HomeMy WebLinkAbout04/17/2006 Regular
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City of Springfield
Regular Meeting
MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF
THE SPRINGFIELD CITY COUNCIL HELD
MONDAY, APRIL 17,2006
The City of Springfield Council met in regular session in the Council Meeting Room, 225 Fifth
Street, Springfield, Oregon, on Monday, April 17, 2006 at 7:00 p.m., with Mayor Leiken
presiding.
ATIENDANCE
Present were Mayor Leiken and Councilors Ballew, Fitch, Ralston, Lundberg, Woodrow, and
Pishioneri. Also present were Interim City Manager Cynthia Pappas, City Attorney Joe Leahy,
Finance Director Bob Duey, City Recorder Amy Sowa and members of the staff.
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Mayor Leiken.
SPRINGFIELD UPBEAT
CONSENT CALENDAR
IT WAS MOVED BY COUNCn.,OR WOODROW WITH A SECOND BY COUNCn.,OR
LUNDBERG TO APPROVE THE CONSENT CALENDAR WITH ITEM NUMBER S.D.
PULLED. THE MOTION PASSED WITH A VOTE OF 6 FOR AND 0 AGAINST.
I. Claims
a. Approve the March 2006, Disbursements for Approval.
2. Minutes
a. April 3, 2006 - Work Session
b. April 3, 2006 - Regular Meeting
3. Resolutions
a. RESOLUTION NO. 06-16 - A RESOLUTION ADOPTING CHANGES TO THE
ENGINEERING DESIGN STANDARDS AND PROCEDURES FOR DEVELOPMENT
OF PUBLIC INFRASTRUCTURE WITHIN THE CITY OF SPRINGFIELD.
4. Ordinances
5. Other Routine Matters
a. Approval of Liquor License Endorsement for Ninkasi Brewing Company, LLC, Formerly
Sofia's Restaurant and Bavarian Brewery, Located at 980 Kruse Way, Springfield, OR.
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Council Regular Meeting Minutes
April 17, 2006
Page 2
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b. Authorize the Interim City Manager to Enter into the Agreement with PeaceHealth and
Willamalane Park and Recreation District for Access and Maintenance of Public
Landscape Areas, Public Access Ways and Paths and Open Public Storm Drainage
Systems.
c. Approval to Permit Construction Activities Outside of the Hours of 7:00am to 6:00pm for
Construction of Fifteen (15) Water Main Crossings by Springfield Utility Board (SUB)
Crews and Contractors, on Main Street Between South 59th Street and 68th Street,
Between April 18, 2006 and June 16,2006, Subject to Conditions Specified in the
Agenda Item Summary.
ITEMS PULLED FROM THE CONSENT CALENDAR
d. Ratification of+lH=eeTwo-Year Contract with the International Fire Fighters Association
(IAFF).
Human Resources Director Bill Spiry presented the staff report on this item. The bargaining
unit ratified the contract on Tuesday, April 11 tho The provisions are retroactive to July I,
2005. In summary, the contract includes the following parameters.
Term
· Two years
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Wages
· Effective July 1,2005 the salary schedule in effect on June 30, 2005 will be increased by
3% for all ranks.
· Effective July 1,2006 the salary schedule in effect on July 30,2006 will be increased by
2% for all ranks.
Employees who function as Field Training Evaluation Program (FTEP) proctors will receive
one percent (1.0%) of monthly top step firefighter pay for each shift worked as a proctor.
Councilor Ralston asked if it was a two or three year agreement.
Mr. Spiry said it was a two year contract.
IT WAS MOVED BY COUNCILOR WOODROW WITH A SECOND BY
COUNCILOR LUNDBERG TO APPROVE ITEM S.D WITH A MODIFICATION
SHOWING IT WAS A TWO YEAR CONTRACT. THE MOTION PASSED WITH A
VOTE OF 6 FOR AND 0 AGAINST.
PUBLIC HEARINGS
I. Public Hearing for the Lane Transit District (LTD) Pioneer Parkway ErnX Design.
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Transportation Manager Nick Amis presented the staff report on this item. L TD is conducting an
Environmental Assessment (EA) for the Pioneer Parkway corridor. LID is requesting the
Council to approve the Locally Preferred Design (LPD) that was recently approved by the ErnX
Steering Committee. The purpose of the LPD is to constrain ErnX alternatives for the formal
draft and final EA process.
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Council Regular Meeting Minutes
April 17, 2006
Page 3
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The purpose of the public hearing is to gather public comments and information in order for the
Council to determine the LPD alternatives they want to recommend to L TD for further study in
the EA process. The purpose of recommending a LPD for the EA is to narrow down the number
of alternatives included in the EA process. It is during the draft and final EA document process
that Council will make formal and legal recommendations to LTD and Federal Transit Authority
(FT A) about the EmX project for the Pioneer Parkway corridor. On April 4, 2006 the EmX
Steering Committee recommended a LPD for the Pioneer Parkway corridor. Questions
concerning the Gateway Street and Harlow Road segments of the Steering Committee LPD
recommendation remain. These concerns relate to the uncertainty and influence a future design
for the GatewaylBeltline intersection will have on traffic operations along the entire Gateway
Street segment from International Way to Harlow Road and how EmX will integrate into the
intersection project, and the unresolved issues the EmX alternatives have on Harlow Road traffic
operations, driveways, and land uses. This is further explained in the Council Briefmg
Memorandum.
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Mr. Amis discussed some of the issues still remaining along Harlow Road and Gateway Street
that were being worked through by L TD and City staff. Staff proposed to continue working on
driveway accesses to residences and businesses. He discussed other major concerns staffhad
with Gateway and Harlow, which related to traffic flow once Springfield's major projects were
fmalized. Staff would prefer to take a longer look at those two streets. Approving a Locally
Preferred Design was a pre-step in the EA process. L TD was hoping to narrow down the
alternatives before moving forward with the EA. L TD would be putting together a draft EA
allowing Council and the public another opportunity to comment on this issue. He noted the
deadline for the application, which was August 15,2006. He said LTD was a strong candidate
for that funding with this application. He said there was still a lot of work to do, but L TD staff
had been diligent at looking into the alternatives and trying to resolve issues.
Mayor Leiken opened the public hearing.
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1. Stephano Viggiano, LTD. P.O. Box 7070, Eugene, OR Mr. Viggiano said Council had
discussed this topic at several other work sessions. He noted that Council's decision on a
Locally Preferred Design (LPD) would not be a fmal design. A final design would not be
selected until the EA was completed and released. He referred to the recommendation by the
EmX Steering Committee and highlighted a couple of aspects of that recommendation. He
discussed the issues along Pioneer Parkway which were addressed in the recommendation.
He said the committee had the bulk of their discussion regarding Gateway and Harlow Roads,
which had the most issues. He discussed the City of Springfield study on the Gateway and
Beltline intersection, which had an influence area of as far north as International Way and as
far south as Postal Way. That study needed to be completed before any final decisions could
.be made on transit service in that area. Final decisions on that segment of the corridor would
not be able to be made this summer. He discussed the issues of access and traffic flow issues
on the rest of Gateway and Harlow Road. The recommendation by the Steering Committee
reflected those concerns about access restrictions. There was no commitment that Council
would be making by approving the Steering Committee's recommendation that had any
access restrictions anywhere along the corridor. LTD was very sensitive to that issue. Traffic
engineering issues needed to be resolved. He discussed the Gateway Mall and concerns by
the owners, General Growth, about relocating the station. The Director of the Northwest
Region of General Growth met with L TD staff. Following that meeting, General Growth
asked for additional information about the proposed relocation, including photo simulations
. and a detailed site plan. L TD was encouraged to hear that and to have the opportunity to
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April 17, 2006
Page 4
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work with General Growth. He expressed appreciation for Springfield staff on this project.
