HomeMy WebLinkAbout11/27/2017 Work Session City of Springfield
Work Session Meeting
MINUTES OF THE WORK SESSION MEET ING OF
THE SPRINGFIELD CITY COUNCIL HELD
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2017
The City of Springfield Council met in a work session in the Jesse Maine Meeting Room. 225 Fifth
Street, Springfield,Oregon, on Monday,November 27, 2017 at 5 30 p.in , NN ith Council President
VanGordon presiding
A ITENDANCE
Present were 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
Mayor Lundberg was absent(excused).
I. Library Ads isory Board-Applicant Interview s.
Library Director Emily David presented the staff report on this item. In response to a posting ending
October 27,2017,the Library Advisory Board received two applications to fill the seat of Robyn
Sattler. who resigned from the Board in July,2017 On December 31, 2017 the Library Advisory
Board seat held by Dwight Dzierzek will expire After interviewing both candidates, Mr. Dzierzek
announced that because the Board had two qualified candidates, he would not seek reappointment
therefore leav mg a second Board position starting January 1, 2018.
Ms. Linneman is a retired school and public librarian who has lived in Springfield for 5 y ears. She
lives in ward,2 volunteers as a SMART reader at Dos Rios/Two Rivers and as an Educational
Interpreter at the Jordan Schnitzer Art Museum
Ms Phelps,the mother of three young children, is a frequent and enthusiastic SPL user She is also a
student and avid reader and has tutored college and middle school students She lives in ward 4.
The Council introduced themselves to the applicants and inter,iewed Ralene Linneman and Mary
Beth Phelps and asked the following questions:
1. Please tell us why you arc interested in sen ing on the Library Board?(Council President
VanGordon
2. Have)ou attended a Library Board meeting^ If so, what were your impressions? (Councilor
Pishionen)
3 Giy en your other work& community commitments will you be able to actively serve on the
Library Board as well?(Councilor Stoehr)
4. The Springfield Museum is now managed by the Library.what is y our experience with city
museums or any museums in general? (Councilor Woodrow)
5 What do you see as the Library's role in the community(' (Councilor Moore)
6. One of the roles of the Library Board is to advocate for the Library and promote library
services. How do you see yourself fulfilling this role" (Councilor Wylie)
Council discussed the two applicants and their qualifications Council consensus was to appoint both
applicants to the Library Board.
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November 27. 2_017
Page 2
2. Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee Interviews
Senior Planner Emma Newman presented the staff report on this item. City Council is interviewing the
two remaining candidates from fall 2017 BPAC recruitment and considering them for appointment to
the committee Eleven of the thirteen BPAC candidates were interviewed October 9 and all eleven
interviewed were appointed as new voting members on October 16 There are up to two remaining
vacancies for voting members to fill
The committee bylaws state."Applications shall he reviewed and evaluated by City Staff and the City
Council Committee positions shall he appointed by the City Council
The bylaws also state,"Membership of the Committee shall consist of 10-16 voting members."
Minimum voting membership requirements have already been fulfilled. There will be fourteen voting
members as of the beginning of January 2018,accounting for already appointed members. City
Council may appoint up to two additional voting committee members.which would reach maximum
membership according to the bylaws There are five additional liaison positions, which would result in
the total v oting and non-voting membership being twenty-one
Due to scheduling conflicts the two remaining candidates, Holly Rockwell and Sandy Coffin,needed
to be interviewed at a later date
Appointments are scheduled for the December 4. 2017 regular session
The Council introduced themselves to the applicants and interviewed Holly Rockwell and Sandy
Coffin and asked the following questions•
1. Why are you interested in serving on the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee
(BPAC)? (Council President VanGordon)
2 Have you attended a BPAC meeting? If so, what were your impressions?(Councilor
Pishioneri)
3. What is it about pedestrian and bicycle issues that interests you most? (Councilor Stoehr)
4. What initiatives are you interested in working on if you are appointed as a BPAC member?
(Councilor Woodrow)
5. Describe y our experience as it relates to y our desire to become a BPAC member. (Councilor
Moore)
6 Describe your familiarity with the City's walking and biking infrastructure and amenities.
(Councilor Wylie)
Ms. Coffin said she would like to see more education on distracted pedestrians. She asked about the
by laws for three year terms She is not sure she could commit for three years, but could commit for
two years.
Council discussed the qualifications for the two applicants and chose to appoint both Sandy Coffin and
Holly Rockwell to the BPAC.
