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HomeMy WebLinkAbout05/05/2008 Regular City of Springfield Regular Meeting MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE SPRINGFIELD CITY COUNCIL HELD MONDAY, MAY 5, 2008 The City of Springfield Council met in regular session in the Council Meeting Room, 225 Fifth Street, Springfield, Oregon, on Monday, May 5, 2008 at 7:08 p.m., with Mayor Leiken presiding. ATIENDANCE Present were Mayor Leiken and Councilors Lundberg, Wylie, Ballew, Ralston, and Woodrow. Also present were City Manager Gino Grimaldi, Assistant City Manager Jeff Towery, City Attorney Matt Cox, City Recorder Amy Sowa and members of the staff. Councilor Pishioneri was absent (excused). PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Mayor Leiken. SPRINGFIELD UPBEAT City Manager Gino Grimaldi acknowledged both Curtis Bierman and Ray Brunton for their 35 years of service with the Fire and Life Safety Department. He noted that the firefighters had their families in the audience. He acknowledged the sacrifices made by the family members which allowed the firefighters to serve this community and that were truly appreciated. 1. Employee Recognition - Curtis Bierman, Fire and Life Safety, 35 Years of Service. Mr. Grimaldi called forward Curtis Bierman. Captain Bierman introduced his family. Mr. Grimaldi discussed some of Captain Bierman's past accomplishments and some of the changes he had noticed over the last 35 years. Mr. Grimaldi presented Captain Bierman with a plaque acknowledging his years of service. 2. Employee Recognition - Ray Brunton, Fire and Life Safety, 35 Years of Service. Mr. Grimaldi called forward Ray Brunton. Mr. Brunton introduced his family. Mr. Grimaldi discussed some of Mr. Brunton's past accomplishments, some of the changes he had noticed over the last 35 years, and some of the significant events that he had been involved with over the years. Mr. Grimaldi presented Mr. Brunton with a plaque acknowledging his years of service. Mayor Leiken said he often heard how Springfield's Fire and Life Safety Department was highly regarded and recognized, not only throughout Oregon, but also nationally. He thanked the firefighters for their ongoing commitment to the Springfield Fire and Life Safety Department. 3. Thurston High School Cheerleaders Recognition. Mayor Leiken asked James Underwood, coach of the Thurston High School (THS) Cheerleaders squad, ifhewould like to say a few words. City of Springfield Council Regular Meeting Minutes May 5, 2008 Page 2 Mr. Underwood said THS had the largest co-ed cheerleading squad in Oregon with fourteen males on the team. He commended the students and the culture of the school for their acceptance of the co-ed team members. He noted that nine former THS cheerleaders had gone on to cheer at the college level. He commended Julie Andrus, former THS cheerleading coach, for laying the foundation for a great cheerleading squad. Mayor Leiken said he wanted to acknowledge and congratulate the Thurston High School Cheerleaders for their many accomplishments during this school year. He read off some of the awards that the Thurston Cheerleaders had received this year. Springfield and Thurston had the top cheerleading squads around the state. CONSENT CALENDAR. IT WAS MOVED BY COUNCILOR LUNDBERG WITH A SECOND BY COUNCILOR WOODROW TO APPROVE THE CONSENT CALENDAR. THE MOTION PASSED WITH A VOTE OF 5 FOR AND 0 AGAINST (1 Absent - Pishioneri). 1. Claims 2. Minutes a. April 21, 2008 - Work Session b. April 21, 2008 - Regular Meeting c. April 28, 2008 - Work Session 3. Resolutions a. RESOLUTION NO. 08-15 - A RESOLUTION OF THE COMMON COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SPRINGFIELD CERTIFYING ELIGmILITY FOR STATE SHARED REVENUES FROM CIGARETIE, GAS AND LIQUOR TAXES. b. RESOLUTION NO. 08-16 - A RESOLUTION TO ACCEPT PERMIT PROJECT P30518, SOREN MEADOW. 4. Ordinances 5. Other Routine Matters a. Approval to Accept Financial Reports for March 31, 2008. ITEMS REMOVED PUBLIC HEARINGS - Please limit comments to 3 minutes. Request to speak cards are available at both entrances. Please present cards to City Recorder. Speakers may not yield their time to others. 