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HomeMy WebLinkAbout02032003CITY OF PORT TOWNSEND MINUTES OF THE REGULAR SESSION OF FEBRUARY 3, 2003 The City Council of the City of Port Townsend met in regular session this third day of February, 2003, at 6:30 p.m. in the Port Townsend Council Chambers of City Hall, Mayor Kees Kolff presiding. CALL TO ORDER AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE The meeting was called to order at 6:30 by Mayor Kees Kolff. Council members present were Joe Finnie, Kees Kolff, Geoff Masci, and Catharine Robinson. Freida Fenn and Michelle Sandoval were excused. A1 Youse called to say he would be delayed. Staff members present were City Manager David Timmons, Public Works Director Ken Clow, Fire Chief Ed Edwards, City Engineer Dave Peterson, City Attorney John Watts, and City Clerk Pam Kolacy. CHANGESTOTHEAGENDA Mayor Kolff noted that many people have come prepared to comment on the City Hall. He asked if Council would like to consider placing the item on the agenda for discussion. Mr. Masci suggested it be placed under unfinished business. There was no opposition. COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC (consent and non-agenda) Bernie Arthur: appealed to the Council for long range planning which would keep a mix of economy in Port Townsend that is private in nature and positive in result. He stated that the bickering between the City and Port regarding Point Hudson and between the City and County regarding Glen Cove have prevented the council from thinking of the good of the citizens. He asked that money not be spent on projects the city does not need such as the City Hall, City Annex and Fire Station. He also stated the City Hall/Annex should be a working place for staff and not a civic textbook experiment. Leola Armstrong: asked why the Glen Cove negotiating committee is still in existence when a complaint has already been filed by People for a Livable Community regarding the terms of the agreement between the City and County on Glen Cove LAMIRD. She asked that Deputy Mayor Fenn step down from the negotiating team because of her symbiotic relationship with the PLC if the team continues to exist. James Fritz: submitted a proposed ordinance which would regulate the sale and use of certain toxic substances, in particular herbicides and pesticides. Mr. Finnie requested that staff respond to Mr. Fritz regarding state legislation on the matter. City Council Business Meeting Page 1 February 3, PUBLIC HEARING The Coppenrath Street Vacation (LUP02-084) has been withdrawn at the request of the applicant. PRESIDING OFFICER'S REPORT Mayor Kolff reported on the positive feedback regarding the efforts of the community to raise the money to put off parking fees at Fort Worden State park in 2003. Mayor Kolff noted that the city has received official notice of our continuing status as a Certified Local Government. He also noted that he has been in contact with the EDC and other organizations to work out an "economic summit" meeting. CITY MANAGER'S REPORT Mr. Timmons stated a letter has been received from the Port stating they are agreeing not to proceed with any plans for demolition at Point Hudson in the next 90 days; they don't believe it is necessary to schedule a meeting with the Council during this time and have stated they will begin a health risk assessment on the property. Mr. Timmons stated that he would encourage the scheduling of a joint meeting between the Council and the Library Board to gain clarity on the issue of whether or not the City wishes to pursue annexation to the Library District. He then presented the Public Works work plan for the year, noting he will update the Council periodically on departmental work plans. PUBLIC COMMENT - KAH TAI PARK Mayor Kolff stated that the City Hall Annex project will probably take some time to discuss and asked if anyone who cannot stay through that discussion to the Kah Tai Park presentation could make comments at this time. Gary Perless: Science teacher at Port Townsend High School described how Kah Tai Lagoon is part of his curriculum. His students take regular field trips there and have made guides to the park; they are also working on a film. He supports the Kah Tai Park conceptual plan. Perry Spring: also spoke about the great value ofKah Tai and urged approval of the conceptual plan. CONSENT AGENDA Motion: Mr. Masci moved to approve the following items on the consent agenda. Ms. Robinson seconded The motion carried unanimously, 4-0, by voice vote. City Council Business Meeting Page 2 February 3, 2002 Approval of Bills, Claims and Warrants Vouchers 84750 through 84866 in the amount of $120,018.79 Approval of Minutes Regular Session of January 21, 2003 Special Session of January 27, 2003 UNFINISHED BUSINESS CITY HALL ANNEX City Manager David Timmons gave an overview of the project. He related the entire history of the facility and the number of plans which have been proposed; then outlined the steps which have been taken toward the Council's adopted schedule for the City Hall Annex/City Hall Project. He noted the schedule has several built in points at which decisions must be made to go forward. The City is running two separate projects and referred to pre-design reports relative to Historic City Hall and to the schematic design for the City Hall Annex. He noted that the most accurate numbers to date are contained in the reports. He reviewed