HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 05 Council Minutes
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AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY Meeting Date:
March 3, 2008
Meeting Type: "
Department:
S P R I N G FIE L D Staff Contact:
C I T Y C 0 U N C I L Estimated Time:
Regular Meeting
City Manager's Office
Amy Sowa, 726-3700 oP
Consent Calendar
ITEM TITLE:
COUNCIL MINUTES
ACTION REQUESTED:
By motion, approval of the attached minutes.
ISSUE STATEMENT:
The attached minutes are sJlbmitted for Council approval.
ATTACHMENTS:
Minutes:
a) February 11,2008 - Work Session
b) February 19,2008 - Regular Meeting
c) February 25,2008 - Work Session
DISCUSSIONI None
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
Sowalagendalminutes AIS
City of Springfield
Work Session Meeting
MINUTES OF THE WORK SESSION MEETING OF
THE SPRINGFIELD CITY COUNCIL HELD
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 11,2008
The City of Springfield Council met in a work session in the Community Room, Royal Building, 509
Main Street, Springfield, Oregon, on Monday, February 11,2008 at 5:38 p.m., with Mayor Leiken
presiding.
ATIENDANCE
Present were Mayor Leiken and Councilors Lundberg, Wylie, Ballew, Ralston, Woodrow, and
Pishioneri. Also present were City Manager Gino Grimaldi, Assistant City Manager Jeff Towery, City
Attorney Joe Leahy, City Attorney Matt Cox, City Recorder Amy Sowa and members of the staff.
1. Council Goal Setting.
Mayor Leiken noted that tonight was the Council's annual goal setting session. This had been a very
constructive session in the past. Staff appreciated Council providing input, direction and policy for staff
to move forward in carrying out the goals.
City Manager Gino Grimaldi presented this item. Council annually reviews the Council Five-Year
Goals, One-Year Targets and Priorities to make changes to more accurately reflect the direction of the
community. It is also a time to note the goals that have been reached and remove those from the existing
list. The meeting will be facilitated by Margo Helphand.
The agenda for the Council Goal Setting Session is as follows:
1. Convene Meeting and Welcome
2. Overview of Meeting
3. Key City Accomplishments
4. Council Goals and Priorities Review
5. Preferred Future Discussion
6. Continuous Improvement Presentation and Discussion
7. Wrap Up
Mr. Grimaldi said Council could change the agenda if they chose. He explained the proposed agenda.
Mr. Grimaldi thanked St. Vincent DePaul for the use of the community room in the Royal Building. He
noted the wonderful view of downtown Springfield from the room.
Ms. Helphand thanked the Mayor and Council for inviting her back to help with their goal setting. She
noted that this location was ideal for this work session because of the great view of Springfield and the
building was gorgeous. She said she would be moving along quickly.
Ms. Helphand again reviewed the agenda and said they would start by reviewing the accomplishments.
She said it was good to look back and reflect on the accomplishments of the City and the
accomplishments of the Council as well. Following this review, they would then look at the Council
City of Springfield
Council Work Session Minutes
February 11, 2008
Page 2
look at the Council goals, confIrm the long-term goals, and go over the one-year priorities. She said they
would then move to preferred future exercises, looking at where the Council wanted the City to be in ten
years. The Executive Team wrote postcards from the future. She distributed those postcards to the Mayor
and Council. She said she would have the Council read those out loud shortly and summarize the
responses. Finally, they would determine how the postcards might match up to the goals for the future.
Mr. Grimaldi said the postcard exercise was a fun way to look at the future of SpringfIeld.
Ms. Helphand asked Council to review the 2007 accomplishments and note which ones stood out to
them. She continued to summarize the agenda for the meeting.
Councilor Ralston: Getting started on the SpringfIeld Justice Center and Jail.
Councilor Wylie: Urban renewal.
Councilor Ballew: Completion of South 42nd Street project.
Mayor Leiken: Crossing over to $lB in private sector investment in SpringfIeld.
Councilor Lundberg: Passage ofHB3337.
Councilor Woodrow: Bob Straub Parkway.
Councilor Pishioneri: Decision to build a new fIre station.
Leadership training for Councilors (PacifIc Program).
Councilor Ballew: SpringfIeld representation (Mayor and Council members) on statewide committees
and leadership. SpringfIeld was now more of a player.
Councilor Wylie: Successful resolution to the RiverWatch issue.
Mayor Leiken: Even though Apex withdrew from Glenwood, there was still a continued excitement of
the possibilities in Glenwood. Those interested continued to increase in number.
Councilor Wylie: The departments were providing structure and budget for successful departmental
activities. Staff was doing well; they were creative and growing and doing great projects.
Councilor Pishioneri: City recognized the need to create a leadership program for up and coming leaders
recognizing that the City as a whole needed to build up new leaders to be successful.
Mayor Leiken: Continue great teamwork. All the councilors, and staff members, had strong opinions, but
they also got along and cooperated by leaving personal agendas out of the mix and continued to work on
the SpringfIeld agenda. They had been fortunate, but also made a concerted effort to work towards that
goal.
Ms. Helphand said when she thought of SpringfIeld she thought of civility as a value of the standard they
set.
City of Springfield
Council Work Session Minutes
February 11,2008
Page 3
Councilor Lundberg said a reflection of that was voter support on City measures. She said there was a
level of confidence in the direction the City was taking, and the direction of staff and council leadership.
Ms. Helphand referred to the goals in the agenda packet and noted that they were established in years
past. She asked Council to look at the goals and make sure they were still the goals Council wanted to
keep. These were long-range goals and were the things to strive for.
Councilor Ballew said they were big goals and she didn't think Council had changed their mind on them.
Ms. Helphand said sometimes big goals were something to keep out in front of them to strive for.
Councilor Ralston discussed the project along 1-105 and Highway 126 and said the extra lane put in
should extend all the way to the Pioneer Parkway.
Councilor Woodrow agreed and said he had brought that up to staff.
Discussion was held regarding the upcoming Highway 126 project and whether or not the extended lane
would be addressed during that project.
Transportation Manager Tom Boyatt responded to this issue. He said that when he worked for the
Oregon Department of Transportation, he tried to convince the resource manager to push the extra lane
all the way to Pioneer Parkway. The project was a safety project, so was not in the regular Statewide
Transportation Improvement Program (STIP). He felt it was something Springfield should continue to
push for. He took opportunities at the staff level to discuss this. The state could get a lot of traction by
finding a small amount of resources to finish that. He explained some of the challenges in that area.
Councilor Ralston said the lane blending in from the freeway was the problem.
Ms. Helphand suggested adding the Highway 126 lane issue to the Issue Bin of priorities.
Council added Highway 126: Eastbound Improvements Between 1-5 and Pioneer Parkway to the
priorities list.
Councilor Pishioneri said there seemed to be some confusion between goals and projects. Goals were
concepts, and the issue bin was desired projects~
Mr. Grimaldi said the priorities were listed under the goals, and were items that took specific action. The
lane issue would be a priority that fit under the transportation goal.
Ms. Helphand discussed the relationship between the goals and priorities.
Councilor Ballew said one of the big goals was to attract family wage jobs. She noted Springfield's
average income and suggested making it a goal to raise everyone's income level. There were people in
Springfield that weren't doing well financially and it might be good for Council to have a goal to
improve their economic well-being.
City of Springfield
Council Work Session Minutes
February 11,2008
Page 4
Councilor Lundberg said 'family wage jobs' were businesses that actually paid family wages. It came
down to what employers the City wanted to attract to Springfield. It also related to education and having
a work force that could work in higher paying jobs.
Councilor Ballew said maybe it was more of an outcome.
Councilor Wylie said the priorities were the tasks to back up the goals. That was where they could make
a change (in the priorities) by partnering with Lane Community College (LCe) for better training,
education and job readiness. The City had accomplished a number of the priorities. The tasks need
updating rather than the goals.
Mayor Leiken said Springfield was becoming more of a player. With the passage ofHB3337,
Springfield had more control of what we wanted our community to look like in the future. It took time to
adapt to the changes of the City. With the passage ofHB3337 and establishing our own urban growth
boundary (UGB), the City could choose and make decisions on exactly how to move forward regarding
commercial and industrial land, as well as residential. This Council was the bridge between the old
Springfield and the new Springfield. The Council would set the tone for where the future was going. He
noted that health care jobs were family wage jobs. He felt Springfield was moving in the right direction,
they just needed to be patient.
Councilor Woodrow suggested expanding Goal #4 by adding "through education and
commercial/industrial development". Enhancing the economy fit with that.
Discussion was held regarding whose job it was to educate the community.
Councilor Lundberg said the City was dependent on the school system, college or university. There were
a lot of jobs that had the potential to be higher wage jobs, but the workforce had limitations regarding
training. Some in the workforce were not as highly trained as they should be. There was a gap between
what the school was doing and what people needed to be successful. In that venue, Council had a role by
sitting on the Lane Workforce Partnership and advocating for the kinds of programs people needed to
come into a workplace setting with credentials allowing them to start at a higher wage.
Ms. Helphand said that was part of the Council being a player with these organizations. She asked if
Council wanted to add "education" to Goal #4.
Councilor Ralston said it was fine to talk about the education component, but he was not compelled to
change the goals because it was not in Council's control. They already encouraged education behind the
scenes.
Ms. Helphand said it might be something that showed up in their priorities in partnering or advocacy.
She asked Council to discuss their One year priorities. She asked how Council wanted to go through the
priorities. She offered some suggestions.
Councilor Wylie said Mr. Grimaldi would know the status on each ofthe priorities and she would like
him to summarize each as they went through them.
City of Springfield
Council Work Session Minutes
February 11,2008
Page 5
Councilor Pishioneri said it would be helpful to him to go down the list to see where there were problem
areas.
Councilor Lundberg suggested just ranking the actual priority. Some had more done than others and
some were more problematic than others. These were just one-year targets.
Councilor Ralston said it was hard to prioritize the one-year targets. There were only two things he
noticed on the list that Council had raised to a higher level over the last year: building maintenance
funding; and reducing reliance on the levies. The rest were fme the way they were.
