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HomeMy WebLinkAbout05/20/2013 Work SessionCity of Springfield Work Session Meeting MINUTES OF THE WORK SESSION MEETING OF THE SPRINGFIELD CITY COUNCIL HELD MONDAY, MAY 20, 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 20, 2013 at 6:00 p.m., with Mayor Lundberg presiding ATTENDANCE Present were Mayor Lundberg and Councilors VanGordon, Wylie, Moore, Ralston, Woodrow and Brew. Also present were City Manager Gino Grimaldi, Assistant City Manager Jeff Towery, City Attorney Mary Bridget Smith, City Recorder Amy Sowa and members of the staff. 1. Emergency Management Program Update City Engineer Ken Vogeney presented the staff report on this item. Mr. Vogeney distributed AlertMe System wallet cards. Individuals could register with Lane County and receive automated emergency notifications. On behalf of the City Council and City Manager, the inter - departmental Emergency Management Committee (EMC) delivered Springfield's Emergency Management Program as described in Chapter 2.800 of the Municipal Code. The Emergency Management Program (Program) and the EMC had undergone several changes in the past year, while at the same time planning activity had significantly increased. Prior to December 2012, responsibility for leading the Program resided with the Fire & Life Safety Department. Through a combination of factors including the department merger with City of Eugene, General Fund budget reductions, and retirement of the Deputy Chief who was tasked with the Program, the City Manager agreed with the Fire Chief and the Development and Public Works Director recommendation to transfer responsibility for the Program to the Development and Public Works Department. Concurrently, the City Engineer's duties were modified to be half -time as City Engineer and half -time as the Interim Emergency Management Program Manager. Highlights of the Program activities were presented in Attachment 1 of the agenda packet. Mr. Vogeney referred to the Council Briefing Memorandum in the agenda packet and highlighted several activities. One of the activities was a new public facing webpage on the Program which was developed through the EMC. The link was in the agenda packet. This page focused on personal preparedness, with some information on business preparedness. Councilor Woodrow said the page was under the Development and Public Works (DPW) page, but was difficult to locate. She asked if there was a way to put a button on the main webpage for the general public to access this page. Mr. Vogeney said staff could do that. That page was created as part of the new DPW page, and they were looking for ways to make that information much easier to find. Councilor Woodrow said the information was very good City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes May 20, 2013 Page 2 Mr. Vogeney spoke regarding the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program. Currently, the CERTs for Springfield and Eugene were organized under the City of Eugene. They had trained CERT volunteers who lived and worked in both Springfield and Eugene. The primary reason why they were all organized under Eugene's program was because Springfield didn't have the staffing and finances to oversee and manage a separate program. There had been early discussions between Mr. Vogeney and Eugene staff about organizing them a little differently and giving them more autonomy. The CERTs were used for some community events such as National Night Out, Justice Center Open House, Track and Field Trials and the Stand Down Event. Mr. Vogeney spoke regarding grant opportunities. The FEMA 2012 Community Resilience Innovation Challenge Grant was an opportunity to receive up to $35,000 with no match required, to develop or advance a program that would benefit the community and could be replicated in other communities. There were 2200 applicants nationwide with 30 grants provided. He just learned last week that Springfield did not receive that grant. He continued to work with the City of Eugene, Lane County and the State for the next grant which was the Emergency Management Performance Grant. That grant came from the Federal government and would allow reimbursement of 50 percent of program costs if they met certain criteria. Unfortunately, that program had cut back on their funding and the State adopted a funding allocation in January stating that a City had to have a population of at least 85,000 to qualify. They were looking for ways to influence the State partners to open this up to other communities. There was a proposal in the FY 14 budget for dedicated finding for the Emergency Management Program. There was a very small allocation in the current fiscal year. They had increased that amount to put the City in a better position for other grant opportunities. Quite often grants were dependent on whether they had a funded program. A bulk of that funding included half of his salary. Mr. Vogeney said some of the activities occurring included a coordinated Emergency Management Plan (EMP) with the City of Eugene. Springfield's current EMP, which was adopted in 2007, had originally been created from the City of Eugene's plan with minor adjustments. The City of Eugene, as an Emergency Performance Grant recipient, was required by the State to redo their plan, broaden the scope and update the plan by 