He said they had a lot of constructive ideas. More information was needed before a technical
opinion could be made by Springfield staff. Council's action tonight would allow LTD to
keep the project on schedule for a possible 2009 opening. Mr. Viggiano noted that LTD
General Manager Mark Pangborn, and L TD Board Members Gerry Gaydos, Debbie Davis,
and Mike Eister were available in the audience to answer Council's questions.
2. Dan Egan. 850 North 6th Street, Springfield, OR. Mr. Egan is the Director of the Springfield
Chamber and member of the EmX Steering Committee. He said his role tonight was to report
fmdings from the Government Issues Committee. He said L TD staff and board members met
with the committee several times on this issue. He said the Government Issues Committee
felt the Council should look favorably on the EmX System as it went from downtown
Springfield out to Gateway. He said it was and would continue to be an important corridor
and the connection between the employment base was extremely advantageous. The
committee also felt that all left hand turn movements, wherever possible and appropriate,
should be preserved along this route. He said that would be a big issue from the top of
Gateway Street to Harlow and from Harlow to the roundabout. Businesses in that area had
called the Chamber to let them know oftheir concern of having the left hand turn taken away.
He said he understood that was a decision Council would eventually make and he hoped that
access would remain. He said the EmX system was supported and would make a big
difference in Springfield.
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3. Dave Jewett, 1011 Harlow Road, Springfield. OR. Mr. Jewett said that although he did not
live in Springfield, he had volunteered and had a business in Springfield for twenty-eight
years. He said his business was on Harlow Road, in the middle of this corridor. He said he
was a member of the EmX Steering Committee. He said the committee had a thorough
discussion, especially with respect to the portion of the route from Gateway and Harlow.
They had discussed concerns regarding access, property acquisition, traffic flow, related
transportation projects and other issues regarding this segment. He said the Steering
Committee's recommendation was sensitive to all of those concerns and left the door open to
identify particular situations in which EmX lanes could be installed that addressed those
concerns, but didn't foreclose any options. He said this was an important transportation issue
for Gateway. He said his partners had been somewhat concerned about the transportation
issues in Gateway when they first moved their office from downtown Springfield and this
project could help improve the traffic flow in that area in the future. He encouraged approval
of the Steering Committee's recommendation for the LPD.
4. Chuck Lanzarotta, The Pointe Condominiums. 650 Harlow Road #243, Springfield, OR Mr.
Lanzarotta said he had heard a median was going to be put in that would not allow residents
from The Pointe to turn into their property. He said he was concerned about that. He noted
the difficulties of leaving the complex if a median was placed in that area. He said the bus
route was important to Eugene and Springfield, but he wanted to relay his concerns regarding
access.
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5. Kenneth Ravmen, 2150 Laura Street #25, Springfield, OR Mr. Raymen provided his written
testimony to the City Recorder. He said Springfield did not need construction to have a bus
rapid transit system along the proposed route. He said all bus commuters could be serviced
with a much simpler and more efficient system. He said all that was needed were three large
buses and three regular size busses that could alternate leaving the Springfield Bus Station at
ten minute intervals. The large busses would display express signs and would proceed up
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Council Regular Meeting Minutes
April 17, 2006
Page 5
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Pioneer Parkway, Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway and along International Way as far as
Gateway Street, stopping only at Sacred Heart and businesses along that route. They would
return to the bus station using the same route. The regular size buses would have local signs
displayed and would have designated stops along Pioneer Parkway East, at Sacred Heart, on
International Way, Gateway Street, Harlow Road and Pioneer Parkway West on the way back
to the Bus Station. 'From 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., shuttle buses could run back and forth from
Sacred Heart, along International Way and then to Gateway Mall to service the lunchtime
crowd employed in the businesses along that route. He pointed out his plan on a map that
was on display.
6. Clark Winston Cox, Jr.. 1085 Patterson Street, Apt. 9, Eugene. OR Mr. Cox said he was and
had been a volunteer at PeaceHealth for about twenty-four years. He explained how he got
started in volunteering. He said he worked with professional library services, which would
be moved to Sacred Heart Medical Center, RiverBend. He said he worked a little each day
and would need to travel back and forth from the RiverBend site to his home in Eugene. He
said he was unable to drive a car due to a life long visual defect. He said he would
appreciate it if Council could move the process along so the application could be turned in
this year rather than next allowing the ErnX System to coincide with the opening of the
hospital. He acknowledged the problems along Gateway and Harlow and hoped those could
be resolved speedily.
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7. Terry Beyer. State Representative in Springfield. Residing at 951 S Street, Springfield, OR
Representative Beyer spoke in support of the ErnX rapid transit line from downtown to the
Gateway area. She said this project would benefit residents and businesses alike. She said
the House Transportation Committee, of which she was a member, had an opportunity durit;lg
session to review the ErnX project. The committee expressed interest in the concept as an
alternative to the more expensive light rail or other types of transportation for communities of
our size in Oregon. She said this project was gaining a lot of interest across the country as a
pilot. She said the LID recommendation made sense and should be supported. With
continued development in the Gateway area, traffic congestion would become a bigger
problem and making this project as user friendly as possible was a solid way to begin
addressing this problem.
8. Fred Simmons, 312 South 52nd Place, Springfield. OR Mr. Simmons said the ErnX project
was a positive plan with the caveat of an additional stop for the Justice Center once it was
built. There could be other route relocations that would be impacting a substantial number of
people in the Mill Street area. He said it would also be wise to preserve the left hand turn on
Harlow and Gateway. He said if a bus was going to be operating six times an hour, it's actual
occupancy of that transit corridor was a very short period of time and to deny property
owners access to those left hand turns during the times the buses were not there did not make
sense. He said it could be engineered in a way to allow vehicles to make the left hand turns
with safety and not interfere with travel time.
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9. Kathleen Marxen, The Pointe Condominiums, 650 Harlow Road #143, Springfield, OR Ms.
Marxen said she had emailed Council earlier as well as sending a copy to LTD. She said she
was also very concerned about maintaining current access in and out of their condominium
complex as well as the other businesses and apartments on Harlow Road. She said it was
important to maintain east/west access to Springfield and Eugene.
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April 17,2006
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10. Ralph Smeed, 176 West C Street, Springfield, OR Mr. Smeed said he owned property on
both sides of Pioneer Parkway East between Main Street and North A and also on the north
side of Main Street between Pioneer Parkway East and Pioneer Parkway West. He said he
was concerned about a couple of items. He said he was for the transit item, but said it would
affect both pieces ofthis property. He said he understood the EmX lane would go along the
west side of Pioneer Parkway East, which would impact the entry to his property in that area.
He said he also heard the parking would be removed on the east side of Pioneer Parkway East
which would affect his property in that area. He said it would impact that property negatively
by taking away the area for loading and unloading, even if other parking was provided. He
said he had also heard the parking would be removed on the south side of Main Street which
would cut the parking down to nearly nothing and would negatively impact his building and
the renter of the building. He said he hoped they would not remove that parking. He said he
appreciated Council taking his concerns into consideration.