3 Draft Springfield Look Economic Development Strategy
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Council Work Session Minutes
Nos ember 27,2017
Page 3
Economic Development Manager Courtney Gnesel presented the staff report on this item Ms. Gricscl
said this was a continuation from their discussion on October 9. The"Why"of this work is a
compelling motivator to sta., on track for implementation. The goal of the Springfield Look Plan is to
improve the lives of Springfield's citizens by increasing the per capita income and the number of
family wage jobs in Springfield while providing the tools to reduce poverty in our community.
Ms. Griesel said the important thing to remember is that they are doing a high level look at where we
want to go long term,and how to measure that we are influencing our path to that place. Some of that
is to drill down into actual activities that are programmed, partnered and resourced to make sure they
happen
Ms Gnesel re)iewed the project timeline When they started,they were looking at a 9-12 month
timeline. A lot of the work has to do w ith benchmarking, data assessment, industry assessment, and
strategic alignment of ision to those assessments Rather than continuing to bring hack a consultant,
it is better ifwe build the capacity internally,but that does take longer.
Ms Gnesel rev iewed where we have been. An economic performance evaluation and target industry
report was done which identified the key current target industries. As a region, we are positioned
where our infrastructure,workforce and regional partners are all investing in a way that would help
most of these industries thrive in an expansion and retention scenario We continue to have constant
conversations with our retailers, niche markets,and other businesses. A competitiveness assessment
was also done. It shows a lot of things we do well, and also things we need to develop Currently,we
are looking at our Strategic Initiatives. All of the tasks to date have come as reports to the Council As
they continue to move forward,they will be put together as chapters for a final report
Ms. Griesel said tonight is where they w ill discuss the key buckets of activities that the program does
in economic development,and then some examples of projects and actions in those buckets.The three
buckets are: focus on City's competitiveness and how we maintain competitn eness, Springfield assets
and how we market and grow them; and business outreach to both existing and new businesses
She reviewed the priority initiatives and gave a brief summary of those that had been discussed at the
last work session
• World-Class Service for Development Approvals
• Minimum Development Standards
• Strategic Development of Priority Sites
Councilor Stoehr asked about sites for the trade sector.
Ms. Gnesel said they had identified about 5 sites—Glenwood, mid-Springfield,and one in Gateway
Those sites would be for traded sector, which is often manufacturing She noted the types of sectors
for each area being considered In many cases when they are doing recruitment, staff may not know
what item is being manufactured,just the site requirements. She discussed other information and
factors they look for when meeting with companies.
Councilor Pishioneri said the cost translates to 12 hours a week.
Ms Gnesel said the cost is more associated with participation in the State's certified state program.
The costs listed are specialized project costs. If it's ongoing and already funded, there is no additional
cost. This is a resource need for an activity and is based on one-year. Building an inventory of certified
sites helps the whole region
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November 27, 2017
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Councilor VanGordon asked if we had site certified sites now
Ms. Gnesel said the region as a whole only has one site.
Councilor VanGordon asked if there was anyone close to being certified
Ms. Griesel said the City is partnering w ith two sites through the process. As they are working to get a
Glenwood site certified,they are on a parallel track of recruiting a company to the site This would
work well in locations where the property owner is not local. That is the case for one mid-Springfield
site.
Councilor VanGordon asked if there are outside resources to help pay to get certified
Ms Gnesel said the benefit of partnerships in certified sites is that is elevates the site with the State
The downside is that funds are not available until the project is ready There arc funds and resources
from the State to help get through the certification process [he cost listed is not always the City's
cost,but could be a combination of costs for the property owner or other interested parties.
Ms Gnesel said the targets are to have 2 certified sites by the end of the year and have the State
partnering with the City to identify the number of strategies we might complete in order to move a site
forward for improvement. The final report will have the actual numbers for the targets. This will
acknowledge the daily work which should then lead to creating the desired outcome.
The next initiative is Formalize Business Incentives. This acknowledges that we have some great
business incentik es that we just don't talk about enough. This is a process of being strategic in getting
out that information and explaining the incentives Sometimes incentives are things other than
financial incentives such as partnering agencies, parks,etc Some of this will also include
conkersations around prioritizing and how to provide incentn es She explained further. Process and
outcomes will be measured.
Ms. Gnesel noted that the Innovation Hub was discussed at their last work session while the Chamber
of Commerce was in attendance. This initiative continues to get traction,especially with FertiLab and
RAIN as they have merged This work is also feeding into discussions about medical.food and
sciences and where those overlap. That iscry good for the City as it lines up to some of the target
industries
Councilor Stoehr asked about Creative Class and if that used to be called research and development
Ms Griesel said it is more about an entrepreneur start-up, looking for a professional setting for their
business to share ideas and learn
Councilor Moore asked about FertiLab She thought it would be great if new ideas and businesses
were near or in the Library building
Ms. Griesel agreed. She said the FertiLab space in downtown Springfield was currently fully
occupied. Fhev are receiving a lot of mentorship through this project.
