HomeMy WebLinkAbout05/10/2010 Work Session
City of Springfield
Work Session Meeting
MINUTES OF THE WORK SESSION MEETING OF
THE SPRINGFIELD CITY COUNCIL HELD
MONDAY, MAY 10,2010
The City of Springfield Council met in a work session in the Jesse Maine Meeting Room, 225 Fifth
Street, Springfield, Oregon, on Monday, May 10,2010 at 5:32 p.m., with Mayor Leiken presiding.
ATfENDANCE
Present were Mayor Leiken and Councilors Ralston, Lundberg, Wylie, Leezer, Simmons, and
Pishioneri. Also present were City Manager Gino Grimaldi, Assistant City Manager Jeff Towery, City
Bill Van Vactor, City Recorder Amy Sowa, and members of the staff.
Mayor Leiken said before they started on the regular agenda, he would like to suggest a new Council
Goal. The Council felt this was important with recent events at the City, to make a strong statement
regarding how they would like this organization to move forward. From this date forward, he
suggested the sixth goal read, "Effectively create a positive environment that values diversity and
encourages inclusion". He asked for additional input from the Council on this goal. He said this was a
new Council direction and goal, and they expected Mr. Grimaldi to move the organization in that
direction.
Councilor Leezer said it was a wonderful goal.
Mr. Grimaldi said staff had started a review based on recent events. They would make sure procedures
were implemented to make sure employees understood the City's policies. More importantly, they
were looking at incorporating diversity issues into what we did each and every day in our work so it
was a component of everything. He wanted to have thoughtful conversations with community leaders
and groups such as SAFER to understand their needs, concerns and issues so the City could address
those in a way that was sustainable. Conversations had been held with a couple of people who had
encouraged them to ~pproach this in a thoughtful manner, and not just a temporary solution~
Councilor Lundberg said there were two distinct groups. There were the internal City employee
groups, and the broader community piece which the Council goal related to. She agreed going forward
in a thoughtful and deliberate way was very important. The current goals were not necessarily
something that could be driven by the City, but by the community as a whole. The goals needed to be
carefully defmed regarding what the City could accomplish and what would be community driven
with the City's support in keeping obstacles out of the way.
Councilor Simmons asked about the relationship between the City and SAFER.
Mr. Grimaldi said there was no formal relationship, but they did team up on occasions. SAFER was
the group that came to the City to talk about problems sheltering the homeless during the winter. In
response to that, an ordinance revision was adopted that allowed camping in church parking lots.
Councilor Simmons said it would be good to get input from them about a direction that might be
accomplishable within the community. Within the staff, was a given. There needed to be sensitivity in
the community. The difficulty with the Human Rights Commission in the past was that it got beyond
the common task and created a difficult situation for the community. He was hoping that if the City
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went that 'direction again, we were sure we had some sort of cohesive process that was a benefit to the
whole community. He agreed a knee jerk reaction was not needed, but rather a long term cultural
change that needed to happen carefully. The human rights issue was not about the leaders, but those
that were disenfranchised. SAFER would be a good group to get feedback. The Constitution was about
protecting rights of the minority, not the majority. We needed to make progress thoughtfully.
Mayor Leiken said he and Councilor Ralston spent about 20 minutes during Agenda Review
discussing the addition of this goal. He thanked Councilor Ralston for coming up with the suggested
goal after looking at different ideas.
Councilor Ralston said he agreed with Councilor Simmons. He and the Mayor made this goal broad
enough to include the whole community, and took out the word 'work' to make it more inclusive. It
was a first step and he was confident in the plan being put together by Mr. Grimaldi. He felt it was a
positive step.
Mayor Leiken said in his 2003 State of the City Address, he asked SAFER to work with the City and
be involved. The Police Department had been engaged with SAFER over the years. They had been
very proactive.
Councilor Ralston asked about a resolution that had been passed by Council in 2001.
The City Recorder distributed Resolution 01-53.
Councilor Lundberg said SAFER was a group that primarily dealt with those that were disenfranchised
in one way or another. When they had the homeless issue, they had contacted her to determine how
they could best approach the Council. They were very good about doing their homework and were
very in tune with the needs of the community. SAFER faced a lot of the people that would be
impacted by this goal and were a good voice.
Councilor Ralston said the resolution (01-53) was as true today as it was when passed in 2001.
Mayor Leiken said he would like to have the discussion on the Strategic Plan at this time and move the
Springfield Waterways second.
1. Strategic Plan.
Assistant City Manager Jeff Towery presented the staff report on this item. He noted that one of the
targets that had already been included in the Strategic Plan included diversity in hiring (4th bullet, page
1, Attachment 1 in the agenda packet). This was one example of a target that staff could create to
allow us to make measurable progress towards the goal Council just asked to include. Staff would
come back in the near future with targets that specifically addressed that goal. There would be
economic development and customer service components in these measures. It was fair to say a
culturally competent organization was not just going to be internally focused on how the workplace
treated people, but if we were going to recruit and retain businesses with diverse workforces, they
needed to feel comfortable in this community. They would have a broader perspective than an internal
focus.
The City Council adopted the Strategic Plan, Goals and Targets on April 9, 2009. Since that time
departments had gathered and evaluated data for the Council-adopted targets as well as those
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established at the department and work group level. In a number of cases, reflections over the last
year led staff to recommend that some targets be removed, others added and some amended. The
attachment to the agenda packet detailed all of those suggestions for the Council's consideration.