Glenwood Development:
Mr. Grimaldi started through the priority list. He said there were still a lot of issues to discuss about
Glenwood, such as a master developer versus multi-developers, the design of Franklin Boulevard, and
how to implement the Glenwood Refinement Plan update project.
This item would remain a top priority.
Gateway Development:
. Mr. Grimaldi said this priority focused on transportation issues, such as 1-5/Be1tline, Gateway/Beltline
intersection, and the Lane Transit District EmX project.
This item would remain a top priority.
Downtown Redevelopment:
Mr. Grimaldi said that would be a long-term issue. The first step was to pass the Urban Renewal Plan
which had already happened. The next step would be deciding how to approach redevelopment. He
discussed past planning efforts for downtown.
This item would remain a top priority.
Mayor Leiken asked how many applications had been received for the Downtown Citizen Advisory
Committee.
Assistant City Manager Jeff Towery said forty-two applications had been received for eleven positions.
Mayor Leiken said it was great to see that much interest. He noted that the applicants were not the same
names that always applied.
Several councilors said they had been approached by applicants who were very interested in being
appointed to that committee. There was a lot of energy around this project.
Councilor Ralston asked Chief Smith about the transients under the Glenwood Bridge. He said it seemed
there were very few of them out there for a few weeks, but a lot of people had now returned. He said he
had seen two Sheriffs vehicles down there recently. He asked what had changed that caused the
transients to return to that location.
Chief Smith said it was the warmer weather. When it was extremely cold, the transients left and found
other places to stay.
City of Springfield
Council Work Session Minutes
February 11, 2008
Page 6
Councilor Ralston asked if t.p.ere was an effort by someone to police that area.
No. Councilor Pishioneri said that was State property and the City and County couldn't do anything.
Councilor Ralston noted that there were students at the bus station. He said he would be afraid to stand at
that station. He said somewhere between the Glenwood redevelopment and the Downtown, the City
needed to isolate the problems at that bridge. He had received a number of complaints from Springfield
residents asking why the City wasn't doing anything. He had tried to explain the State law to them.
Ms. Helphand said this item could be added to the Issue Bin on her chart to address the homeless issue at
the Glenwood Bridge.
Mill Race Redevelopment:
Mr. Grimaldi said staff continued to work with the Corps of Engineers to move this along.
This item would remain a priority.
South 4rd Street Improvements:
This item is complete and can be removed from the priority list.
Support Review of the Feasibility of a Conference Center:
Mr. Grimaldi said the consortium had issued a request for proposals (RFP) to look at the feasibility of a
conference center.
This item would remain a priority.
Determine the Future of the Library:
Mr. Grimaldi said the Library staff and Assistant City Manager Jeff Towery had been looking at
alternatives to stabilize or fund the Library.
This item would remain a priority.
Implement R~maining Nodal Development Areas per TransPlan:
Development Services Director Bill Grile addressed this item. He said it was on the work program.
There were areas yet to be designated, such as RiverBend and Jasper. Forming these areas mayor may
not reduce trip counts expected, but was a feasible alternative.
This item would remain a priority.
Councilor Ballew asked if updating the TransPlan should be added to the list.
Council chose to add: Update TransPlan to the priorities list.
Discussion was held regarding areas scheduled to be implemented as nodal.
TEAM Springfield:
City of Springfield
Council Work Session Minutes
February 11,2008
Page 7
Mr. Grimaldi said this was an ongoing project and was going well.
This item would remain a priority.
Identify Possible Wi-Fi Locations in Nodal Development:
Mr. Grimaldi said Council had made a decision not to move forward on this. It was removed.
Enter into an Agreement with the BLM/Forest Service to Construct Office and Warehouse Space
in Springfield:
This project was complete and could be removed from the list.
Commercial-Industrial-Residential Buildable Land:
Mr. Grimaldi said this was a long-term project to be completed in 2009.
This item would remain a priority.
Develop, Revise and Implement an Emergency Management Plan:
Mr. Grimaldi said this was complete for the most part and could be removed.
Chief Murphy said they still needed to put the Mayor and Council through an online course on the
National Incident Management System (NIMS).
Councilor Pishioneri said it was important for the Mayor and Council to be trained and have that
knowledge in the event of an emergency. He discussed the potential need for an Instant Command
System (ICS) either in the City or multi-jurisdictional, and the need to understand the fiscal
responsibilities when an emergency arose.
Councilor Wylie noted the recent fires in San Diego, California and the experience that city and others
had in such emergencies. The City needed to be well trained and prepared.
Establish External and Internal Communications Interoperability:
Chief Smith said they were still working on this. It was close to being completed and was scheduled to
go live in May if several issues could be worked out.
Councilor Pishioneri asked about Public Works licensing.
Chief Smith said they felt they had a frequency for public works that would allow them to be in the trunk
system.
Update the IT Disaster Recovery Plan:
Mr. Grimaldi said that was still in the works.
This item would remain a priority.
Facilitate Justice Center Construction Timeline for on Schedule Completion:
Mr. Grimaldi said this was in progress.
This item would remain as a priority.
City of Springfield
Council Work Session Minutes
February 11,2008
Page 8
City Hall Space Needs:
Mr. Grimaldi said an initial report on this item would be coming to Council in April.
This item would remain a priority.
Promote Community Image:
Mr. Grimaldi said this project was under way with staff working with the Ulum Group. Staff would be
getting back to the Council with the results from the community survey.
This item would remain a priority.
Reduce Reliance on Special Levies:,
Mr. Grimaldi said discussion would be held with the Budget Committee to see if we could fit these into
the budget.
This item would remain a priority.
Building Maintenance Funding:
Mr. Grimaldi said this was discussed during City Hall Space Needs.
This item would remain a priority.
Growth Demands on Current Service Levels:
Mr. Grimaldi said this was ongoing.
This item would remain a priority.
Councilor Lundberg said the City was working on street funding. A special committee was being
formed, and a work plan would be developed. She also noted that the storm water and sewer master plans
were coming forward soon.
Street Maintenance Funding was added to the priorities list.
Councilor Ballew asked about the average income of residents. It would be nice to have some economic
indicators on a consistent basis, including something like a gross product. It fit with the economic well-
being and the overall goal for the City to reach their goals.
Councilor Lundberg said they needed to look at where the tax money was coming from (commercial,
industrial and residential). There was low-end housing and high-end housing and each came with a
different dollar amount contributing to the City's tax base. It would be worthwhile to have an annual
report card to evaluate those things - a strategic plan.
Councilor Wylie said she would like to see the connection of the priorities to the goals.
Mayor Leiken discussed the assessed values that were designated in 1997 and noted that Springfield was
given a lower value due to timing. He said one ofthe things he would like to do would be to see ifthere
was a way to work with the State and County tax assessors to re-evaluate those values. Springfield was
not able to capture the true value of properties because of this initial value.
City of Springfield
Council Work Session Minutes
February 11,2008
Page 9
Councilor Ralston said he would like to see what type of development gave the most back to the City
regarding taxes and which had the best potential.
Mr. Grimaldi said the opportunity to look at that would be coming soon as we concluded the study of
. residential, commercial and industrial land. Part of the discussion could be to look at the mix.
Mr. Grile said another thing to consider was the cost of service for each type of development.
Councilor Wylie spoke of other values of development, such as bringing in jobs to allow people to buy
homes, etc.
Ms. Helphand moved on to the postcard exercise. She handed out some of the postcards that the
Executive Team had written.
Mayor Leiken said he had talked to the Springfield Chamber about a vision he had for the area in fifteen
years. He elaborated. He said to look at pictures of 1970 Portland along the river, and look at it now.
Springfield needed to stay on course.
The rest of the Councilors read their postcards and the postcards from the Executive Team members. Ms.
Helphand wrote the themes on a chart as they read.
Postcard themes:
. Glenwood Riverfront: Dining, paths, parks, galleries
. Downtown: Historic standards, vibrant, galleries
. Condos with riverviews
. Good wage jobs
. Lowered crime with the jail in place
. Convention Center w/hotels
. Paid Councilors
. Mill Race project complete
. New Library, branch Library
. RiverBend
. Franklin Blvd redesign
. Small town feeling with growth
. EmX went everywhere
. Center of downtown is Willamette River
. Police technology
. Nature and parks
. River trails
Ms. Helphand discussed the themes.
Mayor Leiken said there were a lot of common themes between the staff and Council postcards. That
was part of the cooperation and common vision that helped the City move forward. He hoped to
maintain that common denominator.
City of Springfield
Council Work Session Minutes
February 11, 2008
. Page 10
Councilor Ballew said it showed Springfield coming from a lumber town to a medical town.
Councilor Lundberg said it could be a healing community, with an emphasis on trails and natural
resources. It was to the City's benefit that we had a great shared vision.
Ms. Helphand reviewed tonight's discussion. Great organizations came from consistently pushing in a
common direction in a disciplined fashion over a period of time. She asked Council how they decided
what was most important and what was in place to make sure those things were accomplished.
Councilor Ralston said they needed to keep doing what they were doing because they were on the right
track.
Councilor Ballew agreed. Staff keeping Council updated was important.
Councilor Woodrow said to continue building relationships with staff.
Councilor Lundberg said there was a readiness factor and some of the priorities were closer to being
completed. None of the priorities had to come off the list as long as they fit within the goals. Some were
shovel ready.
Mayor Leiken said there was enough faith between Council and staff to trust their judgment regarding
moving priorities up on the list as they become ready to move forward. He would like to continue that
relationship.
Councilor Wylie said she had a great deal of faith in the staff being able to evaluate the priorities and
relay that to Council.
Councilor Ralston said all of the goals needed to be worked on and that was why there were specialists
(Department Directors) in each department.
Councilor Ballew said that was true, but some were multi-year projects. She would rely on Mr. Grimaldi
as the gatekeeper to let Council know what could be done.
Ms. Helphand reviewed tonight's discussion. She said the discussion would go to the continuous
improvement item next.
Councilor Ballew said in looking at the Council goals, at some point they needed more visions for the
future.
Councilor Ralston said that was part of the moving target as things progressed.
Mr. Grimaldi discussed the Gateway area and things that would be coming along in that area.