1. Pioneer Parkway EmX Corridor 30% Design Approval. RESOLUTION NO. 08-17 - A RESOLUTION APPROVING 30 PERCENT DESIGN FOR THE PIONEER P ARKW A Y BUS RAPID TRANSIT EMX CORRIDOR City of Springfield Council Regular Meeting Minutes May 5, 2008 Page 3 Mayor Leiken recused himself because of a conflict of interest. The EmX line was scheduled to go next to the location of the new Liberty Bank headquarters and his wife is a regional manager employed by Liberty Bank. Council President Lundberg presided over this portion of the meeting. Transportation Manager Tom Boyatt presented the staffreport on this item. On February 4, February 19, and April 14, 2008 the Council was presented with the EmX 30% Plans corridor review to highlight the proposed treatment of issues including but not limited to impacts to private properties, loss of on-street parking, and changes to the Pioneer Parkway and International Way corridors. The attached Draft Resolution approving the Pioneer Parkway EmX 30% design was included in the agenda packet for Council consideration. Approval of the EmX 30% design is based on the plan sets reviewed by Council at the February and April work sessions. While many issues have been addressed during these work sessions it is understood that 30% Design is not final design detail and is therefore still conceptual. As noted in the Draft Resolution approving the EmX 30% Design, Council directs staff to complete [mal design review through the City's Public Improvement Plan process. In this process the City Engineer will approve [mal plans and specifications for the Parkway EmX Project. Exhibit A to the Draft Resolution is a set of project conditions that Council may wish to incorporate into the EmX 30% design approval. Condition # 1 covers what have been termed "project betterments" throughout the review of this project. These include LTD provision of signal software, improved pedestrian crossing treatments, and roadway improvements in the vicinity of Parkway/OR 126/Q Street. The project betterments are designed to mitigate impacts to roadway operations and safety that result from the introduction of the EmX system into the roadway network. Not included on this list is the conversion of the right turn lane from Q St. westbound to Parkway northbound to a shared through/right lane. This project can be completed at a later date by the City. Geometrically, space will be available for the conversion, and operationally traffic staff will have had the opportunity to assess roadway operations post EmX opening. Condition #2 relates to EmX bus routing north of the RiverBend Medical Center until the 'Northeast Link' is constructed. Condition #3 addresses Council's desire to further consult with LID and ODOT on the need for new bike lanes on Pioneer Parkway in addition to those already provided by the Rosa Parks Path. Mr. Boyatt referred to Exhibit A of Attachment A which included a list of betterments. The fifth bullet listed the addition of a northbound right turn lane at Pioneer Parkway and Q Street. Staff and LTD had discussed the cost of that project and the possibility of recommending Council put a cap on LID's contribution to that project. Additional language with a cap of $250,000 had been prepared by staff if Council chose to include that. City staff was confident that lane could be built for that cost. The majority ofthe roadway improvements listed were in the ODOT right-of-way, so there was another step to go through on these which included a traffic analysis and.analyzing each of the betterments with ODOT to make sure they were acceptable with the state system. As they went through that process, modifications or changes could need to be made to the betterments in order to get them approved. It was noted at the bottom of the list that the "City understands that many of these improvements will need to be approved by ODOr'. Staff would work through that process and to make substitute betterments if necessary that would bring equal to or better mitigation to the road system. City of Springfield . Council Regular Meeting Minutes May 5, 2008 Page 4 Councilor Ralston asked about the HAWK signal. Mr. Boyatt said the HAWK signal had been removed from the list. Council President Lundberg opened the public hearing. 