HomeMy WebLinkAbout12/12/2017 05B Minutes 10-09-2017 Council Neighborhood and Community Building Committee1
BUSINESS OF THE CITY COUNCIL
YAKIMA, WASHINGTON
AGENDASTATEMENT
Item No. 5.B.
For Meeting of: December 12, 2017
ITEM TITLE: Accept Council Neighborhood & Community Building Committee
minutes of October 19, 2017
SUBMITTED BY: Joan Davenport, Community Development Director
SUMMARY EXPLANATION:
See attached minutes.
ITEM BUDGETED:
NA
STRATEGIC PRIORITY: Neighborhood and Community Building
APPROVED FOR
SUBMITTAL:
City Manager
STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
Accept minutes
BOARD/COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION:
NCBC approved minutes on 11/28/2017.
ATTACHMENTS:
Description Upload Date
D 10/19/2017 NCBC minutes 11/29/2017
Type
Backup Material
Yakima City Council Committee Minutes
Neighborhood & Community Building Committee (NCBC)
City Council Chambers, City Hall
October 19, 2017
Committee Members
Dulce Gutierrez, Chair
Carmen Mendez
Avina Gutierrez
Holly Cousens (Alternate, not present)
Joan Davenport
Cliff Moore
Rosalinda Ibarra
Sara Watkins
Others: Martha Aitken, Dr, Phil Hurvitz, Dr. Brad Gaolach
aff
Ken Wilkinson
Alvie Maxey
Joseph Calhoun
Chair Dulce Gutierrez called the meeting to order at approximately 2:05 p.m,
FOR THE
RESORD / FILE
Board Appointed Reports — Standing Item
Transit Development Plan/Transit Related Issues — Maxey provided a draft agenda of the next Transit
Advisory Committee meeting which is November Sth
Parks & Recreation Commission (P&R) — the topics discussed at the previous P&R meeting included:
Harman Center programs and activities, P&R Comprehensive Plan, progress of Randall Park improvements.
Other future park improvements were discussed by Wilkinson and A. Gutierrez.
Henry Beauchamp Community Center (HBCC) — the next quarterly meeting is October 24, 2017.
Historic Preservation (HPC) — the next meeting is October 25th at 5:30pm. Calhoun reported that the HPC
had a successful outreach program at the Farmer's Market and there is still one vacancy remaining.
Yakima Planning Commission — Calhoun reported that the YPC issued its recommendation on the final plat
process amendments; an ordinance will be presented to the City Council in November. He also noted that
there is also one vacancy on this commission.
Bike/Pedestrian Committee — the committee finalized their comments on the Bike & Pedestrian Plan. They
are working on prioritizing projects and seeking grant applications for potential projects.
Homeless Network — Davenport and Mendez explained the transition of the Homeless Network and the
Continuum of Care (CoC). The upcoming Homeless Network meeting is scheduled for November 14' at
9am. Further clarification continued regarding the roles of the staff representative and Council representative.
TRANS -Action Committee —D. Gutierrez reported the next meeting is November 20th• Elections will be take
place for four positions. Staff will reach out to the Fairgrounds and SOZO to encourage participation in
TRANS -Action.
Ethics & Equal Rights Committee (EERC) — Watkins described her role in participating in the EERC
committee meetings. Maria Rodriguez, Committee Chair, clarified that she provided a recommendation to
City Council and it would be their responsibility to define the details of a permanent committee. After a brief
discussion, A. Gutierrez moved, seconded by Mendez, to direct staff to conduct a legal review of the
recommendation presented by the EERC committee. Motion carried unanimously. City Council will consider
whether to establish a permanent EERC committee at their November 7th business meeting.
Community Integration Committee (CIEC) — D. Gutierrez reported that the CIEC presented their final
recommendation to City Council on October 17'. The City Council postponed their vote to November 7th
pending additional information related to the cost estimated for a permanent committee.
WSU Equity Study Task 2 Deliverable — WSU Metro Center [consultant] representative Martha Aitken
(Senior Associate WSU) and Dr. Phil Hurvitz (UW Dept. of Urban Design and Planning) presented a
detailed overview of their findings of the Equity Study Analysis project. This was a two-step project which
consisted of data audit/validation and data analysis/assessment.
For the process audit they concluded that the City collects data in a non -biased manner and the data is
handled appropriately for its original intent, which is to support the city's geospatial (GIS) data and land use
planning. They also performed a site visit to several City parks for direct observations to compare with the
data collected. The limitations identified in the data collection is that the information lacked necessary
elements to assess disparity. For the analysis strategy, the Metro Center team used additional information
gathered from the Census data and American Community Survey data. Dr. Hurvitz further described several
data graphs, using 16' Avenue as the geographical dividing line between eastside and westside of Yakima.
