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HomeMy WebLinkAbout07/08/1996 Work Session . City of Springfield Work Session MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF THE SPRINGFIELD CITY COUNCIL HELD MONDAY, JULY 8,1996 The Springfield City Council met in Work Session at Springfield City Hall, Jesse Maine Room, 225 Fifth Street, Springfield, Oregon at 6:05 p.m. with Mayor Morrisette presiding. Present were Mayor Morrisette and Councilors Ballew, Beyer, Burge, Dahlquist, Maine and Shaver. Also present was City Manager Mike Kelly, City Recorder Eileen Stein, Administrative Aide Shari Higgins, Public Works Director Dan Brown, Traffic Engineer Gary McKenney, Development Services Director Susan Daluddung, Community and Economic Development Manager John Tamulonis and members of staff. I. High Speed Rail Funding Mr. Kelly presented a brief staff report, which included background information on efforts to bring high speed rail to Oregon. He explained the specific request of the City of Springfield Council is to dedicate 10% of the City's portion of the Transportation Equity Fund to high speed rail. . Springfield Chamber of Commerce President Roy Orr, spoke in favor of the funding request. He stated the Chamber Board of Directors wrote a letter of support which was included in the Council agenda packet. Mr. Orr spoke of the opportunities the Springfield/Eugene area would gain by supporting the high speed rail request. As a both a business representative and a Chamber representative, he strongly urged the City of Springfield to be a participant in the development of high speed rail. Councilor Shaver asked why the Chamber of Commerce supported the rail system. Mr. Orr stated that using high speed rail is a reality and will ultimately come to this area, as travel time between point A and point B will be defined by the use of the rail. He stated it is important to the community to have an additional mode of transportation. Councilor Maine added tourism as a factor in the Chamber of Commerce supporting the high speed rail development. Councilor Burge asked how the Chamber of Commerce could come to a conclusion to support high speed rail without knowing detailed financial projections and possible subsidies, etc. Mr. Orr replied that high speed rail development is a reality and the Chamber felt that Springfield should seize the opportunity and become a supporter. Mr. Orr stated although no specific numbers are known at this time, that the Chamber urges the City to become involved and provide the community with support for future transportation needs of the area. . Lane Council of Governments representative Susan Brody spoke in favor the high speed rail system as a positive mode oftransportation for the entire state of Oregon. She explained other cities along the 1-5 corridor have supported the project and by resolution have dedicated either five, 10 or 15 percent of their portions of the Transportation Equity Fund dollars to high speed rail. . City of Springfield Work Session - 7/8/96 Page two By this show of support, Ms. Brody and others involved in the project hoped that Senator Hatfield may be able to leverage some additional funding from the federal government prior to his retirement. Ms. Brody listed the following Willamette Valley cities as those who have committed funding to high speed rail development: Albany, Canby, Corvallis, Eugene, Keizer and Salem. The following counties have also committed funding: Benton, Linn and Marion. Ms. Brody stated that Lane County will be considering funding of the high speed rail project at an upcoming commissioners meeting. Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) High Speed Rail Project Manager Robert Krebs, spoke about investments, employment opportunities, and tourism increases between the Portland and Eugene/Springfield areas. Mr. Krebs explained the inter-state progress between Oregon and Washington, the bus system which compliments the train schedule, and ridership numbers for June 1996 which were just under 5,000 passengers. He stated currently the train is recovering just under 40% of its operating costs and the buses are recovering just under 50%. Mr. Krebs presented a copy of the Oregon Business Plan for the High Speed Rail Project for the Council's library and future reference. . John Magnano, Pacific Northwest Rail Corridor Coordinator, discussed efforts by ODOT and WashDOT to establish high speed rail along the 466 mile corridor between Vancouver, British Columbia and Eugene. He discussed the interdependencies between the various transportation modes in the region and the dedication by the cities of Seattle and Portland to transportation planning and growth efforts. He provided information on regional transportation issues and the proposed high speed rail system. Councilor Burge shared concerns about dedicating funding for high speed rail development, when the City may be at risk of losing Lane