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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 City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes May 10,2010 Page 2 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 City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes May 10,2010 Page 3 ;; 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. City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes May 10,2010 Page 4 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. City qf Springfield Council Work Session Minutes May 10,2010 Page 5 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. City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes May 10,2010 Page 6 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. City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes May 10,2010 Page 7 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. City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes May 10,2010 Page 8 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. City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes May 10,2010 Page 9 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. City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes May 10,2010 Page 10 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. City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes May 10,2010 Page 11 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 City of Springfield 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 City of Springfield 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. City of Springfield 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 City of Springfield 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. City of Springfield 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 City of Springfield 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