Councilor Lundberg said transportation was a good example of needing to look years in advance.
City of Springfield
Council Work Session Minutes
February 11,2008
Page 11
Councilor Pishioneri said in order to get to the long-term goals, they needed to focus on the internal
health first. If the organization was not strong, they wouldn't get anywhere. He discussed the upcoming
classification and compensation study. The City needed to retain its culture.
Mayor Leiken said they couldn't get complacent about the City's success. Eugene had a tremendous
amount of resources and Springfield needed to scratch and claw for every opportunity presented.
Springfield needed to be at the front of the line.
Councilor Ballew said they hadn't yet talked about the community itself and their hopes and aspirations.
Ms. Helphand said they needed to hear from the community.
,
Mr. Grimaldi said staff would bring an outline to Council on how to think more strategically internally
with departments and touching base with the community. They were not looking at a long-intensive
process.
Councilor Ralston said the community gave the Council feedback all the time. They had a good rapport
with the citizens.
Mr. Grimaldi said they would look at better communication between departments and maximizing
resources.
Councilor Wylie said there were a lot of homeless and low income residents in Springfield. Through the
development policies, the City needed to provide housing and jobs to allow the citizens to be a
functioning part of the community. She agreed that the City should be a partner in the education and
training of the citizens.
Councilor Ralston discussed the potential expansion of the UGB and bringing it more affordable
property. He said Springfield focused more on home ownership and Eugene focused more on low-
income housing and rentals. Springfield needed more affordable housing for young families. There were
State laws against forcing developers to have land that was affordable, but there must be a way to
provide affordable housing. It was all part of supplying for the needs of the community.
Councilor Lundberg said when looking at the future economic indicators, they should also look at the
consolidated plan, the goal of higher ownership, and look at development. Some builders could build
starter homes without government help. She felt it should be put in with economic indicators.
Ms. Helphand asked if Council needed to stretch for 5 minutes.
Council took a break at 7:26 p.m.
Council resumed their meeting at 7:30 p.m.
Ms. Helphand said she would be turning this portion of the meeting over to Mr. Grimaldi and Mr.
Towery.
City of Springfield
Council Work Session Minutes
February 11,2008
Page 12
Mr. Grimaldi said he liked to think of the City organization as great and greater. He noted the quality of
employees at the City of Springfield and said they were always looking at ways to improve. He said the'
management staff had been looking at some tools to make sure we were continuing to improve. There
were work load issues with the growth of our community and the workforce was changing. It was
important to tap into the resources of the employees coming in to the organization. Management was
looking at ways to manage the staff and put succession planning into place.
Mr. Towery said copies ofthe power point could be made available to those that would like a paper
copy. He noted that Niel Laudati had put together the power point presentation.
Mr. Towery said the Executive Team had been looking for an approach to help prioritize and implement
the Council goals. He said the power point presentation and the white paper in the agenda packet
(Attachment E) provided information regarding this topic. During the day long planning session with the
Executive Team earlier in the year, six motivating factors for a lean approach were identified. Those
points were: 1) To make Springfield a preferred and desirable place to live and work; 2) To reach our
potential as individuals and as an organization; 3) To get daily work done daily; 4) To provide
challenging and stimulating work for city employees; 5) To remove the barriers to success; and 6) To
reward a job well done. Some of the keys to a successful implementation of a lean philosophy included a
strong connection to a strategic vision for the organization. Mr. Grimaldi had already outlined his
support and the entire Executive Team was committed to present a unified approach to implementing
lean strategies and process improvement throughout the organization. By the end of February, forty-five
managers and other key support staff, including all of the Executive Team, would have been through a
three-day process management training. This year, the City had conducted a couple of process
improvement events, also called Kaizan events or rapid improvement. Three or four years ago, the
organization went through a small version of rapid improvement process. He explained. He asked Bill
Grile, Development Services Department (DSD) Director, and Dan Brown, Public Works (PW) Director
to speak about the events they had sponsored in their departments.
Mr. Grile said they felt this was very valuable. Last spring DSD knew they were having problems
keeping up with getting the residential plan reviews through the review process. Several staff met with
Ed McMahon (HomeBuilders' Association) and discussed how they could do better. In order to be
development friendly, DSD needed to improve their service. They held a Kaizan event, which meant
they brought in the people that did the work and asked them how the plan review could be sped up and
improved. He gave an example ofa home review. Instead of it taking a month to review, they were able
to reduce the time to an hour and a half after going through this process. He explained the previous
process, and how they changed the process. DSD had done sixty-eight of these plan reviews since May
17, 2007.
Councilor Ballew asked ifby using the new process it freed up additional time for staff and if it allowed
them to be more productive.
Mr. Grile said this needed to be done comprehensively for the entire land development review process
because something could be fixed in one area, but could compound the effects in other areas. That would
be the next step for DSD. Time was saved when waste was eliminated. There was waste in all
organizations and they had identified the types of waste in the plan review process and figured out how
to eliminate that waste for that one process.
City of Springfield
Council Work Session Minutes
February 11,2008
Page 13
Mr. Brown said PW did capital projects in several divisions in PW: Environmental Service Division;
Transportation Division; and Engineering Division. The Engineering Division did a lot of the visible
work, such as South 42nd Street improvements, the Harlow Road Pump Station, and others: The work
unit that did that work included nine people, including the supervisor. They found that they had a lot of,
new people in that division. He commended the work done by JeffProciw on the South 42nd Street
project, but noted it was Jeffs first project that wasn't in the forest. PW staff became concerned about
work load issues and new staff. They brought Rhonda Costanza in to work with them. They went
through the rapid improvement process, found waste, and applied lean thinking principles. Through the
process, they were able to define the roles and responsibilities for each ofthe nine staff members in the
Engineering Division. They clarified accountability and came up with better reporting measurements.
One goal was to develop an outline of a project manual, as they had never had one before. Seven ofthe
nine chapters had been written so far. With this manual, everything would be standardized and reporting
systems would be in place with visual controls in the workplace. He explained.
Mr. Towery said a number of changes were already in place following this training. The City's
workforce was changing, the technology we used was changing, and the service demands from citizens
were driven by growth and development in the community, by demographic trends and by their own
expectations for services. To meet the challenges, staff needed to take a different approach. Asking for
more dollars and more staffing was not a sustainable approach. This process wasn't new, but was newer
for governments. It had been used in the manufacturing sector for decades. Some of the terms used were
Japanese and went back to the rebuilding of the Japanese manufacturing sector after World War II. The
term Kaizen, meant 'change for the better'. World class companies worldwide had used this approach for
decades.
Mr. Towery said this process worked by reviewing individual processes in the organization by holding
Kaizen events and bringing together the people that actually did the work, along with key managers who
could help implement recommended changes and make sure they could remove the barriers to success.
The processes and measurements were identified and refined over time. The initial exercise of going
through a process improvement was just the first step. It provided the tools to those involved in those
processes so they could continue to refine and improve the processes over time. He noted some of the
companies in the United States that had used Kaizen and lean philosophy over the years, including
Marathon Coach in Junction City. He referred to the organizational goals: Passion for our community;
Integrity in our work; and Results through collaboration. The Executive Team saw this approach as the
best way to engage and serve our customers, tap into the creativity, dedication and commitment of City
employees, and make the best long-term use of limited resources.
Councilor Ballew asked if there was a downside to this process.
Mr. Towery said much of this process would look familiar, not only because it had been around for sixty
to eighty years, but because most of the bestsellers written over the last couple of decades on this
subject had used bits and pieces of these philosophies. There were a lot of tools under the umbrella of
lean approach or lean principles, and staff was trying to take the best of those tools that would work for
the City and apply them systematically throughout our organization. The biggest downside was that it
needed the buy-in from the top by the policy makers and management. It was a lot of work and a
different way of doing business and took a long-term perspective. He referred to the issue of problem
employees and noted that often it was the process that was the problem, not the employee. One of the
City of Springfield
Council Work Session Minutes
February 11,2008
Page 14
the process that was the problem, not the employee. One of the steps needed was to take a look at what
needed to be done to deliver that result.
Mr. Grile said he had observed this and the process set up for the building permit review, and he also sat
in on the graduation session of the PW training. At the beginning of the training, not everyone was
excited about this process. The people with the answers to the problems were those that were closest to
the work. When those doing the work were empowered with series of questions and what could be done,
they became believers in the process. Even the skeptics admitted that the process helped. He gave an
example.
Ms. Helphand added that a lot of energy went into trouble employees. Studies had shown that it was
more efficient to put energy into the process first.
Councilor Ballew said she had visited a company that had done a lean process two or three years ago and
they were now out of business.
Discussion was held regarding the many reasons the business could have failed.
Councilor Wylie said sometimes problems in the system caused problem employees,
Mayor Leiken noted that some of the companies shown that had used this process were non-union
companies and that there was a different culture in the eastern countries compared to the United States.
He asked if the unions had bought in to this process. He thought the term lean was outdated. During his
State of the City address he used words such as innovation and efficient. He said he was not challenging
this, but wanted to make sure unions and the everyday employees were o.k. with this. To work, they
needed buy-in from the everyday workers. If everyone was on the same page, it would be very
successful.
Mr. Grimaldi said several years ago, an Organizational Health Task Team was formed with a variety of
City employees as members. One of the problems that had not yet been addressed that this team had
identified was work load. This rapid improvement process plan was something that started with
employees and was an answer to some of the issues raised by the employees. There had been
informational meetings with staff.
Mr. Towery said when using the word lean, they were really talking about continuously improving and
trying to get better. The word lean evolved from elimination of waste, but it may not resonate well with
staff. One of the fears in this type of approach when handled poorly was whether or not it meant
elimination of employees. One of the keys ofthose companies that had done this right was to make a
commitment to the people that they wouldn't lose positions based on the rapid process improvement. He
noted that the process events held so far by the City included about eight or nine people, with line staff
involved.
Budget Officer Bob Brew said as a public employee, there was a reaction to the lean idea. Any
management book written suggested that the best way to motivate employees was to ask for their ideas
and then implement those ideas. He felt this process would do as much to retain quality people as any
other initiative the City undertook.