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11. Alethalou Harmon, 145 Pioneer Parkway East, Springfield, OR Ms. Harmon said she was
concerned about the parking issue on Pioneer Parkway East. She said she had talked with
staff, but she wanted to bring her concerns to Council. Taking parking away in front of her
store felt like another nail in the coffin. She said she had fought to stay in business with the
many codes in place to make Springfield downtown a vibrant community. She said she felt
she was an asset to downtown Springfield. She asked Council to be sensitive to the impact of
losing the parking spaces, as well as her loading zones, and that she would have traffic going
past right in front of her door. She said she hoped the speed limit was decreased along
Pioneer Parkway East to make it safer. She said it was very hazardous in that area. She
hoped a solution could be found so cars, buses and pedestrians could co-exist, as well as
parking.
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12. Ran Whitehead, CEO of Oregon Medical Lab (OML), 123 International Way, Springfield.
OR Mr. Whitehead said OML supported the EmX Steering Committee's recommendation.
He said when OML moved to International Way in Springfield, their LTD riders lost the
ability to commute via L TD due to the limited amount of service at the new location. He said
the EmX would make it possible for those individuals to once again use this transportation to
get to work. A recent survey ofthe RiverBend annex building which housed OML and other
PeaceHealth employees totaling about 800 occupants, showed that currently only seven
percent who completed the survey rode the bus. Sixty-seven percent indicated they would
ride the bus if there was one available at more convenient times. He said the shifts at OML
began arid ended at different times throughout the day, so it was important that the service be
regular and consistent. In addition, OML would be staffing other laboratories in the
Eugene/Springfield area and OML employees would need the ability to quickly move from
one lab to another and EmX would provide that service. OML had provided employees with
an annual bus pass for a number of years and the lack of efficient service to the
Gateway/International Way area had impacted the morale of staff in recent months. He said
OML employees had made their desire for accessible bus transportation known. He said
OML currently had 300 employees at the International Way site, and the number would
increase by fifteen to twenty percent. The additional staff by OML, Symantec and Royal
Caribbean would create more congestion than was already experienced in that area. He said
he used to ride the LTD bus prior to the move to Springfield and it was a good experience.
He encouraged Council to help minimize congestion, enhance employee morale and get
people to work on time by supporting and approving the EmX Steering Committee's
recommendation.
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April 17, 2006
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13. Don Lutes, 778 Crest Lane, Springfield, OR Mr. Lutes said he was supportive of the EmX
Project in general, but noted there were concerns. He said his prime concern was the use of
the greenway space that was part of Pioneer Parkway. He said he had been part of the team
that instigated the Pioneer Parkway and it was an integral part as the entrance to Springfield.
He said he took personally encroachment on that in terms of LTD. He said if a guideway
system was to be used as part of the greenspace, it should be just that and not also have buses
on Pioneer Parkway East. Either that, or the greenway should be left alone and keep the
buses on the street. He said he was for the project, but there were some problems in the detail
of transitioning between Pioneer Parkway East, Pioneer Parkway West and F Street.
14. Kent White, Vice President of Northwest Community Credit Union, 3660 Gateway Street,
Springfield, OR Mr. White spoke in favor of the project. He said this had been an area of
tremendous growth and would continue to be so. He said their concern was regarding the
execution of the plan. He said it was important that with the goal of moving people more
swiftly from one place to another, that we avoid as many trade-offs as possible between one
transportation mode and another. He referred to the issues regarding left hand turns and
property acquisitions. He encouraged a close look at the tactical issue as the project was
executed, keeping the goal of moving people quickly from here to there in all transportation
modes.
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IS. Bill Bunting, Liberty Bank, 355 Goodpasture Island Road, Eugene, OR Mr. Bunting said
Liberty Branch operated a 3000 square foot branch at the corner of Harlow and Gateway. In
June that would be expanded by 2200 square feet. He said although the bank appreciated
and was enthused about the EmX Proj ect, they had concerns regarding the ability of left turn
traffic into the mall. He said they were concerned about the ability of customers and clients
to get into their facility. He said they understood there were options still open and that the
preferred option included limited left turn lane into the center, but they would be working
with ODOT and others to get their concerns on the table.
16. Phil Farrington, Director of Land Use Planning and Development, PeaceHealth, 123
International Way, Springfield, OR Mr. Farrington said PeaceHealth had been collaborating
with City staff and L TD about the plans at RiverBend and at the RiverBend Annex. He said
they urged Council to take whatever action they could to advance this project because it was
a good thing for the community at large. He said the traffic analysis had not been relying on
the EmX system being in place, but the whole community would benefit from the system, not
only the employees that work in the area, but the community as a whole for commute trips
and internal trips in the area. He noted the number of people that were currently using the
transit system at the RiverBend Annex. He discussed some of the difficulties currently with
construction, relocation of stations and bus schedules. He said PeaceHealth was working
with L TD regarding ridership times and schedules. He said once the EmX was online, there
would be a big increase in ridership.
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17. Christine Larson, 839 Royaldel Lane, Springfield, OR Ms. Larson said she lived about eight
blocks from the new EmX route and worked about ten feet from the new EmX route at
Pioneer Parkway and Hayden Bridge Way. She said she and her husband owned Timber
Valley Medical Clinic which had been at its current location for almost twenty-seven years.
She noted the increase in traffic in that area and said the roundabout would be very helpful.
She said the EmX would be even more helpful for the many elderly people who have to walk
to Safeway along Pioneer Parkway and Harlow Road. She said it was very difficult with no
bus route on Pioneer Parkway and that was the closest grocery store. She said as a medical
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April 17, 2006
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clinic they cared about the people that lived in that area. She noted the need for transit for
mothers with small children and teenagers going to the mall. She said the biggest deterrent to
the complete maximum use of this quadrant of the Eugene/Springfield area was congestion
and developing the EmX would do a lot for this area to reach its full potential.
Mayor Leiken closed the public hearing. He thanked all those that testified.
Councilor Ralston asked staff to provide details in the near future about the parking situation and
access to driveways. '
Councilor Fitch said she had been on the Steering Committee since the beginning. She thanked
all those that came out to speak and noted that the concerns relayed tonight were the same as
those relayed to the Steering Committee. The EA would look at the concerns the Steering
Committee had heard. The EA would look at all options and determine the best option for each
section. As it developed it would change slightly over time. It was important to go forward now
to allow the area to develop and expand, while still appreciating the many people in vehicles. She
appreciated the City and LTD staffs working together. They brought forth great ideas and
responded well to each other and would continue to do so. She said the study for the Gateway
area was still evolving. .
Mayor Leiken clarified that this was not the final design, but would allow the project to move to
the next stage. If there was something that needed to be changed along the way, it could be
changed. He said this was the first big step, but nothing was set in stone.
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Councilor Ballew said she was overall supportive of the EmX project, but she felt there were too
many problems along Gateway and Harlow Road. She said she was supportive of running the
EmX to the point where it reaches Gateway at International Way, but would be more supportive
of small feeder busses that could continually make the loop to service the area. She was not
pleased with putting the buses in the greenway area on Pioneer Parkway East. She had concerns
about putting buses so close to pedestrians and bicyclists.
Councilor Lundberg said the problem areas were in her ward and she was particularly concerned
about access and other issues. She said she appreciated the fact that mass transit was needed, but
it was still an untested system in terms of getting from downtown Eugene to downtown
Springfield. She said at one point she suggested going up Pioneer Parkway and she would be
supportive of that route, but there were many issues. She said although tonight's decision would
not set anything in stone, it would still be supporting the concept. She didn't like the idea of the
EmX buses going down Gateway or Harlow Road, but would be supportive of using feeder buses
to get people around the large central business complexes in the Campus Industrial. She said the
first discussions regarding EmX were to go to Coburg Road, which made a lot of sense, and she
would like to see that developed. Transporting people back to downtown Springfield and then
over to Eugene did not make sense. She would rather slow down and wait a year to make it a
better system. She said she had been through a long EA process with Beltline and 1-5. She
would prefer to wait and didn't support moving forward at this time with this route tentatively
considered.