2014. The State also provided a consultant to help them with that update. Eugene invited Springfield to join with them and create one consolidated Emergency Management Plan for both cities. There were a number of Springfield staff working with Eugene staff writing a new Emergency Management Plan for the two cities which would set criteria for when the two cities were working independently and when they were working together. They hoped to have the document finished by the end of 2013 or early 2014. He referred to Attachment 2 of the memo which was a high level outline of the contents of that Plan, and explained the new and old information. Councilor Moore asked about the National Guard's involvement in this planning. Mr. Vogeney said the National Guard would be brought in on some pieces of some of the annexes. The National Guard had offered use of their site as an alternative Emergency Operations Center (EOC). They were not participating in the regular planning meetings. They were under the State control, but would be a resource. Councilor Moore asked if we would share our plan with them. She asked about the process for getting their assistance in the event of an emergency. Mr. Vogeney said the official way was for the Mayor and City Manager to make a request for an Emergency Declaration that would go to Lane County. That would then go to Oregon Emergency City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes May 20, 2013 Page 3 Management to the Governor who would activate the National Guard. In a large disaster, the National Guard would also reach out to the cities. Mr. Vogeney said the Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan was adopted in 2009 and was to be updated every five years in order to retain eligibility for having mitigation funding. He was working with City of Eugene staff on that plan update. They were looking at expanding the scope of that plan to incorporate not only hazards such as earthquake, wildfires and floods, but how those hazards could affect a community's water, energy or public health. With those things wrapped into the Plan, they could identify the highest priorities and needs for the overall community. Councilor Woodrow asked what it meant to have the EOC fully finished. Mr. Vogeney said he would speak to that shortly. Councilor Woodrow said that was fine. Another planning activity was the Oregon Resilience Plan. He encouraged Council to read through the Executive Summary of that plan. This Plan was commissioned by the legislature last year and had been turned in February of 2013. It looked at the State's risk to a magnitude 9.0 or greater earthquake in the Cascadia Subduction Zone. It laid out a long list of recommendations on things that could or should be done in various parts of the State on our infrastructure to put the State in a better position to recover. Councilor Wylie asked if they would have details such as where to set up hospital functions in the event of an earthquake or flood. Mr. Vogeney said part of the work they were doing with Eugene included identifying evacuation routes for different scenarios. They were also working with Red Cross and the hospitals to identify evacuation sites and how that would be done. Planning would be high level at this point with more detailed plans over the next couple of years. Councilor Wylie said disasters didn't give a warning. We needed to be ready in the moment. Mr. Vogeney answered Councilor Woodrow's question regarding the EOC. Currently, Springfield's EOC was the conference room on the 2 "d floor of the Justice Center. That room was well equipped in some respects, but was not finished for all emergency needs. Acting Chief Lewis was working on some floor plan layouts and the Information Technology (IT) Department was continuing to work on technology for live access and feeds for phones and network systems. Other things needed included maps, supplies, stored food, computers and phone handsets. The EMC was trying to identify what was needed to have the room functional as an EOC. Part of the budget proposal for FYI 4 included funds to purchase some of the things needed. Mr. Vogeney said the EMC was working with other partners besides the City of Eugene. He had been meeting regularly with the Emergency Managers for all TEAM Springfield partners and looking at how they could improve emergency preparedness with those partners. Springfield participated in the Community Emergency Notification System (CENS) and were in training to learn how to use that system efficiently. The system wasn't used a lot in Lane County so they were asking agencies to look for other ways to use the system. Mr. Vogeney referred to Attachment 3 of the agenda packet with was a Question and Answer sheet about the Council's role in an emergency. He reviewed the questions and answers. In the event the Mayor and Council or others needed to stay in the EOC for extended periods of time, he would like some long shelf life food stored there. The list of responsibilities may change with the new plan. City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes May 20, 2013 Page 4 Mayor Lundberg said they appreciated the work being done as this was a critical component. Knowing what everyone needed to do could make a big difference in the event of an emergency. Mr. Vogeney said to let him know if they ever had any questions