Councilor VanGordon asked if the $60,000 was the City's cost.
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Council Work Session Minutes
November 27, 2017
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Ms. Griesel said this is a massive project and the$60000 is for pre-design. In this initiative, the idea
originall} brought forth by the Chamber was a physical place. To understand how that model would
work takes a lot of pre-evaluation and pre-design. It Vs ill take money to move forward. Those costs
could he paid by the City or by others. Part of this is doing a model analysis.
Ms Griesel referred to the Springfield Telecommunications Enhancement Project(STEP)which was
discussed during the October 9 work session. It is great to hay e a partner in Springfield Utility Board
(SUB) in this initiative.
Councilor Stoehr said he had some concerns about ride sharing. All of the research he has done
indicates it is not a stimulus to the local economy, and could he a drain.
Ms Griesel said this scenario acknowledges a gigabit economy.and that those types of technologies
have the ability to function here if the economy or community has enough demand Having the ability
to ha$c those types of technologies allows the community to choose what is valuable to them. The
gigabit economy in terms of publicly owned fiber is relatively cheap.
Councilor Stoehr asked what gig-based economy would he accessing our fiber network.
Ms. Griesel said industry is currently accessing some of it now, including medical or anyone doing
rapid downloads of large files or real-time access to coding or liy e interfacing Because the volume
and quality of data is so large, it is hard to find an industry that doesn't want access to high quality
access
Councilor VanGordon said basically all business needs it and it's important for the City to have to
remain competitiy e.
Councilor Moore said she had recently done some research on net neutrality. She asked if that came
into play with this initiative.
Ms. Griesel said it does The ay actability of affordable fiber will only he as valuable as the people's
trust and integrity in the system they try to access
Ms. Griesel referred to the initiative of Real Estate Product Development This also gets into general
site readiness. One focuses on infrastructure up to the site,and the other is packaging it and getting it
out to the market This is building relationships with property owners and helping them take pride in
the site and helping them think about redey elopment that benefits the community Staff continues to
look at the role the Cit} play s in encouraging building of speculative buildings. It is a significant issue
in our region, especially with growing industries that take those buildings quickly She noted the
partners in this initiative and the relationships they are building and maintaining
Ms Griesel referred to the initiative Partner Development Team This is an ongoing process and they
meet once a month for an hour. She noted the partners involved in this initiative. Those attending are
not allowed to just come in and ask for money, but come to share ideas and hear with other partners
think.From this group came the Talent Match, another large recruitment event_and the entrepreneur
and innovation fund came out of this group.
Councilor Wylie asked about policy changes.
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Council Work Session Minutes
Noy ember 27, 2017
Page 6
Ms. Griesel said they hay en't run against anything that would require policy updates If there was a
policy issue, each group would need to go back to their Board or Council.
Ms. Griesel referred to the initiative of Business Retention and Expansion which is an ongoing
process. Much of this is building relationships with larger employers, our locally based employers and
those with headquarters in different locations.and slaying in touch with business partners so we are
aware of any growth or change. Swanson is an example of a company that chose to expand in
Springfield. That eley ates the Springfield mill sites in their global portfolio. which includes some of
our words and our branding on their wehpage. It is also helpful in recruitment to bring those
companies in to meet with existing companies in our region.
Councilor Moore noted sey eral goals she especially appreciated. visiting external headquarters of
Springfield businesses at least annually; in rting the Council members to join in outreach meetings.
business appreciation, and downtown branding. downtown has some amazing potential
Ms. Griesel said there is a yen' positne movement with the downtown business owners.
Ms Griesel referred to Industry Conference and said this was discussed at the October 9 work session,
along with Recruit Target Industries. She explained the headquarter visits,getting industry to know
Springfield%yell, and building relationships. Speaking further about the downtown, she noted that the
businesses are working on a logo w hich w ill come back to Council soon
Ms. Griesel said part of the report is prioritizing three things we do every day maintain our ability to
be competitive, build out our assets: and remain intentional about our business outreach. These three
areas are the footholds of what we do,yet they remain flexible as the economy changes and they adjust
as needed when appropriate In the next few months, Council will get a final report. They arc still
missing their competitive benchmarking, which is yery data driven Staff will bring that information
back to the Council in executive summary format, and get Council's feedback on whether or not this is
the right format. Staff w ill also bring back the website.which w ill he new for economic development
It will allow us to put our successes out there
Councilor Wylie said she is y ery impressed. She thinks this will generate enthusiasm, which is half of
getting to success.