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Councilor Pishioneri said he concurred with the EmX Steering Committee recommendation and
liked the route. He appreciated the testimony from the public. He agreed that left turns were very
important for the vitality of the area for access for both residents and businesses. He said he
supported moving this forward, but did not want the City to be excluded from the rest of the .
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April 17, 2006
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process in case there was cause to pull it if needed. He said it was a good proj ect for the City and
the community.
Councilor Woodrow said he appreciated everyone that came to speak. He said he had personally
put out questions regarding parking along Pioneer Parkway and concerns along Gateway and
Harlow Road. He said it was probably a good idea to have the local buses go from the
GatewayIBeltline area back down to Harlow and Pioneer Parkway, but he said he was not an
engineer. He said the EmX system was important and needed to go forward. He said he
understood Councilor Lundberg's hesitation, but noted that within five years the
GatewayIBeltline area would be so much different than it was now, that we would not be able to
put in a new bus system.
Mayor Leiken asked Mr. Amis how the design of the EmX would work with the redesign of the
GatewayIBeltline intersection.
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Mr. Amis said they had talked with LTD staff about that issue from the beginning. That area
would be held out during the EA. He noted the EA done previously on the BeltlinelI-5
Interchange that called for an alternative for the GatewayIBeltline Interchange. L TD said they
would coordinate with the City on that final design and L TD was contributing a small amount of
money to that project and had a consultant working on that process. With EmX on Gateway
Street there were concerns about what would happen south of the interchange at Postal Way and
the number of traffic signals along Gateway. Staff s opinion was to take a Transportation System
Management (TSM) approach along Gateway Street or at least wait until the GatewayIBeltline
intersection was figured out before going forward as it would affect the entire corridor. Staff was
taking a look at that. He said there were a lot of issues in the area and all of the answers were not
yet known.
Mayor Leiken asked when the GatewayIBeltline intersection was to be completed.
Mr. Amis said it was to begin construction in 2009. He said more importantly was knowing how
long the BeltlinelI-5 project was going to take. He discussed the importance of timing of two
such large projects.
Mayor Leiken asked L TD staff about the issues on Pioneer Parkway, MLK Jr. Parkway and
International Way. He asked if it was feasible, from a funding mechanism, to look at dividing
this into two phases, waiting to build the corridor to PeaceHealth after the design of the other
intersections. He asked if it all needed to be done at once.
Mr. Viggiano said to stay on schedule it would all need to be done at once. Two phases had not
been considered in the technical studies to this point.
Mayor Leiken asked if the Steering Committee had looked at that alternative.
Councilor Fitch said the committee had always looked at is as a full loop because part of the idea
was to service both Gateway and Harlow Road because they were not adequately serviced at this
time.
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Mr. Viggiano said LTD's preference would be to have a shuttle bus completing the loop,
providing the connections within the greater Gateway area rather than having separate service on
Gateway and Harlow. It would also be much less expensive. He explained why.
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April 17, 2006
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Mayor Leiken said early discussions included having a corridor with small feeder buses going
through the neighborhoods. He asked if that was still part of the plan.
Mr. Viggiano said that was still part of plan. He explained.
Mayor Leiken said they needed to sell that service more to the public. He said he still gets
comments from senior citizens concerned about having bus access.
Councilor Fitch said keeping Gateway and Harlow Road in the EA would be critical in working
through options and solutions. Taking it off the EA would remove those options. She had a
concern that they were not looking at the bigger picture. She discussed the suggestion of going to
more small buses and that it would mean additional staff, costing more.
Councilor Ballew said LTD carried less than five percent ofthe traffic now and even doubled
would only carry ten percent. She said they needed to keep in mind that the other ninety to
ninety-five percent were more important when trying to resolve traffic issues.
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IT WAS MOVED BY COUNCILOR WOODROW WITH A SECOND BY COUNCILOR
FITCH TO ENDORSE THE LOCAL PREFERRED DESIGN FOR THE PIONEER
PARKWAY CORRIDOR AS RECOMMENDED BY THE EmX STEERING
COMMITTEE, WHICH CALLS FOR MULTIPLE ALTERNATIVES TO BE
EVALUATED. PENDING COMPLETION OF THE DESIGN OF THE
BEL TLINE/GATEW A Y INTERSECTION, THE COUNCIL BELIEVES THE
TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM MANAGEMENT ALTERNATIVE IS THE
APPROPRIATE DESIGN FOR GATEWAY STREET AND HARLOW ROAD. THE
COUNCIL RECOMMENDS THAT THE FINAL DECISION FOR THOSE STREETS
SHOULD NOT BE DETERMINED UNTIL THE EmX DESIGN PROCESS CAN
CONSIDER THE FINAL DESIGN FOR THE BEL TLINE/GATEW A Y INTERSECTION.
THE MOTION PASSED WITH A VOTE OF 5 FOR AND 1 AGAINST (LUNDBERG).
COUNCILOR BALLEW OFFERED AN AMENDMENT TO THE MOTION THAT
ADDRESSED LEAVING THE LEFT TURN LANES OPEN ON HARLOW.
Councilor Woodrow noted that the Transportation System Management Alternative allowed left
turns on both sides.
COUNCILOR BALLEW WITHDREW HER AMENDMENT.
Councilor Ralston reaffirmed that Council was not deciding on a final design. He said there was
still a lot of debate that would occur.
2. Fiscal Year 2006-2007 Community Development Block Grant and HOME Investment
Partnership Program Recommended Funding Allocations.
.
Housing Manager Kevin Ko presented the staff report on this item. The Springfield Community
Development Advisory Committee (CDAC) has reviewed proposals and prepared CDBG and
HOME funding recommendations for the FY2006-2007 program year. The recommendations are
being forwarded to the City Council for consideration and approval. The CDAC's funding
recommendations are consistent with Springfield's local funding priorities and identified
City of Springfield
Council Regular Meeting Minutes
April 17,2006
Page 11
.
community development needs as documented in the Eugene-Springfield Consolidated Plan. The
CDAC is also recommending approval ofa one-year extension of the existing CDBG funding set-
aside for downtown redevelopment, and approval of recommended changes to its By-laws.
The City of Springfield is allocating $682,221 in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG)
funds and $646,802 in HOME Investment Partnership (HOME) funds to develop viable urban
communities. The amount available consists of a FY06-07 CDBG grant of $629,375 plus
$52,846 in unspent CDBG funds from FY2004, and a FY06-07 HOME grant of $438,642 plus
approximately $200,000 HOME program income and reprogrammed funds from previous years.
Also included in HOME is $8,160 the City will receive from HUD under the American Dream
Downpayment Incentive (ADDn. Selected projects and services will provide decent, safe and
affordable housing for persons of low income; a suitable living environment, and economic
opportunities for persons oflow and moderate income. At a public hearing on January 31,2006,
the CDAC recommended set-asides totaling $380,281 for CDBG and $213,956 for HOME for the
following activities: City administered housing programs, grant administration and planning,
social service programs administered by the Intergovernmental Human Services Commission and
operating assistance for area Community Housing Development Organizations (CHDO). The
City Council also authorized a reservation of 24% of the annual CDBG allocation to be used for
activities that reduce or eliminate blighted conditions in the Downtown Revitalization Area. This
amoun~ is $151,050 for FY06-07.
