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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: City of Springfield 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. City of Springfield 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. City of Springfield 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. City of Springfield 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