The goal and targets adopted and the supporting department level goals and targets would be used to
measure and report efficiency, effectiveness and innovation as well as to prioritize services, projects
and policy initiatives. It would provide Council and staff with a tool to ensure both progress and
accountability and would also serve as a useful tool when allocating resources.
Mr. Towery asked for Council questions and input on any of the targets. Staff would then take Council
input and put together a packet for Council adoption.
Councilor Pishioneri asked about bullet #4, page I, Attachment 1. He asked where they came up with
the 7% target. ~
Human Resources Director Greta Utecht said out of the 2008 estimated census data. That figure was
for the City of Springfield.
Councilor Pishioneri asked about bullet # 1, page 7, Attachment 1 regarding Room Tax Receipts. The
baseline was 0%. He asked how much they thought this program would require of those receipts.
Mr. Towery said that was a program that was not new. Council had periodically provided the
opportunity for external grants from the transient room tax receipts. Typically, that decision was made
during budget time based on our forecasts. Because room tax receipts were down significantly this
year, they were not anticipating any funds for an open grant process this year. They hoped to have the
receipts higher in the next few years.
Councilor Pishioneri said Travel Lane County was anticipating an increase in receipts in the coming
year, although minor.
Mr. Towery said if there was an increase, the City could have a more robust program next year.
Councilor Pishioneri referred to bullet #1, page 9, Attachment 1. He asked why Police hadn't reached
the target of 75% of calls dispatched within 60 seconds of receipt.
Councilor Pishioneri referred to bullet #3, page 9, Attachment 1. He thought 65% would be a
reasonable target. He then asked about bullet #4, page 9, Attachment 1. He asked why the baseline was
only 80.6%. He asked if it was based on the assignments of the officers.
Mr. Towery said he would have to get that information from Chief Smith.
Councilor Pishioneri asked about bullet # 1, page 11, Attachment 1. He asked why the target regarding
responding to citizen complaints was set at 63%. That seemed very low.
Development Services Director Bill Grile said he would check into that further. Their department
responded to all complaints with a goal to avoid giving out citations. They had been doing better
getting compliance without issuing citations.
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Mr. Towery said there could be a certain percent that we would like to resolve short of issuing
citations. He asked Mr. Grile to fmd out if that was the purpose of the goal. It needed more
explanation~
Councilor Pishioneri asked about bullet #3, page 11, Attachment 1, regarding building permit
applications. He asked what was considered timely.
Mr. Grile said the City was required to complete plan reviews for those within 10 days. If they were
not able to do that, they contracted it out. They had no problems meeting that deadline with the
slowdown of the economy. Commercial and Industrial buildings that were more involved, sometimes
took a couple of weeks.
Councilor Pishioneri asked if timely manner could be rephrased to something specific, such as ten
days.
Councilor Pishioneri asked about bullet #2, page 12, Attachment 1, regarding custodial service. He
asked how the jail would impact the measurement on custodial service. He also asked for the
defInition of 'adequate sanitation'. ,
Public Works Director Susie Smith said the jail had its own custodial staff which was managed
separately. This target was only for the City Hall facility. Regarding the definition for adequate
sanitation standard, the City had OSHA and industry standard practices that had a matrix on public
spaces, restrooms, public floors, etc. regarding cleaning. In the context of that matrix, that was an
averaged approximation of what they were getting to.
Mr. Towery said the departments had detailed measures they were tracking to reach each of the
targets.
Councilor Pishioneri asked about the bullet on page 13, Attachment 1, Capital Projects. He asked if
Jasper Trunk was included since it would not be built until 2013. He asked if construction of that
project would affect that standard.
Ms. Smith said the goal would be to get the CIP approved, budget appropriated, and staffing to get all
the projects completed. The key was alignment on those things consistent with Council's direction.
The goal would be the Council enacting a set of policy directions and reaching the target on each. In
reality, they were sometimes under-staffed or over-budget, so not always able to deliver.
Assistant Public Works Director Len Goodwin said Council's decisions each year on the CIP was their
policy direction to staff on what they should be accomplishing.
Councilor Pishioneri referred to bullet # I, page 14, Attachment 1, Library Student Success and
Community Literacy Supported. He asked what the baseline of 91 % referred to.
Library Director Rob Everett said they did a composite from all of the programs. They were taking
previous attendance and trying to build on those numbers. The target was based on growing attendance
from previous attendance. He explained further. -
Mr. Towery gave an example. He said figures could be showed in the targets if Councilor Pishioneri
would prefer.
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Councilor Pishioneri said it would be important to see those numbers.
Councilor Pishioneri referred to bullet #5, page 14, Attachment 1, Drainage ways are Improved or
Enhanced. He asked if the' inaction by Lane County would affect the stormwater drainage in the Jasper
Natron area. He felt it was unfair to put it as a City measure if it was something out of our control.
Ms. Smith said this goal was reflective of the overall requirements to maximize removal of pollution
and a continuous improvement to clean water. There were plans with outcomes, and a lot of
benchmarks in many areas for each department. \\'hen Public Works rolled out all those benchmarks,
they could say they were meeting their goal. Lane County was a small part of this goal.
