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HomeMy WebLinkAbout01/18/2005 Work Session " 1- . . . City of Springfield Work Session Meeting MINUTES OF THE WORK SESSION MEETING OF THE SPRINGFIELD CITY COUNCIL HELD TUESDAY, JANUARY 18,2005. The City of Springfield council met in a work session in the Jesse Maine Meeting Room, 225 Fifth Street, Springfield, Oregon, on Tuesday, January 18,2005 at 5:30 p.m., with Mayor Leiken presiding. ATTENDANCE Present were Mayor Leiken and Councilors Woodrow, Ballew, Ralston, and Fitch. Also present were City Manager Mike Kelly, Assistant City Manager Cynthia Pappas, City Attorney Joe Leahy, City Recorder Amy Sowa and members of the staff. Councilors Lundberg and Pishioneri were absent (excused). 1. Justice Center Facility Planning. Project Manager Carole Knape1 presented the staff report on this item. On November 2, 2004, the citizens of Springfield approved Measure 20-91 to provide for the design and construction of a new Justice Center Facility. This facility will house the Police Department, Municipal Court, Prosecutor's Office and proposed Municipal Jail. Work on this project must begin immediately. Staff has developed proposed schedules which identify the work tasks for this project. One of these schedules (Attachment B - Project Timeline, included in the agenda packet) sets forth the overall plan for the project, including design, construction and occupancy of the new facility. The second document (Attachment C - Detailed Six-Month Schedule included in the agenda packet) provides more detailed work activities and a schedule for the time remaining in this fiscal year. In order for the project to proceed expeditiously, those work items which are included in the detailed schedule and work plan should begin immediately. These tasks include the selection of a Citizen Advisory Committee, selection of a project architect and the identification of site planning issues. Measure 20-91 provided for a bond for the cost of design and construction of the new Justice Center Facility. Three initial tasks are recommended to commence in order for work on this project to begin. Funding for each of these activities is provided in the bond. Ms. Knape1 said the information prepared for council outlines the work staff needs to do to get started with the project as approved by the voters. Construction will be done in two phases. The Police Department is hesitant to go into any temporary facilities, so the fIrst phase would be to build the portion of the facility the Police Department could move into, demolish the existing facility and the second phase would be construction of the remaining portion of the building. She discussed the immediate tasks as listed in the agenda packet. She described the process involved with each task. The city has submitted an application to the National Institute of Corrections for representatives of the city to attend a training session in Colorado. This training could provide some valuable information regarding the facility. Mayor Leiken asked council to keep the questions to the topic of the building and not to the operations ofthe jail. Councilor Ballew asked about the selection of the bond counsel and the schedule regarding issuing bonds. City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes January 18,2005 Page 2 . Ms. Knapel said once the architect is chosen, a more detailed schedule could be created. That would give council and staff a better idea of when to expend funds for the design and construction of the building. Staff proposed choosing a Bond Counsel to get started with the process and decide how to sell the bonds. She deferred to Finance Director Bob Duey for further detail. Mr. Duey said he hopes to continue to use Western Financial, the fmancial advisor the city has used for a number of years. It would be best to have just one advisor for the city. Councilor Ballew said she wants the bonds and expenditures to coordinate. Mr. Duey clarified the role of the bond counsel. Councilor Woodrow asked how many people would be on the Citizen Advisory Committee (CAe). Ms. Knape1 said that would be something for the council to determine. . Mr. Kelly said this work session is a time to look at the journey and the timeline. Once the architect is chosen, it will be approximately 12-15 months before preliminary drawings are available. It could be as much as four years before the facility is built and operational. It is important for the council and community to know that. To start that timeline, it will be important to form the CAC, choose the architect and develop a detailed site plan. If council were to agree that these are the initial steps, staff would bring it back for further discussion with more detail. Council could determine the constituency of the CAC tonight if they would like or wait until a future council meeting. It would also be up to the council to determine the scope, powers and duties of the CAC. Those things need to be determined before we advertise for this committee so applicants would know how long they would be involved. Staff could come back with suggestions and options for council consideration. The public safety facility will be a significant building in downtown Springfield. In the past, council instructed that the core of the CAC would include three or four members of the Police Planning Task Force (PPTF). Councilor Fitch said she would like the advisory committee to be advisory to council. She would