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HomeMy WebLinkAbout05/13/2013 Work SessionCity of Springfield Work Session Meeting MINUTES OF THE WORK SESSION MEETING OF THE SPRINGFIELD CITY COUNCIL HELD MONDAY, MAY l3, 2013 The City of Springfield Council met in a work session in the Jesse Maine Meeting Room, 225 Fifth Street, Springfield, Oregon, on Monday, May 13, 2013 at 5:30 p.m., with Mayor Lundberg presiding. ATTENDANCE Present were Mayor Lundberg and Councilors Wylie, Moore (6:40 p.m.), Ralston, Woodrow and Brew. Also present were City Manager Gino Grimaldi, Assistant City Manager Jeff Towery, City Attorney Matthew Cox, City Recorder Amy Sowa and members of the staff. Councilor VanGordon was absent (excused). 1. City Stormwater Permit and Activities Update. Environmental Services Supervisor Bill Hamann presented the staff report on this item. Environmental Services Technicians Meghan Murphy and Kim Singleton joined him for the presentation. The annual update was being provided to Council as part of the Stormwater Management Plan. Ms. Murphy spoke regarding impervious surfaces that increased the amount of runoff from urban areas. Impervious surfaces included streets, parking lots, rooftops and lawns. The stormwater.picked up other pollutants as it ran down the street into our waterways. She discussed some of the runoff pollutants such as soap, auto fluids, and bacteria from pet waste, wildlife and other sources. Because stormwater could have such an impact on our water quality, the City had a special permit with the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). Mr. Hamann said Springfield was a Phase 2 City per a Federal ruling. Cities with apopulation of greater than 50,000 but less than 100,000 were required to obtain a Stormwater Discharge Permit under Phase 2 requirements. Phase 1 requirements were for cities with populations of over 100,000. Springfield received its initial permit in January 2007 after a long process with the DEQ. That permit expired December 2011, so the City filed for the new permit in June 2011. The City still did not have a permit from the DEQ, but had an administratively extended permit. Under Oregon Statute, if the applicant applied in a timely manner with a complete application, which the City did, the Oregon DEQ could take as long as they chose to return a permit. The DEQ provided the City with a preliminary draft which incorporated many aspects of our Stormwater Management Plan into the permit. That meant the prescriptive operations in the Plan would now be in the permit, which could lead to lawsuits and other problems and was a very onerous document. He noted the extensive size of the draft permit. The City disagreed with the overall approach and much of the language in the permit and informed other affected Phase 2 communities. Staff from Springfield and the other communities met and all agreed it was very onerous. The City also partnered with the Oregon Association of Clean Water Agencies and DEQ to try to work out something that was more workable. After the most recent meeting, the DEQ agreed to change their approach and develop a statewide template that hopefully would just refer back to the Stormwater Management Plan. Staff would come back to Council when they received the draft. City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes May 13, 2013 Page 2 Councilor Ralston said it sounded like because we did such a good job and created a thorough manual, we were being punished. Mr. Hamann said the City was required to draft the manual and had done a very good job. Ms. Singleton said to fulfill obligations in the administratively extended permit, staff had developed a section in the Stonnwater Management Plan that focused on finding sources of pollution and stopping it at the source. There were many ways for pollutants to enter our systems and our rivers such as pressure washing, auto leaks, etc. Illicit discharge was defined in the Municipal Code under section 4.372, but was basically anything other than rainwater entering our stormwater system, with a few exceptions. Citizens and City workers called the City when they saw pollutants and staff would go out to investigate. Once they investigated illicit discharge in the field, they determined the most appropriate course of action. Education was their preferred method to let people know about different sources of pollution and how they affected the rivers over time. A number of fact sheets had been developed by staff for some of the more common contributions to stormwater pollution. The City also had the ability to issue civil citations for egregious violations or repeat offenders, but staff tried very hard to avoid that and gain compliance through education. Ms. Singleton said a significant part of the Stormwater Management Plan was devoted to public education and preventing stormwater pollution. Staff periodically reviewed their callouts for the year and tried to develop programs geared to those calls that educated people on alternatives to keep pollution out of our rivers. The City worked with other agencies as it helped provide a consistent message to the community, and to consolidate resources. One of their collaborations was the Pollution Prevention Coalition, a group made up of representatives from Springfield Utility Board (SUB), the City of Eugene, Lane County and others. Another group was the Stormwater Special Ops Group which included staff from Lane County and the City of Eugene. One of the programs developed with the Special Ops Group was the