1. Mike Eyster, 825 Willicade Court, Springfield, Oregon. Mr. Eyster said he was the Vice President on the L TD Board and represented the west area of Springfield. He thanked Council for their careful review of the Pioneer Parkway EmX. The Board appreciated the partnership with the City of Springfield on this project, starting with the selection of the corridor in 2001 and continuing through this last Council action before the project receives its [mal design and construction. He said the Board urged Council to approve the project. The Pioneer Parkway EmX would provide improved transportation options for Springfield residents, add transportation capacity to a congested area, and support Spri~gfield's economic development efforts. EmX was a system that provided immediate value and would provide even greater value as the system and the community continued to grow. Many businesses were anxiously awaiting this new service. Council's approval would allow the project to remain on schedule for a late 2010 opening. The Pioneer Parkway EmX project brought with it $35M in discretionary state and federal funds, which would provide immediate economic benefit to the community during a time of economic slow growth. He thanked Council for the opportunity to testify. 2. Phillip Farrington, Director of Land Use Planning, PeaceHealth, 123 International Way, Springfield, Oregon. Mr. Farrington encouraged Council to approve the thirty percent design. It had been a long process, with more to come, but it was a worthwhile service. PeaceHealth employees and visitors at Sacred Heart Medical Center at RiverBend would benefit from this . service. The sooner this project could proceed, the better. Council President Lundberg closed the public hearing. Councilor Woodrow asked if the issue with McKenzie Mist had been resolved. Mr. Boyatt spoke first of the Willamette Valley A wards issue. He then noted that the issue with McKenzie Mist was that there were two driveways and ODOT's decision was to consolidate those two driveways. Councilor Lundberg said during this process she had many issues and many opportunities for input. She felt that EmX was a feather in our cap and Springfield was being more progressive in terms of public transit, altemative modes of transportation, and providing employer based mechanisms to get people back and forth. The City had wanted the best design that satisfied everyone as much as possible, for businesses to thrive, pedestrians to be safe on the roads, and the City to be proud of as a community. She was pleased to be to this point. There would be many opportunities for additional public input. She was happy this was moving forward; this would be a system the community could be proud of. She thanked everyone for all of their work on this project. IT WAS MOVED BY COUNCILOR WOODROW WITH A SECOND BY COUNCILOR WYLIE TO ADOPT RESOLUTION NO. 08-17. THE MOTION PASSED WITH A VOTE OF 5 FOR AND 0 AGAINST (1 Absent - Pishioneri). City of Springfield Council Regular Meeting Minutes May 5, 2008 Page 5 . Mr. Grimaldi confirmed that the resolution was adopted with the change noted by Mr. Boyatt regarding the $250,000 cap. That was correct and all councilors agreed. Mayor Leiken rejoined the meeting. Mayor Leiken thanked the L TD staff and City staff for working with the property owners. Their sensitivity to that meant a great deal to our community. This was a good collaboration. 2. Fiscal Year 2008-2009 One- Year Action Plan of the Eugene-Springfield Consolidated Plan for Housing and Community Development (City of Springfield Section). Housing Manager Kevin Ko presented the staff report on this item. The City of Springfield receives Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds as an entitlement community and HOME Investment Partnerships Program (HOME) funds as a participant in a HOME consortium agreement with the City of Eugene. CDBG funds are awarded to communities who carry out community development activities directed towards neighborhood revitalization, economic development,' and the provision of improved community facilities and services. HOME funding is a housing block grant program allocated to communities to be used for housing rehabilitation, new construction, acquisition and tenant based rental assistance activities. A public hearing was held on April 21, 2008, to hear testimony on nine applications for CDBG or HOME funding. Council approved funding for all nine projects. At a work session on April 21, 2008, Council directed staff to investigate the viability of using CDBG and HOME funds to provide limited relocation assistance to mobile home park residents facing forced eviction. Although there are currently no plans for any mobile home park closure in Springfield, the growth and redevelopment of much of the urban core of the city seems to make mobile home park closures a certainty in the future. The Council felt that it is in the community's best interest to begin