City of Springfield
Council Work Session Minutes
February 11,2008
Page 15
Councilor Woodrow said you could manage money, but you needed to lead people. He noted that things
were done differently here than in Japan. He explained. With the continuous improvement, the response
from line workers had been positive. It was important to get the buy-in from line workers and to let the
employees lead the process. He was very supportive and felt it would be very beneficial in the long run.
Mr. Brown said he was involved in three of the RPI process events. In all three cases, line staff and non-
management staff were as enthusiastic about what was accomplished as the supervisors and managers
because they were going to be relieved of a lot of the stress with the changes. Going in to this process, it
was not unusual to find a few that were extremely skeptical. Within four hours, those people were
leading the charge to look at better and more efficient ways to do things.
Fire Chief Murphy addressed the Mayor's question about unions and said the International Association
of Fire Fighters (IAFF) was a very powerful union. His Oregon Public Employees Union (OPED) work
unit had embraced the process improvement. The real test would be the IAFF work unit. It needed to be
done right. There was one rapid improvement process event that was ready to occur that did include
some IAFF staff. Those types of traditional work units would be a big challenge, but it had not deterred
his department from looking at this process.
Mr. Grimaldi said Council would be hearing more on this topic as it was implemented throughout the
City organization.
Councilor Ballew noted that Franklin Boulevard under the 1-5 Bridge was scheduled to be closed tonight
after 9:00pm until 6:00am.
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned at 8:04 pm.
Minutes Recorder - Amy Sowa
Sidney W. Leiken
Mayor
Attest:
Amy Sowa
City Recorder
City of Springfield
Regular Meeting
MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF
THE SPRINGFIELD CITY COUNCIL HELD
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 19,2008
The City of Springfield Council met in regular session in the Council Meeting Room, 225 Fifth
Street, Springfield, Oregon, on Tuesday, February 19,2008 at 7:09 p.m., with Mayor Leiken
presiding.
A TIENDANCE
Present were Mayor Leiken and Councilors Wylie, Ballew, Ralston, Woodrow and Pishioneri
(7: 11 p.m.). Also present were City Manager Gino Grimaldi, Assistant City Manager Jeff
Towery, City Recorder Amy Sowa and members of the staff. '
Councilors Lundberg was absent (excused).
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Mayor Leiken.
SPRINGFIELD UPBEAT
1. WalMart Check Presentation to Police and Fire.and Life Safety.
The representatives from Walmart were not present for this item.
CONSENT CALENDAR
IT WAS MOVED BY COUNCILOR WOODROW WITH A SECOND BY COUNCILOR
BALLEW TO APPROVE THE CONSENT CALENDAR. THE MOTION PASSED WITH
A VOTE OF 4 FOR, 0 AGAINST AND 2 ABSENT (Lundberg and Pishioneri).
1. Claims
a. Approval of the January 2008, Disbursements for Approval.
2. Minutes
a. January 28, 2008 - Work Session
b. January 28, 2008 - Special Regular Meeting
3. Resolutions
4. Ordinances
5. Other Routine Matters
City of Springfield
Council Regular Meeting Minutes
February 19,2008
Page 2
a. Approval of the Liquor License Endorsement for Lucky Lou's Deli, Located at 4215 Unit
C Main Street, Springfield, Oregon
b. Approval of the Liquor License Endorsement for The Lucky Lizard Delicatessen,
Located at 1979 Mohawk Blvd., Springfield, Oregon.
ITEMS REMOVED
PUBLIC HEARINGS - Please limit comments to 3 minutes. Request to speak cards are available
at both entrances. Please present cards to City Recorder. Speakers may
not yield their time to others.
None.
Councilor Pishioneri arrived at 7: 11 p.m.
BUSINESS FROM THE AUDIENCE
1. Diana Robertson. 871 River Road. Eugene. OR Ms. Robertson distributed a packet to the
Mayor and Council regarding the Neuter Scooter. She said she was the Executive Director of
Shelter Animal Resource Alliance (SARA) in Eugene. She said they were a" non-profit
organization that rescued, assisted and advocated for shelter animals, especially at Lane
County Animal Regulation (now Lane County Animal Services). She noted that she was also
a member of the No-Kill Community Coalition. She discussed a speaker that came to Eugene
a year ago and talked about how Lane County could become a no-kill community (no killing
of adoptable and treatable animals). She explained further. One ofthe main principals of the
no-kill philosophy was having affordable spay and neuter services. She said that Molly
Sargeant brought the Neuter Scooter and Dr. Peavy, to Springfield in the past offering low-
cost spay and neuter services. She referred to the packet distributed at the beginning of her
presentation. She said she had done a survey of local veterinarians about the cost to spay a
pregnant cat. Most abandoned cats were pregnant and it was more expensive for that type of
spay. Council did support, and Councilor Woodrow helped, get the Mohawk low-cost spay
and neuter clinic in Springfield, but it was still expensive for this type of spay. The Neuter
Scooter was substantially lower. They did eight clinics in Springfield. Because Ms. Sargeant
couldn't do that again this year, she would like to encourage the City to take it on, like
Veneta had done. She said Veneta had a very progressive program that she felt Springfield
residents would appreciate.
COUNCIL RESPONSE
CORRESPONDENCE AND PETITIONS
BIDS
ORDINANCES
1. Lane Regional Air Protection Agency Residential Wood Heating Advisory Amendment.
ORDINANCE NO. 6216 - AN ORDINANCE REGARDING AIR POLLUTION.
AMENDING CHAPTER 4. SECTIONS 4.418(4). 4.500 AND 4.506 OF THE
City of Springfield
Council Regular Meeting Minutes
February 19,2008
Page 3
SPRINGFIELD MUNICIPAL CODE. AND CHANGING REFERENCE IN THE
SPRINGFIELD MUNICIPAL CODE FROM THE LANE REGIONAL AIR POLLUTION
AUTHORITY TO THE LANE REGIONAL AIR PROTECTION AGENCY, AND
AMENDING THE RESIDENTIAL WOOD HEATING ADVISORY THRESHOLD
VALVES.
Environmental Services Department Supervisor Chuck Gottfried presented the staff report on this
item. Lane Regional Air Protection Agency (LRAPA) has requested amendments to Springfield's
"Red- Yellow-Green" Residential Wood Heating Advisory ordinance 4.506 "Definitions," to revise
wood heating advisory thresholds 'downward, reducing wood heating pollutant levels to ensure that
Springfield continues to meet federal air quality standards. LRAP A also requested updating the
Municipal Code to reflect LRAPA's current name, as noted above, where it appears in the Code.
Springfield Municipal Code Section 4.506 presently defines air quality threshold values for
residential wood heating (R WH) restrictions when high levels of air pollution are forecast. The
restrictions are communicated to the public via published advisories, using a Green, Yellow, Stage 1
Red, and Stage IT Red designation to denote increasing restrictions on allowable burning activities.
Restrictions are progressive as forecast pollution levels increase, up to and including a prohibition on
the use of wood heating devices, except pellet stoves, without a special exemption, available from
LRAP A.
(
Threshold levels for the advisories are developed by LRAPA, based on the EPA's National Ambient
Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). The NAAQS were recently revised downward, and the proposed
amendments seek to proportionally reduce the RWH advisory thresholds to maintain Springfield's
air quality within federal limits.
The NAAQS is based on very small particulate termed PM2.5, which, in high concentrations, is
believed to adversely impact the health of sensitive individuals The RWH advisory thresholds
represent maximum allowable levels of air pollutants believed to protect the health of sensitive
individuals.
In September, 2007, LRAP A submitted a letter to Mayor Leiken requesting that the City amend the
Municipal Code regarding the levels of PM that trigger the various advisories, lowering the threshold
levels for all categories of the advisory (see Attachment A). This reflects changes to the NAAQS,
which were recently revised when research showed that lower pollutant levels were needed to reduce
the risk to human health from air pollution.
A public hearing and first reading ofthe proposed ordinance was held at the February 4, 2008 regular
Council session. The current and proposed PM2.5 concentration thresholds, and their respective
advisory level, are included in Attachment A, Council Briefmg Memo. The letter from LRAP A
requesting the amendments is included as Attachment B, and the proposed ordinance is Attachment
C.
Mr. Gottfried noted that Merlin Hough, Director of LRAP A, was in the audience if Council had
any questions of him.
Councilor Wylie said she was concerned about people with breathing difficulties, but was also
concerned about people that depended on wood heat to heat their homes. She noted the number of
days this would affect and how it would affect those people. She said it was a difficult decision.
City of Springfield
Council Regular Meeting Minutes
February 19,2008
Page 4
She believed in having some regulation, but was concerned it was so restrictive. She was opposed
to making it so restrictive.
Mr. Gottfried said it was a good point and a significant issue. There was an exemption in the
ordinance and he asked Mr. Hough from LRAP A to address that.
Mr. Hough said his hope was that there would be very few red days. One thing that helped reduce
the number of red days was good cooperation from residents on the yellow days. This year they
had few red days. The exemption program was for low income residents and was based on
standard criteria. He said in the early 1990's there was another exemption for sole source, but that
program had sunsetted. Now the only exemption was based on income criteria.
Councilor Wylie said there could be other issues such as people using old electric heaters on days
they were not allowed to burn their wood stove. That could be a fire danger.
Mr. Hough said they didn't want people going cold and they made sure people knew of the
exemption.
Ms. Wylie said she understood and appreciated his position. .
Councilor Woodrow asked Mr. Hough if the new standards were federally mandated.
Mr. Hough said the air quality standard was federally established by the Environmental
Protection Agency (EP A) at the end of 2006. It was the acceptable outside air quality level. He
said there was a non-EP A group formed by Congress called the Clean Air Scientific Advisory
Committee, a group of medical professional scientists that reviewed health studies every five
years. As part of one of those periodic reviews, they looked at the health studies and
recommended the EPA tighten the standards. Some felt it wasn't tightened as much as the health
studies would justify, but other felt it was substantial.
Councilor Woodrow asked how many days Springfield would have missed (red days) based on
the new standards.
