HomeMy WebLinkAbout07162001CITY OF PORT TOWNSEND
MINUTES OF THE WORKSHOP SESSION OF JULY 16, 2001
The City Council of the City of Port Townsend met in workshop session this sixteenth
day of July 2001, at 6:30 p.m. in the Port Townsend Council Chambers of City Hall,
Mayor Geoff Masci presiding.
ROLL CALL AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
The meeting was called to order at 6:30 p.m. Councilmembers present at roll call were
Allen Frank, Joe Finnie, Geoff Masci, Bill Wolcott, and Alan Youse.
Syd Lipton was excused and Vern Garrison was absent. Staff members present were City
Manager David Timmons, Public Works Director, BCD Director Jeff Randall, and City
Clerk Pam Kolacy.
CITY HALL ANNEX DESIGN DISCUSSION
Mr. Timmons gave an overview of the process. He stated that the project has so far
involved getting the big picture in focus and now the project will be refined in the next
few months. He added that there was to intention to reinvent previous planning efforts
and initiatives which have constantly indicated the goal of locating the city government
in the downtown district. This leaves limited options.
The consultant was instructed to define a time line working backward from the date the
Waterman & Katz lease expires.
Mr. Timmons said the the goal of the workshop would be to look at the envelope of the
space requirements which will be needed; cost comparisons can then be made among the
possible sites. He noted that there are design issues to address, particularly as the
building will be located in the downtown historic district. Design and scale will be key.
He added that the next major milestone will be coming forward with costs on various
alternatives and marrying this with the space needs issue. At that point, the city will need
to make a commitment to an alternative.
Mr. Timmons then introduced Dave Rutherford from ARC in Bellevue, the project
consultant. Mr. Rutherford stated that they have arrived at a need of about 9,500 square
feet which is about 1,500 sfmore than the space currently leased at Waterman & Katz.
He added that the firm has been instructed to consider three sites: the Waterman & Katz
Building, the parking lot behind City Hall, and the lot between the American Legion and
City Hall.
Mr. Rutherford said that the additional need for space results from the lack of "elbow
room," efficient' storage areas and gracious public access space which are lacking in the
current working environment.
City Council I~'orkshop Meeting Page 1 duly 16, 2001
All sites present certain challenges including an extensive remodeling to Waterman &
Katz, parking revisions which would be necessary for the City Hall parking lot site, and
the narrow width and need for negotiation with the American Legion for the lot fronting
on Water Street.
Mr. Frank left the meeting at 7:12 p. m.
Public comment
Nancy Dorgan: supported a main entrance on Water Street; opposed to putting non-profit
or other non-city agencies on the first floor of a city government building; stated that city
government should be the focus and vision for the main design. She asked why the dollar
amount of the Waterman & Katz lease was the benchmark for the new project.
Guy Hupy: commented on scale and cautioned that the project must follow guidelines
for the historic district.
UPDATE ON "SMART CODE" PROJECT
Jean Walat, Assistant Planner, presented recommendations and a draft ordinance
reflecting the f'mal recommendations from the "Smart Code" study which was funded by
a grant from the state office of Community Trade & Economic Development.
Public comment
Nancy Dorgan: supported the goal of developing existing downtown buildings.
Barney Burke: posed a number of questions about the application of the "smart code".
Guy Hupy, project consultant, expanded on the application of the recommendations and
how they would specifically apply to historic buildings.
The council's consensus was to bring forward the recommendations to the next meeting
within a resolution similar to the draft presented, without the optional clause of
establishing a committee to assist the Building Official in previewing or reviewing
project proposals.
Mr. Masci suggested a code interpretation manual be created.
Mr. Finnie left the meeting at 8: 15p. m.
ADJOURN
Because there was no longer a quorum of council members present, the meeting was
adjourned at 8:15 p.m.
Attest: (~~~/~'
Pamela Kolacy, CMC
City Clerk
City Council Workshop Meeting Page 2 July 16, 2001