the several actions by the Council as well as the conditions attached to the project. He projected a date of May 2 for a public open house regarding the progress of the project and to address questions of all kinds, including the parking issue and the level of funding and confidence in the funding for City Hall restoration. This will mark the completion of the schematic phase and Council reserves the ability to delay the project based on the staff's confidence report. He stated that the next window for construction would be May 2004. He added that staff recognizes that an alternative strategy must also be developed and that will also be looked at between now and May. He stated that many of the concerns that have been raised are good ones; staff will be developing answers and suggesting solutions. He added that the "do nothing" alternative is not helping the community and that the City needs to get out of the rent condition. There is significant economic movement occurring at this end of town and we need to be a part of that economic stimulus. He added the plan is still in the macro level of cost development and that harder numbers will have been developed by May. The Comprehensive Plan identifies REET money for annex and improvements at City Hall - a policy position adopted in the 1990s. The bond money came at an extremely cheap rate but the money can be allocated to other projects; if that is the case, however, it will affect the city's bond rating in the future. Mr. Youse arrived at 7:40 p.m. City Council Business Meeting Page 3 February 3, 2002 Mr. Timmons noted that City Hall presents challenges for adapting to current needs. Because most rooms (except library, elevator and bathrooms) are historically significant, a square foot analysis is less significant if you can't change the configuration. This issue was discussed at length with the City Hall Task Force. Mr. Kolff asked Mr. Timmons to comment on the total funding requirement. Mr. Timmons stated there are numbers all over the place. The City is responsible for a portion of the City Hall restoration in the amount of $675,000; the total projected cost of the annex is $2,795,000.00. The historical society's feasibility study number, which includes temporary relocation, furnishing, and fixtures, is $5.1 million. After the City's contribution of $675,000, it is up to the JCHS to raise the balance. Public Comment Vern Garrison: advocated downsizing the project, using existing facilities, and removing some employees from downtown. He stated he has a petition with 400 signatures of people from the city and county who do not support building a City Hall Annex. He asked for more public process. David Wren: believes the city cannot pay for this project and the City Hall Annex will contribute to runaway taxes in Jefferson County. He suggested the City collect private donations for the project. Ray Nelson: stated local media is not adequately informing the citizens and believes there is a massive gap of unreliable information. He suggested direct information to each citizen. Rich Ruggles: stated he sees no reason not to proceed to the May open house and he hopes the forum will be constructive. He added he has faith in the Council and City Manager and is looking forward to what they come up with between now and May 2. Dennis Schultz: stated the City should look seriously at other alternatives to the current proposal. Nancy Dorgan: stated her concern is that the City Hall Annex would not be good enough, would end up as a dreary reflection of people with disdain for government. She believes the project is modest, appropriately sized, and looks forward to details. She is in favor of government remaining downtown rather than turning the entire area over to tourists. She added that protection of the existing City Hall is a priority in her mind and she is happy that the preliminary engineering includes seismic elements to stabilize City Hall. Fred Johnson: urged council to stay within the funds we have and don't pass anything on to the taxpayers. Put the money where it needs to be put. City Council Business Meeting Page 4 February 3, 2002 Jim Hagen: wants the project scaled back; stated public space is a luxury and do not need to be included in a facility that is designed for the business of city government. He stated the issue should go to the voters in November. Marilyn Muller: spoke in support of the project; believe is forward looking and demonstrates strong financial planning so taxpayer money does not go for rent payments. She stated potholes don't bother her, there are higher projects that will enhance the City and future economic development. Jerry Kania: stated he is pleased the project will be evaluated in May; supports moving City staff away from downtown. A1 Frank: Supports the plan for a public education process but asked how the pro~ject helps create sustainable jobs. Stated the project should pause for 90 days to consider community priorities. He asked for employee projections and a government growth plan and asked how the project fits in with Point Hudson and the Maritime Center. Ron Gregory: Stated his concern is economic opportunity and public sector jobs in the county. He suggested the Annex plan be examined to make sure of the scope and cost. Ted Shoulberg: stated that this project will destroy the culture of thrift; wants to scale down Annex and take 90 days to modify the project in the way