County Road Fund dollars for city street projects. He reiterated that as the City looks at future budget deficits, releasing 10% of the City's share of the Transportation Equity Fund would be a hard commitment to make. Councilor Burge stated Oregon is not ready for the advanced public transportation that Europe or Japan has. He provided information regarding the low ridership and the high costs of maintenance, replacement and operating deficits of Lane Transit District buses. Mr. Magnano spoke in support of an incremental approach to high speed rail development. Councilor Shaver asked if Oregon is in jeopardy of losing rail track lines if the high speed rail project is not started soon. Mr. Krebs discussed track ownership in Oregon and described the recent merger of Southern Pacific and Union Pacific railroads. Councilor Beyer spoke in favor of the funding, as high speed rail development is an alternative option that could possibly relieve transportation problems of the future. She felt Springfield should provide the requested funding. . . City of Springfield Work Session - 7/8/96 Page three Councilor Maine asked what is the estimated number trips that will be eliminated on 1-5 due to high speed rail project development. Until a definitive answer can be provided, she suggested that ODOT should be focused on finding ways to off-load large and heavy trucks and use more bus traffic between Springfield and Portland. Councilor Maine was concerned that Springfield might become a "bedroom" community to both Portland and Eugene and that Springfield needs to build a community in which one can both live and work. She stated she is dedicated to relieving traffic on 1-5 and subsidizing transportation, but only for the business side of transportation, not for the tourism side. Councilor Shaver stated he supports rail transportation for moving things in mass and a good way to eliminate trucks carrying goods from driving on 1-5. He explained he would support funding for relieving and off-loading freight carriers from the interstate, but would not support funding for passenger transportation. Councilor Dahlquist also supported relieving heavy freight from 1-5. He asked what the ratio of off-loading passenger traffic on the freeway is to support the pollution from high speed rail. Councilor Dahlquist stated he is interested in the concept of high speed rail, but is not ready to commit funds. . Councilor Ballew stated she supports the concept of transporting passengers, but she felt asking the Federal Government to match local funds is a big risk. She cautioned the Council about reviewing funding requests with 1995 figures, as the figures may grow faster than the matching funds. Councilor Ballew also commented that both the station and the rail are located in Eugene and asked what role Springfield would have in the development, aside from funding. Givern her concerns however, she supported the concept, but was uncertain as to the appropriate funding mechanism. Mayor Morrisette stated Springfield is extremely short-sighted if the policy makers only look at some transportation alternatives. He felt the City must act to lay future groundwork for high speed rail development. He suggested Council adopt a resolution and provide conceptual support. Mayor Morrisette explained that unless federal funding was obtained, Springfield would not be able to produce any funds at this time. Mayor Morrisette stated this was an opportunity that Springfield should not pass up. IT WAS MOVED BY COUNCILOR BURGE, TO NOT PARTICIPATE IN THE HIGH SPEED RAIL PROPOSAL, AS PRESENTED, TO COMMIT 10% OF THE CITY'S SHARE OF THE TRANSPORTATION EQUITY FUND TO HIGH SPEED RAIL. COUNCIL RECOGNIZED THE VALUE LOOKING AT ALTERNATIVE TRANSPORTATION PROPOSALS, BUT CHOSE NOT TO SUPPORT THE DEVELOPMENT OF HIGH SPEED RAIL. THE MOTION DIED DUE TO A LACK OF A SECOND. . . City of Springfield Work Session - 7/8/96 Page four IT WAS MOVED BY COUNCILOR BEYER, WITH A SECOND BY COUNCILOR BALLEW TO DEDICATE 10% OF THE CITY'S SHARE OF THE TRANSPORTATION EQUITY FUND TO HIGH SPEED RAIL. THE MOTION FAILED WITH A VOTE OF 2 FOR AND 4 AGAINST (BURGE, DAHLQUIST, MAINE AND SHAVER). IT WAS MOVED BY COUNCILOR MAINE, WITH A SECOND BY COUNCILOR SHAVER, TO NOT SUPPORT FUNDING 10% OF THE CITY'S SHARE OF THE TRANSPORTATION EQUITY FUND PROPOSAL AT THIS TIME, BUT FOR SPRINGFIELD TO CONTINUE TO REVIEW FUTURE PROPOSALS AND OPTIONS REGARDING ALTERNATIVE MODES OF TRANSPORTATION. THE MOTION PASSED BY A VOTE OF 4 FOR AND 0 AGAINST WITH 2 ABSTENTIONS (BALLEW AND BEYER). 