discussing and analyzing the options and resources available. Under most circumstances relocation assistance by the City will be provided on a voluntary basis, and not as a required action under the Uniform Relocation Act, CDBG or HOME statutes. At this time, it is unclear how and in what capacity CDBG and/or HOME funds will be used to assist with relocation, but general relocation assistance as a possible activity is being included in this Action Plan as an amendment to the current Consolidated Plan. The FY2008-2009 One Year Action Plan includes the CDBG and HOME funding allocations for projects and activities and must be approved by both the City of Springfield and City of Eugene prior to submission to HUD. The City of Springfield section of the document (less final fund allocations) was available for a thirty-day review and comment period ending May 5,2008. As of April 23rd, no written comments have been received. Oral testimony may be provided at a public hearing before the Council on May 5, 2008. The City of Eugene section of the Plan is being adopted separately by the Eugene City Council. The combined Eugene-Springfield One- Year Action Plan is due to HUD on May 15,2008. Mr. Ko referred to page 10 of attachment A in the agenda packet. One of the activities listed there was the Neighborhood Revitalization Strategy Area (NRSA) designation. Adding this was not committing the City or the Council to anything, but was required by HUD to be in our action plan if we 'were even considering this designation. There was additional information on the NRSA in the Communication Packet. City of Springfield Council Regular Meeting Minutes May 5, 2008 Page 6 Councilor Ballew said she was interested in knowing how the parameters of a proposed NRSA were determined. Mr. Ko said the NRSA did not identify individual houses or structures, but rather neighborhoods that could use economic and social redevelopment and reinvestments through the CDBG funds. The area needed to include primarily low-income housing and had to be primarily residential. Downtown was included because most of the commercial and economic development would occur in that section and would impact the neighbors to the north. There was no indication this was a distressed area, but was an area that had potential for further economic and social redevelopment. Mr. Ko referred to page 11 of attachment 1, regarding relocation assistance. At Council's April 21,2008 work session, discussion was held regarding relocation assistance for mobile home park residents. In order for Council and the City to consider using CDBG or HOME funds for these activities, it must be in the action plan. It didn't commit the City to anything. Mayor Leiken asked about the Brownfields Economic Development Initiative (BEDI) grant. Mr. Ko said he had not heard back yet on that grant. Mayor Leiken said there had been discussion about Springfield being a pilot inclusionary zone on a volunteer basis. He asked if these could be part of additional resources. He asked if Mr. Ko could provide that information to Council later in a Communication Packet memo. He would like to look into it more. Mr. Ko said it could be a good item for next year's action plan as a way to promote fair housing. It would open up more opportunities for housing. Mayor Leiken opened the public hearing. No one appeared to speak. Mayor Leiken closed the public hearing. IT WAS MOVED BY COUNCILOR LUNDBERG WITH A SECOND BY COUNCILOR WOODROW TO APPROVE THE SPRINGFIELD SECTION OF THE FY2008-2009 ONE-YEAR ACTION PLAN. THE MOTION PASSED WITH A VOTE OF 5 FOR AND 0 AGAINST (1 Absent - Pishioneri). 3. Dance Halls, Hours of Operation. ORDINANCE NO.1 - AN ORDINANCE AMENDING THE SPRINGFIELD MUNICIPAL CODE (SMC), CHAPTER 7 - BUSINESS, TO AMEND SMC 7.164 REGARDING HOURS OF OPERATION FOR DANCE HALLS (FIRST READING). Police' Chief Jerry Smith presented this item. The Springfield Police Department (SPD) has recently received a number of complaints from neighbors of the Springfield Sports Complex. Citizen groups have been leasing out the Sports Complex on weekends to have dances. Apparently these dances are going on past midnight. Under the existing SMC, a dance hall is to operate between the hours of7:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. However, there is an exception for an City of Springfield Council Regular Meeting Minutes May 5, 2008 Page 7 establishment that serves alcoholic beverages pursuant to OLCC