fish friendly car wash kit. The kits could be borrowed at no cost by groups putting on a car wash. She explained the program. When the City started doing the pollution prevention outreach, they received a list from the DEQ about potential sources of pollution. On the top of the list were auto shops. The City worked with auto shops by providing technical assistance on how to keep pollutants out of the stormwater system, through the Springfield Clean Water Auto Shop Program. Another program was the Ecological Business Program which was a partnership with the Pollution Prevention Coalition group. That program encompassed many sources of pollution such as air quality, hazardous waste management, recycling, etc. Shops that met the highest standards were recognized through this program, and currently there were two private shops in Springfield that were certified. Also Springfield and SUB's fleet shops were certified to lead by example. Ms. Murphy spoke again about bacteria and noted that it was especially a problem in the Willamette River. Because of that, there was a special program for bacteria called the Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) Plan. One of the pieces of the plan was to have a pet waste program. About 10% of the bacteria in our waterways was from dog waste. To help alleviate this problem, the City worked with W illamalane and the Springfield School District to install doggy bag dispensers at parks and schools. They installed "Pick up After Your Pet" signs and had a "Canines for Clean Water" Program where residents could pledge to pick up after their pets. There was also an education program about wildlife feeding and outreach to related businesses. All of the programs offered by the City included an educational component. They used what they saw in the Illicit Discharge Program to try to shape City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes May 13, 2013 Page 3 education efforts and worked with the City of Eugene, Lane County and others to insure a consistent message and to make the most of our limited resources. She noted several other programs in place. Councilor Moore said her husband attended a rainwater class last Saturday and was very impressed. She spoke regarding a discount for people that put in rain gardens and prevented their stormwater from going into the street. She asked if that was being considered. Ms. Murphy said Portland provided a discounted fee. They had a combined system in Portland where sewer and stormwater all went into the same place, making it even more important. They could discuss it, but currently there were only about 6 rain gardens in Springfield. She noted that the stormwater fee was also for the streets, which everyone used. Councilor Brew said drywells did put water back into the ground. Ms. Murphy noted that it was not, however, treated. Councilor Moore said she had never heard of the car wash kits for charities. She asked how they could get that information out to those groups and if a lot of people used them. Ms. Singleton said they sent a mailing out to churches and youth groups earlier this week, and had also done radio ads in the past. Any ideas to better reach the public were welcome. Councilor Moore said personally, she used a commercial car wash, but not everyone could do that. She asked about providing coupons to people as an incentive to go through a car wash. Ms. Singleton said commercial car washes did a greatjob of keeping the pollutants out of the stormwater. If people wanted to wash their cars at home, they could wash their cars in the grass or somewhere where the water would go through the natural filtration system. During home shows they sometimes did have vouchers for car washes. Councilor Wylie asked if Eugene did something similar with the car wash kits Ms. Singleton said yes they worked together to spread the outreach. Councilor Wylie asked if they had given a presentation to United Way. They had monthly meetings and connections with many local non - profits. They could advertise ahead of time that this presentation would take place. Church leaders also had some type of organization. Councilor Woodrow asked how cumbersome it would be to have car washes registered such as garage sales. If they registered there could be an opportunity to give them a car wash kit. Councilor Brew said it would be similar to garage sale permits, which were required, and could maybe be done online. It would help the City know where the car washes were being held and provide the opportunity to give out the kits. Councilor Woodrow said the City was required to meet federal standards, so it could be a possibility. Mayor Lundberg said staff didn't actually know who was putting on the car washes, so their information needed to be targeted. When sending to churches, it might be the youth group. When City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes May 13, 2013 Page 4 sending to schools, it might be the PTA or Booster Club. She also noted that some businesses did car washes along with a group. Councilor Brew said he had seen groups from smaller nearby communities hold car washes in Springfield because there were more cars. Direct mailings could make it difficult to reach those groups. He said people didn't often clean up after their dogs, but especially cats. He asked if they had considered doing an outreach to cat owners. Ms. Murphy said one of the agencies in Portland did a study of bacteria and determined about 10% was from canine waste, and only 1% was from feline waste. Staff did