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HomeMy WebLinkAbout04/24/2017 Work Session City of Springfield Work Session Meeting MINUTES OF THE WORK SESSION MEETING OF THE SPRINGFIELD CITY COUNCIL HELD MONDAY APRIL 24,2017 The City of Springfield Council met in a work session in the Jesse Maine Meeting Room, 225 Fifth Street, Springfield,Oregon, on Monday April 24,2017 5:30 p.m.,with Mayor Lundberg presiding. ATTENDANCE Present were Mayor Lundberg and Councilors VanGordon, Wylie,Moore, Stoehr,Woodrow and Pishioneri.Also present were City Manager Gino Grimaldi, City Attorney Mary Bridget Smith, City Recorder Amy Sowa and members of the staff. 1. Relocation of Fire Station#4 to Downtown Area. Fire Chief Zaludek presented the staff report on this item. Chief Zaludek said he was here to speak about the future of Fire Station#4 which is presently located on 5th Street just north of Centennial Boulevard. The station is approximately 44 years old, is well built and well maintained. Since 2007,reports have indicated that this station is located somewhat north of the area scheduled for development in Downtown Springfield and the eastern portion of Glenwood. Staff in Fire starting looking at the reports and working with the Geographic Information System(GIS)team. The recommendation at that time was to find a piece of property central to City Hall within about a 1600 feet in either direction,would give us the response times and reliability going into the future approximately 50 years. Chief Zaludek said most fire stations have a life of about 50-75 years. Identifying a site for 50-75 year location of a fire station is best due to the cost and difficulty in getting property once an area starts to develop. He distributed paper maps of the potential sites to the Council.He is looking for direction from the Council on how they would like to proceed. Chief Zaludek said the department felt that having a station downtown in the proximity of the Justice Center might be a nice location due to the work they do with the Municipal Jail,and for response times. If they choose to relocate the station,the preference is to find a site that is already vacant or unused rather than looking at a site currently in use. They don't want to disrupt the flow or development of downtown,but rather to add value by having a public safety resources close for response and contribute to the community. He noted that co-locating a fire station with a standalone Springfield Library was considered,but found to have issues regarding travel access. It was not recommended from the architectural perspective. He further described the constraints of locating with the Library. Chief Zaludek said the challenge at this point is finding a site that could accommodate which direction a fire apparatus could go in and out of traffic without disrupting the flow of traffic and getting into the higher speed areas.They have narrowed the search down to a couple of locations. Councilor Moore asked how big a footprint was being considered. City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes April 24,2017 Page 2 Chief Zaludek said they are looking at a minimum of a two-bay(paramedic unit and engine company). If possible,they would like to include a Battalion Chief.They want to keep the footprint as modest as possible, especially in the downtown environment. Councilor Moore said there is a variation of size of the potential lots. She asked if they were all large enough for what they are looking for. Chief Zaludek said they could.He gave some examples of how to fit stations on smaller lots. Councilor Stoehr asked if locating the station to Site 1 would increase the response time to downtown appreciably. Chief Zaludek said it would not. There were plans drawn to consider a corner of lot#1 for a fire station several years ago.The School District now has different plans which affected that site. Councilor Stoehr asked if there was a cost comparison for the different lots. Chief Zaludek said they don't have cost comparison at this time,but could get that information fairly easily on vacant land. It is more difficult to get those costs on land already developed. Councilor VanGordon asked about the driving force behind moving the station. Chief Zaludek said the response time is key and age is a defining factor. In about 10 years,the floor will need to be replaced and there will be other maintenance issues that will need to be addressed. Before they invest in that type of rebuild,they wanted to explore a new location.The current location is very close to Station#5 on Pheasant Boulevard. Councilor VanGordon asked how much it would cost to retrofit the old station. Chief Zaludek said based on the cost to retrofit other stations, it could be between$250,000 to $500,000. Councilor VanGordon asked if the current station is in good shape. Chief Zaludek said it is in good shape and well maintained. He noted that one mile is a significant different when looking at response times. He noted that CPR rates two or three years ago were 12% survivability,and now they are 50%.The goal is to get them to 60+%.Having the stations in the right area of town does improve service to the community. Councilor VanGordon said those are good figures,but as a Councilor he cares about how many lives are saved. These statistics don't show a context about how many lives are saved.He wants to know the story of how lives will be saved. He could be convinced,but needs more information and more context.He asked what kind of time frame was being considered. Chief Zaludek said getting property within the next 5 years is critical,with about 5-10 years for the project. They would like to have land or a plan to position a public safety station in an area before we have additional housing in this area. Councilor VanGordon said he would like