.
Requests for Proposals were issued on February 3,2006, for $98,044 of general CDBG funds,
$432,846 of HOME funds and $151,050 of Downtown Revitalization funds. The deadline for
completed proposals was March 17,2006. The City received eight requests for funding totaling
$685,158. The Springfield CDAC held a Public Hearing on April 6, 2006 to hear testimony,
review proposals and develop funding recommendations. The CDAC recommends funding of
eight proposals, fully expending the available funds. The recommendation includes increasing
the FY2006 HOME allocation to the Royal Building by $52,846 over what was requested, and
reducing the FY2004 CDBG allocation to the Royal Building by an equal amount. This exchange
of funds will not adversely affect the Royal Building project, andit allows the CDAC to
recommend funding all but one of the proposals at the requested levels. If all of the projects were
funded at the amounts requested, there would be a shortfall of $3,218. W omenspace voluntarily
reduced its request by that amount to balance all funds.
The CDAC is recommending that Council approve a I-year extension to the existing three-year
CDBG set-aside for downtown redevelopment projects, citing the new projects and the current
momentum of change that is happening downtown as the reasons to continue. If the extension is
not approved, the downtown set-aside will expire this year. Extending the CDBG set-aside for
downtown will also extend the moratorium on CDBG assisted street improvement projects for
one year (excepting the current I Street project). The downtown set-aside is 24% of the CDBG
allocation.
The CDAC is recommending that Council approve proposed changes to the CDAC By-laws. The
most significant change is to the membership requirements, and will allow residents of
Springfield's urban growth boundary to serve on the CDAC. Other changes include establishing
consistent term expiration dates and some "housekeeping" changes.
.
Mr. Ko said the CDAC meeting was a good meeting for both applicants and the committee. He
discussed the proposed motions before Council this evening.
City of Springfield
Council Regular Meeting Minutes
April 17, 2006
Page 12
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Mayor Leiken asked for an update on where the CDBG funding mechanism stood with the
Congress back in Washington DC.
Mr. Ko said he received a notice on about April 8 from the Community Development Association
that the Senate had approved increasing the CDBG funds by $1.3Billion, which would bring it
back up to the 2004 level of funding. It still had to pass Congress, but had a lot of good
bipartisan support. Even if it was not fully funded, it would not go down.
Mayor Leiken asked if Mr. Ko recommended the Mayor and Council continue to write or call
Congressman DeFazio about this funding.
Mr. Ko said that would be beneficial if the Council or Mayor's office would like to send a letter.
Mayor Leiken opened the public hearing.
.
1. Dan Egan, 850 North 6th Street, Springfield OR Mr. Egan said he had been on the CDAC for
a number of years. He said it was good to come before Council to report on how successful
the CDAC's actions were this year. The last couple of years involved difficult issues and
allocations, but this year was better because the money and allocations matched up fairly
well. He acknowledged some of the new members of the CDAC and how they had made
great contributions to the committee. He said this was a great committee to serve on because
it taught people a lot about what was important in the community. He urged Council to adopt
all the recommendations that were brought before Council. The Federal Funds had meant a
. lot to Springfield and had a tremendous difference in downtown, especially in the last three
years. He said this may be his last year on the committee, but felt it was in good hands. Staff
did an exceptional job in showing the outcome of projects visually.
Mayor Leiken closed the public hearing.
Councilor Fitch said that although she served on Council and the board of one of the potential
recipients, she received no funds from either and did not have an ethical problem making a
decision on this issue. She said she could make a fair decision.
Councilor Lundberg thanked staff members Jodi Peterson and Kevin Ko who had taken the
committee through painful decisions for funding. She said this year they made it very painless.
She said the variety of projects ranging from domestic violence to a theater opening gave them a
true sense of how this money helped the community. She thanked the staff and committee
members for taking it seriously and working hard. She thanked W omenspace for offering to take
a reduction to balance the funds.
Councilor Pishioneri thanked everyone involved. He asked about the funding given last year to
McKenzie Mist for awnings and asked if that had been completed.
Mr. Ko said funds had been allocated for interior renovations and for a new face front on the
outside. He said neither had been done. The funding for the exterior project had expired and the
funds for the interior renovation were still being held. He said the owner of the business and the
owner of the property had yet to come to terms.
.
Councilor Pishioneri said he would like to see a status report or the completion of the funded
projects from the previous year.
City of Springfield
Council Regular Meeting Minutes
April 17, 2006
Page 13
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Mr. Ko said he would be happy to put together that information and possibly a tour for Council to
see the finished projects.
Mr. Leahy discussed McKenzie Mist further. He and staff worked very hard to work with the
owner of the business and the owner of the building to put that together. Due to some issues
between the owners, it could not be resolved. He noted that Mr. Ko went the final mile to try to
make it work.
Councilor Lundberg said a significant amount of the funding went into assistance projects, such
as homeowners that get a new roof or other emergency projects. A status report of those types of
projects would also be beneficial. The CDAC did recommend continuing the downtown set-aside
because there was still work to be done.
Mayor Leiken appreciated staff and asked Mr. Ko to keep Council informed regarding the
decision on funding from Congress.
IT WAS MOVED BY COUNCILOR WOODROW WITH A SECOND BY COUNCILOR
LUNDBERG TO ADOPT THE FY2006/2007 COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK
GRANT (CDBG) AND HOME FUNDING ALLOCATIONS. THE MOTION PASSED
WITH A VOTE OF 6 FOR AND 0 AGAINST.
.
IT WAS MOVED BY COUNCILOR WOODROW WITH A SECOND BY COUNCILOR
LUNDBERG TO APPROVE ONE-YEAR EXTENSION OF CDBG DOWNTOWN SET-
ASIDE. THE MOTION PASSED WITH A VOTE OF 6 FOR AND 0 AGAINST.
IT WAS MOVED BY COUNCILOR WOODROW WITH A SECOND BY COUNCILOR
LUNDBERG TO ADOPT PROPOSED CHANGES TO COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
ADVISORY COMMITTEE (CDAC) BY-LAWS. THE MOTION PASSED WITH A
VOTE OF 6 FOR AND 0 AGAINST.
3. Business License Program.
Finance Director Bob Duey presented the staff report on this item. The City Council held a first
reading and public hearing of an ordinance for a Business License Program on February 21 st. A
second reading and public hearing was held on March 06, and the hearing has remained open for
the March 20 and the April 17 Council meeting to allow for a continuing dialogue on this topic
with the Springfield Chamber.
A result of the continued dialogue with the Springfield Chamber and as an alternative to the
Business License Program, the City agreed to approach the Springfield Utility Board about their
willingness to expand the current utility billing and collection contract the City has with their
agency to include a dedicated fee for public safety. At their board meeting on April 12, the SUB
Directors voted to not accept the proposal to serve as the billing and collection agency for a city
fee dedicated for public safety. City staff does not have an alternative proposal that would allow
for a city wide fee of this type without the involvement ofthe Springfield Utility Board for the
billing and collection.
.
If the Council's direction is to continue the review of the Business License Program as a
dedicated resource for the funding of the municipal jail operations, it is recommended that the
City of Springfield
Council Regular Meeting Minutes
April 17, 2006
Page 14
.
public hearing be held open one additional time and that staff returns at that time with a fully
completed ordinance and implementation plan.
If the Council's direction is to discontinue discussions about the Business License Program or to
decide to not take immediate action, it would be recommended that the public hearing be closed.