Mr. Hough said it was based on a three year standard. The potential was there for eleven red days
with conditions similar to years past. They had seen air quality steadily improve due to a
combination of several things including, people more aware of their burning practices and
conversion of existing stoves to cleaner burning units. They may not see that many red days next
year. The number of yellow days projected for next year would be about nineteen days.
Councilor Pishioneri asked if the standard was a range, a minimum or something else.
Mr. Hough said the standard was based on statistics over three years. It was a nin~ty-eighth
percentile, which meant there were a few days each year that were allowed to go above the 35.
The ninety-eighth percentile was calculated each year, so two percent ofthe days were allowed to
go higher without exceeding the standard. The ninety-eighth percentile was averaged over three
years, giving them the basis of comparison for that standard. In the Eugene-Springfield area, the
air had been in the thirty to thirty-five range, so had been meeting that standard.
Councilor Pishioneri asked if the standard noted in the ordinance was the standard for our area.
City of Springfield
Council Regular Meeting Minutes
February 19,2008
Page 5
Mr. Hough said the standard of 35 determined when a red day was announced. The cutoff for
yellow was 25. Some part of the state were deciding, as it was a local choice. LRAP A wanted to
be consistent with the Lane County UGB, Eugene, Springfield and Oakridge.
Councilor Pishioneri asked if LRAP A had access to grants to help provide high efficiency stoves
for people needing help.
Mr. Hough said LRAP A was successful in getting a grant for replacing existing stoves with
cleaner burning units as part of a project in Oakridge. That was part of a several agency project
including St. Vincent De Paul, Housing Authority of Lane County, City ofOakridge and
LRAPA. Oakridge had the most serious problem air in Lane County. LRAPA supported in the
legislature, a program called HeatSmart, which would have provided support for some wood
stove replacement statewide. That program did not pass this session. The Department of Energy
had a program that helped with replacement of existing stoves with certified stoves. He did not
have details on that program, but said he could get them if Council would like.
Mr. Hough introduced Kim Metzler, Public Information Program Director from LRAP A.
Ms. Metzler said the Department of Energy had a tax credit program. If someone bought a
certified stove or a pellet stove, there was a $300 tax credit. The person must pay the full price for
the unit up front and then apply for the tax credit.
Councilor Ballew said without the City ordinance, there was no enforcement of the revised
standards. Since the Council was enacting the City ordinance, the City should keep any fines
imposed.
Mr. Hough said LRAP A had an agreement with the City that LRAP A enforced this ordinance
when necessary, which had been very seldom. LRAP A was required to send the fmes assessed to
Lane County's General Fund.
Councilor Ballew asked that the City Attorney advise the Council on this issue.
Mr. Grimaldi said the City Attorney would get that information.
Councilor Woodrow asked where the monitoring stations were located so that Springfield didn't
show a figure of20 and Eugene a figure 000. He noted the separation of the UGB between
Eugene and Springfield that was now in the process of occurring.
Mr. Hough said LRAPA's understanding was that the separation of the UGB's between Eugene
and Springfield would not affect this. There had been a number of historical studies done here
using temporary samplers in a number of neighborhoods and industrial locations. They chose ,the
sites where the peak levels occurred. That was generally near Amazon Park. Beyond that, they
had kept historical continuity and operated a monitor on Springfield City Hall. There was also a
monitor in downtown Eugene and other sites throughout the area. LRAP A recognized that
downtown Springfield and downtown Eugene didn't always show the highest numbers, but
normally Amazon. There could be neighborhoods in Springfield that had higher levels than
Springfield City Hall, but they hadn't found it necessary to move the monitor as Amazon gave the
worse case position.
City of Springfield
Council Regular Meeting Minutes
February 19,2008
Page 6
Discussion was held regarding whether or not it was fair using the Amazon monitor to determine
Springfield's levels. Oakridge was also discussed and it was noted their air quality was much
worse. Other areas in Lane County were also discussed. This was a fairness issue.
Mr. Hough discussed the Federal criteria which described the boundaries to be used. He said the
boundary had to include the total area that could exceed the levels. He explained further.
Councilor Pishioneri said that would make sense if it could be proved that emissions from
Springfield were migrating to the Amazon area and vice versa. He asked if there was anything
that indicated emissions from Springfield affected the Amazon area in Eugene.
Mr. Hough said air dispersion modeling studies were done when the strategies were originally
formulated. Those studies showed that most levels in Eugene were affected by surrounding
neighborhoods, and the further out, the less affect. Computer modeling may show there was an
affect between the two cities. IfLRAPA intensively surveyed neighborhoods throughout
Springfield, they may find levels higher than those at City HalL They were confident, based on
past surveys, that the monitor at Amazon was a reasonable peak site to represent the area.
Councilor Wylie asked where the monitor at Amazon was located.
Mr. Hough said it was near the transit station by Amazon Park. It was located on a white trailer at
that site.
Councilor Wylie said she used to live there and there seemed to be a pocket for air to collect in
that area.
Mayor Leiken said this would need to be looked at closer with the separation of the UGBs, the
Metro Plan amendments and the language changes with Lane County. Springfield had a
groundwater protection plan which banned dense non-aqueous phase liquids (DNAPL's).
DNAPL's had been shown to contribute to pollution and had not been allowed in Springfield for
the last eight years or so. Springfield needed to work with LRAP A to make sure they were aware
of the changes to the UGB and Metro Plan. He thanked Mr. Hough for answering all the
questions.
Councilor Ballew asked if the standards on particulate matters included carbon dioxide.
Mr. Hough said they did not, just smoke and dust particles. He said carbon dioxide was more of a
global debate. Carbon monoxide was primarily an automobile related issue which used to be a
problem in heavy traffic portions ofthis area, but with cleaner cars and fuels, had decreased
substantially.
Councilor Woodrow thanked Mr. Hough and said he appreciated the information he was able to
share with the Council so they could better understand the issue.
IT WAS MOVED BY COUNCILOR WOODROW WITH A SECOND BY COUNCILOR
BALLEW TO ADOPT ORDINANCE NO. 6216 CONTINGENT ON ASKING THE CITY
MANAGER TO EXAMINE THE LANGUAGE IN CONNECTION WITH THE URBAN
GROWTH BOUNDARY CHANGES AND METRO PLAN AMENDMENTS. THE
City of Springfield
Council Regular Meeting Minutes
February 19,2008
Page 7
MOTION PASSED WITH A VOTE OF 4 FOR, 1 AGAINST (Wylie) AND 1 ABSENT
(Ralston).
BUSINESS FROM THE CITY COUNCIL
1. Business from Council
a. Committee Reports
1. Councilor Ballew said the Metropolitan Policy Committee (MPC) meeting was
relatively quiet. She noted, however, that during the interim meeting it was
determined that State criteria was sufficient, yet some still wanted to continue talking
about criteria.
Mayor Leiken said people were trying to bring more process and local language into
State funding. It was explained that the State had the criteria. The State would be
putting a lot of money into the bridge crossing the Columbia River. He felt it was
important that projects for Lane County were in line for funding or we would be left
behind.
2. Councilor Wylie said she was interested in the spay and neuter piece brought forward
by the person who spoke under Business from the Audience. She asked what it would
take to sponsor the Neuter Scooter. She wanted additional information on this. She
was concerned if the County went out of the animal control business.
Councilor Pishioneri said even with animal control, the County currently did not have
anything for cats.
Councilor Ralston said he had attended three meetings with different groups. There
were some good options and he felt it needed to come back to the Council in a work
session. The Neuter Scooter needed rooms a certain size. They spayed and neutered
hundreds of cats for minimal cost. Lane County couldn't be relied on, but there were
other things the City could do, even with a meager amount of money such as $2000.
It was a serious issue and it was time to get proactive. He had the names of people to
contact to get some good information to the City Manager.
3. Mayor Leiken said he joined the Governor's Subcommittee for the Transportation
Committee by conference phone. This subcommittee was having a difficult time
finding their way. There were many visions and strategies for transportation, but he
was pleased to hear that the people at the table understood that the cities faced major
issues regarding operation and maintenance of the roads. The formula for the gas tax
was going to be considered. Springfield was able to pass a gas tax several years ago,
but many other cities trying to pass such a tax were failing. It was important that the
people at the table on this committee understood that jobs were created in the cities,
people lived in the cities and the cities needed to maintain their assets (roads). He
noted during the meeting that in Springfield, the roads were a $250M+ asset. That
seemed to catch their attention. The State needed to step up. They would not increase
the gas tax, but needed to put together a package to assist cities with operations and
maintenance.
City of Springfield
Council Regular Meeting Minutes
February 19,2008
Page 8
Councilor Ballew asked about the Mayor's Task team that would be addressing street
fund issues.
Mayor Leiken said some potential members had been identified. He said they wanted
to get station owners at the table on this issue and Ron Tyree, Tyree Oil, was
interested in serving on this committee. He referred to the work being done by the
State with the Governor's subcommittees. The governor expected recommendations
from the transportation subcommittee by October 2008. Representative Terry Beyer
had been at every one of the subcommittee meetings on this discussion.
BUSINESS FROM THE CITY MANAGER
1. Authorization to Proceed with Fire Station #3 Remodel Proiect - P20547.
Project Manager Carole Knapel presented the staff report on this item. In FY05, the Council
approved a project budget for their remodel of Fire Station #3 to provide for gender equity
through the addition of sleeping rooms and bathrooms. The project design has now been
completed. On December 3,2007, the Council conducted a Public Hearing and authorized the
combination of this construction work with the construction of Fire Station #16 with John Hyland
Construction, Inc. as the CM/GC. On February 4,2008, the Council approved the CMlGC
contract with John Hyland Construction, Inc. That contract provides that a Guaranteed Maximum
Price (GMP) proposal will be submitted for each component ofthe work (Fire Station #3
Remodel, Fire Station #16 Temporary Facilities, and Fire Station #16 Construction). The GMP
for the Fire Station #3 Remodel has been submitted with a proposed construction cost of
$316,312.
