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HomeMy WebLinkAbout10/20/2003 Work Session " . City of Springfield Work Session Meeting MINUTES OF THE WORK SESSION MEETING OF THE SPRINGFIELD CITY COUNCIL HELD MONDAY, OCTOBER 20,2003. The City of Springfield council met in a work session in the Jesse Maine Room, 225 Fifth Street, Springfield, Oregon, on Monday, October 20, 2003 at 6:00 p.m., with Mayor Leiken presiding. ATTENDANCE Present were Mayor Leiken and Councilors Woodrow, Burge, Fitch, Ralston, and Malloy. Also present were City Manager Mike Kelly, Assistant City Manager Cynthia Pappas, City Attorney Joe Leahy, City Recorder Amy Sowa and members of the staff. Councilor Ballew was absent (excused). I. Sanipac Annual Report. Technical Services Manager Len Goodwin presented the staff report on this issue. The franchise granted to Sanipac under Ordinance 60 II requires that the company submit an annual report to the city. That report has been duly submitted and is included in the agenda packet. . Mr. Goodwin introduced John Hire, General Manager for Sanipac. Mr. Hire discussed the report, particularly that portion which discussed the plan to begin commingled recycling in Springfield at year end. That plan requires some modifications to Springfield's recycling program to insure compliance with the provisions of the State's recycling laws. Those modifications are outlined in greater detail in Attachment B, which is included in the agenda packet. Mr. Goodwin noted that the city receives several calls a month 'regarding service through Sanipac. Both city staff and Sanipac work hard to respond to those calls in a timely and considerate manner. He mentioned the commingling plan that Sanipac is looking at implementing in both Eugene and Springfield. The only concern they have heard from a citizen so far is regarding the large size of container provided by Sanipac. Councilor Ralston said the recycling container is quite large and he doesn't feel one per household is necessary. . Mr. Hire passed out plastic bags which will be attached to the new recycling containers. Inside the bag were informational sheets discussing the new program and the dates of pick-up. Mr. Hire said this is one of the most exciting things he has seen come before Sanipac in recent years. He noted that the size of cart they are using is what most cities are using. If citizens chose to share one can between two households they could do that. He noted that the floor space the new cart will use is about I Y2 the size of the current blue box. The large size allows citizens to throw their recycling into the carts in full, no need to crush or break down. He said they will address this and other concerns as they come forward. Recycling has been a positive part ofSanipac's service. The only negative from the recycling is when they have to let citizens know there is something incorrectly prepared for recycling. They are required to do so by the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) as part ofthe promotional education portion, yet some citizens perceive this in a negative light. These new carts allow citizens to toss all of their recycling into WI City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes October 20, 2003 Page 2 . one cart with no preparation. These carts have lids to prevent spillage and keep items from blowing out of the boxes and they have wheels. He said Sanipac did not want to add cost to citizens and this is one way to control costs. This will greatly help Sanipac with workers' compensation issues. He noted the safety issues this addresses: I) work crew will not have to handle items such as glass and tin cans, 2) work crew will not be lifting boxes as the carts will be unloaded by the trucks' equipment, 3) there will be fewer trucks on the road because they will be going from a once-a-week pick-up to every other week. He said they are so excited about this new process they have created a new motto "We're carried away with recycling". They have contracted out to double their phone coverage starting today through the next four months to handle any concerns. He explained that this could help increase recycling in o~r community. Mr. Hire said they began delivering the new carts today and will continue for 6 weeks to get all 43,000 carts out to citizens. Councilor Fitch asked about credit card offers that come in the mail and ifthere is any protection through this program. Mr. Hire said although this is not a secure system, citizens can shred confidential items or rip them in half prior to throwing them into the recycling cart. Even shredded items do not have to be bagged because the lids on the carts prevent the pieces from blowing away. He explained the process of gathering recycling. Councilor Woodrow asked how the items would be separated at the plant. . Mr. Hire said the recycling will be taken to a special plant in Portland that has been specially made for this purpose. The equipment will start the sorting of the items and then aCtual workers will finalize the sorting. Councilor Woodrow asked if there would be a cost reduction because there would be fewer days their trucks are out on the streets going from once-a-week pick-up to once every other week. Mr. Hire confirmed that and noted that is how Sanipac is funding this program. It will cut costs, emissions, and road wear. He added the fact there will be a decrease in worker injuries because it will be done by machine and workers will not be lifting. Mr. Goodwin discussed some of the requirements from the DEQ and how those are being met through this program. He noted the draft ordinance included in the agenda packet mandating an opportunity for Multi-Family Recycling. Once this ordinance has been reviewed by the city attorney, staff will bring it back to council for a public hearjng and adoption. Councilor Burge thanked Sanipac for their contribution and also for being good citizens. He noted that Mr. Hire has worked with the downtown redevelopment group to assist in their clean- up efforts and he is very impressed. Mr. Hire said they would welcome phone calls from anyone with -concerns. 