regulation. Apparently the groups leasing the Sports Complex for dances are serving alcoholic beverages pursuant to OLCC permit. The exception under the existing SMC allows that an establishment operating a dance hall and serving alcoholic beverages pursuant to an OLCC permit is allowed to operate "such games," during hours allowed by law. This would allow them to serve alcohol until 2:00 a.m. and thereby operate their dance hall through 2:00 a.m. It is unclear why the word "games" was used, but the City Attorney's office believes that this was a typo from when the SMC was originally adopted using existing language from other Oregon cities. Members of the City's Development Services Department, Police Department and City Attorney's office met and drafted new language to clarify the hours of operation for dance halls including an exception for establishments operating in a commercial or business zone which dispense alcohol pursuant to OLCC permit. Under the proposed ordinance, the Sports Complex, which is zoned public lands, would have to shut down a dance at midnight. There should be no financial impact on the City. Mayor Leiken opened the public hearing. No one appeared to speak. Mayor Leiken closed the public hearing. NO ACTION REQUESTED. FIRST READING ONLY. 4. Garbage and Refuse Rates. RESOLUTION NO. 08-18 - A RESOLUTION OF THE COMMON COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SPRINGFIELD AMENDING THE MASTER SCHEDULE OF MISCELLANEOUS FEES AND CHARGES, RATES, PERMITS AND LICENSES IN ORDER TO AMEND THE AMOUNT OF THE GARBAGE AND REFUSE RATES. Mayor Leiken recused himself due to a conflict of interest because the parent company of Sanipac owned the bank where his wife was employed. Council President Lundberg presided over this portion of the meeting. Assistant Public Works Director Len Goodwin presented the staff report on this item. The City of Springfield has granted a garbage collection franchise to Sanipac Oregon, Limited, of Eugene, Oregon, under which the City establishes collection rates by ordinance. On April 07 in a letter from Sanipac's General Manager Richard Wichmann, Sanipac requested a combined 8% increase in revenue in the hauler's portion of the solid waste collection rates for all categories of waste collection. Sanipac's rates have not increased since April 2003. During that time, consumer prices, as measured by the Consumer Price Index, all Urban Consumers (Portland-Salem MSA) has increased by 15.3%. At the time of the last adjustment, staff concluded that the increase at that time would provide an appropriate rate of return for three years. Under the proposed increase, the rate for a 32-gallon container would increase to $14.35 and for a60-gallon container it would increase to $20.80. For comparison purposes, the equivalent rates in Eugene, after allowing for City of Springfield Council Regular Meeting Minutes May 5, 2008 Page 8 the $1.50recycling credit, which is built into Springfield rates, would be $19.70 for a 32-gallon container and $34.45 for a 60-gallon container. Mr. Goodwin noted the error in the chart in the agenda packet and gave the accurate rates. Council President Lundberg opened the public hearing. No one appeared to speak. Council President Lundberg closed the public hearing. IT WAS MOVED BY COUNCILOR WOODROW WITH A SECOND BY COUNCILOR RALSTON TO ADOPT RESOLUTION NO. 08-18. THE MOTION PASSED WITH A VOTE OF 5 FOR AND 0 AGAINST (1 Absent - Pishioneri). BUSINESS FROM THE AUDIENCE COUNCIL RESPONSE CORRESPONDENCE AND PETITIONS 1. Correspondence from Dixie Thorsted, 3530 Game Farm Road, #67, Springfield, Oregon Regarding the Possible Relocation of Mobile Homes from Patrician Mobile Home Park. 2. Correspondence from Phyllis Griswold, 3530 Game Farm Road, #65, Springfield, Oregon Regarding the Possible Relocation of Mobile Homes from Patrician Mobile Home Park. 3. Correspondence from Stephen and Phyllis Nissila, 3530 Game Farm Road, Springfield, Oregon Regarding the Possible Relocation of Mobile Homes from Patrician Mobile Home Park. IT WAS MOVED BY COUNCILOR LUNDBERG WITH A SECOND BY COUNCILOR WOODROW TO APPROVE THE CORRESPONDENCE FOR FILING. THE MOTION PASSED WITH A VOTE OF 5 FOR AND 0 AGAINST (1 Absent - Pishioneri). BIDS ORDINANCES BUSINESS FROM THE CITY COUNCIL 1. Committee Appointments a. Planning Commission Appointments. Planning Manager Greg Mott presented the staff report on this item. The seven member Planning Commission has two vacancies; one as a result