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HomeMy WebLinkAbout04/27/1998 Work Session '- . MINUTES OF THE WORK SESSION MEETING OF THE SPRINGFIELD CITY COUNCIL HELD MONDAY, APRIL 27,1998 The Springfield City Council met in Work Session at Springfield City Hall, Library Meeting Room, 225 Fifth Street, Springfield, Oregon, on Monday, April 27, 19982, at 7:08 p.m. with Mayor Morrisette presiding. Present were Mayor Morrisette and Councilors Ballew, Beyer, Burge, Dahlquist, Maine and Shaver. Also presented were City Manager Mike Kelly, Assistant City Manager Gino Grimaldi, City Attorney Tim Harold, Senior Management Analyst Rosie Pryor, Administrative Aide Shari Higgins, Public Works Director Dan Brown, City Engineer Al Peroutka, Management Analyst Eileen Stein, Transportation Plan Engineer Masood Mirza, Police Chief Bill DeForrest and members of staff. 1. Pioneer Parkway Extension Right -Of- Way and Alignment. Management Analyst Eileen Stein presented the staff report. She asked council to review a proposed alignment and Right -of- W ay (ROW) width for the extension of Pioneer Parkway. The preliminary planning and alignment study for the extension of Pioneer Parkway Extension is complete. Staff presented the results of the study and a proposal for alignment and ROW width. . Ms. Stein eXplained the Pioneer Parkway extension is a future minor arterial proposed in Gateway Refinement Plan dated November 1992. This future minor arterial would extend the Pioneer Parkway couplet north of Harlow Road along the former Southern Pacific Railroad ROW for 2200 feet, then would curve east and then west through the Gateway MDR site. The design and construction of the extension are prohibited until certain "triggers" are met. Ms. Stein said the city was allowed, however, to preliminary plan, adopt the alignment, and acquire ROW before the triggers are met. ~ In 1995, the city hired Kimley-Horn Associates to conduct a preliminary planning and alignment study for extending Pioneer Parkway. The objective was to maximize the safety and efficiency of the roadway while reducing costs, ROW acquisition, and impacts on the environment. Ms. Stein said based on the study findings, staff recommends an alignment for the Pioneer Parkway Extension as shown in Attachment A of the Agenda Item Summary. The proposed cross section has four travel lanes with additional turn lanes at the intersections, sidewalks and streets on both sides. Attachment B of the Agenda Item Summary showed the minimum ROW requirements for the proposed cross section at various points in the corridor. The minimum ROW requirement did not include any provisions for sound walls. . During their regular session meeting of December 16, 1997, the Planning Commission passed a motion to recommend to the City Council, a roadway section with some changes. The changes recommended by the Planning Commission were to eliminate sidewalks from both sides of the Pioneer Parkway Extension and install a landscaped sound wall in the southern section of the Pioneer Parkway Extension, within the section of old Southern Pacific Railroad ROW between Harlow Road and Game Farm Road. Springfield City Council Work Session - 4/27/98 Page 2 . Transportation Plan Engineer Masood Mirza provided a large map and showed council members the proposed area of the extension. He referenced the property the city currently owns, including the railroad ROW. Staff did not know ifthe city owned the property in the railroad ROW where the bend/curve is located. Mr. Mirza showed how the alignment was shifted slightly to provide a better design with a 35 mph speed limit. He said 73 feet of ROW is the minimum for the option recommended by the Planning Commission and would include the road, sidewalk, and lighting requirements. Mr. Mirza explained to council the road would become wider in the preferred option of the Planning Commission. In the developed section, sound walls would be constructed in the range of eight to 10 feet within the 73 foot ROW. In the wider section, no sidewalks or sound walls would be constructed, but the ROW footage would remain at 73 feet. A raised median strip with grass would also be constructed for the existing Springfield Utility Board utility poles. Councilor Maine asked if the city would be constructing sound walls or if it could require developers abutting the extension to construct sound walls as part of development requirements. Public Works Director Dan Brown said the city could request developers to construct the walls under specific direction from council. He said Harlow Road does not currently have sound walls, so they are not necessarily a needed item along that portion,of.,,~ '. the extension. Councilor Maine said the level of traffic over the years should be addressed now and sound walls should be considered as part of future development. . Mr. Mirza provided levels of vehicle trips per day in certain areas ofthecity; Councilor Burge commented that sound walls are very unattractive and quickly become scarred with graffiti. He said he would not support the construction of sound walls as the road section is not a portion of the freeway, but an arterial street. Councilor Maine suggested not placing sidewalks in the ROW if there is a sound wall constructed, to help stop graffiti or other types of vandalism. Councilor Shaver agreed and suggested omitting the bicycle path and sidewalks on the parkway from of the extension plan, due to the problems associated with sound walls. Councilor Ballew asked if there are plants which could be used to help buffer the. neighborhood from sound, such a bunn. Mr. Mirza said it is best to use a solid wall which will absorb the sound and return it back. Shrubs provide a visual barrier, but are not an effective sound barrier. Councilor Burge felt there should be no less than four lanes in the extension design. He said he had concerns about the levels of traffic in the Gateway area also. Mr. Mirza said the extension would help reduce problems at the Beltline and 1-5 interchange also. Staff has looked at many design options and felt the recommendation from the Planning Commission was a good option'to bring forth. . . . . I Springfield City Council Work Session - 4/27/98 Page 3 Ms. Stein said the process only sets the alignment for future planning purposes. If and when the trigger is met and funding is in place, then the actual construction would begin. Councilor Shaver spoke in favor of the alignment. He suggested routing all bicycle traffic to Game Farm Road and funding the project at the same time as the extension occurs. He felt if the neighborhood wanted a sound wall, then the project should include a thin version with a vertical growing plant in the front of the wall to keep it graffiti free. Councilor Dahlquist agreed. He shared his concern over the traffic impacts on Gateway Street, and felt