Councilor Moore asked about 'aspirational community'
Ms. Griesel said it sets up a benchmark alongside some of the communities we compete with for
business to see where we line up well, or where we don't.
Councilor Pishioneri said he came up with a cost of$192,000 per year He asked if they had financial
planning to do all of this
Ms. Griesel said they do not First, they need to identify what they will do,the cost,and our partners.
The team will likely grow as more people and experts in subject matter come into the picture.
Currently,these are people in the field with resources that we could partner with,or that we are in
contractual agreement The cost shown is the full cost without partnership funds.An appendix w dl be
attached that w ill list different tasks on an initiative project worksheet. The costs are not always our
costs. Staff will not do anything not currently budgeted without coming to the Budget Committee
with a request.
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Council Work Session Minutes
No ember 27, 2017
Page 7
Councilor VanGordon said the list includes a lot that is in the works, and the projects can change ON er
time,as could the teams. He asked what happened when the projects change.
Ms. Griesel said in large scale where there is significant resource,there will he a discussion about
adding something new Some project work is going on in Springfield that they are trying to fit into this
structure They would then bring that to Council There will be ongoing conversations and regular
updates. The teams will meet quarterly and then report to the Council.
Councilor VanGordon said from a policy direction, Council w ill be providing support for this plan, but
not necessarily the cost The work looks good He suggested taking out all of the sub-bullet points
from the report so it is just high level.
After discussion,Council chose to leave all of the bulleted points in the report
4 Library Programmatic Facility Design—Phase 2 Final Report
Library Director Emily David presented the staff report on this item. Last time they met in February,
the Council gave staff and the consultant the go-ahead to start into Phase 2 of the Library Project.
which includes the programmatic library facility design. FFA Architecture + Interiors took the
information from Phase 1.which included staff and community input, best practices, and library
standards to create a facility that meets the needs identified. Ms David described the concept design
created from all of that input Further details can be determined by the Council as they move through
the process.
Ms. David introduced Troy Ainsworth from FFA Architecture+Interiors.
Mr.Ainsworth shared the images of the design through a power point. The new proposal is for a
three-story Library,adding consideration of a leasable tenant space. Some of the elements include an
open plaza space that can connect with the Fountain Plaza currently in place, and a service corridor
and book-drop. The first floor features primarily public spaces that are available for after-hours use
such as retail, lobby,restrooms,multi-purpose room, etc. Also on this floor is the general staff work
area and support space. This entire block could be open when the library is closed
Mr. Ainsworth said the second floor includes open space and the children's collection, which takes the
majority of the floor. A central service point would be near the stair entrance. One of the concepts of
this design is a series of roof gardens or open spaces. The third floor is primarily adult collection
services,as well as the young adult section
Mr.Ainsworth referred to a rendering that showed how the library could look, but noted it is not the
final design It is important that the building is highly sustainable with good natural light He further
described the connection with the plaza across the street. One of the goals is to make this a civic and
open design,acting as a catal st for further redevelopment in downtown. He discussed materials and
design that were specific for the Springfield community. He described some of the other details in the
drawing.
Mr Ainsworth re'iewed the costs associated which are about$33M
Councilor Pishioneri said the building looks very large. He asked if the square footage included client
space only or the entire space including staff
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Council Work Session Minutes
Noy ember 27, 2017
Page 8
Ms. Day id said they are not sure how many staff it w ill take for a building this size, but there are staff
spaces on each floor for at least two staff at all times.
Councilor Pishioneri asked if using CLT for the flooring added to the cost of the project.
Mr Ainsworth said it could add some cost, but it would be very close. It could be a wash in cost
say ings,and could also be an impetus for manufacturers to he competitive for this project
Councilor Stoehr said this is y ery innovative. He was glad to see the solar panels and asked if
had been a study done on how much those would save in energy costs
Mr.Ainsworth said it has not, but if the project MON es forward,that should be done.
Ms David said this is the starting point. They w ill continue to look at options.
Councilor Wylie said it is a very attractive rendering It feels light and beautiful. She would like to
explore using beams of advanced timber She's not sure she likes a flat roof due to the amount of rain
we receive here.
Mr. Ainsworth said the roof has a slight tilt
Councilor Wylie asked if the City Hall Gallery has a place in the new library. The people who come to
the library appreciate it very much. It would enhance the library.
