know how many users of the Food Bank or Working Image or the ReCyclery come from out of town because no one asks, but like the pool all the organizations at Mountain View except the police serve all the people of Jefferson County. However, the burden of maintaining the facility that houses these services will be born exclusively by City revenues so a frank discussion about possibilities and conse- quences has to precede a commitment that will last decades. We are continuing to work with the County to maximize the benefit of our PSST allocation until the termi- nation date of the agreement in May, 2015 and we will continue to look for specific opportunities for collab- oration to achieve specific goals. With respect to Memorial Field and the Recreation Center the County has shared their intent to “…actively track trends in REET [real estate excise tax] and federal PILT [payment in lieu of taxes], which may significantly improve the County’s capital fund capacity in the future. The County Parks & Rec Division will refine plans for the extent and location of County Recreation pro- grams for June 2015 and beyond. The County Facilities Division will refine the County’s overall capital fa- cility and financing plan for all County facilities, including the PT Community Center/Rec Center and Me- morial Field.” I am hopeful that the improving economy will allow the County to maintain these facilities and services beyond 2015 though I remain very concerned about their condition since (as at Mountain View) the cost of the capital repairs to them is in excess of the funds available. Council and staff will be engaging with our active partners in the School District, the tenants and stake- holders at Mountain View and City residents to see how (and if) we can stay there, prepared to look at a variety of alternatives and partnerships that put every dollar to work, wherever it comes from, while main- taining our statutory fund balances that we have carefully rebuilt. Personally I think we’d be crazy to let it slip away. It’s the best place in town to see what’s coming next. But then I get to see it every day. KPTZ 91.9 FM Spring Fund Drive Features New Community Card Offer KPTZ‘s Spring Pledge Drive is April 16 - 19 . There is a new benefit for contributing to the nonprofit radio station - every caller who pledg- es during the drive will receive the new ―Community Card‖ as a thank you gift for donat- ing to the station. 50+ Port Townsend business- es have signed on to support the community ra- dio station by offering discounts through the new ―Community Card.‖ Please contact underwriting@kptz.org for more information on the ―Community Card Program‖. To learn more about volunteer opportunities at the station, please call 379-6886. The Story of the City’s New Logo April 2014 Many have been curious about the City‘s new look on vehi- cles, the welcome sign to Port Townsend and on signage around town. It was inspired by the image on the cornice of historic City Hall, which also inspired the railing design crafted by Russell Jaqua, in new City Hall. Russell summed up the design best: ―People have asked about the railing‘s motif. It‘s an allusion to the stamped metal ornamentation on the upper exterior of the original building. I realize it‘s a subtle echo from old to new. Not many will notice. But I like to imagine the sophistication of the person who discovers the repetition of the decorative gesture, reaching across 100 years as if to say, ‗Greetings! We the people of Port Townsend are still here…and we still care about beautiful things.‘ ‖ – Russell Jaqua, December 12, 2005 Did you know? Mountain View Commons, a for- mer middle school that is leased by the City, is home to a core group of social and public ser- vice organizations that serve the City and County by housing many of the community‘s ―safety-net‖ programs. They include: Jefferson County Food Bank - 531-0275 YMCA programs/childcare services - 385-5811 Red Cross - 385-2737 KPTZ - 379-6886 ReCyclery Bike Center - 643-1755 Working Image - 385-0300 Mountain View Pool - 385-7665 Port Townsend Police - 385-2322 Civic District Makeover Complete Noticed a transformation in the waterfront civic district? The City collaborated with several part- ners over the past several years - including the NW Maritime Center, Main Street, and the Port of Port Townsend. We‘ve designed and constructed a distinctive civic district streetscape and water- front gathering space for our community. Many hours of planning, grant writing, project manage- ment and field work made this happen. A couple of the most notable changes: Streetscapes beautified… Gathering places created... Want to see more PT Project Makeovers? And review the City‘s strategic capital investments for 2014? Visit ―What can we help you find?‖ on the City‘s homepage and click on ―Current Projects‖. BEFORE AFTER BEFORE AFTER Sather Park Workparty Here comes the sun ... have fun pulling ivy! Every Tuesday, 1-3 p.m. your help is needed at the community ivy pull in Sather Park. We are now working in the park from the west end of Cosgrove Street (south side of Sather Park between Oak Street and Taylor). Look for tarps on the trail and a pile of ivy at the edge of the road. Wear work clothes and work gloves. Bring pruners if you have them (shovels, saws, loppers are also helpful). For more information contact Elsa Golts, 379-1676, <elsa@olympus.net> or Cappy Mathias, 385-1752, <mathias@olympus.net> Earth Day Spring Cleanup Do you have a green thumb? On Saturday, April 19, from 9 a.m. to 12 noon, PT Mainstreet needs volunteers to help work on clean up and gardening in Port Townsend. Help beautify our City. Visit www.ptmainstreet.org for more details. Deal With Poison Hemlock NOW!! Poison hemlock is a highly toxic plant which is very common in Port Townsend. It has dark green fern-like leaves, which are up al- ready, and white lacy flowers which appear in July. All parts of the plant are toxic, and deaths have occurred in our state when people ingest it, thinking it is an edible plant. Poison hemlock can be distinguished from other similar plants because it has no hairs, and it has purple blotches on the stem. Now is a excellent time to pull it—plants come out easily because the ground is soft and moist, and there are no flowers or seeds to worry about. Do NOT compost or burn plants—the toxins re- main in compost and can be released into the air if plants are burned. The Weed Board can help with ID and general advice. Call—360-379-5610 ext 205, or email noxiousweeds@co.jefferson.wa.us May is “Art Wave” month! An inspiring month- long exhibit of over 400 pieces of art created in the Port Townsend School District in grades K-12 on display in the businesses of historic Uptown and Downtown Port Townsend. Community Events - Achtuning Cruise to PT - Sat., April 5 Farmers Saturday Market opening - Sat., April 5 JeffCo Expo - Sat., April 26 Rhody Festival - May 12-17 Rhody Run - Sun., May 18 The insert in your May Utility Bill will be the City’s 2013 Annual Drinking Water Report. The Mayor’s report and the Newsletter will resume in June. Kah Tai Lagoon Nature Park Workparty Join us Sunday, April 27, anytime between 9 a.m. and noon for a workparty at Kah Tai La- goon Nature Park. We will be focusing on pull- ing Scot‘s Broom, Spurge Laurel, Holly and picking up garbage. Park at the parking lot near the bath- rooms and walk east to- ward the Ben- edict Street entrance southeast of the small pond. Look for a white Chevy pick-up with the bright green ‗volunteer‘ sign. Wear warm work clothes and bring work gloves and pruners if you have them. Water, tea, treats garbage bags and weed pullers will be provided. Hope to see you there. For more information contact 385-0307 rosemarysikes@olympus.net. Prohibited Posting Of Signs The PT Municipal Code 17.76.070 L. prohibits ―Signs at- tached to utility poles or traffic signs.‖ This includes garage sales, announcements, ad- vertising, etc. Please contact the Develop- ment Services Dept. 379-5095 with ques- tions about sign regu- lations.