like all PPTF members to have the opportunity to serve, but suggested looking at their backgrounds to make sure we get diverse representation for the positions. She said that twelve would be a good number for the committee, but anything over sixteen would be too many. There may be some on the PPTF who do not want to commit to this CAC. She said there will be a lot of interest from the community for this committee. Council would need to determine whether or not the CAC would help with the choice of architect. CAC could give good insight on site planning and appearance of the building. The timeline needs to move along sooner than later, and she would like to see the CAC formed as soon as possible. This group may have time off from time to time as different phases are completed, but the duration on the CAC would be through the completion of the project. . Councilor Ballew said this would be the most significant public building in downtown. It is nice to have a lot of people involved, but a committee becomes less efficient with too many people. She suggested an odd number of members under ten. Because this is a community project, the CAC needs good representation from the whole community. She suggested including members with expertise from building, architectural or landscaping. Further discussion was held regarding members from the PPTF being a part of this CAC. City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes January 18,2005 Page 3 . Mayor Leiken said it was important to make sure it was a community wide committee. The Political Action Committee (PAC) members were from all areas of the community. He agreed that the committee should not be too large. He asked about the number of members on the L TD committees. Nine or ten is a good number. He said once the CAC is together it is key to stick with the timeline. He said he doesn't want to have to come back to the public needing more funding because construction costs increased too much over time. However, the public must know that this can not be built overnight. It is important that this building is built to last for a long time. Councilor Fitch said because of the significance of the building, she suggested having representation from council on the CAC to update council regularly on the progress. Councilor Ballew suggested publicity as milestones of the project are reached so the community can see what is happening. Councilor Woodrow said he currently sits on the PPTF and would volunteer to serve as the council representative for the Public Safety Facility CAC. Council consensus was for Councilor Woodrow to be the representative on the CAC. . Mr. Kelly said staff would provide council more details through a Communication Packet memo or a future work session in the near future. Staff will work to begin advertising for the CAC positions as soon as possible. Tonight was a chance for council to give staff direction that the three steps outlined during the work session were appropriate. 2. McKenzie Watershed Emergency Response System (MWERS). Fire Chief Dennis Murphy presented the staff report on this item. The Fire & Life Safety Department participates in an interagency response team to protect the McKenzie River watershed from damage resulting from accidental or intentional release of hazardous materials. This watershed provides the largest source of water supply for Springfield and Eugene. Council will hear details of the history and potential for emergency incidents on the McKenzie and learn details regarding the McKenzie Watershed Emergency Response System (MWERS). The Department of Fire & Life Safety participated in a joint Homeland Security grant with EWEB, Upper McKenzie Fire District, and McKenzie Fire Rescue. The department then joined with numerous agencies to create the McKenzie Watershed Emergency Response System (MWERS). According to the State Fire Marshal, 90 hazardous materials incidents occurred in the McKenzie Watershed between 1986 and 2002. Over 83% involved petroleum products and the balance were other chemicals with the most frequent cause being a traffic accident. . An equipment trailer and all related training, equipment and supplies for the department have been paid for by a Homeland Security grant ($100,000). This grant did not require matching money from the city. There is no short term financial impact. Long-term, the department will have the marginal cost of maintaining special training. Since there is no guarantee that Homeland Security grants will continue, there is the possibility that the city may need to replace equipment when it wears out (5-10 years or more). City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes January 18,2005 Page 4 . Chief Murphy said that Mayor Leiken, because of his connection with Homeland Security, and Councilor Woodrow, as representative on McKenzie Watershed Councilor, have been briefed on this item. The Fire and Life Department is not only responsible for the safety of life and property and emergency medical, but they are also responsible for environmental issues. Fire and Life Safety has several environmental programs. The first program is prevention in the Hazardous Materials Control Program. Controlled substances are in set locations and that is monitored. The second program is the First Response Operations Level, which is used to evacuate and contain if possible hazardous materials. The good news is the new McKenzie Watershed Emergency Response System (MWERS) which