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Some of the comparisons included; increased median family income, ethnic composition, and college
graduation rates, average year of built structures, and amount of park area per resident, streetlights, police
and fire department calls for service. The complete results for each selected GIS data layer, including all
graphs, are available at: http://gist.gis.washiRgton.edu/vakimaequity/
Ms. Aitken shared recommendations and potential next steps that the City can implement; such as, adding
information to include the date of resource allocation to evaluate trends over a period of time, develop a set
of ranking criteria for future resource allocation and investment opportunities. She also suggested the City
explore the racial equity toolkit that the cities of Seattle, Portland and Dubuque have implemented. Another
resource is the Kettering Foundation which has a method for involving the public in addressing challenging
issues. After considerable discussion and audience participation, the following items were requested:
• Dulce Gutierrez, Council member
o More conclusive narratives with explanations of what data was and what data wasn't
considered and/or included in the analysis (describe the input and output variables)
o Streetlights — timing data (as energy-saving method some streetlights alternate on/off)
o YPD — the City's response is in terms of calls responded to
o Transit — transit riders under the age of 18
• Avina Gutierrez, Council member
o Streetlights — conditions (working and non -working)
o YPD — duration of response time from when a call comes in to when a LEO arrives
o YPD — pattern in trends and locations on types of calls (such domestic violence, violent
crime, property damage)
o YPD & YFD — identify the meaning of "open" and "closed" time on calls for service
o Transit — comparison of transit stops and explanation of "why" (for instance, if there is less
bus stops on a certain side of town, is it because of increased car ownership or higher
income, resulting in less need for public transportation)
• Mary Lopez, Audience member
o How many streetlights are working? What is the distance between streetlights? How can the
public request a streetlight?
o More information about the condition that parks are in — observed no bathrooms, water
fountains in east side parks
o Income — include information on single-family income (one -parent income)
o Education — percent of people who didn't finish high school
o YPD — how many calls are from Spanish-speaking people; what was the service response
(some people who call 911 report that an officer didn't respond)
o YPD — nature of the call (graffiti, domestic violence)
o Transit — more ridership information, specifically about minors
• Rogelio Montes, Audience member
o Suggested that the City provide more data to WSU overall
o YPD — police response outcomes (3 hours for an officer to show up)
o Transit — information about other age demographics, not just senior citizens
D. Gutierrez requested additional discussion at the next NCBC meeting in November and asked that the
consultant present to the full City Council at their December 12th business meeting, the committee members
agreed with that timeline. The consultant will discuss and clarify the requests with staff to ensure that the
data is available.
Naches Parkway Evaluation and Discussion — Wilkinson presented a PowerPoint regarding designating
Naches Parkway into a park and what the feasibility would consist of. Some points that were highlighted
include:
• Naches Parkway is 15 blocks long and stretch from Race Street north to H Street.
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• Cost of annual maintenance is estimated at $57,000 which involves grass mowing, trimming trees,
irrigation system maintenance and watering costs.
• One-time costs include: benches starting at $600 each, picnic tables starting at $1,500 each, signage
at $80 per sign including installation, fence costs range from $4,750 to $26,000 per block depending
on the type, and basic non -decorative trash receptacles are free.
• Annual projected maintenance costs of $8,500 include labor for trash removal and disposal fees.
• Public safety considerations: low curb height, need for fencing, and close proximity to traffic.
Watkins spoke about options and potential changes to the Yakima Municipal Code related to re -designation
of Naches Parkway, which include: amending YMC Section 13.20 to add Naches Parkway to the park
curfew ordinance; amending YMC Section 13.16 Park Rules and Regulations to address specific matters
pertaining to Naches Parkway; and adding a definitions sections in the Rules and Regulations ordinance for
"parks", "parkways", and "trails" and other park terms. Following an extensive discussion, A. Gutierrez
motioned to direct staff to prepare amendments to YMC 13.20 Park Curfew ordinance and YMC 13.16 Parks
Rules and Regulations, and include a definitions section in YMC 13.16; motion carried unanimously.
Another motion was made by A. Gutierrez, seconded by Mendez, to change Naches Parkway to a park with
minimal requirements necessary, such as signage, trash receptacles and disposal; motion carried. The NCBC
will make these recommendations to the full City Council at their November 7th business meeting.
Approval of Minutes — A motion was made by Mendez, seconded by A. Gutierrez, to approve the minutes of
09/21/2017 as presented; motion carried unanimously.
Recap of Deliverables — Staff reviewed the following list of deliverables from this meeting:
• Equity study update at the next NCBC meeting
• Staff to encourage SOZO and Fairgrounds to participate in the TRANS -Action Committee
• Legal review and analysis on the recommendations presented by the EERC and CIEC
• Follow-up with YPD on response times pertaining to the equity study
D. Gutierrez announced that Spanish interpretation services are available; however, require a 48 hour
advance notice.
•Audience Participation — none noted.
Adjourn — D. Gutierrez adjourned this meeting at approximately 3:49 p.m.; the next meeting is November
16, 2017.
Approved by.
Date Approved: ti/2/otI
Prepared by: Rosalinda lbarra, Community Development Admrnistrative Assistant
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