HomeMy WebLinkAbout10/16/2006 Work Session
City of Springfield
Work Session Meeting
MINUTES OF THE WORK SESSION MEETING OF
THE SPRINGFIELD CITY COUNCIL HELD
MONDAY, OCTOBER 16,2006
The City of Springfield Council met in a work session in the Jesse Maine Meeting Room, 225
Fifth Street, Springfield, Oregon, on Monday, October 16,2006 at 6:01 p.m., with Mayor Leiken
presiding.
AITENDANCE
Present were Mayor Leiken and Councilors Woodrow, Lundberg, Ballew, Ralston, and
Pishioneri. Also present were City Manager Gino Grimaldi, Assistant City Manager Cynthia
Pappas, City Attorney Joe Leahy, City Recorder Amy Sowa and members of the staff.
Councilor Fitch was absent (excused).
1. Historical Commission Applicant Interviews.
City Planner Kitti Gale presented the staff report on this item. The Historical Commission has
two openings on its seven-member commission. The recruitment for these openings began
August 23,2006, and closed September 29,2006. Three candidates have applied, Kuri Gill,
Maris Crimmins, and Ted Corbin. Ted Corbin is applying for re-appointment to his second term
on the Commission.
Section IX, 3.8 of the Springfield City Council Operating Policies and Procedures, states that the
H. .. Mayor and Council will hold formal interviews of applicants for positions on the Budget
Committee, Historical Commission, and Planning Commission and a recommendation from
these bodies is not necessary although they may have a representative present to participate in
the interview process. . ."
Springfield Code 1-10-1, Historical Commission Charge, requires that the 7 -member
Commission shall be residents; electors; property owners within Springfield; appointees of other
Springfield public agencies such as Willamalane Park & Recreation and School District #19; or
specialists with expertise in such fields as architecture, history, architectural history, planning, or
archaeology who live within the Metro-area General Plan boundaries. For State Certified funding
it is recommended that a majority of the Commission have professional qualifications.
Ted Corbin, who was appointed to the Commission September 21, 2002, just completed his ftrst
4-year term, and is volunteering to serve a second term. The second vacancy is that of Michelle
Dennis who had served on the Commission since 1999; she moved from the state in September.
The Commission highly recommends Mr. Corbin's re-appointment and the new appointment of
Kuri Gill.
The Mayor and Council introduced themselves to the candidate.
The candidates were interviewed by the City Council in the following order:
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Council Work Session Minutes
October 16, 2006
Page 2
· Ted Corbin, current commission member
· Kuri Gill
A third candidate, Maris Crimmins, did not attend the meeting and was not interviewed. Ms.
Gale said she had not yet met this candidate, nor had Ms. Crimmins attended any Historical
Commission meetings.
The following questions were asked:
· Why are you interested in serving on the Commission?
· Why do you think Historic Preservation is important to a City like Springfield?
· What specialty or skill do you have that would benefit the Springfield Historical
Commission? (preservation education, restoration expertise, knowledge of local history,
construction or architectural experience, design skills, real estate experience, etc.)?
Have you done any hands-on restoration on your own?
· What can the Historical Commission do to foster citizen awareness of historic
preservation?
· If a citizen's development plans are in conflict with the City's Historic Preservation
Ordinance, how would you deal with the situation?
· Have you attended the Historical Commission meetings? If so, when, what was your .
impression? ,
. Do you have any questions of the City Council?
The Mayor and Council noted the value and importance of the many Springfield boards,
committees and commissions.
The Mayor and Council discussed the qualifications of the applicants. Council consensus was to
re-appoint Mr. Corbin and appoint Ms. Gill to the Historical Commission during the November 6
regular meeting.
2. Assessment and Management of Public Infrastructure.
Maintenance Manager Ed Black presented the staff report on this item. Mr. Black introduced
Supervisor Brian Conlon, Supervisor Marcy Parker, Supervisor Greg Ferschweiller and Data
Management Glenn Witzig. He also acknowledged the work done by staff from the Geographic
Information System (GIS) and Information Technology (IT) Departments.
Mr. Black said the Public Works Department Maintenance Division is responsible for
maintenance, operation, repair and preservation of the City's infrastructure. The Maintenance
Division has several projects, either underway or ready for implementation, which will provide
information to identify and prioritize short and long term needs for infrastructure maintenance
and preservation.
The Public Works Maintenance Division is charged with the responsibility of maintaining and
preserving public infrastructure. Understanding the breadth of and requirements for
infrastructure maintenance is a critical success factor.
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Council Work Session Minutes
October 16, 2006
Page 3
Over the past several years (most recently last May) staff has provided the Council with
information about both the condition of the City's infrastructure and the actions staff is taking to
maintain and preserve the public's investment. In the early 199Q's the Maintenance Division
modernized its computer based maintenance management system by implementing the Hansen
Infrastructure Management System (IMS). The Hansen database contains information about all
of the assets we are responsible for maintaining except building, fleet and trees. Hansen is fully
integrated with the City's Geographic Information System. It is used by staff throughout the
Division on a daily basis. The Hansen IMS allows easy access to information pertaining to the
condition of and maintenance work performed on discrete components (Le., street segment,
manhole, etc.) of each infrastructure class. We also use it to track Customer Service Requests
and the subsequent Work Orders. To date we have not used the IMS for predictive or forecasting
purposes. However, we recently implemented a Pavement Management System module which
provides a rational decision making tool for prioritizing street capital projects. This
enhancement of the Hansen IMS is one of three actions currently underway to improve
management of City assets. The Council adopted budget for the current year includes funding for
the two other tasks: (1) Preparation of a Building Conditions Report which supports an outcome
("Re-establish a commitment to the preservation of City buildings") from the last Council Goal
Setting session; and (2) development of a work plan to implement an Asset Management System.