2. Project Priorities for 1998-2001 State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) . Traffic Engineer Gary McKenney presented the staff report. He stated the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) is currently developing it's 1998-2001 State Transportation Improvement Plan (STIP). He stated the list as prepared by local agencies through the Transportation Planning Committee will be presented to the Metropolitan Policy Committee (MPC). Mr. McKenney explained how the criteria and scoring was tabulated by the inter-agency committee and the combined scores are being forwarded to each jurisdiction for review. Mr. McKenney explained the STIP projects which will impact Springfield include: #1, Pioneer Parkway, South "A" to "Q"; #3, BeItline/I-5 Interchange, Beltline 1-5 Gateway area; #4, South 42nd Street, McKenzie Highway to Jasper Road; #7, Highway 126 (Jasper Road Extension), McKenzie Highway to 58th; and #10, Beltline/I-5 Interchange, Beltline 1-5 Gateway area. Mr. McKenney spoke about the Pioneer Parkway project and how ODOT is currently in the process of receiving bids on the project and hopefully will be able to fund it in the near future. For clarification purposes, he eXplained the project may have an asterisk by it when it appears before MPC, if ODOT does approve the funding. Councilor Maine asked if there were Springfield projects on the previous STIP which were removed or not completed, and inquired about the traffic light at 69th and Main Street. Mr. McKenney replied that no previous Springfield projects were deleted on the current STIP. Public Works Director Dan Brown stated the traffic signal project at 69th and Main Street will be completed with or without the completion of the southern light route. . Council discussed the construction of a sound wall for project #13, 1-105 Sound Wall, North Side 1-105 from Coburg Road to 15. Mr. McKenney explained why the project was included on the STIP ranking list, how the sound wall differs from the wall proposed for the extension of Pioneer Parkway, and how there is a proposed three-way cost sharing arrangement for the project. Council praised Mr. McKenney for assisting in the Pioneer Parkway project being ranked at # 1. . City of Springfield Work Session - 7/8/96 Page five Councilor Burge asked if staff could list the project cost next to the project name and ranking when preparing the STIP project list for 1999-2002. He recommended that Council approve the list and forward it to MPC. Councilor Shaver suggested the Pioneer Parkway overlay project occur with additional supervision, to avoid some of the problems which occurred last time an overlay was completed. Council agreed, and by consensus recommended that the Pioneer Parkway Overlay project occur based on its own merits and not be ranked with the other STIP projects that remain. Mayor Morrisette asked when the City will initiate the extension of Pioneer Parkway. Mr. McKenney stated that the project will not qualify as an ODOT project, as it is considered a local project not a state project in terms of funding. 3. Parking Lot Design for USA Soccer Fields at Springfield Sports Center . Development Services Director Susan Daluddung stated Council previously reviewed the site plan for the Sports Center parking lot design and approved the plan. Council asked at the time of their last review to see the plan once again before the bid process occurred. Ms. Daluddung stated Council will be provided with a progress report on the activities of USA Soccer and the bid result process, soon after return from Council's summer recess. Community and Economic Development Manager John Tamulonis explained the traffic circulation and construction aspects involved in the parking lot construction. He used a large map of the Sports Center site to answer questions regarding the parking lot construction, as well as other development occuring at the site. USA Soccer representative Bob McDonald explained at what point USA Soccer is in it's process of field construction, including grading, trenching and drainage pipe installation. He reported in the spring of 1997, the grass will be growing and hopefully play can commence in the Fall of 1997. Mr. McDonald explained field two is also being graded and the fate of both fields two and three depend on fundraising activities. He stated construction of the parking lot will definitely assist with their organizational fundraising efforts. Councilor Shaver asked if the proposed parking lot is located within the Urban Growth Boundary (UGB) and what is planned with the gravel access road that currently exists through the site. Mr. Tamulonis confirmed that the parking lot is within the City's UGB and explained that the gravel road will be abandoned as the parking lot is constructed. Councilor Burge inquired about the number of disabled parking spaces shown on the construction plan. Council instructed staff to place the appropriate number of disabled spaces per the Development Code on the parking lot. . By consensus, Council approved the design and plans for the construction of the parking lot for USA Soccer at the Sports Center. , . City of Springfield Work Session - 7/8/96 Page six ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 7:37 p.m. Minutes Recorder - Shari Higgins ATTEST: ~~ City Recorder . . ~dP\M~ Mayor