of Mr. Bill Carpenter completing his second 4- year term on May 4,2008 and the other as a result of Mr. Frank Cross completing his initial 4- year term on May 4, 2008. The City received two applications for these vacancies during a two month recruitment process. Mr. Cross resides at 2580 D Street in Springfield and is employed by Marathon Coach Company. City of Springfield Council Regular Meeting Minutes May 5, 2008 Page 9 Mr. Moe resides on Franklin Boulevard in Glenwood and is employed by Intercity, Inc. The Council interviewed both candidates on April 28, 2008. Formal ratification by the Council must occur during a Regular Session. IT WAS MOVED BY COUNCILOR LUNDBERG WITH A SECOND BY COUNCILOR WOODROW TO APPOINT FRANK CROSS TO THE PLANNING COMMISSION WITH A TERM TO EXPIRE MAY 5, 2012. THE MOTION PASSED WITH A VOTE OF 5 FOR AND 0 AGAINST (1 Absent - Pishioneri). IT WAS MOVED BY COUNCILOR LUNDBERG WITH A SECOND BY COUNCILOR WOODROW TO APPOINT STEVE MOE TO THE PLANNING COMMISSION WITH A TERM TO EXPIRE MAY 5, 2012. THE MOTION PASSED WITH A VOTE OF 5 FOR AND 0 AGAINST (1 Absent - Pishioneri). 2. Business from Council a. Committee Reports 1) Councilor Ralston reported on the Housing Policy Board (HPB). The board received . a summary of findings from a blue ribbon panel that Councilor Wylie was part of, concerning homelessness. There was a split vote on no more funding for emergency shelters for single homeless people. Councilor Wylie said she had not seen the final report. Councilor Ralston said there were no solutions that didn't involve large amounts of money. Part of the short-term action was to get the local jurisdictions to have an option levy for voters to vote on to raise money for homeless prevention. He had advocated to target extremely low-income housing in Eugene and Springfield, such as studio apartments. The committee met for one year and he wasn't sure if a solution could be found. All solutions involved large amounts of money without a source. Councilor Wylie said had a call from Richie Wyman and several members of that committee that had concerns. She sat on the committee, but there was a separate committee that made the recommendations. They continued to fail to address the fact that a large percentage of the homeless have mental health, drug and alcohol problems. Better resolution of those issues would reduce homelessness by a large amount. She was concerned about the large amount of money they wanted and didn't see any creative thinking in developing low cost housing. She said she would report back to Council after her meeting. 2) Councilor Woodrow said the Street Preservation Task Force met last week and came up with a good alternative to working on unimproved roads and another on street preservation and funding. The Task Force would be presenting those alternatives to Council at an upcoming work session. Councilor Woodrow also attended a Police Planning Task Force (PPTF) meeting last week. They reviewed complaints and compliments on police officers. This year there had been one complaint and six or nine compliments. The PPTF also worked on the long-range planning for the Police Department. City of Springfield Council Regular Meeting Minutes May 5, 2008 Page 10 3) Councilor Ballew attended the Federal Forest Payment Task Force Meeting. It seemed the State was paying close attention, but she didn't see a lot of funding from the State. They may make an effort to assist. Some counties were already decommissioning some of their county roads. This was a serious situation and there would be impacts on the City. 4) Mayor Leiken said the topic Council Ballew spoke of had become a priority for the Governor's Transportation Committees because ofthe large amount of money invested in the roads. He had mentioned during these meeting how much the City had relied on the County for matching .funds for many projects. This was very serious. The State was not able to backfill and replace the one hundred year commitment from the Federal government that had ended. Taking money from transportation money to assist would only cause additional problems. It had become an emotional issue. He cautioned against acting too quickly. It would be painful until a plan can be formed. Councilor Ballew said there was no bill expected to come out until after November 2008. Mayor Leiken said there was already a threat of a veto. 5) Mayor Leiken said he met with the new Transportation Commissioner, Alan Brown, who was invited by Lane Transit District (LTD). Mr. Brown mainly looked at the EmX line, but discussion was also held during that meeting about projects in Springfield. He was familiar with the area as he was Chair of Transportation when Representative Beyer was Vice-Chair. 