encourage people to clean up after all of their pets. Some people did pledge to clean up after a variety of pets. They mostly targeted dog owners since the percentage was higher and it was more of an issue. Mayor Lundberg spoke regarding rain gardens and washing your car on the grass. Some of this could be confusing. Sunny Washburne, Program Coordinator, said stormwater from roofs were generally plumbed to the street and gutter. Having it go through a rain garden was similar to putting it directly on the grass. Washing your car on the grass provided the same type of filtration as a rain garden. The best way to contain runoff was in a rain garden rather than the grass. The main difference was that downspouts normally went straight to the gutter. Ms. Murphy said they worked closely with Amy Chinitz from SUB on groundwater quality. Mayor Lundberg asked if they used SUB for inserts with information. Ms. Murphy said they put two inserts out each year: one for education and one for rates. 2. Street System Communication Plan Update. Operations Maintenance Manager Brian Conlon and Environmental Services Education Outreach Coordinator Rachael Chilton presented the staff report on this item. Mr. Conlon introduced Management Analyst Rhonda Rice and Administrative Assistant Sophia Seban who had been key in this work as well as Community Relations Manager Niel Laudati. For several years City staff and the Council had struggled with the problem that the City's Street Operating Fund was not generating sufficient revenue to support desired levels of street system operations and maintenance. Recognizing that there was no easy fix to the revenue dilemma, the Council recommended that staff develop a Street System Communication Plan with the objective of educating citizens to the important role that the street system plays in their daily lives. Over the last several months staff had been presenting the issue to Springfield civic organizations and business clubs on the theme of "keeping the good streets good" and would now provide an update. Although the focus of street program information, dating back to the 2003 local gas tax implementation, consistently pointed to the cost benefit of preserving streets verses the higher cost of rehabilitation, it was apparent from City surveys conducted in 2009 and 2011 that the concept of proactive preservation was not well understood by the public. Taking this into account the City Council and staff saw the need to reshape our message of telling the citizens about the rapid pace of street system decline and current $3M annual preservation funding gap, to develop a Street System Communication Plan using a phased approach. The plan outlined a strategy to present consistent and City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes May 13, 2013 Page 5 simple messaging and encourage open dialogue, demonstrate that it was much cheaper to preserve streets than to rehabilitate, showcase that the street system was growing in size and complexity, accurately forecast the current funding needs to operate multifaceted street environments, and begin discussing options for funding a street preservation program. A street system video and handout were created and shared during the outreach presentations to help people visualize the many working parts of a street system. The aim of this was that citizens would connect as being frequent street system users and thereby see themselves as stakeholders that had a vested interest to maintain it. Both were successful in exhibiting the many working parts of a street system, inviting great questions and energized discussion. Overall staff found people to be very supportive of street preservation and problem solving the Street Fund issue. Facing the rapid decline of the street system, it was timely that the Council explore the funding alternatives and provide staff direction on next steps. Mr. Conlon said staff used a power point for their first presentation to the Springfield City Club last year, but didn't feel it was as affective as it could have been. They decided to develop a video that better presented the information. Ms. Chilton and Mr. Laudati had been instrumental in creating the video. The video cost the City $1500, a very good price for the benefit they had received. The video was played for the Council. Mr. Conlon referred to Attachment 2 which was a document developed by Ms. Chilton, which had proved to be a great resource. Ms. Chilton said staff went with the video because it allowed them to let the presentation speak for itself and it provided a consistent message. The first part of the message was that the street system was very broad and valuable to every member of our community. The second part was that preservation was far more cost effective than rehabilitation at a later date. The third part was to note that revenues were not keeping pace with our preservation and maintenance needs. Following this message, they opened it up for dialogue which allowed the audience to direct the conversation with their questions and comments. The other reason they went with the video was because it could stand alone. It was posted on the website and the link was in the first edition of the Development and Public Works Department (DPW) e- newsletter. The video also ran three times a week on Metro TV and a modified version of the fact sheet with a link to the video would be provided in the Spring Cleanup bag. She had mailed the DVD's, along with a packet of information to all the middle and high school government teachers