more information so they can see the value s story for public health. City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes April 24,2017 Page 3 Councilor Pishioneri said he hasn't been sold on the need and would like to see the proposed outcomes. He referred to the comparison with Fire Station 16 and said he would be an opponent to an above ground level building due to the additional costs. Chief Zaludek said the right piece of property at the right price would allow the most flexibility. Councilor Pishioneri asked if they would anticipate needing another station as Glenwood grows in population. Chief Zaludek said relocating this station would serve the entire Glenwood area to I-5.He referred to a handout showing the coverage area and how it overlaps to Fire Station#5 and Fire Station#3.This station optimized deployment of crews. Councilor Pishioneri asked if they had considered sites in Glenwood. The bridge between Springfield and Glenwood could sustain damage in a Cascadia event which would prohibit fire crews from crossing the river. Chief Zaludek said in an emergency and a bridge is taken out,they have alternate routes of travel including mutual aid from surrounding communities. The initial GIS report showed there was some land available in Glenwood over the bridge. He would look to Council to determine if that would be a suitable location to pursue. Councilor Pishioneri said this is a great start and a topic that needs discussion, but it is not complete enough for him to move forward. He would like to see information about property in the Glenwood area,the cost of a single level station,and which sites a single level station would eliminate.He wants to make sure the correct questions are asked. Councilor Moore said she agrees. She asked if they could get a map of all of the fire stations with the circle of coverage and how they serve, including those in Eugene that cover into Springfield. Chief Zaludek said he would get that map for them. The report from 2007 showed a gap on the western edge of Main Street.Everywhere else had good overlap. Councilor Wylie said we need more information to make decisions regarding building a new station or retrofitting. If they do decide to build,they should start looking for a suitable site as soon as possible. Land downtown will not be available for long as it continues to grow. This is a great first step, and now they need specifics. They need a longer discussion on what they want to do downtown and when. Councilor Woodrow agreed that more information is needed on the options of a single story or double story. This is a good start giving them a chance to ask questions. She likes the idea of relocation as they look at further development in Glenwood and the renovation of downtown. There are old buildings downtown that may need fire services in a close proximity. Mayor Lundberg thanked staff for including the addresses of the fire station. She agreed that more information is needed so they can be strategic when making a decision. She would want more information on a retrofit of the old station. When the report was first commissioned, it was predicated on the development of the Glenwood area. What we are trying to accomplish with a new location needs to be identified. She would also like a map showing all of the fire station coverage areas. Council has to go to the public and needs to know what to tell public. She would like to look at the City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes April 24,2017 Page 4 cost of the fire station and which site gives them the most value. She appreciates everything staff has done because this is moving forward from that study. Chief Zaludek said he and his team would work to get more information for the Council. 2. Congestion Mitigation Air Quality(CMAQ)Project Priorities. Tom Boyatt, Community Development Senior Manager,presented the staff report on this item. The Oregon Department of Transportation(ODOT)has provided Central Lane Metropolitan Policy Organization(CLMPO)with approximately$7.1 million in Federal CMAQ pass through funds as a negotiated settlement amount after failing to distribute past funding when CLMPO was most likely eligible dating back to at least 2013.These dollars must be spent on CMAQ eligible projects as described in federal regulation,preferably those that achieve a high degree of positive impact,and must be programmed prior to September 2018 and spent as quickly as possible thereafter. Springfield could get,about$1.5M to$2M and is eligible to apply to CLMPO for CMAQ funding. Mayor Lundberg, acting as chair of the CLMPO policy body(Metropolitan Policy Committee,MPC) and Keizer Mayor Clark, chair of the Salem-Keizer MPO, along with capable assistance from CLMPO Manager Paul Thompson,were successful in holding ODOT accountable for an error in prior years CMAQ fund distributions and negotiated a settlement agreement with ODOT to pay back the two MPOs a portion of funding they should have received. Certain restrictions were placed on these settlement funds including that funded projects must have federal aid agreements in place with ODOT by September 2018 and funding must be spent on projects not already in the CLMPO Metropolitan Transportation Improvement Program(M-TIP). Further,as the post 2018 CMAQ funding picture in Oregon is now being reviewed due to two 'new' MPOs participating,there is a strong encouragement locally to move forward projects which show a significant air quality and/or congestion mitigation benefit. Federal regulations and guidance state that in order to be eligible a CMAQ project or program must provide a net emissions benefit,be cost effective,and be implemented in a timely fashion. Each project applied for must include a quantitative air quality analysis where possible. Currently,CLMPO member agency