6) Councilor Ballew reminded everyone to vote. 7) Councilor Ralston said there was a memo about Lane County Animal Shelter (LCAS) closing down. He didn't see it scheduled for an upcoming work session and wondered if it would be coming to Council. Mr. Grimaldi said the City was waiting for the completion of the Lane County budget process. Once that has been finished, staff would discuss the issue. Councilor Ralston said he would like information on how much Springfield puts toward this project and how much Eugene puts towards it. He asked what it would cost for Springfield and Eugene to partner. 8) Mayor Leiken reminded Council of the Joint Elected Officials (JEO) meeting on May 13 at Noon. He said he would not be in attendance. The main topic would be public safety. BUSINESS FROM THE CITY MANAGER 1. Ratify Appointment of Library Director. City Manager Gino Grimaldi presented the staff report on this item. Staff conducted a nation- wide recruitment for the position, opening January 25, 2008 and closing on March 14,2008. The City of Springfield Council Regular Meeting Minutes May 5, 2008 Page II City received 23 applications, conducted telephone interviews with nine applicants and conducted on-site interviews with five finalists. Each candidate participated in four interviews as well as a meet-and-greet activity with all Library employees. All five candidates attended the Library's 100th Anniversary Celebration. The interviews were comprised of 1) a community member panel; 2) selected Library staff members; 3) the Executive Team (including the City Attorney) and 4) the City Manager. Based on input from each panel, a review of written submittals and reference checks, Rob Everett has been appointed to the position of Library Director. The City Charter requires that department head selections be confirmed by the Mayor and Council. The intent of the language is to give the Council the right to confirm senior management positions. The City Manager recommends that the Council ratify the appointment. Mr. Grimaldi thanked Debbie Steinman for filling in as interim director. Ms. Steinman had, on numerous occasions, stepped up and filled in when needed. Her work and that of the Library staff was appreciated during this time. Mr. Grimaldi welcomed Mr. Everett to the City. Mr. Everett had worked at the City in the Public Works Department many years ago and as a Library employee. He had twenty-five years of experience as a Library professional, currently employed by the City of Eugene as the Public Services Manager for their Library. He brought a lot of enthusiasm and was well respected by his peers, co-workers and supervisors. Mr. Everett would be starting on June 9. Councilor Ballew said she had heard nothing but good things about Mr. Everett. Mayor Leiken said he, too, was thrilled to have Mr. Everett join the City. He thanked Debbie Steinman for the great job she had done in the interim. Mr. Everett said he was very anxious to be at the City and had already attended a Children's event at the Springfield Library. IT WAS MOVED BY COUNCILOR LUNDBERG WITH A SECOND BY COUNCILOR BALLEW TO RATIFY THE APPOINTMENT OF ROB EVERETT TO THE POSITION OF LffiRARY DIRECTOR. THE MOTION PASSED WITH A VOTE OF 5 FOR AND 0 AGAINST (1 Absent - Pishioneri). 2. Springfield Entrance Improvement: Flags Over Gateway. Community Development Manager John Tamulonis presented the staff report on this item. For several months, there has been a resurgence of interest in Gateway in providing a more visible, welcoming entrance to the Gateway area, especially with thelate June-early July Olympic Trials at Hayward Field and where most of the 700 media will stay at the Holiday Inn in Gateway. The proposed project is to spruce-up the southwest corner lot of the Gateway Beltline Road intersection (vacant now and owned by ODOT, Attachment 2) with some flowers, ground cover, and bark mulch around three, suitably tall and lit flagpoles adjacent to Beltline Road. City of Springfield Council Regular Meeting Minutes May 5, 2008 Page 12 The three flagpoles would allow for the US flag on the tallest flagpole (65 feet) and on the other two flagpoles (both 50 feet tall) the Oregon flag and a local