Councilor Pishioneri referred to bullet #2, page 15, Attachment 1. He asked if the target of
"Development Applications are Processed in a Timely Manner;': was redundant from a previous
target.
Mr. Grile said these were planning and the others were building.
CouncilorPishioneri referred to bullet #4, page 15, Attachment 1, Residents Perception of Springfield
is Positive. He asked about the budget for the survey.
Mr. Towery said staff was going to conduct that survey during the current fiscal year with currently
budgeted resources.
Mayor Leiken referred to bullet #3, page 7, Attachment 1. He asked what 'incentives' were being
referred to in that paragraph.
Mr. Grile said it could include use of Urban Renewal funds to pay fees, restructure of systems charges,
deferring fees, Enterprise Zone, expedited review, etc.
Mayor Leiken said he wanted to clarify because most cities didn't have a lot to offer. He referred to
bullet #2, page 8, Attachment 1. He asked what was meant by "Activities undertaken to create
opportunities for affordable and decent housing. . .". He asked for the defmition of 'decent'.
Mr. Grile said it was a Housing and Urban Development definition. He could look it up and provide
that to the Mayor.
Councilor Ralston said there were defInitions for decent housing that included standards.
Councilor Simmons referred to bullet #4, page 1, Attachment I. He asked what the 7% of qualified
residents meant.
Ms. Utecht said when they talked about qualified, they meant those applicants that met minimum
requirements for a position. She explained. The 7% now referred to the percentage of the population of
the City of Springfield geographic area that were persons of color. If we had 7% of applicants that
were reflective of our community, we could begin to start building our workforce diversity from that
pool.
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Councilor Simmons said the diversity issue was broader than the representation of staff. Ms. Utecht
agreed. He would like to look at that diversity pool regarding other aspects such as religion.
Ms. Utecht said if they self identified they could use that information. Census and Equal EmplOYment
Opportunity Commission (EEOC) requirements only measured ethnicity. All protected classes were
important. They tried to develop a measure that had quantifiable data available.
Councilor Simmons referred to bullet #4, page 3, Attachment 1, Net Enterprise Contribution to the
Ambulance Fund. He said the issues regarding the figures listed in the second paragraph needed to be
explored more broadly. Throughout the balance of the targets, there were similar questions. There was
a need for more information of the parameters.
Councilor Wylie noted two typos in Attachment 1: (1) bullet # 1, page 15, second sentence, "Preserve
Hometown Feel" (the letter 'I' was missing); (2) bullet #4, page 15, second sentence, "When
financially feasible, the City administers a City-wide survey to gather. . . "(instead of 'the').
2. Springfield Waterways: A Comprehensive Report on the Metro Waterways, Floodplain Mapping,
and Mill Race Projects.
Public Works Director Susie Smith, Assistant Public Works Director Len Goodwin, City Engineer
Ken V ogeney, and Chuck Gottfried presented the staff report on this item. Springfield was actively
participating in several waterways related projects with long-range implications for the City. These
projects were driven by Council's adopted 7 Key Outcomes for Stormwater, and the need to comply
with federal regulations (Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act). All of these projects included
local, State, or federal partners, and had multi-year timelines for development and implementation.
Ms. Smith said Springfield, being between two rivers, presented great opportunities and challenges
with regard to management of water resources, urban drainage ways, rivers and land uses. Over the
last two decades, the City had been involved in several projects where the City had focused in on high
priority issues where flooding, land degradation, damage to property owners, and significant
stormwater and water availability were issues. All this had been done with partners, limited funding
and limited grant money. The three primary projects the City had been moving forward with were the
Mill Race, Metro Waterways, and Flood Plain Mapping on McKenzie and Cedar Creek areas.
Chuck Gottfried presented the power point presentation and spoke regarding Metro Waterways.
Metro Waterways - The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, in partnership with the cities of Springfield
and Eugene, Lane County, Springfield Utility Board, Eugene Water & Electric Board, and the Bureau
of Land Management and others, as Cooperating Agencies, had been conducting a multi-year study in
the Eugene-Springfieldmetropolitan area and surrounding rural lands. In this phase a specific
Springfield project had emerged, focusing on the Cedar Creek drainage and McKenzie River, with an
emphasis on stabilizing critical flows and reducing flooding in this area, and stabilizing erosion in the
dYnamic McKenzie River system.
Mr. Gottfried. said the goal of the Metro Waterways project was to provide long-term resolution to
flooding, to protect residents, sustain waterflows in Cedar Creek, enhance water quality in Cedar
Creek and the McKenzie River for the health and safety of residents, and ensure that the City did not
harm endangered salmon habitat in Cedar Creek. He noted the many participating agencies in the
Metro Waterways.
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Mr. Gottfried referred to photos showing the flood of 1996 and erosion of the McKenzie River.
Revetments on the McKenzie River were at the end of their fifty year life expectancy. He spoke
regarding flows in Cedar Creek and the fish in that area. The Corps of Engineers was the leading
partner for Metro Waterways, with LCOG coordinating this effort. Another part of the project was
outreach to the community. Numerous meetings had been held with neighboring residents to discuss
flooding and water quality. This project had been a number of years in the making, and there were
more to go. Multiple steps needed to be taken before the construction phase similar to the Mill Race
Project. He displayed a timeline of the project. The next steps were to move forward with the design.