has been formed. He referred to two notebooks on display: McKenzie Watershed Emergency Response Plan and the Citizen Task Force. Chief Murphy referred to the grants received through Homeland Security for the equipment for MWERS. With the exception of the watershed protection equipment, most of the equipment purchased with the grant money would have been General Fund expenditures. He gave examples. He introduced Karl Morgenstern, Drinking Water Source Protection Coordinator from Eugene Water and Electric Board (EWEB) who was instrumental in writing the MWERS plan notebook. EWEB was in the coordinating role of this project. Chief Murphy also introduced Dana Burwell, Battalion Chief in Operations from Springfield Fire and Life Safety. Mr. Burwell is also the Assistant Chief of the McKenzie Fire and Rescue, a volunteer fire department that is a co-equal participant in the lower and middle McKenzie Watershed. Mr. Burwell has been pivotal in getting all fire departments cooperating in this project. . Chief Murphy said we are getting a high level of protection at a low cost. This system is an example for the state and others from around the state are looking at it as a model. An act of terrorism is less likely in our area, but the real threat is the petroleum products that are trucked along the McKenzie River daily. The equipment and training received through these grants will keep such spills from getting to the water supply or at the least away from the drinking water supply. The personnel and equipment will be ready for use. This system rallies all sources for help when needed. There is no duplication in this process. He referred to the many organizations involved in this project and other waterways that need protection. This response plan can be applied to those areas as well. Chief Murphy referred to Attachment B included in the agenda packet which depicted a slide show of the plan. The purpose of this plan is to understand the threats, identify the resources, create response strategies and provide the training, equipment and support. The participating agencies were listed on page 2 of Attachment B in the agenda packet. Although these agencies are not clean-up contractors, they can contain spills to keep them away from critical resources and drinking water facilities. Chief Murphy said the equipment was located in the parking area below the building for council to see following his presentation. He described the equipment and training. Tonight's presentation was informational only. Councilor Ballew asked how they are notified when an incident occurs. Chief Murphy said if it is a traffic accident or similar accident, 9-1-1 is contacted and the agencies are then notified. He also discussed cooperation with the City of Springfield's public works department in responding to these spills. . Councilor Ballew asked who made up the Region 6 Hazmat Team. . City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes January 18,2005 Page 5 Mr. Burwell said Region 6 is the Eugene/Springfield area. The Hazmat Team is based out of Eugene Station Number 6 which is located across the freeway from Gateway. The Mayor and council went to view the equipment in the parking lot. Mr. Burwell explained the equipment to the Mayor and council. Mayor Leiken said we are fortunate this area is spending the Homeland Security grant money on worthwhile equipment and training. During the meetings he attended for the Domestic Preparedness Group in Salem, it was discussed that many small communities that receive grant money do not know how to spend it. Those in Washington D.C. who award the grants see that smaller communities aren't spending the grant money and assume they do not need additional funds. Larger cities spend the funds they receive. The funding source is depleting, so it is important to capitalize on the grants that are available. He discussed ecoterrorism that is more prevalent in Western states. Our whole community can benefit from this Emergency Plan. 3. 2005-2010 Capital Improvement Program. City Engineer Al Peroutka and Jeff Paschall presented the staff report on this item. The Springfield 2005-2010 Capital Improvement Program (CIP) has been drafted by staff, reviewed by the Planning Commission, and is now being forwarded to the City Council for their review and comments prior to a scheduled Public Hearing at their February 7, 2005 regular meeting. . The Springfield 2005-2010 Capital Improvement Program (CIP) was reviewed at the Planning Commission's January 4,2005 meeting. The commission recommended council approval of the plan. A review of the CIP reveals that there have only been a few new projects proposed in the next five years of programmed funding, however there is a great deal of infrastructure development in the "pipeline", i.e. already budgeted and awaiting staff design, bidding and construction. The larger projects in the pipeline, along with their projected annual maintenance impacts, are listed in the Council Briefing Memorandum, included in the agenda packet. One funding issue which has not yet been addressed in the CIP is a shortfall of approximately $1 million in budgeted funds for the trunk sewer in MLK Jr. Parkway which will serve RiverBend, the Gateway Special Light Industrial area, and surrounding areas. The budget allocation for the proj ect was set at $1.2 million, however based on bidding for the first phase of this deep sewer work, it appears the overall project cost will be close to $2.2 million. Before the second project phase is brought to the council for award, staff will provide a recommendation to the council about how to cover this shortfall. Options being looked at include: 1) negotiating changes to the PeaceHealth annexation agreement to modify the cost sharing in that agreement; 2) transferring funding from the $1.35 million which has been set aside for the Jasper Sewer Extension for several years; and 3) borrowing funding through the State infrastructure loan programs. Mr. Paschall noted the biggest difference in this year's CIP compared to last year's CIP. The Project Program total is $67 million, which is due in part from the addition ofthe Justice Center Facility at $28 million and the Gas Tax allowing an increase in funding for street projects. There are not a lot of new projects in the CIP. He gave a brief description of some of the new projects. . Mr. Peroutka referred to the map on the wall regarding the projects that are planned (depicted in red) and projects currently in process (depicted in green). He discussed another project included in the CIP regarding cleaning of the catch basins along Main Street and A Street. In an agreement signed with the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) nearly thirty years City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes January 18,2005 Page 6 . ago, it was understood that the city had the responsibility of cleaning the catch basins, but it wasn't discovered until recently that the city also had the responsibility of cleaning the trunk lines. Over the years from not being cleaned, this has now become a large project. In the first draft of the CIP, staff set aside $100,000 a year over the five year period from the storm user fees to clean out that system. Councilor Ballew asked which sections of Main Street and South A Street it included. Mr. Peroutka said it was the entire length of Main Street and South A Street. The city doesn't have the equipment or personnel for this project, so it will need to be contracted out. Councilor Fitch asked how this was missed. Mr. Peroutka said it was a misinterpretation nearly thirty years ago when the original agreement was signed. While researching the matrix it was found that the city had assumed that responsibility. Maintenance staff did not realize that over the years. Maintenance Supervisor Brian Conlon said ODOT was not clear on the original agreement. Councilor Fitch asked why the city is picking up the tab and not splitting the cost with ODOT. Mr. Conlon said after researching the documents, it became clearer that it was the city's responsibility. . Mr. Brown explained the history of the agreement and the matrix provided to the city. ODOT staff and city engineering staff came together to look over the agreement when it became a matter of dispute. It had gotten lost with personnel changes over the years. Mr. Peroutka said that money was pulled from the CIP because staff determined the Main Street cleaning project was more of an operational expense rather than a capital improvement project. That has left $100,000 a year for 5 years left in the Future Projects fund. Staff will come to council regarding rates for storm sewer in the near future with a couple of options. The first option would be to take the $100,000 from the CIP and increase the capital transfer by that much to fund the operational expense for this project so there would not be a large rate impact. The other option would be to keep the $100,000 a year in the CIP and raise the rates to fund this project. There may be a need to keep the $100,000 a year in the CIP due to the possible agreement on the Gray/Jaqua property which had some obligations for infrastructure included. Councilor Ralston confirmed that this is not on the CIP list. He asked how large the pipe was along that stretch of road. Mr. Conlon said it was an average of eighteen inches. Councilor Ralston asked if it would require tearing up the road or use of a mechanical device to run through the pipe. Mr. Conlon said it would require high velocity cleaning and vacuuming. . Mr. Brown said in the budget proposal for the next fiscal year, they would include the proposal for the $100,000. City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes January 18,2005 Page 7 . Councilor Fitch said because it has been so many years since any cleaning out has been done on these pipes, we do not know what kind of damage there may be on the pipes. She asked if there was a way they could know if there was substantial damage. Mr. Conlon said there are some unknowns, but staff is secure that the pipes are in good shape because of the type of pipes used. There would be some sign on the streets above if there was damage. Councilor Fitch said she would be concerned that the amount funded would be enough in case there is damage. She would like them to do testing. Mr. Conlon confirmed they would do testing and any damage would be indicated immediately. . Mr. Peroutka said the CIP does not solve a $1 million shortfall in the trunk sewer system in MLK Parkway serving the RiverBend area, the Gateway Special Light Industrial area and some of the surrounding area. He explained the shortfall as described in the AIS included in the agenda packet. Bids are out for the biggest package of work and staff should know by the end of the month how close the bids are to their estimate. One of the reasons for the shortfall includes construction costs in general