The original project was $321,00b and there is a balance of approximately $297,700 remaining
($283,000 from the origina:! budget and $14,700 from Public Works Maintenance Funds which
has been budgeted for the replacement of the facility roof). In order to complete the project, the
construction costs must be increased by $18,612 and projects costs must be increased by $41,400
to provide for additional architect services, plan review and SDC costs, furnishings and
equipment, BOLl fee, and a five percent construction contingency. In order to increase the project
budget by $60,000, the Finance Department has recommended that old System Development
Charges - Building Maintenance Funds be used. These funds had previously been allocated to
provide funding for the building facility maintenance backlog which had been identified by
Public Works. Approximately $350,000 remains in the fund for that purpose.
Councilor Ballew asked what happened to the $23,000 (difference between $321,000 and
$283,000).
Ms. Knapel said it was used for architectural design for this project.
Councilor Ballew said she would like charts regarding costs on these items as it made it easier to
decipher.
Councilor Pishioneri asked how many full bathrooms would be in the fire station when complete.
City of Springfield
Council Regular Meeting Minutes
February 19,2008
Page 9
Ms. Knapel said there would be two new single user bathrooms and two bathrooms in the existing
part of the station. Three of the restrooms would be handicap accessible.
M. Grimaldi said there were other employees that were at the station for training and other
activities, thus the need for the additional bathrooms.
IT W A~ MOVED BY COUNCILOR WOODROW WITH A SECOND BY COUNCILOR
BALLEW TO APPROVE THE INCREASE IN THE PROJECT BUDGET BY $60,000
USING OLD SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT CHARGES - BUILDING MAINTENANCE
FUNDS. THE MOTION PASSED WITH A VOTE OF 5 FOR AND 0 AGAINST.
IT WAS MOVED BY COUNCILOR WOODROW WITH A SECOND BY COUNCILOR
BALLEW TO APPROVE THE GUARANTEED MAXIMUM PRICE OF $316,312 FOR
THE REMODEL/CONSTRUCTION AT FIRE STATION #3 BASED ON A 4 Yz MONTH
,CONSTRUCTION SCHEDULE. THE MOTION PASSED WITH A VOTE OF 5 FOR
AND 0 AGAINST.
BUSINESS FROM THE CITY ATTORNEY
None.
Councilor Ralston asked to have the board, committee and commission lists in the Council
binders updated.
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned at approximately 7:57 p.m.
Minutes Recorder Amy Sowa
Sidney W. Leiken
Mayor
Attest:
City Recorder
City of Springfield
Work Session Meeting
MINUTES OF THE WORK SESSION MEETING OF
THE SPRINGFIELD CITY COUNCIL HELD
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2008
The City of Springfield Council met in a work session in the Library Meeting Room, 225 Fifth
Street, Springfield, Oregon, on Monday, February 25,2008 at 5:37 p.m., with Mayor Leiken
presiding.
A TIENDANCE
Present were Mayor Leiken and Councilors Lundberg, Wylie, Ballew, and Pishioneri. Also
present were City Manager Gino Grimaldi, Assistant City Manager Jeff Towery, City Attorney
Joe Leahy, City Attorney Matt Cox, City Attorney Bill Van Vactor, City Recorder Amy Sowa
and members of the staff.
Councilors Ralston and Woodrow were absent (excused).
1. Lane County Financial Discussion.
Lane County Commissioner Faye Stewart presented this item to the Council. For many years,
Lane County has received funds from the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-
Determination Act (Secure Rural Schools Act). That funding source reached its expiration in
2007, but Congress has renewed those funds for one additional year. Lane County does not
anticipate that these funds will be renewed for another year and are anticipating severe budget
cuts for FY08-09. The loss of the Secure Rural Schools Act (SRSA) funding would be
approximately $47 million. He noted that out of the $47M, about $20M went into the General
Fund with discretion by the County how to expend those funds. The other $27M went into the
Public Works Department and Road Funds with little discretion on how those funds would be
expended.
Commissioner Stewart said because of the uncertainty of this funding, direction was given to
Lane County staff to prepare three budgets for the General Fund. The first was a budget
without the Secure Rural Schools funds. He referred to the documents that were distributed to
the Council and staff the week prior. The first column on the budget document indicated
renewal of the SRSA funds and the County holding at the same level. The second column
showed a step-down budget, based on the DeFazio/Wyden plan which was a multi-year bill that
called for the County to have a ramp down of revenue. He explained. The third column was
the proposed budget if there was no additional SRSA funding.
Commissioner Stewart said the packet included all the prioritization sheets that the Board of
Commissioners started with. He referred to a booklet with additional details on the services
considered. He explained the information in the booklet and explained how the Board of
Commissioners worked from the lists to determine how to cut $20M from the budget. He said
it was a difficult process.
Mayor Leiken asked how many jail beds were available for local offenders.
City of Springfield
Council Work Session Minutes
February 25, 2008
Page 2
Commissioner Stewart said there were 151 beds in the jail and nearly 100 at the forest work
camp. There were about 90 at the Community Corrections, but that number had been reduced.
Mayor Leiken noted that the budget without the funding would reduce that to 12 beds.
Commissioner Stewart said that was correct. He discussed the difficulty in making the decision
to close jail beds and releasing criminals back into society. He referred to the services that were
retained at the non-renewal level. Some things were mandated by law to provide. He noted some
of the other cuts that would be required if there was no SRSA funding. These cuts would affect
all jurisdictions in the County.
Councilor Ballew asked about the columns in the funding table that referred to funds leveraged.
Commissioner Stewart explained.
Councilor Ralston noted that under the 'no renewal' scenario, Women, Infants, and Children
(WIe) was not getting any funds. He asked why they chose to cut a program that was the highest
mandated and leveraged 231 percent.
Commissioner Stewart said it was a difficult exercise. He explained how they went through the
process and looked at where they could make cuts. He said this was a starting point and Lane
County staff would take it back and try to prepare budgets from the worksheet. The rest of the
Board would discuss the ramifications of the cuts.
Councilor Ralston said the Human Services Commission (HSC) met today and had already
looked at the cuts for their department. He said this would be a difficult process for the HSC as
well. They had gone through the exercise last year anticipating the cuts. He discussed the closure
of the Buckley House, the alcohol and drug addiction treatment center. The problem with that
was multiple. He explained and said the HSC would need to deal with some of those problems.
The reality was that some of the things being cut were critical services.
Commissioner Stewart said he was wrestling with the same issues.
Councilor Wylie asked if there was any other funding source to attach the SRSA funding to.
Commissioner Stewart said there was a supplemental road funding bill, which the funds were
attached to last year. That should be formed late March or early April. The County didn't know
if the funding would get attached, but it was the best vehicle left. He explained several other bills
that were possibilities, but less likely.
Councilor Wylie asked if there was time once they found out about the funding, to get on the
November ballot for ajail supplement or something similar.
Commissioner Stewart said there was time, but there wasn't anything they could do to save the
cuts if they didn't have the funding by July 1. They could put something to the voters in
November, but even if it passed, the services wouldn't be able to be added back in for a year or
so.
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February 25, 2008
Page 3
Mayor said he appreciated Comniissioner Stewart coming to share with the City Council. He
said they didn't envy the Commissioner's task. Hopefully, they would hear something positive
from Washington DC. It looked more and more like this was the time for the Lane County Board
of Commissioners to have more discussions with the cities to discuss these fmancial issues. The
Federal Government had let jurisdictions down in the timber producing counties. One of the
major partnerships between the City and County were the road funds. The City was now looking
at increased issues due to those cuts. It was time to ask the citizens what they wanted and how
they wanted to pay for it. That was a discussion that should begin with the Lane County Board of
Commissioners working with cities on how to pay for services. He appreciated Commissioner
Stewart sharing this information with the City Council. It said a lot about Commissioner '
Stewart's leadership. The County and City needed to work together and he assured
Commissioner Stewart that he could count on Springfield leadership to work on these issues in
Washington DC or locally. Once Lane County determined a work plan, all cities in the County
would need to be involved and work with the County in developing such a plan.
Councilor Lundberg said it was best to figure out what needed to be done. She said the
information was very helpful. The City needed to know what the ramifications were going to be
and what this meant. She was hopeful that would be publicized well. In the meantime, the City
needed to talk about what to do. The City needed to be involved. The resources available needed
to be used. She asked if there was still work being done to address this long term.
Commissioner Stewart said there were efforts being made with the O&C counties with the
Bureau of Land Management (BLM) trying to get a management plan approved. If the
management plan was approved this year, the County could see some revenues in three years at
best. If it got caught up in courts, it could be six years out. Once the funds were available, it
would take time to ramp up to reinstate services. In reality, it could be ten years before the
County had a viable source of revenue to replace the General Fund money. The Road Fund
issues would be completely different.
Councilor Lundberg said she remained hopeful that there would be a time when they could
utilize that source of revenue. There needed to be funding stability.
Councilor Woodrow asked if the figure for jail operations included funds from the cities.
Commissioner Stewart said he didn't think it did because it didn't include the Jail 1145 funding
and the agreements with the Federal Government. The only thing it included was the officers that
did patrol in Creswell and Veneta because the County supplemented that. He said with level 2
service, it would open another 61 beds, plus the 12 for a total of73 beds.
Councilor Ballew said there was a Task Force in place, but she wondered if there was any
indication the State would provide assistance.
Commissioner Stewart said hadn't heard any results yet. The Governor had put together a Task
Force and the State staff member for that committee understood the situation clearly and was an
advocate for finding ways the State could help in any way possible.
Councilor Ballew said there were'some things the County did within cities and others in the
unincorporated areas. He asked if anyone had looked at entering into addition intergovernmental
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Council Work Session Minutes
February 25, 2008
Page 4
agreements (IGA's) to shift some things around. She assumed the City could take up some things
it could get a revenue source with it. /
Commissioner Stewart said he hoped the County would get creative and look at some of those
ideas. He discussed the issues and options. This was the initial start. The County Administrator
was working with department managers and trying to get creative. He discussed other issues,
such as the Commissioners telling the Sheriff, an elected official, how to run his department.
Councilor Wylie said her questions were already answered.
Councilor Ballew asked about the timeline for their decision point.