A subsequent public hearing could be scheduled at the appropriate time.
Mr. Duey gave a brief history of how discussion on this license progressed through public
hearings and agency meetings as outlined in the agenda item summary. He discussed the decision
by the SUB Board regarding collecting a surcharge. Mr. Duey said the City Attorney's office had
reviewed the ordinance, but it was not quite ready for consideration this evening. He discussed
the different motions for Council consideration. Mr. Duey said he had talked with the Mayor
about receiving additional guidance from Council, possibly with a Council subcommittee that
could look at the jail operations funding. Mr. Duey reminded Council that the business license
was only about twenty-five percent of the gap for funding jail operations.
Mayor Leiken continued the public hearing.
.
I. Mike Donnelly, 1315 Aspen, Springfield, OR. Mr. Donnelly is a principal at an
elementary school in Springfield School District 19 and current Springfield Chamber of
Commerce Board president. Mr. Donnelly acknowledged the Mayor and Council for
their work regarding the decisions before them. He said this issue did connect Chamber
operations and businesses with the jail funding. He said the Chamber realized this was a
community issue and they supported the funding of the jail and jail operations. He said
they understood the Council had a difficult task in balancing financial resources with the
needs of the community at large. He said the Chamber distributed surveys to its members
regarding a business tax. He said although the proposed fee would not have a large
financial impact, it raised other issues regarding relationships and the role of different
aspects of the community. The survey results were distributed to the Mayor and Council.
The member input showed support and recognition of the jail and that the funding of the
jail was a community issue, but there was a concern that the Business License was
targeted at the business community and they asked Council to continue to explore other
avenues, such as public safety levies. He said a public safety levy would be connected
with the jail and would resonate with the entire community. He said their goal was to
support this as a community in the broadest sense rather than focused on a certain
element. He referred to comments from business owners in the survey. He thanked the
Mayor and Council for their time and energy on this effort.
.
2. Fred Simmons, 312 South 52nd Place, Springfield, OR. Mr. Simmons said he supported
the business license fee, and noted that it was only a component of the total. He said the
City didn't even know how many businesses were located in Springfield and gathering
that data and fee could have a profound affect on Development Services as well as the
recognition of the role small and moderate businesses play in Springfield. He discussed
the proposed fee and noted that it was a very small part ofthe total funding feature of the
jail. Other revenue sources would still need to be found. He noted that Council would be
reviewing other fees and charges on April 24. He said the jail fund needed to be set
aside. If the Council agreed to build the jail, the fund needed to be established and
money needed to be invested and collected for that fund. He said he supported going
forward with the business license. He said he felt a large percentage of Chamber
members would not oppose paying their fair share. He said as members of the
City of Springfield
Council Regular Meeting Minutes
April 17, 2006
Page 15
.
community they would contribute toward the funding. He hoped Council would move
forward and defme more clearly the numbers for funding the jail.
3. Gerv VanderMeer, 2604 J Street, Springfield, OR. Mr. VanderMeer distributed a
document regarding Failure to Appear Cost Study to the Mayor and Council. He
discussed the amount of money the City was spending for' failure to appears' in Circuit
and Municipal Court. He said that program had been brought to the Council's attention a
number of times. The funding for the jail had been development with the exception of
purportedly $225,000-$250,000. He asked if a business license was needed. He asked
why there had not been a single refutation of the ability of City funds that were currently
spent to fund the jail. He discussed the handout he distributed. He said the report
showed that it cost the City $775 each time there was a failure to appear of a Springfield
case. He said it cost the City $400 each time there was a case in the Municipal Court
where the defendant did not appear. He discussed the costs involved. He said those were
dollars the City of Springfield was spending now and he questioned why the City staff
couldn't identify any of those funds for the funding of the jail. He referredto the last
page of the report and said if the City was able to reduce by one third the number of
'failure to appears', the City could save over $340,000 a year. He said that money could
be allocated to fund the jail and he said the City did not need an onerous business tax or
to take the efforts of the Chamber of Commerce to promote Springfield as being friendly
to business and drag that reputation in the mud. He said the money to fund the jail was
already in the City's ability. He urged Council to vote no on the Business License and to
demand staff come back with a real analysis of the savings from 'failure to appear'.
.
4. Fred Mannheim, 5680 Highbanks Road, Springfield, OR. Mr. Mannheim said he owned
the Flying Clipper Barber Shop in downtown Springfield. He said he kept his fees low
because he serves a lower-income clientele. He said he tried to keep his prices and
expenses low and a Business License Fee was not something he could live with, so he
would say no to it. If Council needed to do something in order to build the jail, it should
be spread across the entire community, not just another fee businesses have to bear. If
the City could spend $100,000 to the UofO for the Olympic Trials, we could find other
means to fund the jail.
5. Jim Welsh, 90050 Killian Lane, Elmira, OR. Mr. Welsh represented the Springfield
Board of Realtors. He said the Board did not have a specific statement on this issue. . He
referred to the meeting last Wednesday, and that the Board would support the surcharge
approach because it was broader and took in the rest of the community. He said the
realtors do support doing something for the justice center that would involve the entire
community. At this point in time, the Board did not want to go in opposition of the
Chamber of Commerce and they wanted to continue to work with the Chamber. The
Realtors have broker offices with multiple agents, so their offices would have between
five to fifteen employees. He said the approach could be a single tax for that number of
agents, which would be fine with the realtors, but they would like to take a look at other
approaches that would be broader for the entire community and would work for the
Chamber of Commerce.
Mayor Leiken asked for suggestions on a motion.
.
IT WAS MOVED BY COUNCILOR WOODROW WITH A SECOND BY COUNCILOR
LUNDBERG TO APPROVE A MOTION FOR THE PUBLIC HEARING TO REMAIN
City of Springfield
Council Regular Meeting Minutes
April 17, 2006
Page 16
.
OPEN UNTIL MAY 15, 2006 AND DIRECT STAFF TO RETURN AT THAT TIME
WITH A FULLY COMPLETED ORDINANCE AND IMPLEMENTATION PLAN. THE
MOTION PASSED WITH A VOTE OF 5 FOR AND 1 AGAINST (Ballew).
Councilor Ralston said a lot of good points were made by those that testified. He said at some
point Council had to do what was best for the community. He saw no need to put it off any
longer. He said it was a relatively small fee and was a small component of the funding issue. He
asked why this was being put off.
Mayor Leiken said the ordinance was not yet final.
Councilor Woodrow noted the discussion with SUB regarding a surcharge that had not come to
fruition causing some changes in the plan.
Councilor Ballew said she was not supportive of the Business License. She said this should be a
broad base support. She said she did not support the jail and did not support picking one segment
of the community to pay this. She noted the large gap for funding that was not yet in place for the
operations of the jail. She said even with the business license, there was a $600,000 gap. She
said the jail shouldn't be built without funding for the operations. She discussed Mr.
VanderMeer's comments regarding 'failure to appear' costs. She said those costs could be
identified, but in fact if the 'failure to appear' problem were to recede, we would still need to pay
the same amount of money, it would just be for some other purpose. It was not a true savings.
.
Councilor Lundberg said she was at first very supportive of the Business License fee. She
wanted to know how a fee was put back on the utility bills, which was the same as the Utility
Tax. She said her issue with putting a fee on the utility bill was that SUB would not discriminate
between the electric portion of the bill and the other charges. She noted concern that if that extra
fee caused someone to not be able to pay their bill, they could get their electricity shutoff. She
also noted that the support level for that type of fee was very low in the community survey. She
thanked the SUB Board for voting down the surcharge. She discussed the Senior Forum meeting
she attended Monday morning and their input on the Business License and piecemealing funding
for the jail. She said the Council needed a deadline to find the funding or stop construction of the
jail. She said she would only change her mind on the Business License if she heard a lot more
support from the business community.