the public is requesting. He suggested greater use of City Hall for City staff and either shrink or not build the annex. Brett Sukert: believes the financial information presented is arbitrary and there is not enough separation between the two projects; also believes costs will be pushed back to the taxpayers; should focus on building a revenue stream that could pay for something like this in the future instead of impacting the individual property owners now. Jeff Kelety: appreciates that more information and public comments will be forthcoming; stressed that historic preservation is a component of economic development as people want to locate here because it is an historically interesting place and in that context restoration of City Hall is key. Also believes a significant amount of money can be saved with some seismic fitting of an annex. Ted Shoulberg: stated the process is not open and won't be open in May; he is not stating it is rigged but that it has too much momentum; asked council to focus on city hall rather than an annex and stated that Waterman & Katz Building can be bought for the price of rent payments. Mayor Kolff asked the City Manager to comment. Mr. Timmons stated that in terms of the taxpayers paying for the project, that concern is strongly shared by the Council and that is why there are benchmarks to assure that funds will be available and before one could proceed there must be assurances that funding is City Council Business Meeting Page 5 February 3, 2002 available for the entire project; voters will have the say if additional bonding is needed - that was the intent of council from the beginning. He added that private donations will be targeted as the method of fund raising to close the gap, through the efforts of JCHS. Regarding growth in employment, he stated that most of the growth which will occur in the next several years will be at the "ground" level; for example, police officers, fire department and public works employees. He stated the financial numbers presented are not arbitrary but backup up by professional estimators and reviewed by a construction company at no fee. Mr. Timmons stated that the City is not producing working drawings, but going along exactly the process Mr. Gregory described. Working drawings will only be ordered upon authorization of the Council. He stated that lessons learned from other communities show that it is not prudent to think only short term, but anticipate long term needs as part of your investment strategy. He stated the building can create economic stimulus; the City made a commitment and the community responded. Others are impressed by the fact that we are committed to improvement and investment in our own community. Part of the project is to act on economic stimulus and a message that the City is willing to invest in the community. He added the comments were good and he shares the concerns. Now the staff will proceed to put together schematic designs, refine estimates, and budget and will bring the public process forward. Confidence of the community and the Council is needed and if not attained, then staff will need to come forward with an alternative. Motion: Mr. Masci moved to continue citizen input and comment for 90 days, while staff continues to develop the project to provide more information at an open house on May 2. Mr. Youse seconded. Mr. Masci stated that citizens should influence the project now and not after it is too late. He added the money is in the bank and it is apparent that City Hall needs attention; the building is an asset and cannot die. If the City were to move somewhere else, more money would be needed for the property purchase. He added he has been against linking the projects from the beginning. Mr. Finnie stated that government grinds slowly but to disrupt the grind carries with it a cost itself. He stated that completing the schematics will help us to grasp the project and will come with a cost of $20-30,000. That is the price to get to the point when we can make a more informed decision to go or not go. Amendments to motion (accepted by consensus): Mr. Finnie offered the following amendments to the motion: Staff will demonstrate separate project accounting mechanisms that are understandable to the Council and the citizens, which will speak to the source as well as the application City Council Business Meeting Page 6 February 3, 2002 of those funding sources; that the Council will schedule at least one meeting in the next month in an informal roundtable format with public dialogue; any and all expenditures beyond the $20-30,000 needed to produce the schematic drawings and information for the open house be frozen; the Council meet with representatives of the Historical Society to find out precisely where they stand in their fundraising efforts; ask staff to provide information on what the terms are of leasing of all space in the Waterman & Katz Building and whether that building could sustain City government for the next twenty years; an option of leasing the entire Waterman & Katz Building; schedule a formal review of the project and options in May. Mr. Finnie stated he is highly suspicious that the Historical Society will ever raise the money for City Hall restoration and they are the source of funding in this business plan. He believes the City is not doing a good job of communicating with the community and noted that at the retreat, Council agreed to