flag or banner. The lot is slightly elevated for the proposed poles' location and flags would be visible to visitors coming to Springfield by I-5 and Belt1ine Road. Order, delivery, and installation ofthe poles would take an estimated 4-6 weeks. Power would come off nearby city traffic signal poles for the sealed in-ground lighting. City staff would raise/lower the flags as needed and oversee their minimal maintenance. ODOT indicates an . interest in fixing up the corner with this kind of project. The installation would not be permanent. Should ODOT need to use the lot for other purposes at a later date, the design provides for removal and re-installation elsewhere if necessary. Costs for the project range from about $25,598 (two poles) to $32,977 (three poles) without any donations (detailed budget in Attachment 1). The City has $15,000 from the generous donation of the Gateway Mall for a 'welcome to Springfield project' and Gateway Owners for Positive Change have provided about $800. The remaining funds could be from Room Tax Funds to make up the difference. Sufficient Room Tax reserves ($67,534) are available to not adversely effect the upcoming Room Tax RFP allocations leaving about $50,000 in reserves in FY09. Several fIrms, many in Gateway, have indicated they would provide design work, flags, various initial clearing, installation help, and ongoing maintenance assistance. Gateway firms expressed a strong likelihood that should the project proceed, many of their staff would probably 'adopt the project' and help in maintaining the flowers and keeping the lot clean. Several local service clubs have been asked to help and indicated a willingness to be involved in the project. A Day of Caring project has already cleaned up the site about a week ago. Councilor Woodrow said this was a great idea. He 'would like to see if there was some way to put a "City of Springfield" sign out there, something in brick in front of the flags. Mr. Tamulonis said staff had looked at putting a monument sign with "City of Springfield' on it at that location and the cost was between $8000-$10,000. To move that type of sign would cost the same amount. The flag poles could be moved should ODOT need to use the property later. Staff could look at a City sign further. Councilor Ballew asked if proper protocol of raising and lowering the flags had been considered. Mr. l'amulonis said the flags would be lit so they could be out 24 hours a day. If the Governor asked to have them lowered, the City could accommodate that with maintenance staff or others. Councilor Ralston said three flagpoles was a good idea. He was also interested in a Springfield SIgn. Councilor Ballew asked if we had a City sign. Mr. Tamulonis said staff was working on that now. City of Springfield Council Regular Meeting Minutes May 5, 2008 Page 13 Mayor Leiken thanked the Chamber group for spearheading this and for Mr. Tamulonis responding and bringing it to Council. It was a good idea and a nice way to showcase the entrance of Springfield. Mr. Tamulonis said it was quite complicated in a pressed amount oftime, but he hoped to have it completed on time. He said he would come back if there were more issues. Councilor Lundberg thanked Mr. Tamulonis. She had wanted something like this at that location for a long time. IT WAS MOVED BY COUNCILOR LUNDBERG WITH A SECOND BY COUNCILOR WOODROW TO AUTHORIZE THE CITY MANAGER TO USE FUNDS ALREADY TARGETED TO ENTRYWAY IMPROVEMENTS ($15,000) AND UP TO $17,177 IN ROOM TAX FUNDS TO IMPROVE ODOT PROPERTY IN THE SOUTHWEST QUADRANT OF THE GATEWAYIBELTLINE ENTRY AREA WITH THREE LIT FLAGPOLES AND MODEST LANDSCAPING. THE MOTION PASSED WITH A VOTE OF 5 FOR AND 0 AGAINST (1 Absent - Pishioneri). BUSINESS FROM THE CITY ATTORNEY Mr. Cox said their office had received calls from the Eugene City Prosecutor's office and the District Attorney's (DA) office requesting a meeting regarding the County's budget. The proposed cuts to the DA's office didn't make a lot of sense. The cuts were impending within 60 to 90 days. They would meet again in the next two weeks. Mayor Leiken said Commissioner Stewart was sending invitations to State representatives and senators to attend the upcoming joint elected officials meeting, mainly to hear about the prosecution part ofthe budget issue. He thanked Mr. Cox for that update. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at approximately 8:06 p.m. Minutes Recorder Amy Sowa Attest: ~~ City Reco er