in the local area have risen sharply due to the amount of construction occurring Previously, staff brought forward bids on this project, but recommended council reject all bids due to low turnout of bids (only two) and the high bid amounts. Another reason costs have increased is that deep sewer work includes a lot of risk and many local contractors are just now compensating themselves for that high risk. He described some of the options available to help with this shortfall as set forth in the AIS in the agenda packet. His recommendation would be to use money already available from the Jasper Road Extension fund and borrow money in the future for the Jasper Road Extension if needed. The Mayor had indicated there may be some future funding options from the state for JRE. Mayor Leiken said he talked with Bob Warren of the Oregon Economic and Community Development Department (OECDD). OECDD could come forth with a loan or if there were development opportunities in that area, OECDD could supply infrastructure. The second phase of the Jasper Road Extension (JRE) may take a long time to complete. It may be worth using some of the $1.35 million that is set aside for JRE and use it for the MLK Parkway Sewer line. It makes more sense to move the money to where it is needed now. Councilor Ballew had no objection to that, but asked if there was any other project that was a higher priority than the MLK sewer line that may need funding. Mr. Peroutka said the budget was increased for the pump station project. Councilor Ballew asked what percentage of increase they were seeing regarding construction costs. Mr. Peroutka said nationally the increase is about six to seven percent, but locally the increase is much higher. There is a lot of construction occurring now and scheduled for the next couple of years in this area. Mayor Leiken said he knows the city tries to use local contractors as much as possible, but asked if staff had looked for contractors outside of the Eugene/Springfield area. . Mr. Peroutka said they do advertise outside of the area and occasionally get bids from outside the area. Local contractors can usually still beat a bid from an outside contractor. City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes January 18,2005 Page 8 . Mayor Leiken said he asked because, although we do want to give jobs to local contractors, ultimately the city is responsible to the taxpayers and needs to look for the best possible price. Mr. Peroutka agreed. Councilor Ralston asked for an update on Grandview Estates. Mr. Peroutka said construction would be starting this summer. Staff will bring a supplemental budget transfer during this fiscal year to allow construction to begin. Councilor Ralston asked where they would be getting the money for that project. Mr. Peroutka said it would be coming from reserves. Councilor Fitch said occasionally things are out of our control. She said she doesn't want to take all of the JRE funds, but is not opposed to use what we need for something that is ready to go now. She also suggested looking at the agreement with PeaceHealth to see if there is something that could be worked out with them for additional funds transferred. She discussed the high increase in construction costs. Mr. Peroutka said staff made their estimates on recent projects done a few years ago including inflation factors and contingency factors, but their estimates were still very low. Councilor Fitch asked if the sewer portion was being bid separately. . Mr. Peroutka said the trunk line has been bid with a portion of the storm sewer. Councilor Fitch asked if anyone was interested in the whole project and if that could be beneficial. Mr. Peroutka said it would be a scheduling issue and would add to the road construction timeline. Mayor Leiken asked if they have talked with PeaceHealth about this project and the possibility of a trade within the agreement to offset these costs. Mr. Peroutka said they have approached the subject, but have not spoken with them further. Councilor Ballew said it could be worth some discussion with PeaceHea1th as far as a trade of some kind. Discussion was held regarding options with PeaceHealth. Councilor Ralston asked what OM&P stood for on the 21 st Street Reconstruction. Mr. Peroutka said it stood for Operation, Maintenance and Preservation. Councilor Ralston asked about easement issues on 21 sl Street to make room for sidewalks. . Mr. Peroutka said they would have to buy some right-of-way in some sections ofthe road. Councilor Ralston asked if purchase of easements was built into the funding. Yes. City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes January 18,2005 Page 9 . Councilor Ballew asked if 21 st Street would be widened. Mr. Peroutka said it would be widened. Councilor Fitch asked about the cleaning of the trunk line along Main Street and South A Street. She said because it is an existing roadway, it would be appropriate to consider raising fees to assist in covering the cost of funding that project. Mr. Peroutka said thirty-five cents per $100,000 is the estimate staff is considering. Councilor Ballew said it would continue to be an ongoing maintenance. Mayor Leiken asked Ms. Pappas to check with Representative Beyer to see if there is any legislation out there involving a statewide gas tax increase that may come to the city. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 6:50 pm. Minutes Recorder - Amy Sowa ". . Attest: 04~ Amy So City Recorder .