Commissioner Stewart said the budget would be adopted by June 30, 2008. Staff would be
coming back to the Commissioners with some prepared budgets by the end of March. The
County's budget process would then start in April, with the Budget Committee adopting a budget
in May. If the County was faced with making these cuts, they would need to send out some
notices by May 1.
Councilor Wylie asked if the City was supportive ofthe effort in Washington DC.
Yes.
Commissioner Stewart said if Council felt they were not getting the information they needed,
they could call him or staff and ask.
Mayor Leiken thanked Commissioner Stewart for coming.
2. Lane Transit District (LTD) Discussion.
Mayor Leiken welcomed the LID Board. He asked that both the Board and City Council
members introduce themselves. Those in attendance from the LTD Board were Gerry Gaydos,
LTD Board President and members Mike Eyster, Greg Evans, Ed Necker, Dean Kortge, Debbie
Davis, and Mike Dubick.
Mr. Gaydos called the LID portion of the meeting to order at 6: lOpm. All members were
present.
Mr. Grimaldi reviewed the agenda for tonight's meeting.
Mark Pangborn, General Manager ofLTD, said the City Council and LID Board had met jointly
about once a year for a number of years because there were so many services to the community
that intersected.
Mr. Pangborn presented a power point presentation. He talked about where LID was now. He
provided a service overview: the bus, RideSource, event shuttles, ErnX, Commuter Solutions,
and' the Breeze. He referred to a graph in the power point regarding ridership, service and service
area population. The population in our community was using the bus more and more for their
transportation needs. He further discussed the graph and explained some of the trends and
reasons for increased ridership.
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February 25, 2008
Page 5
Councilor Pishioneri asked when the high school free ridership program started.
Mr. Pangborn said it had been in place for about three years. It was started with a sample of just
a few high schools and was expanded to offering to all middle and high schools. That did have a
significant impact in ridership numbers. He also noted that Lane Community College (LCe)
started a group pass this last year.
Mr. Pangborn continued his presentation by discussing the comparisons L TD had made with
their service and other cities. He noted the cities used for this comparison and discussed the areas
of comparison, which included: boardings per service hour; boardings per capita; cost per
boarding; cost per service hour; cash fare comparison; and fare recovery.
Councilor Ballew asked about the boarding per service hour figure.
Mr. Pangborn said the figure was the number of riders per hour per bus.
Councilor Ralston asked about a figure on the chart and asked if the difference was a subsidy.
Mr. Pangborn said that was correct, it was a payroll tax subsidy. They did have some advertising
revenues, but seventy-five percent of their operating revenue came from payroll taxes. Tri-Met
and L TD were the only two transit districts in the State that operate from payroll taxes.
Mr. Pangborn said L TD conducted a survey of riders in 2007 to fmd out why people were riding
the bus. He explained the results ofthat survey. It included information on why people rode the
bus (no vehicle, shared vehicle, economic reasons) and also how they paid for the bus fare (cash,
group pass from employer, student pass). He discussed the ErnX and noted that only nine percent
of those riding the ErnX were riding for free.
Councilor Ralston asked if they thought people didn't know ErnX was free.
Mr. Pangborn explained why many people choose not to ride even if it was free. There were a
number of people, however, that were trying the ErnX and finding it v.ery convenient.
Councilor Ballew asked what percentage of total ridership was using ErnX.
Stefano Viggiano, Assistant General Manager of L TD, said about fifteen percent.
Tom Schwetz, Director of Development Services at LTD, discussed the Fare-Free Service at
LTD (attachment B, page 13 in the agenda packet). He said the Metropolitan Policy Committee
(MPC) had encouraged LTD to consider implementation of fare-free service. He gave an
overview of the fmancial and operational impacts. With the group pass program, student transit
pass program, and those under 5 and over 70 years old riding for free, about 49 percent of those
riding the bus rode for free. On the cost side, the biggest concern would be a loss of about $5M
in revenue. That would need to be made up in some other way, such as cutting 20 - 25 percent of
the service. Another issue was the RideSource service. RideSource was a mandated American
with Disabilities Act (ADA) service that was required to be complementary to the existing
service. If not charging on the regular service, they could not charge on the RideSource service,
which was the most costly service. There were constraints to moving toward a free-fare system,
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Council Work Session Minutes
February 25, 2008
Page 6
and LID felt they were currently in a good position with the number of riders that already rode
for free. He asked if Council had any questions.
Councilor Ballew asked if they would get an additional $5M in revenue if they did away with all
of the free ridership. That could allow them to decrease rates across the board.
Mr. Schwetz said some of the riders in the 'free' category were actually those that had a group
pass. The group pass was paid by the employer, so was not actually free.
It was noted that 49 percent of the population were in that category, not 49 percent of the riders.
Councilor Ballew asked about the elderly riders.
Mr. Pangborn said many elderly people rode the bus, but not very frequently. He noted that
people over 70 years old could receive a free pass by showing photo Ld., but many didn't use the
pass. LID was considering lowering the age for that pass to 65 years old. The whole community
was paying for transit service so they were trying to market it for the community.
Councilor Ralston asked about 49 percent figure.
Mr. Schwetz said 49 percent of the population in the district held a group pass, a student transit
pass or ride for free pass because of their age. He said they had the pass, but may not use it.
Mr. Dubick said one of the reasons they were considering lowering the age to 65 was to get
people comfortable using the regular bus service because it was less to operate than RideSource.
They were currently taking money from the General Fund to help fund RideSource. RideSource
was mandated by the Federal Government through the ADA, but was not federally funded. Some
cigarette tax funds were provided for this program.
Mr. Schwetz spoke regarding Applicability of Rail in the Eugene-Springfield Metropolitan Area
(attachment B, page 21 in the agenda packet). He said the information in the agenda packet
described the cost per mile for construction of various modes of rail. There was some interest in
looking at rail in the future. The attached table gave a good comparison of various street car and
light rail systems across the country and included the ErnX system. The ErnX did quite well in
some of the performance measures related to annual cost per boarding and annual boardings per
route mile.
Mr. Pangborn said people often asked why LID didn't put in light rail rather than ErnX. He said
light rail was ten times more expensive and was not needed in this area.
Mr. Viggiano discussed Springfield service. He referred to a chart showing boardings by route.
He noted the number of ridership on the Springfield ~outes. Springfield services were some of
LID's most productive offered. He referred to a map in the power point presentation that
Showed boardings by location. He noted the number of boardings at the Springfield station on
South A Street. The downtown Eugene station was the hub of the bus service and served a very
large volume. Secondary hubs had been formed, such as the one in downtown Springfield, which
was growing all the time. He discussed the upcoming change to the Gateway route for 2008 that
would include International Way and the anticipated ridership growth that would occur in that
area. The frequency would increase from 30 minutes to 20 minutes during the day. Because the
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Council Work Session Minutes
February 25, 2008
Page 7
RiverBend Hospital was scheduled to be open this summer, there was an interim route strategy
for the next two years until the EmX was finished. He explained the route.
Mr. Pangborn said there were several buses that made that route.
Mr. Viggiano said Symantec was not currently on the route, but would be on the new route.
Many businesses along this route currently provided group passes and would now be served with
the new route. He noted that the next big change would be in 2010 when they implemented the
Pioneer Parkway EmX. He described the process they would use to determine those changes, and
whether or not to use connector routes. He discussed the current routes in Springfield and noted
some areas that could receive additional service in the future.
Councilor Woodrow asked if consideration had been given to an EmX line out to the Thurston
Station, up Highway 126 an~ back to Pioneer Parkway.
Mr. Viggiano said they hoped to eventually have an EmX route that went out to Thurston and
back to west Eugene. In 2001, it was decided to service Gateway due to the large amount of
growth in that area.
Mayor Leiken discussed parking in the downtown. He asked if L TD would be interested in
working with the City to look at putting in a parking structure or garage. It would be beneficial to
both the City and LTD, especially once the EmX line was in place and going out to Gateway. He
hoped the L TD Board would consider this partnership for the future. Urban Renewal could play
a part in this as well.
Mr. Necker asked if a parking garage adjacent to Springfield Station would be a good location.
Mayor Leiken said he didn't know, but that could be a starting point. Other areas could be
considered as well with input from citizens.
Mr. Evans said the Board had held conyersations about a long-range vision for their Park and
Ride system and increasing the parking capacity around that. As EmX and the system grew, that
could happen at some point. Currently, they were maxed out, but they would consider that
partnership in the future. L TD was looking at public and private partnership to increase capacity
around Park and Ride locations and structures.
Councilor Wylie said during her time on the L TD Board she learned that a good transit district
was not trying to get people to get rid of their car, but was a partnership and part of the whole
transportation picture. The Park and Ride was part of that partnership.
Mayor Leiken asked ifLTD had an expectation from the City to have a role at looking at service
providing areas.
Mr. Pangborn referred to a chart showing the Springfield Outreach schedule which listed
Springfield neighborhood meeting, community groups, City staff, and Council from fall of 2008
through fall of2009. LTD would like strong participation with the entire structure of the City.
Because it involved service to Springfield citizens, they expected it to be a partnership in
planning.
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Council Work Session Minutes
February 25,2008
Page 8
Mr. Mel Barnes, a Springfield resident, spoke from the audience. He said he took groups from
the Senior Center to the Springfield Station to teach them how to ride the bus and the EmX.
There were a lot of people that didn't have bus service to their neighborhoods or near their
homes, especially off of Jasper Road. He also had people ask him where they could catch a bus
and he had to tell them there was not a bus route there.
Mr. Gaydos said local match was very important. Creative ideas were needed to find revenue.
Mr. Pangborn said Mr. Barnes had worked hard to help fmd appropriate routes.
Mr. Schwetz spoke regarding the Franklin Boulevard Project (attachment C, page 1 in the agenda
packet). Mr. Schwetz said the documents included in this packet were the same as those that
were going to Washington DC for the United Front trip. It described a project that went from the
Courthouse in downtown Eugene to the Springfield bridges. The City had been conducting a
stakeholder outreach in the Glenwood area. The concept for that corridor had not yet been
presented to Council, so he just wanted to highlight this project was in progress.
Councilor Ballew asked where Federal fmancing came from that went to LTD.