staff are working through the process of prioritizing project ideas across the metro region. Applications for this funding are due June 2, 2017 with public hearing and decision by MPC in July and August 2017 respectively. Once approved by MPC,ODOT and FHWA will certify awarded projects per CMAQ requirements. Mr.Boyatt said staff had made recommendations on potential projects and wanted to get input from the Council to see if they are on the right track. Staff tried to choose projects that make an impact and can be done quickly. Councilor Moore asked about dust and emissions. Mr. Boyatt said dust is eligible and is a particulate matter that has associated health problems associated with it. He would rather breathe dust than diesel fumes,but both are eligible. The State did not give the cities much time to develop our projects,but did tell them they could not relay on any projects that are already developed and in the STIP. Staff stayed away from Smart Trips and direct marketing and outreach programs, and went to the surface of the street and diesel buses. He believes CMAQ funding will continue to be available for the qualifying MPO's in the future. City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes April 24,2017 Page 5 Mayor Lundberg said CMAQ is for transportation congestion. Our area didn't get the money when we should have. Our MPO argued for what we could have done if we had funds earlier.When talking to Portland,they say their air quality affects us. We need to be strategic in choosing projects that do the most to mitigate dust or diesel fumes as they negotiate having these funds continue into the future. She feels it looks better if projects that impact air quality are chosen.When they move forward,they could look at some projects that aren't as high priority or have the same level of impact. Councilor Moore asked if the projects listed meet the criteria. Mayor Lundberg said they do meet the criteria,but she wants to pick those that have the most positive affect on air quality. Mr.Boyatt said unfortunately we aren't able to get FHA input on the projects until after the MPC awards them. The Federal government is driven by Federal Code,and they could come back and say they did not want us to do the selected projects. Staff has done research and talked to other MPOs. Councilor Stoehr asked if all of the CMAQ funds shown for the street sweeper could only be used for the sweeper. Mr. Boyatt said money to replace the street sweeper is currently funds saved through user fees for stormwater. He noted a couple of ways the funds could be used. Councilor Stoehr asked if consideration was given for the repaving project using concrete instead of asphalt.It is more expensive, but does reduce temperatures. Mr.Boyatt said they can look into that option. One of the main problems with concrete is building something from concrete while `under traffic'. They can look at the cost comparison and the impact on the traveling public. Councilor Woodrow said they have chosen the projects that make the largest impact. There are many things in the brainstorming list that would be great for future funds.Those projects chosen are self- explanatory,while others might need more explanation. Councilor VanGordon said none of the large projects made the list because too much research is needed to get them done in the timeline. He asked if staff was asking Council for approval to submit the top four projects. Mr. Boyatt said he would be happy with approval on the four projects and would prepare the application and begin negotiations. Councilor VanGordon said he could support the top four projects.They need to be clear on the projects done during this first round and how they affect dust and/or emissions. His top two favorites were the school buses and the PM10.His third choice is dust mitigation on South 28th. He asked about scaling back the South 28th Street project. Mr.Boyatt said they might be able to put in for STP-U funds to repave the northern piece of South 28th Street.He noted the large amount of dust on that street. Each project is scalable and staff could look more into exact costs. City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes April 24,2017 Page 6 Councilor VanGordon said he wants the ramp improvements at 42nd Street as well. Councilor Pishioneri said in about 2009,he recalled Lane County allocating$100,000 for signalization at the 42n1 Street intersection. He asked about the traffic light update and if it would include adding allowable turns with the flashing yellow arrow.He likes the PM10 and prefers the South 28th Street project over the bus replacements. Sidewalk infill and street crossing improvements don't seem to have a big impact. He likes the list and feels they are good projects. Mr.Boyatt said currently the traffic signalization is a mechanical system which can be replaced with software.They want to wait so they are not buying at the end of the tech cycle. Councilor Wylie said she is pleased the City got the funds.All of the projects look good and she would like staff to move forward with whichever ones will work best. Mayor Lundberg said she is fine with the four projects. She would definitely like staff to talk with our partners about what project they are submitting. It has been a challenge to get the elected officials to the table to explain how they all fit into the criteria. She suggested staff talk to the CLMPO about which projects fit the best within funding available and which will hold up under Federal scrutiny. This is the first round of funding so we will have more experience next time. There will be opportunities for other projects to get done. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 6:24 p.m. Minutes Recorder—Amy Sowa 1111 Mine-L. - : _-.n VanGordon Mayor Council Presiden Attest: Amy S a City Recorder