HomeMy WebLinkAbout05292002 WorkshopCITY OF PORT TOWNSEND
MINUTES OF THE WORKSHOP SESSION OF MAY 29, 2002
The City Council of the City of Port Townsend met for a workshop session this twenty-
ninth day of May, 2002, at 7:05 p.m. in the Port Townsend Council Chambers of City
Hall, Mayor Kees Kolff presiding.
ROLL CALL
Councilmembers present at roll call were Freida Fenn, Kees Kolff, Geoff Masci,
Michelle Sandoval and Catharine Robinson. Mr. Finnie and Mr. Mr. Youse were
excused. Staff members present were City Manager David Timmons, City Attorney John
Watts, Public Works Director Ken Clow and City Clerk Pam Kolacy.
DISABILITY AWARENESS SURVEILLANCE AND HELATH PROMOTION
Lesa Barnes presented information about the DASH program, noting that this is an
excellent time for the Council to raise awareness of access issues because many major
public facilities are in the planning stages.
Susan Kinney from Washington State University also commented.
RECESS
The meeting was recessed at 7:28 for a break.
RECONVENE
The meeting was reconvened at 7:35
CITY HALL ANNEX
Mr. Timmons reviewed the City Hall timeline from 1891 to the present.
Robert Lee of ARC Architects presented the work to date on the configuration of the
proposed City Hall Annex.
Public works Director Ken Clow talked about the project schedule. At this time the lease
at Waterman & Katz will have to be extended, with construction proposed to begin in
April and completion in about a year.
Mr. Timmons discussed the public process, noting that some of the review is by
definition a citizen review as HPC is a citizen committee and the SEPA and building
permit files are all public information and open to public comment. He stated that a
citizen ad hoc committee will also be appointed and events such as open houses will
allow the citizens to share in the process.
City Council Workshop Meeting Page 1 May 29, 2002
Dr. Niki Clark of the Jefferson County Historical Society presented a summary of the
work of the society to date in their efforts to plan and finance a restoration of the old City
Hall building. She emphasized the desire of the group to maintain a close partnership
with the city during the two projects. She added that a decision to house the museum's
permanent collection off site has been the latest innovation in their plan.
Jim Nelson of Martin/Nelson discussed options for financing the construction of the City
Hall Annex.
Mr. Timm0ns noted that the month of June is the "failsafe" point when council must
begin to dedicate resources to the project.
Questions from the council prompted discussion of the timing of the City Hall and City
Hall Annex projects. It was noted that the two projects would probably be done by
different contractors and would each run on their own timeline. Mr. Timmons stated the
city will probably take the project coordination effort to free up the historical society to
concentrate on fund raising.
Mr. Nelson stated that local investors are always notified about the bonds and there are
many ways to disseminate information to the public about the opportunities for investing
in the project.
Public comment
Todd Wexman: asked each council member to state whether they plan to spend three
million dollars without going to the voters.
Nancy Dorgan: still does not understand the relationship between the money presently
used for the annual lease payments for Waterman & Katz and targeting the same amount
for repayment of the construction debt. She asked that the building not be a sterile office
environment but more like City Hall.
Consensus was to endorse the official project goals at the regular council meeting on June
17; this would allow creation of the citizen task force so it could begin meeting in July.
It was agreed that more public process should be planned at the beginning of the project
rather than waiting until it is well under way.
Regarding task force composition, Mr. Timmons stated that staff would start identifying
stakeholders, including a representative from DASH and people who frequent the
building for various services. He asked that council members forward any suggestions
for members to him.
Mr. Masci suggested that each council member appoint a member of the committee; he
proposed discussion of the suggestion at the next meeting.
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Consensus was that for the most part, City Hall Annex issues would be dealt with by the
full council rather than in a committee setting.
ADJOURN
The meeting was adjourned at 9:32 p,m.
Attest:
Pamela Kolacy, CMC
City Clerk
City Council Workshop Meeting Page 3 May 29, 2002