and offered to make a presentation to the classroom. Staff started by presenting the video to internal staff throughout the organization to make sure there was an informed staff. When staff from different areas were asked questions about this, they would know where to send the person for information. The operations division staff had attended two career fairs and gone to three business groups (McKenzie Business Associates, The Hawks, and the Springfield Economic Development Committee) and four civic groups (Springfield City Club, Springfield Rotary, Twin Rivers Rotary, and Kiwanis). It had been interesting to see where the conversation went after video. People commented that they were happy staff was there and were excited to be involved early in the conversation. Staff was giving the facts now about the street system, how the City maintained it, how the City would like to maintain it, and the shortage of revenue. When Council was ready to discuss the revenue issue, they wanted the citizens informed so they could make decisions based on the facts. Staff also found that people were natural problem City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes May 13, 2013 Page 6 solvers and would discuss possible ideas. Staff had received a lot of compliments on the great job being done by our operations division, but realized it was getting tougher. There had been a lot of dialogue around why the gas tax was no longer working. Mr. Conlon said Ms. Rice had put together a list of questions that were in the agenda packet. Staff avoided talking about money, but the conversation went there anyway. People understood it was tough making money decisions in a tough economic time. He asked the Council to let staff know the next steps they would like staff to take. Councilor Woodrow said the video was fantastic and she loved the outreach that had been done. Apart from professionals and business people that went to these civic groups, the basic neighborhood family residents weren't included in the outreach. She felt there was important input that could come from that group, and didn't see it fully represented as far as the presentation done so far. Mr. Conlon said he and Ms. Chilton had discussed that issue. The people engaged in these types of groups were doers. There were also a lot of retirees that were involved in these groups. They had done some surveys and had received some feedback. They received more positive feedback when they were able to have conversations with the people. Councilor Woodrow said maybe they could hold some town halls. Those folks needed to understand this and be part of the discussion. Councilor Ralston said he also thought about how to reach the general public, perhaps on the website. Ms. Chilton said the video was on the website, although not on the front page. Mr. Laudati said it had also been posted on FaceBook. Mr. Conlon said one of the ways they planned to provide outreach to the community was during the Spring Cleanup event this Saturday. Ms. Chilton said people in line at the Spring Cleanup did read some of the materials they received while waiting. Mayor Lundberg said she could also talk with citizens as she worked at the Cleanup. Staff needed feedback from Council on whether or not to go forward with the ideas they had heard and bring back more in depth information or proposals. Mr. Conlon said it could be a combination of doing more outreach and also options for funding. Staff could explore the funding options and provide information to the Council in the fall. Councilor Moore said if there was a continuous loop on a TV in City Hall or somewhere with this video, it could be presented in that way. Ms. Chilton said they had been working on getting it at the kiosk.in the Gateway Mall. The Information Technology Department was checking to see if it was working. Mayor Lundberg said they could also have a chunk of good and bad pavement to show to kids in the Library as an outreach to the children. City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes May 13, 2013 Page 7 Councilor Ralston asked if there had been any funding ideas they had heard from the different groups they had met that were interesting. Anything would take a vote of the people and would require education. Ms. Chilton said the top three ideas were a utility fee, a bond or gas tax. There was a moratorium for a gas tax in 2014. Others ideas included a bicycle registration, higher vehicle registration, and increased studded tire fees. Mr. Conlon said at Twin Rivers Rotary, there were questions about sustainability in going out for a bond. He noted that the City was still paying debt service for a bond from 1996, but there was no money to do the work on those streets. People had been very engaged during the discussions. Councilor Ralston said two of the three would require a vote of the people. Mayor Lundberg said legally, the City didn't have to go out for a vote on the gas tax. Councilor Wylie asked if the moratorium through 2014 was because the State passed their gas tax. Mr. Conlon said yes, that was a condition of getting that passed. Councilor Wylie asked if the City received any of those funds. Development and Public Works Director Len Goodwin said it worked out to about the equivalent of a 1.6 percent global tax for the City. Those funds went into the Street find. Mr. Conlon said they were not operating the system fully, but were taking care of emergent circumstances. Councilor Moore asked if the street sweeper was funded through stormwater. Mr. Conlon said it was