2. Presentation and Discussion of Colliers International Marketing of the Sony High Tech Manufacturing Facilities in Gateway. . Economic Development Manager John Tamulonis presented the staff report on this item. Mr. Tamulonis introduced Paul Breuer of Colliers International and Sue Pritchard of Pritchard, Evans and Elder, Inc. Mr. Tamulonis referenced the brochure that Colliers created for the Sony City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes October 20, 2003 Page 3 . property which is included in the agenda packet. He noted Councilor Burge's efforts to look at possible ways of making improvements in our Campus Industrial Zone. Ms. Pritchard thanked council for allowing them this opportunity to come before them tonight to discuss this property. She feels it is an important part of the process of marketing this property. She said many did not anticipate that this property would be available at this time. A team of people were assembled by Sony composed of two brokers out of Seattle who are also with Colliers International, Paul Breuer out of Portland and Ms. Pritchard out of Eugene. In gearing up for the marketing they met with city staff to look at the limitations and opportunities they need to take into consideration. Ms. Pritchard said they are here tonight for three reasons: I) to meet council face-to-face to let them know they are 100 percent committed to finding the best possible buyer for this property, someone who will bring into the community what Sony brought when they originally came; 2) to let council know what they have done so far and what they will continue doing; and 3) to discuss article 21, Campus Industrial Zoning, what they are fmding in the industry and how that matches or doesn't match up with Sony. . Paul Breuer said it is a difficult process to find just the right buyer for a property. Mr. Breuer said this plant is a world class facility, but was built for the specific business needs. He said that Colliers and Pritchard, Evans and Elder started with a mailing campaign that went to thousands in the United States and globally over the internet. They have made over 200 phone calls to-date in Oregon and over 1000 phone call throughout U.S. He said they have spoken to every Dvn and disc manufacturing company, but it appears there is no one in that industry that is looking for another site. He noted they are looking for high-tech uses and adaptive reuses for the property. He said they are competing for light manufacturing on technology and geographic location for high technology. They are looking to maximize the value of the property and bring in a single user for the entire property. He said to-date they do not have any interested parties for the property. He explained some of the obstacles that are preventing companies from looking to purchase this type of property. He discussed the zoning issues and how they relate to this property. All of the manufacturing is set up on the second floor of this facility and they would seek relief regarding this issue of the zoning. He said if they do get to a point where they would have to divide the property, the remainder of the property would be difficult to market because of the restrictive nature of the zoning. He said they would like to ask for allowance of a greater number of uses in this facility. He concurs with the performance standards approach to the zoning of the property and maintaining family wage jobs. He noted that warehousing and distribution have been stricken from the permitted uses and there are 85,000 square feet of warehousing space in this facility which is an extremely high amount. Taking warehousing out would make it very difficult to adapt the balance of that space. Mr. Tamulonis said the comments Mr. Breuer referred to are proposed changes that did come out ofthe committee, not what is on the zoning regulations at this time. He said the committee will be coming to council on Monday, October 27 with some of these recommendations. At that time, the committee will ask council for further direction. They hope to have those in place in time to hold a public hearing in January. Staff needs to notify property owners in the campus industrial zones elsewhere to allow them time to comment on those specifics. This will also need to go through the Planning Commission prior to the public hearing. . Ms. Pritchard said it is hard to anticipate how things might happen, so having the zoning code allow for every possible use is not possible. She noted that at this point, all interest on the vacant land has been from medical and office users, not from industrial users. She discussed the importance of flexibility in the regulations to encourage others to look at this property. She said manufacturing is leaving the United States and other options need to be visited. .' City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes October 20, 2003 Page 4 . Councilor Burge discussed the work being done by the Campus Industrial Task Force. They are recommending a very liberalized permitted use, but beyond that the task force will not give their support. He said this zoning was created to liberalize the uses to the degree possible, but still serve the underlying goals and objectives of the community and the council for the Gateway Campus Industrial Property. He noted this property is unique, which does offer challenges when trying to market a property. The 85,000 square feet of warehouse is part of that uniqueness, but that 85,000 square feet does not create a lot of paychecks. He said the community has a lot invested in this property. He asked Mr. Tamulonis if the Enterprise Zone benefits would be permitted to the next user. Mr. Tamulonis said it is possible for a second use on the facility, but it is not a given. Only a new investment would receive the Enterprise Zone benefits, or conditions. The building and existing equipment would not be eligible. If a firm moved in and made adjustments on the building or brought in new equipment, they could be eligible to receive the benefits. Councilor Burge asked Mr. Tamulonis ifhe could provide council with a memo outlining the conditions a new owner would have to meet in order to receive the Enterprise Zone benefits. Mr. Tamulonis said staff would prepare that memo for council. '-- Councilor Burge said council will find the proposed use inventory information the task force is proposing is somewhat expandedfrom what it was. He said the task force was a good group, with very knowledgeable members. He said they all want to see the Sony facility occupied and producing paychecks. . Councilor Woodrow referenced the flier provided by Collier International and asked if