identify hot subjects and have a meeting per month outside the railing to sit and talk through a project however long it takes. He added that he opposes moratoriums and would not support stopping a City project already underway. Ms. Robinson stated that if the project is stopped now, there will be discussion based only an a dollar amount and square footage, which is not sufficient information for an informed discussion. She believes the Council must continue the process. She added she would love to have an open hose sooner than May 2 but understands there is a lot of information to gather and develop before the presentation. Mr. Youse stated he has never supported the project; downtown is more congested and he does not sense there is a realistic look at solving the parking problem. He stated he will support the 90 day continuation because there is a process going on and it would be foolish to jump out in the middle of it. Mr. Kolff added that there has been much public process included along the way; the advisory group meetings were frequent and were open to the public. He supports continued public involvement and encourages participation in a variety of ways. He added he is worried about trying to move the time line forward too quickly and about tasking staff with an unrealistic expectation of processing major public input all during the 90 day period. He stated he shares the idea that it is important to get information to the public but that staff must also spend time on the project itself in order that people will know what their options are and what impacts the project will have. Amendment(KolfJ)(accepted by consensus): staff will propose a reasonable public process for the next 90 days. Amendment (Youse) (accepted by consensus): staff will include in the process which projects must be postponed due to the extra commitment. Vote: the motion with amendments carried unanimously, 5-0, by voice vote. City Council Business Meeting Page 7 February 3, 2002 Break at 9:10 p.m. Reconvene at 9:20 p.m. NEW BUSINESS STANDING COMMITTEE REPORTS Mr. Timmons stated that the Community Development/Land Use Committee has recommended affirmation by the Council of the draft Strategic Park Plan for Kah Tai and that the Kah Tai Alliance be encouraged to develop purchase priorities. Mr. Timmons noted that community buy-in will be needed to carry out the plan due to the various ownerships involved in the property. Owners include the Port and City, with some land leased by the City and part of that with an option to buy. There is also considerable Right of Way involved. He added that some very positive grant opportunities are imminent and the affirmation by Council will enable staff to work with the Alliance on grant funding for these property purchases. He stated this will get the conceptual idea going so that when opportunities come up we can take advantage of them and eventually get the ownership issues resolved. Mr. Kolff stated that the Park and Recreation Advisory Board did not approve the plan because they have not developed their plan format yet. The intent will be to go back to them when the format design is complete. The possibility of applying for grants which are available only for the next month is the driver behind approval of the concept. Mr. Finnie stated he needs a sense of economic scale for the project and asked if the functional plan would provide that framework. Mr. Kolff stated that the Committee is recommending approval of the strategic plan. He added that one of the strategies is to develop a master plan as soon as possible. Public comment Rosemary Sikes: encouraged the council to endorse the strategic plan; supplied more information on time lines for possible grant funding, most due in March. Marilyn Friedrich: discussed the importance of Kah Tai for bird species. Nancy Dorgan: stated that many policies for Kah Tai are already adopted; grant resources are getting tighter; urged Council to approve the plan. Dennis Schultz: stated he is on the citizen oversight committee for the County Conservation Futures Fund. He confirmed the cutoff date for funding applications this year is the end of March. City Council Business Meeting Page 8 February 3, 2002 Dana Roberts: spoke in favor of the plan. Ron S ikes: spoke in favor of the plan on behalf of Admiralty Audubon Society. Laurette Gilbert: spoke in favor of the plan.. Paula Mackrow: spoke in favor of the plan. Motion: Mr. Masci moved to approve the recommendation of the Community Development and Land Use Committee that the draft Strategic Park Plan for Kah Tai Park be affirmed and carried forward, with an added bullet under strategies that lists' "develop a master plan as soon as possible." Mr. Finnie seconded. Mr. Finnie asked if the Council will be committing the City to any matching funds. Mr. Timmons stated that there may be matching funding required but that would have to be authorized separately by the City Council. Vote: the motion carried unanimously, 5-0, by voice vote. EXECUTIVE SESSION The Mayor announced at 9:50 that the Council would retire to Executive Session regarding a collective bargaining issue. The session was expected to last about ten minutes, with no action anticipated. RECONVENE The meeting was reconvened at 10:00 p.m. ADJOURN There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 10:02 p.m. Attest: Pamela Kolacy, CMC City Clerk City Council Business Meeting Page 9 February 3, 2002