Mayor Leiken asked if Councilor Fitch arid Councilor Lundberg would serve on a subcommittee
to discuss jail funding options.
They both agreed and asked that the meetings be held at 7:00am starting next week.
4. Annexation of Territory to the City of Springfield (Horton Journal Number LRP2005-00039).
RESOLUTION NO. 06-17 - A RESOLUTION INITIATING ANNEXATION OF
CERTAIN TERRITORY TO THE CITY OF SPRINGFIELD AND REQUESTING THAT
THE LANE COUNTY LOCAL GOVERNMENT BOUNDARY COMMISSION APPROVE
THE ANNEXATION BY EXPEDITED PROCESS.
.
City Planner Linda Pauly presented the staff report on this item. The applicant and owner have
requested annexation of 2.3 acres of property located at 780 South 57th Street. The site currently
City of Springfield
Council Regular Meeting Minutes
April 17, 2006
Page 17
.
contains one residence. The purpose of the annexation is to allow the development of a Low
Density Residential (LDR) subdivision.
The City Council is authorized by ORS 199.490(2)(a)(B) to initiate annexation upon receiving
consent in writing from a majority ofthe electors registered in the territory to be annexed and the
owners of more than half of the land to be annexed. The applicants own and reside on the
property and are the only two registered voters. The tax lot contains a residence and an
outbuilding. The applicant plans to extend South 56th Street from the north boundary of the
property to the south boundary. The applicant is proposing to subdivide the property into 12
single family residential lots and to extend urban services to the site. The properties are within
the UGB and are adjacent to the Springfield City Limits. The City can ensure a minimum range
of key urban services including but not limited to police, fire protection, library, parks and
recreation, storm sewers, sanitary sewer and schools. The residence is currently on well water and
a septic system. The Springfield Utility Board (SUB) will serve the future subdivision, and the
existing house will connect to city sewer upon annexation and development of the subdivision.
The property owner has signed an Annexation Agreement with the City.
The City Council Resolution, if approved, will be forwarded to the Lane County Local
Government Boundary Commission. The owners are requesting the Expedited Annexation
procedure through the Boundary Commission in order to be able to proceed as quickly as possible
with the subdivision process which must be completed so that they can build houses.
Councilor Ballew asked if this was contiguous to the City limits.
.
City Engineer Ken V ogeney addressed this question and said it was contiguous to the City limits
on the north boundary.
Councilor Pishioneri asked if Lot 4 would be used for future development.
Mr. V ogeney said the lot referred to for annexation was Lot 4 and currently included an existing
home and some outbuildings. At this point, the owner had not expressed an interest in dividing
that parcel, but it could be divided in the future.
Councilor Pishioneri confIrmed that Council was not approving dividing that property at this
time.
Mr. V ogeney said that was correct. Tonight's request was to create approximately an 18,000
square foot lot.
Mayor Leiken opened the public hearing.
No one appeared to speak.
Mayor Leiken closed the public hearing.
.
IT WAS MOVED BY COUNCILOR WOODROW WITH A SECOND BY COUNCILOR
LUNDBERG TO ADOPT RESOLUTION NO. 06-17. THE MOTION PASSED WITH A
VOTE OF 6 FOR AND 0 AGAINST.
City of Springfield
Council Regular Meeting Minutes
April 17, 2006
Page 18
.
Mr. Vogeney clarified that because Lot 4 was part of this subdivision, ifit was divided in the
future, it would be done as a staff approved action as a partition and would not come back for
Council consideration.
BUSINESS FROM THE AUDIENCE
COUNCIL RESPONSE
CORRESPONDENCE AND PETITIONS
.
1. Correspondence from Kathy Marxen, 650 Harlow Road #143, Springfield, OR Regarding
the L TD Proposed EmX Route.
2. Correspondence from Steve Barrett, Deputy Superintendent, Springfield Public Schools
District 19,525 Mill Street, Springfield, OR Regarding LTD's Pioneer Parkway EmX
Project and Student Safety in the Vicinity of Guy Lee Elementary School (755 Harlow
Road).
3. Correspondence from Kari Westlund, President and CEO of Convention and Visitors
Association of Lane County (CV ALCO), 115 W. 8th, Ste 190, Eugene, OR Regarding the
LTD Pioneer Parkway/Gateway BRT Extension.
4. Correspondence from Greg Erwin, Co-Chair, 2008 Olympic Track and Field Trials LOC,
P.O. Box 11364, Eugene, OR Thanking Council for Their Support of the 2008 Olympic
Track & Field Trials.
5. Correspondence to Steven Calish, Field Manager, Bureau of Land Management and
CC'd to the Springfield Mayor and City Council from Larry Reed, JRH, 4765 Village
Plaza Loop, Suite 201, Eugene, OR Regarding the West Eugene Parkway (WEP).
6. Correspondence from Buck Biggs, Best Cash, 1840 Main Street, Springfield, OR
Regarding Electronic Reporting for Second Hand Dealers.
IT WAS MOVED BY COUNCILOR WOODROW WITH A SECOND BY COUNCILOR
LUNDBERG TO ACCEPT THE CORRESPONDENCE FOR FILING. THE MOTION
PASSED WITH A VOTE OF 6 FOR AND 0 AGAINST.
BIDS
ORDINANCES
BUSINESS FROM THE CITY COUNCIL
1. Business from Council.
a. Committee Reports
.
I. Councilor Ralston reported on the LRAP A meeting. He said the subj ect of vehicle
emissions came up again during their last meeting. He said he tried to rationalize that
we had good air quality in our community, but the Board seemed to be heading in the;
direction of testing for these emissions. He said a decision would have to be made on
this issue. He noted the decisiveness of the Board and the issue of having this testing
only in the Eugene and Springfield area. He said it needed to be statewide or
regional. The Board did not like the idea he brought forward of writing a letter to the
State officials to increase enforcement.
City of Springfield
Council Regular Meeting Minutes
April 17 , 2006
Page 19
.
Mayor Leiken noted that the Governor had recently signed one of the strictest air
quality vehicle emissions law.
Councilor Ralston said it was pointed out by several board members that the air
quality in our area was very good. He felt there was not a need to require this testing.
2. Councilor Pishioneri met with McKenzie Watershed Council last week in which they
discussed Cedar Creek area and the mobility ofthe river. There was concern about
the availability of water in the Thurston area this summer. He said the headgates
were above the water. He said that could be a big concern for SUB even though it
was a relatively low amount of SUB's total water supply. He discussed some of the
options available to help with the possible shortage. He also noted that he was
disappointed that SUB did not want to further discuss or consider the potential of
fmancing the jail facility.
BUSINESS FROM THE CITY MANAGER
I. Review the Final Versions of Two Proposed Public-Private Partnership Agreements for the
Annexation, Master Planning, and Development of 215 Acres in Southeast Springfield.
.
Development Services Director Bill Grile and City Attorney Joe Leahy presented the staff report
on this item. Since Spring 2004, City and Willamalane staff have been negotiating with Gray-
Jaqua family members and a private developer, Roy Carver, in an effort to secure pioneer
property with a historically significant dwelling as well as substantial open space as part of a 215-
acre planned development. The subject property is located south of State Highway 126 between
72nd and 79th Streets, directly in the path of future residential growth at Springfield's far eastern
entrance. The historic dwelling is thought to be the oldest home in Springfield. The pioneer
property extends from the state highway south to the ridgeline nearly a mile away.