paid half from stormwater and half from the street fund Councilor Moore said she had seen both the power point and the video and the video was a big improvement. Mr. Conlon asked if the business group she met with (The Hawks) had found it beneficial. Councilor Moore said yes in general. The awareness that it was more than just the street was important to relay. Staff had been working on the communication portion for a little over a year and they now had a great video and handout. She felt the City should keep informing the public and try to reach all of the people. Councilor Woodrow said she recalled from an earlier presentation that the streets functioned for everyone by delivering goods and services, even for those that didn't drive. That fact could be lost sometimes. Mr. Conlon said staff had learned a lot through the presentations City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes May 13, 2013 Page 8 Ms. Chilton said she felt staff should explore ideas about getting into the neighborhoods. Councilor Woodrow suggested staff attend the National Night Out events in the different neighborhoods and provide information to attendees. Councilor Brew asked if the City had looked further into the Lane County allocation to cities for street funds. Mr. Conlon said they had looked into that, but the County was not in a position to provide funding. Some of the roads that were transferred were very important to our system so it was a difficult issue. The City used to receive over $1M when the County was receiving good timber receipt money. The City had not received any funding from the County since 2007. Mr. Goodwin said the County was continuing to explore the possibility of a County registration fee which was permissible under state law but had a moratorium that ended July 2013. If they explored that, at least 40% must be shared with cities. It was in a very preliminary stage. Councilor Brew asked how many FTE were doing the maintenance versus designers and planners. Mr. Conlon said there were 7.8 FTE in the actual street maintenance program that were out in the field. Mayor Lundberg said Council was good with staff exploring the different funding options and bringing more information back in the fall. 3. Plaza and Entry Upgrades at Springfield City Hall. Development and Public Works Associate Project Manager Jim Polston presented the staff report on this item. He said he oversaw the operatioti, maintenance and construction of buildings and facilities for the Operations Division. The City Hall plaza was constructed as a part of the Springfield Civic Center project in 1980 with the Centennial Fountain added in 1985 to commemorate the 100 °i anniversary of the founding of Springfield. However, the plaza had fallen into disrepair that did not reflect the high standards of the City of Springfield or our Citizens. The plaza and entry stairs needed to be upgraded to create a more attractive, vibrant and usable City Center. This was important because it was open and available, day and night, to our diverse population and was available to be utilized by all. There were several aspects to the project that should be considered including landscaping, paving upgrades, improving functionality, creation of a better sense of space, and enhancing the main entry to City Hall. Currently this project had three routes toward success. All led in the same direction but required different amounts of time and money to complete in an attempt to reach the same location, a vital, vibrant Civic Center. First involved authorizing staff to move forward on our currently funded project which involved improving the plaza using a creative mix of new elements laid in with much of the existing elements to create a more useable, vibrant plaza. Second was for Council to earmark additional funding for the existing project that would be used to install additional site furnishings, new electrical and water hookups around the plaza, and installing pedestrian scale lighting that matched what was currently planned for A Street. These improvements offered more flexibility for attracting and maintaining activities. City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes May 13, 2013 Page 9 Third involved additional planning and consideration but in essence involved coordinating the existing plaza project into a much larger downtown /government civic center. This should include coordination of the City Hall with a new public library complex on the Carter Building sits, as well as with the Justice Center and Sprout. Staff was recommending City Council authorize staff to proceed with the currently funded project as illustrated in the attached concept drawings. At the same time staff would continue to research, evaluate and estimate costs for additional designs and options incorporating a larger civic center approach that took into account a new Springfield Public Library and other civic and government facilities in this area. The costs and timeline of this project could vary greatly due to a number of factors. One major factor would be the timing of a new Library and the sequencing of construction (which came first - a plaza or a library). Mr. Polston said the funding sources for the planned upgrade included $30,000 earmarked from the internal building preservation fund and a $30,000 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG). These funds would be used to enhance stairs and plaza using a creative mix of new elements to accent and enhance the plaza. They hoped the targeted elements would help create