Mr. Gottfried referred to the Springfield portion of Metro Waterways. Along the McKenzie River,
there were some revetments that were failing: some were allowed to fail and some would be restored.
There were two sources for Cedar Creek; one in the headwaters to the south of Main Street, and the
other was an inlet structure. That structure would be reconstructed to supply a steady flow to Cedar
Creek. Maintaining a stable flow in Cedar Creek was key to preventing flooding.
Mr. Gottfried referred to a series of maps showing the Cedar Creek and McKenzie River area. Most of
the work had been done in town. 69th, 72nd and 75th Streets all drained.into Cedar Creek and had
significant water quality issues. There were concerns with erosion on the river that may allow the river
in a time of flooding, to recapture part of Cedar Creek as one of the main channels. That would result
in significant flooding in the Cedar Creek basin. The westernmost portion of the project was
identified. This was a conceptual part of the project where that area may be restored for habitat or
water quality. All of the projects were conceptual at this point. Staff would be back before Council to
talk about alternatives at a later date. He felt they were getting close to design and what could be
feasible.
Mayor Leiken said there were significant water rights on the McKenzie River, including Eugene
Water and Electric Board (EWEB), Springfield Utility Board (SUB), International Paper, and others.
SUB was looking to potentially build an intake on the McKenzie River. He asked if there was any
opportunity for the City to work with our utility partners on this project regarding funding.
Mr. Gottfried said he was familiar with SUB's plan. They had been at the table with those partners for
.years in this process. At this point, no one had to pay for any of the projects, but he felt they would be
partners in the future.
Mayor Leiken said water was a very important commodity and that's why he wanted to know. He had
seen that potential, but had not looked at SUB's plans. He wanted to continue to encourage them
(SUB) to be involved.
Ms. Smith said she had been a member of the Water Resources Commission. When SUB got an
exception to the basin study, which didn't provide for municipal water uses for the well heads, they
had an obligated mitigation flow to Cedar Creek. This was a different situation than with the Mill
Race. She explained. On this project, SUB was very strongly in a lead role in moving forward to
ensure flows.
Mayor Leiken said this was a United Front project, and we had a local partner with a significant
investment. He wanted to know how they could continue to encourage that partnership.
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Ms. Smith said it was worth a TEAM Springfield level of conversation about this project. Mayor
Leiken noted that the CEO's and Chairs would be meeting next week. Ms. Smith said EWEB had been
an active and funding partner on Cedar Creek activities and that would continue.
Councilor Pishioneri said the Soil and Water Conservation District could have Oregon Department of
Agriculture (ODA) funds available and also the McKenzie Watershed Council.
Mr. Gottfried said they were all active partners.
Councilor Pishioneri asked about a pump that was to be constructed.
Mr. Gottfried said there was no pump, but a private citizen rerouted Cedar Creek with a bulldozer. The
dollars for the projects outlined here were about $31M. The Corps of Engineers was a partner and they
would come forward with some of the funding.
Ms. Smith said the program that would fall out from this study process, would be similar to the Mill
Race program with a match of about 25 to 35%. The consortium was looking for funding for those
matches.
City Engineer Ken V ogeney presented information on Floodplain Mapping.
Floodplain Mapping - Several studies were underway to improve the accuracy of the 100-year
floodplain limits of sections of both the McKenzie and Willamette Rivers so as to preserve the natural
resources within the floodplain and to protect property and persons. Staff was cooperating with
federal agencies to update current floodplain maps.
Mr. V ogeney said Springfield was an area that was prone to flooding and had several large flood
events in the past. He referred to several photos of floods that had occurred in downtown, Glenwood,
McKenzie River and Cedar Creek.
Mr. V ogeney said there were seven different flood plain mapping activities that were currently going
on or were being contemplated in our immediate vicinity. He referred to Attachment 3 of the agenda
packet which had a table of those seven areas. Several of the mapping studies overlapped each other
and different agencies were involved. The attachment in the packet was provided to the joint Planning
Commissioners regarding the 2030 Refmement Plan so they could see flooding information. Things
were being studied, but he had no completed studies. A first draft of each study to date had shown that
there was much more work to do.
Mr. Vogeney started with the Metro Waterways project which included the McKenzie River and
Cedar Creek. He discussed current floodplain mapping along the McKenzie River and Cedar Creek.
The study area they were working with for the Metro Waterways with the Corps of Engineers started
at Hayden Bridge and went upstream to Hendrick's Bridge. They had surveyed the river and the
ground, and had done the analysis for the last couple of years. The results of that work were shown on
draft maps in the power point. He noted that there was substantially more area being affected by
floodplain than what FEMA had on their current maps. That was something the City had suspected,
and the reason they were looking at floodplain mapping as a key project in the Metro Waterways
project. The results were slightly different than expected, primarily because the McKenzie River was
moving and changing. He discussed the flow dYnamics of the river due to an oxbow upstream.