or comments on the emergency plan. Councilor Wylie asked if volcanic action was included in the plan. Yes, in the Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan. Councilor Moore asked who was at the top of the command structure if this was with DPW, but also working alongside Police and Fire and Life Safety. Mr. Vogeney said the Emergency Management Structure had the Council at the top, followed by the City Manager as the Director of Emergency Services. Mr. Grimaldi had delegated to Development and Public Works Director Len Goodwin the overall Emergency Management Program, and Mr. Goodwin had delegated that responsibility to Mr. Vogeney. The coordination with Police, Fire, IT, Finance, Library and all the City departments was very collaborative. He was the chair at this point, but this was a committee effort with a lot of involvement. Mr. Goodwin said in the event of an emergency, the incident commander could be anyone depending on the nature of the emergency. Mayor Lundberg said that was how it had always been. Councilor Moore said she appreciated having TEAM Springfield being involved 2. 13 "' Street Right -of -Way (ROW) Development, Public Outreach Results. Transportation Engineer Michael Liebler presented the staff report on this item. On January 17 "' City and Willamalane staff held a meeting with area residents regarding the unimproved ROW on 13 "' Street from L to N Street. Results of the public outreach process and a memo that was included in a May 13 "' Communication Packet outlining the history and stakeholder involvement looking into improvement options for the above mentioned area were attached to the agenda packet Staff was seeking Council direction on how to move forward in relation to the upcoming 10 "' and N Street Sewer project work within this unimproved area. Estimated cost for installing a simple bike /pedestrian path as part of the sewer project through the 13"' Street ROW was $20,000 to $25,000 beyond the restoration costs already included in the project scope. Estimated cost to improve the rest of the unimproved ROW with a quality grass surface was roughly $13,000. Lighting for the path would occur as a separate project. At this time, Willamalane did not foresee committing funds or installing facilities that would serve as a local park. However, they would consider working with the City on mowing when the area was completed, by having this area added to the list of sites that were mowed by Willamalane on behalf of the City. If this could not be accomplished, the City would be required to maintain the area. At this time, City of Springfield staff recommended capitalizing on the cost savings related to performing the work to install the bike /pedestrian path with landscaping as part of the sewer project and as supported by the results from the public outreach. City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes May 20, 2013 Page.5 Mr. Liebler said a follow -up letter had been provided by Willamalane regarding their offer to mow the area if grass was planted. He distributed a copy of the letter to the Mayor and Council. Willamalane was not committing to any facilities that would make the area a park. The current right -of -way was gravel. He reviewed the outreach results which were obtained from a questionnaire provided to neighbors that attended the meeting in January and from phone calls and emails after that meeting. Councilor Woodrow said as she read the responses she thought of Bluebelle Park. It was very basic, but maintained and had a little landscaping. She asked if something similar could be done here. Mr. Liebler said it could. There was a pedestrian path to the north and a path connecting the south to Willamalane facilities. Kids did play in the area to a certain extent and it was used as a bike and pedestrian path, although just dirt and mud. He had observed that people walked close to the fences or close to the edge. Putting a bike and pedestrian path down the center of the area could keep people away from the fences. There was good support for minimal landscaping, a bike and pedestrian path and some lighting, but not a play structure. Councilor Moore said there was concern from some of the neighbors who used the right -of -way as access to their properties. Mr. Liebler said as part of sewer project, the City would be putting curb and gutter at the M Street location to meet Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards and for stormwater runoff. A driveway would be put in for one property to allow access. The path would be accessible for all utilities. There was a woman that had a couple of vehicles stored in a shed that used the area once or twice a year for access. That could continue if grass was planted. There was a home that used the right -of -way regularly. Staff had met with both the property owner and the renter to discuss the upgrades with the sewer project and both were fine with those changes. Mayor Lundberg asked Councilor Moore about her impressions of the meeting. Councilor Moore said at meeting there were a lot of people opposed to putting anything, but later staff received a number of written comments expressing interest in seeing things happen. There was concern about it being a park. There was a question about whether or not it would be fenced on either side. She asked if that was part of the plan. Mr. Liebler