the second floor was rated class one. Mr. Breuer said there is no class one clean room in the facility. It is clean manufacturing, versus what you may find in a semi-conductor fabrication plant. It would be suitable, for example, for medical device manufacturing and assembly, but not suitable for a fabrication type operation unless is was very confined and contained. Councilor Ralston asked if there was anything in our mixed-use zoning that would overlap into Campus Industrial. Mr. Tamulonis said the intent was not to get out of the industrial use, because it would create a shortage of Campus Industrial property in Springfield. By changing it to Commercial Zoning, we would have too much commercial. He said there are a few things they could change. The liberalization ofthe uses went back to what the committee wanted which were certain external appearances and functions. The internal use could be more flexible. Discussion was held regarding the percentage of use and the options. Councilor Malloy brought up nano-technology, microscopic units, and if this building would be appropriate for this use. He asked if Senator Wyden's office been contacted regarding this possibility. . Mr. Breuer said they have contacted Senator Wyden's office as well as all state representatives' and senators' offices in Oregon. They have not received responses from all of these offices at this time. He doesn't know if this facility would work for this purpose because it is such a new .. City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes October 20, 2003 Page 5 . process. He would assume it would not be feasible because of the special needs for nano- technology. Discussion was held regarding nano-technology. Mayor Leiken said that this community will be prepared and responsive when a company does show interest in this facility. He feels the whole state will be moving in this direction. Policies need to be put in place to facilitate this growth. He is very optimistic about the future of Oregon. Mr. Breuer noted that quality of life can be part of the package when bringing in prospective buyers. Ms. Pritchard said one of the positives isthat the property is located in Springfield and when a buyer is found, they know Springfield will work with them. Councilor Burge said it is in the community's best interest to get this building occupied and producing family wage jobs. Mr. Breuer said they look forward to returning to council with news that a buyer has been found. 3. Springfield Mill Race Ecosystem Restoration: Project Cooperation Agreement. . Maintenance Manager Ed Black and Technical Services Manager Len Goodwin presented the staff report on this item. The Springfield Mill Race Ecosystem Restoration Project includes the following elements: (1) relocation and construction of a new inlet approximately 1800 feet upstream at Clearwater Park; (2) connecting the new inlet to the existing Mill Race by re- establishing flows in a wet weather slough; (3) removal ofthe Mill Pond dam and fish ladder; (4) replacing the pond with a meandering stream, wetlands and several seasonal ponds; (5) construction of a fire protection water supply pond; (6) installation of a Mill Race education/recreational facility; and (7) improvement and rehabilitation of stream and riparian area conditions. The total project cost, including contiIig~ncies, is estimated to be $6.4 million with the city contributing 35 percent and the Corps contributing 65 percent. It is anticipated that the City's real estate (either currently owned or to be acquired) contribution to the project will satisfy $1.91 million of the $2.29 million local match required for the project cost. The balance ($380,000) of the local share will be satisfied by a combination ofin-kind services and cash. Project plans and specifications are scheduled to be completed by February 2004, and construction is scheduled to begin in April 2004. Mr. Black said it is staff's goal to complete this project with no out of pocket costs. The Corps and the city have completed negotiations on the Project Cooperation Agreement; this agreement establishes the roles and responsibilities for completion of the project as well as the city's ongoing responsibility to manage the resulting ecosystem improvements. In addition to providing a summary of the Project Cooperation Agreement staff will present information regarding the project's schedule, cost and funding. Mr. Black discussed some of the obligations necessary in this agreement include keeping water for the mill's use, which has been problematic. It is now necessary to pump water to keep water in the mill race. He gave a background of what has been done and studies made regarding this project. He described the features on the construction of the mill race. He noted that we have put in a lot of funds to do these studies. He outlined the agreement they are now prepared to enter into with the Corps. . '" City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes October 20, 2003 Page 6 . Councilor Fitch admires staff's foresight and perseverance and feels this will be a great asset for downtown. She would like to see council go forward with this. She said this shows there can be redevelopment in an urban area along the waterway. Councilor Woodrow asked if this is the project to change the inlet on the river to the mill pond. He asked about the feasibility study that staff brought before council several weeks ago. He asked what the difference was between this and the other project. Mr. Black said that was the metro waterways project, which was a separate project. This proposal would finish the mill race beyond what is being proposed in the metro waterways. He noted that the metro waterways is only in the feasibility phase right now. This cooperation project is ready for construction. Mr. Goodwin noted the typographical error on the resolution which included language from the metro waterways project agreement. City Attorney Joe Leahy has reviewed the correction and approved it per his signature. Councilor Burge noted that in the agreement there is a $5M limitation on the Corps portion. Mr. Black confirmed that is the limit the Corps can spend on this type of project. Mr. Burge said we should move forward with this before costs rise again. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 7:00 p.m. \ . Minutes Recorder - Amy Sowa Attest: ~ Jm-uw-- Amy So City Recorder .