the extension would eliminate traffic issues at the intersection of Beltline and Gateway. Councilor Maine also agreed with the alignment. She encouraged staff to address the undeveloped area of the extension now, as citizens knew for years that the Jasper Road Extension project would also be occurring, but are currently not happy with the proposed alignment. She asked if the city uses federal funding to complete the extension project, if it would be obligated to install sidewalks. Mr. Mirza said there would be no obligation for sidewalks, but there would be for a sound wall. He added the city could not complete the project without federal funding, yet it may raise our costs in the placement of a sound wall. Mayor Morrisette suggested staff again speak with the residents of the Game Farm area regarding their preference for a sound wall or other alternative. Council consensus was to approve the alignment without sidewalks or a bicycle path along the portion of the alignment which is undeveloped at this time. After discussion it was also consensus to have 90 feet of ROW as it is a wider amountthannecessary, but would, allow for a future final decision regarding sidewalks. Ms. Stein asked council to approve a copy of a letter which would be provided to the Lane County Roads Advisory Committee, dated April 29, 1998. By consensus, there was council consensus to support the letter being sent to the Lane County Roads Advisory Committee. The meeting recessed at 8:05 p.m. The meeting reconvened at 8: 12 p.m. 2. Public Safety Coordinating Council (PSCC) - Levy. Mr. Jim Carlson, Lane Council of Governments, provided a copy of the PSCC Funding Priorities, dated April 23, 1998. Mr. Carlson asked council to provide direction to Councilors Burge and Maine, Springfield's elected official representatives on the Public Safety Coordinating Council; City Manager Mike Kelly, vice-chair ofPSCC; and Police Chief Bill DeForrest, PSCC member; regarding components of a potential public safety levy now under discussion by the PSCC for a September or November 1998 ballot. Springfield City Council Work Session - 4/27/98 Page 4 . Mr. Kelly said the 31-member Public Safety Coordinating Council was created by state statute and is charged with making recommendations for intergovernmental coordination of public safety services, policy and funding. The council's effective area is Lane County and the council has been meeting for the past two years. There have been some short-term recommendations along the way, and will soon complete a long-range plan. The group is currently focused on the development of a potential five-year serial levy proposal to meet needs it considers urgent. Chief DeForrest said the PSCC has. identified four parts of the regional public safety system for which there is a funding gap: 1) capacity, 2) prevention, 3) system efficiencies, and 4) prosecution. PSCC developed service goals, outcomes, strategies and benchmarks for each of the four, as well as specific proposals for a potential levy. By consensus, PSCC members have determined a levy is needed. The universe of possible levy items totals $93.6 million, but a majority of members appear to favor recommending a five-year proposal that would add no more than one dollar per thousand dollars of assessed value to a property owner's current tax bill. This would result in a levy of approximately $70 million dollars over five years. There is adequate room under the Measure 5, ten dollar cap, to accommodate such a levy, should that be the council's desire. Mr. Kelly said that work on the levy proposal is still in progress and would be the subject of the April 28, Joint Elected Officials Meeting. This work session was scheduled to give council a chance to discuss and prepare for the joint meeting. . Councilor Shaver asked about a bond with amortization versus a levy. Mr. Kelly said ' he favored a bond measure and that Chief DeForrest felt a levy and bond measure should be coupled. There was discussion regarding the capital needs which would accompany a levy, which would help manage the operations side of the justice system. Councilor Burge said he spoke with Sheriff Clements who also supported the two funding sources being sought together. He added that there needed to be some certainty regarding the figures proposed for the various services and he could not support the levy until definitive numbers were produced. Councilor Maine said the top four, or first tier of priorities, all received a close number of votes. She said PSCC is trying to provide funding for those areas which have the greatest need. Councilor Maine and Councilor Burge both shared their concern over the high cost of tier-one numbers for the five-year total. Mr. Carlson said the numbers were not yet firm. He added it may be hard to connect the levy and the bond together. If operating funds are not approved, capital funds would not be utilized. The levy can be under utilized, and the tax rate per assessed value would be lowered. Chief DeForrest said his greatest concern is capacity. He felt the criminal justice system is struggling with the problem now and if it is not dealt with soon then the problem will continue to grow. Chief DeForrest said his highest vote went to an Adult Detention Center, with the AIRS conversion also a high priority. . Councilor Maine said there is no quick solution to the problem, but that many of the funding priorities would help to make police services more effective in Lane County. Springfield City Council Work Session - 4/27/98 Page 5 . Councilor Burge said PSCC should be careful not to make the levy too big, as another future attempt at a reduced levy would bring people to believe the larger amount asked for initially was not necessary. Councilor Ballew felt the entire levy might be jeopardized if too much funding is sought initially. Mayor Morrisette felt the tier one of funding options presented the right mix of services. Councilor Dahlquist agreed. Mr. Carlson provided information about which election to schedule the PSCC levy on. If it was November 1998, then the tax base would be set and the funding would not be levied until 1998-2000. If it was September 1998, then the tax base would not be set yet and the funds could be levied in 1998-99. Mr. Carlson said the issue of which election to target may ultimately be a Lane County Board of Commissioner's decision. 3. Council Business. Councilor Shaver asked for council consensus regarding a proposed letter he drafted to 'send to Lane County regarding the Southern Willamette Private Industry Council (SWPIC). The letter would show Springfield's support for consolidation of services. After review, council consensus was to forward the letter to Lane County. ADJOURNMENT . The meeting was adjourned at 9:00 p.m. Minutes Recorder - Shari Higgins ( B@~a~~ ATTEST: ~~.~ Juh llson, CIty Recorder .