Mr. Schwetz said the general FT A funding was part of the Transportation Trust Fund. Gas tax
and other funding sources were also provided.
Mr. Pangborn said about 80-85 percent ofthe Federal funding was from a Federal gas tax, and
the remaining 15 percent was General Fund money. President Bush's proposed budget to .
Congress included a cut in some funding for both highways and transit.
Mayor Leiken said Council had a lot of interest in the Franklin corridor. That project was one the
City and L TD would need to continue to work on together, especially regarding the alignment of
Franklin Boulevard.
Mr. Necker said the Board knew Glenwood was soon to be in process, and they wanted to be
sure to include transit as an important part of that redevelopment.
Mr. Dubick said he attended the open house held at Roaring Rapids and felt that the preliminary
concept he saw there was very impressive.
Mr. Viggiano said the Pioneer Parkway EmX item was put on the agenda a couple of weeks ago,
but L TD and the City Council were still in the middle of those discussions, so it would not be
productive to go into details of the design at this time. He said instead, they would give Council
an update on the Gateway Station.
Charlie Simmons, Facilities Services Manager with LTD, spoke on the Gateway Station. He said
L TD approached Gateway management a few years ago about moving the location of the
Gateway station. The mall did not understand why the station needed to be moved at first. Mr.
Simmons explained that it was important to move the station out where there could be faster
service for the EmX and still serve the Gateway Mall. Also, getting through the parking lot to
and from the existing Gatew.ay Station was a real challenge. He showed the proposed location for
the station. This station would serve both regular service as well as EmX service. There would be
two bays for each route for both directions.
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Council Work Session Minutes
February 25,2008
Page 9
Mr. Simmons said it was also important to LTD how the platform would work. They would
reduce the lanes on the road around the mall and put in a covered crosswalk from the station to
the mall. The fewer lanes provided a calming of traffic in that area. He referred to the diagram
showing the walk connections from the neighborhoods. The covered walkway was proposed to
be transparent to allow a view of the mall and General Growth (the management of the mall) had
begun to embrace that design. L TD would go out to bid in March and hoped for construction to
begin in late spring or early summer, with the facility ready for the holidays. It was currently at
70 percent design with a budget of about $1.6M for construction.
Councilor Lundberg asked what they considered the holiday season.
Mr. Simmons said early to mid-November. If the project was not complete by then, they would
stop the construction and wait until the end of January to fmish the project. The current site
would go back to parking once the new station was complete. He felt it was a win-win for the
mall and LTD. This project was part of the Connect Oregon grant.
Councilor Pishioneri asked how much funding was devoted to lighting.
Mr. Simmons said he believed it was about $86,000.
Councilor Pishioneri asked how effective that covered walkway would be in protecting
pedestrians with wind blowing through.
Mr. Simmons said General Growth didn't want a covered walkway that would block the
visibility of their front entrance. The cover protected against rain and sun. The number of days
there was heavy wind and rain was fairly minimal, and this cover should provide a pretty high
level of shelter area.
Mr. Pangborn said one complaints before EmX was put into service, was that people thought the
-stations would be too high to offer protection from the weather. Now that they have been built,
there were no complaints about people not being protected.
Mr. Simmons said when there were vertical surfaces that blocked visibility, there were
vandalism and security issues. The walkway being open was a good compromise:
The LTD Board adjourned at 7:08 p.m.
The Springfield City Council reconvened at 7:20 p.m.
3. Glenwood Refinement Update Proposal.
Planning Manager Greg Mott presented the staff report on this item. Planning and Public Works
staff have prepared a joint work program and preliminary schedule to conduct a comprehensive
update of the Glenwood Refinement Plan. Staff proposes to structure the project into two major
tracks:
1. Infrastructure framework plans for the whole of G lenwood; and
2. Plan Districts for specific cohesive areas within Glenwood.
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Council Work Session Minutes
February 25, 2008
Page 10
Segmenting the plan update into two tracks with separate plan district adoption dates will require
duplication of some work program tasks (e.g. preparation of reports and notices, public hearings
for adoption of separate plan amendments, etc.), and will likely impact staff and/or consultant
efficiencies in generating work products. However, clear identification of specific phasing needs
at project initiation will assure that such impacts will be minimized. Staff believes the critical
importance of the Glenwood Riverfront Districts, Franklin Boulevard Corridor and McVay
Corridor Districts warrants prioritization.
Funding for the new Public Works positions and the consulting services needed would be part of
the proposed SEDA budget for this coming year.
Mr. Mott said staff last brought this to Council in September of 2007. At that meeting, Council
considered five different options in pursuit of different planning activities in Glenwood. It was
Council's preference to do an update to the Glenwood Refmement Plan. The proposal included a
cost involved in that update. Since September staff had gone through this. He credited Linda
Pauly, the planning supervisor that would be overseeing the work on this project, for coming up
with the ability to use existing planning staff to do this work. There would be some costs for
contractual services. He referred to attachment 2 in the agenda packet that showed an outline of
events through this process, with a range of when those things would happen. Once staff began,
they would be able to provide a more detailed work program. The concept was to approach this
in a way that looked at Glenwood in three redevelopment scenarios. There were two riverfront
districts (McVay and Franklin) and the interior section, which was also made up of two districts.
Each district had different characteristics. Staff thought they would fast track the two river
corridors for two reasons: I) if something were to occur in the riverfront area, that could inspire
others to redevelop; and 2) infrastructure was already in Franklin and a proposed design for that
corridor. There was also a possibility of development along McVay and extending sewer south
along McVay would be a top priority. Staff believed they could engage the citizens and
stakeholders, the City Council and SEDA Board to get some corridor planning done in the next
twelve to sixteen months. That would be staffs initial focus, and then look to the interior. It was
hard to predict everything that could happen, but there was a receptive audience in this area and
it would be advantageous to get started. There was a significant fmancial commitment in going
forward with this project. Staff was hoping to establish with contractual services the greenway
setbacks. It would be proactive if the City did that rather than making every property owner do
that as they redeveloped. ECONorthwest, who was doing the work for the City on the land use
inventories, could also be asked to do an additional focus on Glenwood and revamp the
redevelopment analysis in this area.
Mayor Leiken asked how adaptable staff would be on this process. He gave an example of a
proposal coming in on a couple of pieces of property that might not match our plan completely.
He knew that staff remained flexible. He wondered if the timelines and financial feasibility
would be changed in an instance such as that, and how staff would work around that.
Mr. Mott said the two riverfront areas were pretty well defined. He didn't suggest there would be
many suggestions outside that definition. If something was too far out of that definition, Council
might be skeptical in supporting something. The presence of the river and types of uses allowed
along river narrowed the focus in that area. Often the things across the street would be consistent
and compatible with that as well. He didn't think there was much that could happen that would
be too soon. The main concern of staff was whether or not the City could provide services, but
that had nothing to do with staff's flexibility. The issues the Council would have to deal with
City of Springfield
Council Work Session Minutes
February 25,2008
Page 11
would be potential displacements in that area. That would occur anywhere in Glenwood.
Services were skimpy in the interior and Public Works was working on ways to address that
issue. Proposed land uses would find support by the design from Public Works.
Councilor Ballew said she was curious about the work ECONorthwest would do in Glenwood.
She asked if it would be similar to the work done by Leland Consulting for the area next to the
nver.
Mr. Mott said there would be some overlap because both efforts were geared towards coming up
with proposals, options and solutions to redevelopment.
Mr. Grile said the Leland study was a specific market analysis. This would be a broader
economic opportunity analysis. He explained the type of information that ECONorthwest would
gather.
Councilor Ballew felt that staff could come up with that information.
Mr. Mott said they wanted the study more grounded and not just anecdotal.
Councilor Wylie said, the sooner we got started, the better.
Councilor Ralston said he agreed. It was hard for him to believe it would take thirty-six months.
The Glenwood Refmement Plan was pretty well laid out. He asked if they could move forward
on a fast track using the information the City currently had.
Mr. Mott described the process in doing the inventories, updating the database, evaluating the
supply and demand and making recommendations to redesignate properties. That process was
started about a year ago and would take another eighteen to twenty-four months.
Mr. Grile said there were two other pieces. There were certain statewide planning goal
requirements the City had to follow. There was a public involvement process and there was
infrastructure work that needed to be done in that area.
Councilor Ralston said the development community wanted some certainty. Development may
want to occur before the thirty-six months. It seemed a simple overview could be done first to
identify designations, and then start working on the details. Then if something happened in that
area, it would have already been projected to be a certain type of designation and we could move
forward on it faster.
Mr. Grile said this process was phased in an effort to be responsive to that concern.
Councilor Ralston asked about the technical contract costs and asked if it was an additional cost.
Mr. Mott said staff provided Council with the cost of the DSD staff assigned to this project.
There was approximately $40,000 for contractual services in addition to that. The Public Works
budget was based on new full time employee (FTE) that didn't yet exist plus some contractual.
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Council Work Session Minutes
February 25, 2008
Page 12
Assistant Public Works Director Len Goodwin said the primary need for the FTE was to manage
the contractual services to make sure they made better use of the City's money. It was more
effective contracting out.
Mayor Leiken said this was a policy decision to go forward with phasing. It was based on
Council's vision and staff s ability to move forward.
Councilor Ballew said the phasing made sense. Staff had a number of other things they were
working on at this time. She would rather see it phased so they came out with a good product.
Mr. Goodwin said they could get things down on the riverfront property quickly if phasing.
Councilor Lundberg noted how far we had come in Glenwood. Refmement plans didn't always
work out; so it was good to build on the momentum. She said she would like to see Glenwood
and the Downtown urban renewal tied in together. There were many variables and if we could
use our time wisely, the development would catch up. Phasing would payoff.
Councilor Ralston asked how much SEDA could fund for soine of this project.
Mr. Grimaldi said it was very possible.
Councilor Ballew asked if it was the City's responsibility or SEDA's responsibility.
Mr. Grimaldi said that was up to the Council and SEDA Board.
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned at 7:45 pm.
Minutes Recorder - Amy Sowa
Sidney W. Leiken
Mayor
Attest:
Amy Sowa
City Recorder