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Mr. V ogeney said the Corps had found that the flood elevation downstream near Hayden Bridge was
higher than what FEMA had mapped, but upstream near Hendrick's Bridge, the flood elevation was
lower than whatFEMA had mapped because the water was moving faster. That was still draft because
the study at Hendrick's Bridge didn't meet FEMA standards as far as the remapping standards. They
needed to go further upstream and do more analysis to meet those requirements. The new flood
mapping needed to be within 6 inches of what FEMA determined in order for FEMA to approve. Staff
would be meeting with Lane County staff on Friday to discuss further partnership with them on how
further studies were paid, and to show them the latest results. Adoption of the maps would require the
Lane County Board of Commissioners and Springfield City Council adopt them. That process would
occur for all of the different map studies. He didn't know when the maps would be ready. Staffwould
be meeting with FEMA and representatives from the Corps to map out a schedule.
Councilor Leezer asked how they reconciled the difference between FEMA' s mapping and actual
flood plains.
Mr. Vogeney said the studies published by FEMA were from data gathered in the early 1960's, the
analysis was done in the 1970's, and the maps were published for our area in 1983. Those were the
official maps adopted by the jurisdiction and were used to regulate today. They were in the process of
replacing those maps with new maps. This study process was to develop and prepare new floodplain
mapping that could be locally adopted and provided to FEMA to adopt.
Councilor Simmons said both the existing and the draft component made a tremendously dangerous
assumption. It assumed that the 42nd Street levy was intact. As far as he knew, that was not part of the
City's CIP, the Corps plan, or anyone else's plan. The railroad tracks in that location went away and a
bike path was built on top of it. In 1996, it came within two feet of overtopping. If that overtopped that
dyke, it would take out the gut of Springfield. We didn't have a strategy to ensure that levy remained
intact and that was very dangerous. If we had an inundation zone, it could blow that dyke and would
sever the north and the south of Springfield. Currently, that came out at the Alton Baker reflecting
pond. With his experience with Cedar Creek as part of the McKenzie Irrigation District, there was
water running everywhere because of the natural grade. He asked why that dyke wasn't part of our
strategy .
Mr. V ogeney said the floodplain mapping did assume the dyke remained in place.
Councilor Simmons said we knew the old revetments were failing. That one particular section was
scary to him because he had witnessed the flood of 1948.
Councilor Lundberg referred to Project G, SDS ChanneI6/I-5 Channel.
Mr. Vogeney said he would be discussing the rest of the projects shortly.
Councilor Lundberg said part of what she had learned through her experiences, was that how we
developed determined how we had to look at the floodplain and those maps. Building in one place,
impacted another place. A lot of the infill sat along those channels that would be impacted by further
development. We were a community bordered by rivers and we had a lot of channeling to keep our
water under control.
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May 10,2010
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Councilor Wylie said on a program on the Discovery Channel, our area was identified as a potential
disaster area if there was an earthquake because of all the dams. She asked if staff looked at a disaster
plan in the event of an earthquake.
Mr. V ogeney responded to Councilor Simmons' questions regarding the dyke on 42nd Street. That was
not an area that staff had spent any time investigating how it was holding up, so that was a good
reminder. He responded to the question from Councilor Wylie regarding inundation from the various
dams. The Army Corps of Engineers did conduct inundation studies for all of the dams. The worst
case scenario was quite bad. Last fall Mark Walker from Fire and Life Safety brought to Council the
Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan. As part of updating that plan, they did look at that mapping.
Mr. V ogeney briefly highlighted the other projects. The Willamette River Bridge, which the Oregon
Department of Transportation (ODOT) was building, had identified the floodplain as currently
mapped by FEMA in the vicinity of the bridges was also incorrect. He referred to current FEMA
mapping, and what they were calculating as the new floodway. More analysis was needed for that
project, as well as partnering for funding.
Mr. V ogeney spoke regarding the FEMA DFIRM Update. FEMA was updating all of their floodplain
maps, but not doing new studies. Staff from our region had advised FEMA that they didn't feel those
maps would be very accurate. He hoped to see the drafts of those in the near future.
Mr. V ogeney spoke regarding the Upper Willamette Basin Flood Insurance Study (FIS). FEMA had
contracted with the Corps on this project. Their goal was to remap all of the floodplains within the
next 50'years in the Willamette Basin. They were starting at the upstream ~nd,and working their way
down. This project was just getting started.
Mr. Vogeney spoke regarding the Glenwood River Front, Springfield Mill Race, and SCSChannel/I-5
Channel. He said these three projects were pending. He was talking with ODOT to combine the
Glenwood Riverfront Study with the Willamette River project because it was an overlapping area.
ODOT had a consultant to do the analysis, but had no data. The City had data, but no consultant to do
the analysis, so it might be a good match.
Mr. V ogeney spoke regarding the Springfield Mill Race. In reconfiguring the Mill Race, the
floodPlain map needed to be reviewed.
Mr. V ogeney spoke regarding the SCS Chamiel 6/1-5 Channel. This was a citizen request to do a new
study on the floodplain. Someone purchased a home that was within the FEMA mapped floodplain
and their sales contract said the developer would redo the map and do a new study to take that home
out of the floodplain. The developer didn't have the resources to restudy everything in that area,
including the Q Street Channel east of 1-5. They had asked the City to assist. This was on the list, but
staffwas focusing their attention on those projects that were fully funded.
Councilor Lundberg said it was important to remember that people were affected by flood insurance.
She had seen some of the arguments at the State and Federal level, and the City was responsible to
assist to make sure the mapping was. accurate. If the maps were incorrect, there was potential for
flooding. City Council could be held liable.
Discussion was held regarding the requirements from the Federal government and the mapping.