This work plan will provide the framework work to: assess the physical condition of the
infrastructure systems; prioritize the tasks needed to achieve and attain a sustainable
infrastructure; and (3) identify the resource requirements for infrastructure preservation.
Mr. Black displayed a power point presentation on the Hansen IMS. He discussed the many uses
of the Hansen IMS and ways the City could use this program in the future. Inspections ofthe
street infrastructure were done every two years and were used for planning and budgeting
projects. Pavement inspections included information on cracking, raveling and base failure. He
referred to a power point photo of the forms and reports generated by IMS. Those reports were a
tool in determining work to be done on the different streets. He discussed the amount of
maintenance done using Springfield fuel tax dollars. The Hansen IMS was used by supervisors,
line staff and managers. He noted the many benefits of the system.
Mr. Black discussed the funding Council had authorized for maintenance of buildings. At that
time, the City hired a consultant to evaluate the buildings in the City and prioritize them for
rehabilitation and preservation. He referred to a slide showing a report for the Maintenance
Building and noted that this type of report was available on all ten City owned buildings,
including the Museum. This was another tool to assist Council in determining where funds could
be spent.
Mr. Black spoke about an Asset Management System. This would need to be defined for the
City of Springfield. It could be long term or day-to-day. He read the defmition from the United
State Department of Transportation. Council would be making that determination at some point.
He spoke on the issue of the risks involved if the City's assets were not managed. Staff would be
coming back to Council for guidance on this issue.
Councilor Woodrow asked if the City had their own certified mechanics to perform maintenance
on their vehicles.
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Council Work Session Minutes
October 16, 2006
Page 4
Mr. Black said the City had certified mechanics for all vehicles other than the fire and ambulance
vehicles, which were sent out for servicing.
Councilor Woodrow congratulated staff on this program and system.
Mayor Leiken discussed the street fund issue. He said he appreciated staff explaining
preservation and making it understandable to the Council and public. He appreciated all the
work staff had done and he complimented staff on putting out the signs that noted the work being
done using the fuel tax funds. He said he had heard compliments about the condition of the
streets in Springfield.
Councilor Lundberg asked for clarification on the $18,000 Council approved for a consultant.
She asked if the consultant was to determine future needs and ifthat information would be
incorporated into the current Hansen system.
Mr. Black said the $18,000 was devoted to buildings and buildings were not currently in the
Hansen system. He said they could make a decision in the future to add the buildings into the
system. He said the assessment of the ten buildings was a great product and that could be rolled
into a fully integrated system.
Councilor Lundberg referred to the Museum and opportunities for grants to Museums. She
would like that those types of funds to be explored.
Mr. Black said prior to the completion of the study, staff didn't know the condition of the
buildings. This assessment showed what could be done and areas that could be eligible for
funding.
Councilor Pishioneri asked if the system codes were taught to City staff so they could make
future assessments.
Mr. Black said the Executive Team (ET) gave him direction on this project. They decided to pay
the consultant $18,000 a year every five years. In the interim years, City staff that had been
trained in the system would perform the evaluations. If there were areas of concern, staff could
contact the consultant.
Councilor Pishioneri asked why the professional was still needed every five years.
Mr. Black said they were not under contract with the consultant, so it could be considered after
five years. He felt, however, that it was valuable to have a professional come in every five years.
Discussion was held regarding the large asset value of the City.
Councilor Ballew said the system seemed like a great database and she wondered if warranties
could also be tracked in this system. Yes. She asked how staff were made aware of potholes.
Mr. Conlon said the road crew went out every Friday with cold mix to take care of any potholes.
During last winter, they had only 15 customer service requests for potholes.
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Council Work Session Minutes
October 16, 2006
Page 5
Councilor Ballew said some citizens may not know to call public works when they fmd a pothole
and it could be beneficial to get that word out.
Mr. Black said notices had gone out to the public to notify the Public Works Department
regarding potholes.
Mr. Conlon said the crew also got out in the summer to make those repairs. He discussed work
being done on 22nd Avenue.
Councilor Ballew said it could be beneficial to have the Springfield News list items citizens
should contact public works about, such as potholes and cracked roads.
Mr. Black said a survey was taken every two years for some ofthe other repair issues, but it
would be helpful to get immediate feedback from the public.
Councilor Lundberg thanked staff for their work and for repairing potholes quickly.
Councilor Pishioneri said public works had done a great job and were very responsive.
Mr. Black said staff would come back again in about six months to update Council on
infrastructure.
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned at approximately 6:59 pm.
Minutes Recorder - Amy Sowa
Attest:
~~Jro~
City Recorder