The Council first considered questions about whether and how to pursue acquisition ofthe subject
property on May 24, 2004 during a joint work session and executive session with the .
Willamalane Park and Recreation District Board. The Council received subsequent updates about
pending negotiations on December 6,2004; January 10,2005; July 25,2005 and January 17,
2006. Discussions at each centered on whether and how to proceed, with the City Manager
receiving direction to continue negotiations with the interested developer and to return with
additional detail. Negotiations have now been completed and two Agreements have been
prepared that detail the rights, obligations and costs of each of the parties to the Agreements.
There is also an additional Annexation Agreement with Elva Gray that essentially duplicates the
Annexation Agreement with Heritage One LLC. These proposed agreements accompany an
attached Council Briefing Memo that explains more about the public opportunity and summarizes
the agreements' major points.
.
Mr. Grile discussed the agreement and noted the additional commitment Willamalane Parks and
Recreation District was making regarding the lease of the house back to the developer for ten
years with an investment allowing it to be maintained until it reverted back to the public. During
that ten year period, the house would be available for public use and Willamalane would be
funding that upkeep in the amount of$120,000. He said the Willamalane Board met last
Wednesday and had a positive discussion. The Board unanimously moved to support the two
City of Springfield
Council Regular Meeting Minutes
April 17, 2006
Page 20
.
agreements subject to review of their legal counsel and action by the Springfield City Council.
They also authorized Superintendent Bob Keefer to execute the agreements.
Mr. Grile referred to a photo of the old house. He gave a brief history of how Mr. Gray
purchased 320 acres between Springfield and Walterville and his wife had purchased 30 acres.
After marrying, they built this home on that property. The home had remained in the family since
that time. If Council agreed, this house would have a legacy for years to come. He felt this was a
fme partnership.
Mayor Leiken acknowledged former City Manager Mike Kelly who had been integral in bringing
this project to fruition and thanked him for his work on this project.
Councilor Ballew referred to the motion listed regarding further negotiations. She asked what
could still be negotiated if they were to proceed.
Mr. Grile said he felt this had been negotiated fully.
Mr. Leahy said he concurred. The option was there in case Council found something they did not
like in the agreements before them.
Mayor Leiken said his concern was the financial strength ofthe developer.
.
Mr. Leahy said in addition to the financial wherewithal of the developer, the City was not
waiving any requirements for the posting of bond or security for public infrastructure, the kinds
of things the City would normally require of any development. Those items were in place as well
as other due diligence which would be conducted.
Councilor Ralston asked what would happen to the homestead property after the ten years.
Bob Keefer, Superintendent ofWillamalane Parks and Recreation District, responded. He said
during the ten year lease period, the homestead would be open for public use with Willamalane as
an overseer. During that time, the developer would be spending at least $60,000 on
improvements to the Homestead House and the property around it so it would maintain the
integrity of the property. When Willamalane took ownership, they would do an assessment of the
building to determine what improvements needed to be made to maintain its integrity and how the
building should be used in consultation with the City. At this point, the agreement stated it was a
City/Willamalane ownership with Willamalane taking the lead. He said another
intergovernmental agreement (IGA) would need to be executed between Willamalane and the
City about who had fmal ownership and would manage the facility. Willamalane would make an
investment into that facility with SDC credits. He explained further. .
Mr. Leahy said this was a late entry into the process of the negotiations. As negotiations had
continued, more things had occurred to the developer and the City. The developer had visited
other similar developments that had a historical site at the front entrance that would bring people
in and get them interested in the community. The developer would use the homestead as an
integral part of his development.
.
Councilor Ralston said he would feel more comfortable if the City had an agreement that the City
would get something back at the end o{the ten years because of the increase in value of the
property.
City of Springfield
Council Regular Meeting Minutes
April 17 , 2006
Page 21
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Mr. Keefer said the property would be maintained in public ownership unless both the City and
Willamalane decided to sell it. The City and Willamalane staff had not discussed cost sharing as
the facility was developed or in exchange to sell it.
Councilor Ralston said he was supportive of this project and it would open high end development.
He asked how soon the City would have to spend this funding and how long it would be before
the benefits were seen by the City.
Mr. Grile said the $lM was programmed in the Capital Improvement Program (CIP) and
budgeted out over four years. He said there was up to $675,000 participation for the egress and
ingress from the highway going to the property. He said if the agreements were executed, the
developer would spend the next six to eight months doing due diligence on stormwater issue.
The developer was confident he could resolve the stormwater issues, but ifhe could not resolve
those issues, the project may end. He said optimistically, the developer would be submitting for
master plan application sometime in November or December of 2006.
Councilor Ballew referred to Attachment 10, page 2, section 5. She asked about the leasing of the
property.
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Mr. Keefer said there was an agreement that during that time there would be an agreement
between Heritage and Willamalane for public use of the facility and Willamalane would have
control. During that time, the facility would be available for public use. He discussed some of
the possible uses for the facility and surrounding property. He said the agreement would be in
place prior to the lease. It would be tied to the lease.
Mr. Grile said the developer's concern was that he would like to polish that amenity to shine as a
theme/residential draw to bring in people as he began his development.
Councilor Ballew asked ifWillamalane would spend $20,000 and the developer would spend
$60,000. That was correct.
Councilor Fitch said she had been to the property with Mr. Kelly and was very excited it had
come to this point. She hoped Heritage One LLC proved to be fmancially substantial. Traveling
around and seeing other communities that had developed their hillsides, she said it was exciting to
see that Springfield had embraced the Rivers to Ridges and that there would be open space within
our boundaries for generations to come. She said it was a beautiful area and the wildlife was
amazing.
Councilor Pishioneri asked that the Historic Commission be included in discussions about the
house and any possible designations on the house.
Mr. Keefer said he did meet with Kris Redmond from the Museum and a representative from the
Historic Commission and they were excited with this project. They did discuss how they could
be involved in deciding the future of the house. He discussed some reasons to wait to decide if
the house should be put on the registry.
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Mayor Leiken thanked staff for their work and Mr. Kelly for his leadership. He said this was a
very special project and considered a signature project for the Council. He said this was a
valuable historic landmark and a great opportunity.
City of Springfield
Council Regular Meeting Minutes
April 17, 2006
Page 22
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Councilor Woodrow also thanked staff, Willamalane and Mr. Kelly.
IT WAS MOVED BY COUNCILOR WOODROW WITH A SECOND BY COUNCILOR
LUNDBERG TO DIRECT THE INTERIM CITY MANAGER OR ACTING IN CHARGE
CITY MANAGER TO EXECUTE THE PROPOSED AGREEMENTS AS PRESENTED
SUBJECT TO (i) THE CITY ATTORNEY ADVISING THAT ALL EXHIBITS NEEDED
TO IMPLEMENT THE PREDEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT CONFORM TO THAT
AGREEMENT, AND (ll) THE CITY FINANCE DIRECTOR REVIEW OF HERITAGE
ONE LLC/ROY CARVER TO ASSURE FINANCIAL SUBSTANCE EXISTS TO
COMPLETE THE PROPOSED PROJECT. THE MOTION PASSED WITH A VOTE OF
6 FOR AND 0 AGAINST.
BUSINESS FROM THE CITY ATTORNEY
ADJOURNMENT
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The meeting was adjourned at 9:20 p.m.
Minutes Recorder Amy Sowa
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Attest:
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