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Len Goodwin spoke regarding the Mill Race.
Mill Race - Construction activities on the first phase of restoration of the historic Mill Race began in
2009. This summer, high-profile construction for Phase II would begin. When fInished, this project
would enhance water quality, native fish and wildlife habitat, recreational opportunities, and
downtown revitalization efforts while addressing Clean Water Act and Endangered Species Act
requirements.
Mr. Goodwin gave a brief history of the Mill Race and referred to a photo of the railroad bridge. Mill
Race was a testament of the dedication of the City Council and staff over the past twenty-five years.
He referred to Attachment 2 of the agenda which outlined the chronology of the Mill Race. He
referred to photos of the Mill Race throughout this process. He noted the many important aspects of
the Mill Race.
Mr. Goodwin discussed the photos showing the progress of the Mill Race. He said the City was
actually beginning to finish Phase I of the Mill Race Project. There was now water in the Mill Race all
the time. The new. channel had been dug out, and now the channel needed to be reconnected to the old
channel. He explained. In one of the little bays in the Mill Race were some Oregon Chub, which were
an endangered species. One of the last minute design changes was to deal with the fact that we were
constructing this project in the middle of habitat for an endangered species. They were succeeding in
doing that with the full approval of all the regulatory agencies because the designers, the Corps and
City staff had spent a lot of time working out everything so the habitat was preserved.
Mr. Goodwin described the start of Phase II by City of Springfield maintenance staff. They would dry
up the pond and divert all the flow down Gorrie Creek. He explained how that would be
accommodated. That was important to allow fish to move along downstream. Eventually, there would
be no fish in the pond, the valve at the end of the pipe would be closed, all of the water would go
down Gorrie Creek, and there would be very little fish rescue needed.
Mr. Goodwin referred to a photo of the Mill Race a couple of weeks ago. They were making a great
deal of progress getting the water out. There were a lot of things that would happen in the next few
months close to downtown. Because of this, they needed to have a good communication plan for the
public. Staff had consulted with the ODFW about what to do with the Carp. Staff was also working
with Niel Laudati and Rachael Chilton on a detailed communications plan. Work would begin in the
downtown area around June 1. There were a number of things that would happen that were related to
the Corps contract. By the end of next month, the City should receive notice of a grant that would be
adequate to allow a private contractor to remove the dam. There were going to be some fish rescue at
that time.
Councilor Leezer asked how long Phase II would take.
Mr. Goodwin said they hoped to have most of the work done by November 2010. They would then
plant in the Spring.
Councilor Simmons asked how frre water would be provided for Swanson's.
Mr. Goodwin said Swanson would receive water for frre suppression and log deck treatment from
Springfield Utility Board (SUB). There was a twelve inch line that ran under the tunnel by 16th Street
which went into Swanson's' property. Swanson would be installing several pumps to help increase
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Council Work Session Minutes
May 10,2010
Page 12
pressure. Once the project was done, the City woul4 have built a small embaYment where their current
intake was located.
Councilor Simmons asked what would happen if water pressure was lost, there was no water in the
Mill Race, and the building burned to the ground.
Mr. Goodwin said they would be drawing from a line from the Willamette wellfields. SUB did not
believe pressure would go that low. If pressure dropped that low, about one-third of the City would be
without domestic water. If the well fields ran dry, they would draw more from the Willamette River.
With all of the water from the Mill Race diverted to Gorrie Creek, the wellfields would be recharged
more rapidly than under normal conditions.
3. Lane County Intergovernmental Agreement for National Pollution Discharge Elimination System
(NPDES) Phase IT Permit Compliance Services.
Environmental Services Supervisor for Water Resources George Walker presented the staff report on
this item. Lane County's NPDES Permit #113606 issued by Oregon Department of Environmental
Quality (DEQ) provided for partnering of activities with the City of Springfield. The proposed
intergovernmental agreement (IGA) between Lane County and the City delegated needed authority to
the City for actions within the Urban Transition Zone (UTZ). The IGA also defmed monetary and
other compensation to the City for the identified services.
Stormwater discharges were regulated in federally defmed Urbanized Areas (VA) through provisions
of the federal Clean Water Act's NPDES permit program. Both the City of Springfield and Lane
County held Phase IT NPDES stormwater discharge permits.
Guidance documents for Phase IT NPDES permits identified six minimum measures, which constituted.
the mandated storm water management program. Collaboration of efforts by the City and Lane County
eliminated the need for duplicate programs to cover the lands within the City and the adjacent Lane
County lands within the federally defined UA's. The UTZ had similar needs to the area within the
City limits and shared many of the same storm water facilities, flowing both into and out of the city
limits. City and County staff had a long term relationship of cooperation regarding the activities for
compliance with the clean water mandates and Lane County elected, in their NPDES permit, to rely on
Springfield for administration and enforcement.
The proposed Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) defmed the responsibilities of Lane County and the
City to meet the requirements of the NPDES permits issued separately to each agency. In general, the
program elements developed for land inside the City limits would also be applied within the UTZ by
The City. The City was delegated by this IGA to act as the Lane County agent for the identified
activities. Monetary compensation by Lane County to the City for the additional costs incurred for
this service was identified within the agreement.
Lane County was obliged to complete the IGA, and related code adoption, before June 17. The Board
of County Commissioners would consider the IGA on May 19. If Council directed, staff would present
the IGA with an approval resolution on May 17.