a more usable, vibrant public space for downtown. Past events such as the Fanner's Market, Library Youth Events and the Symmonds 800M Race had been held on or near the plaza. By implementing these improvements, they hoped to attract, host and maintain more lively activities in downtown. Mr. Polston displayed drawings of possible changes to the plaza area which were also Attachment 2 of the agenda packet. He described possible changes which included repaired and renovated stairs to the front entry, new surface materials such as synthetic turf and permeable pavers, redesigned plantings, additional green space, and a more prominent entry into City Hall. He reviewed the changes as displayed on the drawings. He noted that some of the trees around the plaza were at the end of their lifespan and were planted in small containers. Part of the proposed changes included larger planters for new trees. Another proposed change included a recognition plaza on the landing of the stairs leading up to the Library entrance. Staffs general recommendation was to get Council's approval to proceed with the project. If additional funds became available, staff could supplement this with electricity and water hook -ups or additional historic style lighting. Staff would also continue to evaluate costs associated with incorporating a larger civic center approach based on the Crandall Arambula plan which focused on having the Library across from City Hall and having a civic block. He provided a sample of the turf and handed it around to the Council. Discussion was held regarding where trees were currently located and the proposed locations. Councilor Woodrow asked if there was somewhere in City Hall that described the history of the building. No. She felt the plaza would be a great spot for something like that. Mr. Laudati said they had great photos of the building as a shopping center before it became City Hall. Councilor Wylie said she preferred the first option. She was concerned about the turf and how it would be cleaned because there would be a lot of children and pets. Mr. Polston said the back of the turf was permeable and was installed over drainage gravel. Solids would need to be removed, but the rest could be rinsed away and would be filtered. City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes May 13, 2013 Page 10 Councilor Wylie said she liked more trees and pavers. Mr. Polston said he tried to incorporate a fair number of trees while still having as much usable and flexible space as possible for a variety of uses. Councilor Wylie said she preferred something like brass letters saying "Springfield City Hall" rather than a logo; something similar to the Justice Center. She was very supportive of the changes. Mr. Polston said the words "Springfield City Hall" and "Library were actually imprinted into the concrete planters. Councilor Moore asked if they could do something to the interior of elevator. Mr. Polston said there was a project funded this fiscal year for the complete renovation of the Library elevator, including paint. They had done some similar work on the freight elevator on the north side. Councilor Moore said the Bike and Pedestrian Committee had noted that there weren't many bike racks in the area. There were old canister type racks, but it would be nice if they had something nicer. Mr. Polston said they were looking at taking those out and replacing them. Councilor Brew said he leaned towards drawing 91. He understood that it made the open space smaller, but it created a nice sheltered area. He liked the decking. The work on the fagade looked great and he liked the idea of the planters. Mayor Lundberg said she like the decking, too. Willamalane put in turf and had to get special vacuum cleaners. She liked the idea of it being open, but also liked trees. She liked the planters, but noted that some weeding needed to be done. Mr. Polston said the Customer Service Committee had often helped clean some of those areas. If the decking was proposed he would recommend using composite to avoid maintenance issues with wood. Mr. Grimaldi said it sounded like Option 1 was favored by the Council, but he wanted to make sure. Mr. Polston said asked about the location of the trees. Any of the options could be mixed. Councilor Wylie said they liked the decking and felt they could have a cleaning problem with the turf. Mr. Grimaldi said staff could take Council's comments and bring back more detailed drawings to Council before going out to bid. Councilor Ralston said he liked Option #2 because the trees were moved to the outside, giving a larger open area. Other than that, he liked Option # 1. Councilor Moore asked if the rhino statue was staying. Yes. She also noted that she liked the tile on the wall going up to the Library. She would Tike to see more public art. Councilor Brew said the only reason he liked trees farther in was because it helped prevent crowds from blocking the sidewalk. City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes May 13, 2013 Page 11 Mr. Polston said he had heard the comments and concerns and felt confident he could bring back some more detailed drawings including their ideas. They were working within a tight budget, but felt he could incorporate some of their ideas. Councilor Moore said it was nice to see this coming forward and progressing. Mayor Lundberg thanked Mr. Polston for the work. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 7:11 p.m. Minutes Recorder — Amy Sowa Christine L. Lundberg, Mayor Attest: A— Amy Sow City Recorder