said there were no plans for fencing at this time. Councilor Moore said there was some shock that there could be a park put in people's backyards, but that was a misunderstanding. The written comments indicated more positive feedback. Councilor Ralston asked who was pushing the idea of doing anything. Mr. Liebler said it came about from citizens asking about use of the area and if there were any plans of something being done. Some people wanted to know if it was okay for their kids to play in the area since it was a public right -of -way. Those questions prompted staff to ask the neighbors what they thought since the area would be torn up for the sewer project. Councilor Ralston asked why we would consider putting money into this when we were already short on funds. He felt they should leave it as it was. City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes May 20, 2013 Page 6 Councilor Brew said he appreciated having a picture of the location. He would like to get information at some point regarding how they were doing curbs and gutters if there was no Local Improvement District (LID) in that area. Councilor VanGordon said there seemed to be concern about trash and crime with additional foot traffic. He asked how a potential bike path could impact crime in that area, Mr. Liebler said there was concern about crime at the public meeting and some already had issues. He was not sure if improving to a grassy area or adding lights would increase that activity. Councilor VanGordon asked about costs for Willamalane to maintain the area if planted in grass. Mr. Liebler said it could be a simple paved path, with low maintenance and low cost for future. Willamalane's commitment was to mow it more regularly. Councilor Moore talked about the EWEB path and that it was mowed by the City. She asked if it was possible for the right -of -way to become a street. Mr. Liebler said the history of why it never became a street was unclear. There was a significant cost of a street rather than just a path. A street would require a curb, gutter, sidewalk, manhole, utilities, etc. In order for an area to be designated as a park it had to have other amenities. Councilor Moore said they could maintain it as a path. Willamalane Planner Rebecca Gershow said they did own and maintain paths and so did the City. There was an intergovernmental agreement (IGA) with groundrules, but it was divided regarding ownership of different paths. This area was really a connector because of the short distance. There were access ways north and south. It didn't rise to the level of a park. Willamalane's paths had other amenities. Willamalane saw the benefit of the connector path for the neighborhood and by improving the site it made it a nicer place for the neighborhood to walk or ride bikes. Because of that, Willamalane was willing to do maintenance. Councilor Brew said he was concerned with the liability of leaving this unmaintained as City property. He didn't believe in fencing everything off, but they could possibly allow property owners that abutted the right -of -way to purchase the property if the City wasn't going to do anything. He would be open to that, but was uncomfortable having City property unmaintained and uncured for. Councilor Ralston asked why they hadn't offered to sell it to property owners on either side. If there was going to be utilities down the middle, they could put in an easement. Mr. Liebler said there were a lot of utilities that ran down the middle of the site. Councilor Ralston said they could leave the middle for right -of -way and offer the residents to purchase the rest. Mayor Lundberg said she used the EWEB bike path frequently and appreciated it. It was very simple and Willamalane had received a grant to repave it and add markers for distance. She had never seen a path that had been improved that didn't upgrade use and reduce crime. The City would be tearing up this area so something had to be done with it. She asked if they could come back to discuss this further giving staff time to go back to the neighbors to see if anyone wanted to purchase the property. City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes May 20, 2013 Page 7 Mr. Liebler said Phase 1 of this project was finishing up and once that was complete they needed to move forward to get out of the neighborhood as quickly as possible. Mr. Grimaldi said there were people in the audience from the neighborhood that would likely be speaking to Council about this during the Regular Meeting later this evening. He suggested Council wait to make a decision until they hear from those who testify. Staff could come back to Council in a future work session with information about the possibility of property owners purchasing a portion of the right -of -way. If the project needed to move forward, changes could be made through a change order. Mayor Lundberg asked if it was possible to have just a simple paved path within the sewer project. Yes. Councilor Moore asked if they could get a crime report for that area when they revisited this topic. Yes. 3. Demonstration of Publicly Accessible GIS Application. Due to time constraints, this item will be rescheduled to a future date. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 6:56 p.m. Minutes Recorder —Amy Sowa Christine L. Lundber Mayor Attest: CLn '-'J� Amy Sow City Recorder