Mr. Walker said that the IGA supported Lane County delegating certain actions of the required six
minimum measures of the Phase II permitting to the City for enforcement and actions out in the
County areas. This eliminated the need for the County to duplicate programs that the City already had
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Council Work Session Minutes
May 10,2010
Page 13
in place. The City's Stormwater Management Plan that had been adopted by the City had a very robust
program. He noted that County stormwater flowed into the City, and City stormwater flowed out into
the County areas. All stormwater systems had the same needs within the urbanizable area and
Springfield staff and regulations were well suited to' manage those in the UGB also. The City had a
similar agreement with Lane County that supported building and development within the UGB.
Eugene also had similar agreements for stormwater within the UGB.
Mr. Walker said the IGA defined the responsibilities of both the City and County. There were no new
rules or different restrictions imposed on the City resident or County residents within the UGB. City
staff was already doing most of that work because of the tie between building permits and the
development in the UGB area. The County would continue to partner with us on some activities, most
of those in the public education aspect and putting together brochures and fact sheets for those people
in the City and UGB areas. This agreement allowed the County to compensate the City for the work
they were doing. This would help support the City's function. Lane County staffwere conducting a
concurrent session to get Lane County to approve the IGA and would be before the LCBC on May 19.
Mayor Leiken asked if they foresaw any holdups from the County.
Mr. Goodwin said he could not predict.
Ms. Smith 'said the County needed the City in order to comply with the permit.
Councilor Simmons asked if the County would have to adopt their own NPDES if the City didn't
approve this IGA.
Mr. Walker said they could be in noncompliance or complete their own plan by June 17.
Councilor Pishioneri asked why the City was working with Willamalane on dog waste stations.
Mr. Walker said some of the stations were in the parks, some on City land, and some near school
properties. The City had partnered with Willamalane and the School District. Willamalane provided
staff to empty the waste cans, and the City bought some of the stations and bags.
Ms. Smith said the bacteria obligation was the City's obligation.
Mayor Leiken said the Council directed staff to bring this back for adoption May 17.
4. Lane Transit District (LID) Update Presentation.
Civil Engineer Kristi Krueger presented the staff report on this item. L TD Assistant General Manager
Stefano Viggiano was present to provide the Mayor and Council with an update on the Gateway EmX
project timeline, the various benefits that the EmX project brought to the community, and an update on
LTD's service plan in Springfield during 2011. LTD Board Member Mike Eyster was also present.
The LID EmX project began construction in early 2009 and was progressing on schedule with a
planned service date beginning January 2011. Even with the overall service reductions needed to
address the $3 million budget shortfall LID presented to Council in January 2010, Springfield would
see a net increase in service hours as the new Gateway EmX project extended service from downtown
Springfield to the Gateway area.
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Council Work Session Minutes
May 10,2010
Page 14
Mr. Eyster said L TD appreciated the collaboration with the City of Springfield on this project. The
project was on schedule and construction of the EmX lanes would be finished by September 2010. To
date the EmX lanes had been built on International Way and along Pioneer Parkway north of
Centennial Boulevard, and between Main Street and F Street. EmX construction was underway
between F and Centennial Boulevard. Crews had also built most of the thirteen EmX stations along the
~oute with the characteristic sails and masts. Between October and December, they would be testing
the system and driver/operator training. EmX would open January 9,2011, and all were invited. The
new EmX would connect important points between Eugene, Springfield and Gateway. This was a
$41M investment, of which ninety-three percent was funded by Federal and State funds, and would
improve the transportation infrastructure long into the future. It more than doubled the EmX miles and
completed the II th mile of the planned 61 miles of the EmX network. The project was supporting 400
family wage jobs at a time when unemploYment had been climbing. More than 20 fIrmS, many local,
were working on the various projects that were part of the main project.
Mr. Viggiano said the main purpose of the EmX was the bus rapid transit. They tried to look at ways
to create other community benefits as well in this project. Several other community benefits included:
(1) Improvements to the intersection at Q Street and Pioneer Parkway; (2) Signalized HA WK
crossings on Gateway Street and Harlow Road; (3) Vintage style lamp posts along the Rosa Parks
Path; and (4) New trees, shrubs, and ground cover along Pioneer Parkway, at EmX Stations, and the
rest of the route. He explained those benefits in more detail. They also committed money to art, with
decorative railings and three large sculptures that would be installed along Pioneer Parkway. The
committee for the art was unanimous in the selection of the artist, in part because his was the only
proposal that was relevant to Springfield's history.
Councilor Lundberg asked about the proposed park and ride in Gateway. She said it was not part of
the original plan. \
Mr. Eyster said they met last week with one of the property owners, because they had relearned the
importance of talking with people affected by a project. He felt they had a healthy conversation with
those owners. L TD committed to making sure they checked in with those affected people. They
planned to talk with other property owners in that area soon. One of their interests was working
together with property owners on economic development, and transit was part of that. The park and
ride was an idea they had and they felt it would help with traffic, congestion, and with business in the
area. They wanted to do that in collaboration with those property owners.
Councilor Lundberg said the park and ride directed traffic to a specific location, and the location was
important regarding traffic, etc. That idea in this area seemed backwards from the original plan of
EmX. She asked that L TD provide additional information to the Council as soon as possible on this
new idea.