Mr. Ainsworth said there is a display area, although it is not as large
Councilor Woodrow said she likes this rendering. She asked if the roof decks were enclosed
Mr Ainsworth said the roof decks need more design work Currently, the} are open spaces
Ms David said the one on the second floors is partially covered.
Councilor Woodrow said she would like to enclose it so it is more usable with our rainy weather. It
would be worthwhile to look at the practicality of solar panels on the roof. She has heard they are
more expensive and not as practical in our area. The cost is very high and if she had to choose
between public safety and library, she would choose public safety She asked if there are ways to cut
the costs.
Councilor Moore said it is a beautiful design. One of the things she recalls discussing was having
prn ate/public retail on the ground floor. The Innovation Hub that was discussed for economic
development could be incorporated into this building. She appreciates that they are considering this a
civic building, and not just a library She would like to encourage the community to he involved to do
some fundraising to see what can be brought in before looking at a tax structure There is a lot of
support for a library/civic center in Springfield.
Councilor Pishioneri said he agrees that open rooftops and ceilings are not being practical due to the
weather. He also noted that there is a lot of open space which may be more than what we need. He is
a proponent of a citizen survey. He asked if there was another plan or design.
City of Springfield
Council Work Session Minutes
Nos ember 27, 2017
Page 9
Ms. David said the size was based on the library plan. FFA took information and determined this
square footage NN as needed for our community. This is a starting point and nothing is written in stone
Mr Grimaldi said they went to a three stop plan to keep the footprint smaller and add some retail.
Councilor Pishioneri asked if the square footage included the roof gardens.
Mr. Ainsworth said it did not. It only included enclosed areas.
Ms. David said there is a preliminary timeline of the es eats, including sur.eys
Councilor VanGordon asked if they would be using this basic design as the feeder for this timeline.
Staff would come back to Council for another decision point based on the results of the community
outreach.
Ms. David said that is correct. The timeline gives 18-24 months for community outreach,educating
the community on the project and what it means,and starting a capital campaign reaching out to
potential donors The City may not have to fund the full amount. There are also potential grants we
can access. It's expensive, but veil] be a great community center.
Councilor Wylie said the Lane County Public Service building had a roof deck that was very nice and
used by many people. She could see many people using at least one roof deck. She supports breaking
down the cost of the building to fundraising donors during the capital campaign. The City has
generous friends in the community who would like to give. The costs could be split between the
donors and the City The retail would also pros ide some revenue.
Councilor Moore said solariums stay very warm, so there is something to be said for covered areas
Ms David said there is a lot they could look at for those spaces. These were added in response to the
community's request for access to the outdoors.
Mr Ainsworth said there are many things to consider in the design. If the) move forward, a lot of
research would be done for roof decks and how they could be effectis e.
Councilor Stoehr asked if there was any research about whether or not using cross laminated timber
would extend the life of the building.
Mr Ainsworth said it doesn't necessarily add to the life of the building,but adds a potential vitality to
the economy of Oregon and has a unique look It can do things structurally that traditional wood
decking doesn't do.and can reduce the amount of insulation required. It is very appropriate for 100
year buildings
Councilor Stoehr said he is comfortable putting this out for public input.
Councilor VanGordon said with the Fire and Police les ies, timing is important and they could be
looking at about 2024 The capita] campaign is a critical piece and he hopes they can raise 1/3 of the
cost Things will be worked out during the next phase. Ile would like to understand the cost of
including retail compared to the revenue it could generate.
Ms Griesel said it could possibly cover costs long-term,perhaps in about 10 years.
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Council Work Session Minutes
November 27, 2017
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Councilor VanGordon said he is comfortable going out and talking with the community. The rest of
the Council agreed
Ms. David said staff would be checking in regularly as they move forward.
Mr. Ainsworth thanked the Council for allowing them to work with the City on this project.
Councilor Pishioneri said he would like to see the questions on the survey. The questions need to be
neutral so they get an informed response from the citizens.The levy needs to be part of the survey.
Ms David said as they move forward w ith the outreach and start to get feedback,they will he back to
Council w ith the sun ey questions
Mr Grimaldi said they would want the survey to accomplish what they did with the Police and Jail
survey before going out to the voters to get an idea do what had a chance of passing. In order to do
that, they need to be objective.
ADJOURNMEN P
The meeting was adjourned at 7:55 p.m.
Minutes Recorder—Amy Sowa
Chi L.-Lundberg- Sean VanGordon
-Mayr Council President
Attest.
an-9,1574)
Amy Sowy
City, Recorder