Mr. Eyster said L TD would spend whatever time was needed with staff or the Council providing that
information. They wanted to do something to improve the situation.
Councilor Lundberg said the landscaping was very nice.
Councilor Pishioneri thanked L TD for listening to Council's suggestions regarding the traffic
problems at Q Street and Pioneer Parkway. He had a safety concern regarding changing the sign at the
southbound Pioneer Parkway to the eastbound onramp to Highway 126 eastbound. There were now
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Council Work Session Minutes
May 10,2010
Page 15
two lanes to go onto the onramp. Some people thought they could make a left turn when the light was
red if no one was coming. This would now conflict with the bus. He. suggested putting a.'no turn on
red' sign up as soon as possible.
Ms. Krueger said that was now in the plan.
Councilor Pishioneri said when the asphalt was put down on the northbound Pioneer Parkway East
from Q Street, it left a line about halfway through the lane where it met the concrete and it was not a
smooth transition.
Ms. Krueger said it would be grounded and overlaid.
Councilor Pishioneri spoke regarding the transition of the Rosa Parks Trail and traffic. He didn't see
the final draft on that and was not sure how that would turn out.
Mr. Viggiano said as the southbound busses approached that crossing, a pedestrian walk signal would
be triggered. That signal would be green the entire time unless a bus was approaching. L TD would
train their drivers to approach that area very cautiously. They felt that would work well.
Ms. Krueger said there was also signing.
Councilor Wylie said one of the benefits of the EmX was the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.
She served on the Reduction of Greenhouse Gas Emissions Task Force and one of the requirements
under new legislation was to reduce the Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT). She told everyone the new
segment of EmX would create a large reduction of VMT.
Councilor Simmons asked if the signals affecting the lanes at Q Street would have lights with arrows
for turning.
Ms. Krueger said they would be protected left turn signals.
Councilor Simmons said we needed to educate drivers about that. He referenced an intersection in
Glenwood. Drivers needed to understand they couldn't move on a red arrow. He felt that also needed
to be clarified with police.
Ms. Krueger said it was legal to turn right on a right arrow, but not on a left arrow.
Councilor Pishioneri said drivers could turn right at a right arrow if they stopped first, unless
prohibited by signage that said "no turn on red".
Chief Smith said that was correct. He would confIrm left turns as well.
Ms. Krueger said at Pioneer Parkway and Q Street, it would only affect left turns. In that case, it
would be illegal to turn left on a red light.
Mr. Viggiano said at that intersection, there would be solid white lane to prevent the right turn from
merging over to the left.
Further discussion was held regarding left turns on red lights.
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Council Work Session Minutes
May 10,2010
Page 16
Chief Smith said he would provide Councilor Simmons with iriformation on that.
Councilor Simmons asked if the temporary leg north of PeaceHealth had been worked out.
Ms. Krueger it had and would be built in July.
Mr. Viggiano said there would be a new connecting road between St. Josephs and Baldy View. It
would be a bus only stretch.
Councilor Lundberg noted that on International Way, part of the car lane was concrete and part was
asphalt, and it was difficult toknow where the lane edges were. When~the EmX opened, that needed to
be very clear. She asked if that segment was completely done.
Ms. Krueger said the permanent ,striping had just been completed. Signage was also installed.
Councilor Lundberg said there were two surfaces in one lane.
Councilor Ralston asked if the pedestrian signal sounded like drums. Yes. He asked what the
resolution would be on the Hamlin Field drainage issue. He had been involved in, Springfield Baseball
for a long time and they never had a swamp in their outfield. Now the water was backed up causing
problems.
Mr. Viggiano said they would be putting in an underground drainage pipe along the fence line.
Ms. VanWinkle said they were hoping to get the work done in the next few weeks.
Mr. Viggiano spoke regarding service. L TD was facing a major budget deficit and the Board had taken
action on service reductions. Some service would be coming back in January when EmX began and
Springfield would actually see an increase with EmX. He noted the concern about the loss of service
in the Fairview neighborhood. The Board decided to maintain a reduced level of service rather than
discontinuing service. .
Councilor Lundberg thanked LTD.
Mayor Leiken said Congress still had not addressed funding for operations.
Mr. Eyster said Congress was interested, but it was not in the budget. Senator Wyden was particularly
interested. L TD Board member Greg Evans had gone back to Washington DC to discuss this issue
further. They seemed interested in allowing L TD to switch some of those funds. The flexibility would
help, but there wasn't quite enough to do what they needed to do.
Mayor Leiken said they needed to get Senator Wyden more than interested. He spoke regarding
reduction in green house emissions. This (EmX) was a perfect example of what this community was
trying to do to reduce those emissions. He asked that L TD continue to keep the City in the loop and let
them know whatever the City could do to assist. When he served on the Governor's Vision
Committee, people were aware of the efforts Springfield was making with L TD and the EmX. The
Mayor said he was proud of what Springfield was doing. He suggested a joint event when the EmX
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Council Work Session Minutes
May 10,2010
Page 17
opened. He appreciated Councilor Wylie's work on the EmX Steering Committee. This was
something we should be proud of. Many people .would be using this transit system.
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjoumed7:58 p.m.
Minutes Recorder - Amy Sowa
Attest:
Am~~
City Recorder