HomeMy WebLinkAbout08/20/1996 Adjourned Meeting 1:12
CITY OF YAKIMA, WASHINGTON
AUGUST 20, 1996
JOINT CITY /COUNTY /UNION GAP
ADJOURNED MEETING
The City Council met in session with Yakima County Commissioners and
Union Gap Council Members on this date at 7:30 a.m. at the ESD #105
Administration Building Conference Center, 33 South 2nd Avenue, Yakima,
Washington, Mayor Lynn Buchanan presiding. Council Members present
were Ernie Berger, John Puccinelli, and Bernard Sims. Council Members
Clarence Barnett, Henry Beauchamp, and John Klingele were absent and
excused. City staff members present were City Manager Zais, Assistant
City Manager Rice, Al Chronister, Fire Chief, Glenn Valenzuela,
Director of Community & Economic Development, Dueane Calvin, Water &
Irrigation Manager, Marketa Oliver, Administrative Assistant to the
City Manager, Larry Peterson, Assistant City Attorney, Dave Brown,
Water & Irrigation Engineer, Doug Mayo, Wastewater Project Engineer,
and Deputy City Clerk Skovald. Yakima County Commissioners present
were Jim Lewis, Chairman; Bettie Ingham, and Bill Flower. Yakima
County staff members present were Dick Anderwald, Director of Planning
and Special Projects; Dan Hesse, Director of Public Works, and Dema
Harris, Director of Administrative Services. Union Gap Council Members
present were Mayor Dan Olson, Bill Ackerman, Walt Rippee, and Phil
Salzman. Union Gap Staff Members present were Paul Burlingame, City
Manager, and. Kathleen Holscher, Assistant City Manager.
There being a quorum of the City Council, Mayor Buchanan welcomed the
group and opened the meeting. _
AIRPORT MASTER PLAN ISSUES
Bob Clem, Airport Manager, introduced Dennis Byam, Chair of the Yakima
Airport Board. Mr. Byam reported the Yakima Air Terminal Master Plan
Update is complete and urged the officials to accept the report. 1 He
also urged the officials to integrate it into the day -to -day operations
and allow the zoning authorities to review it so they can get an iJdea
of the special needs of the airport and modify existing landuse
regulations to satisfy FAA's standards and requirements for the
airport. He explained the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
requires a Master Plan for airports which receive federal funding in
order to protect the large investment and to satisfy future aviation
demands and environmental directives. The report is a good faith
projection for future development and offers the public improved
safety, convenience, increased airport efficiency, operation
flexibility, and support for economic growth. Mr. Byam pointed out
that the Airport Master Plan is not an environmental impact statement;
although one would be required if a proposed project were to provide
for landing larger aircraft or propose a significant increase in
capacity for passengers to be able to land, such as an additional
runway. Mr. Byam presented a brief history of the airport, whichjhas
come from a dirt and sagebrush airstrip in 1926 to a modern terminal
built in 1949 and rehabilitated several times, including a project
currently underway to handle increased traffic flow and demand.
Mayor Buchanan asked how many airplanes registered in Yakima County1are
based at the airport. He also asked what method is used to determine
the amount of air cargo activity. He feels these statistics should be
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verified and suggested keeping, track of cargo in /cargo out statistics.
Council Member Berger referenced k the goal; as indicated in the Executive
Summary of the Airport Master Plan of capturing 65 percent of the
products originating from the Yakima Valley. He questioned how that
information could be determined if actual statistics were not used.
Mr. Byam and Mr. Clem questioned the necessity of keeping track of air
cargo activity since no revenue is received from air cargo, only
landing fees of the aircraft and rental fees. The estimated amount of
air cargo activity is a capacities type estimate; but indicated they
would keep track of that information if necessary. There was also
discussion about the number of aircraft based at the airport and the
large number of privately owned and operated airplanes in the county
- not based at the airport.
Council Member Puccinelli referred to a comment in the Executive
Summary, Airfield Alternatives on page vi, by residents who live in
houses located at the end of the runway suggesting consideration be
given to developing a new airport elsewhere in the Valley because of
the effects of noise from the airport. Council Member Puccinelli feels
this area should not be zoned residential and asked why property at the
end of the runway is zoned residential. He feels this land should be
designated as agricultural or industrial, anything but residential.
Commissioner Ingham invited Dick Anderwald to speak about this issue.
Mr. Anderwald referred to the Urban Area Plan and the Airport Overlay
Zone. That zone requires every project undertaken within that area be
subjected to the next level of review to include surrounding property
owners. There is no justification for further regulation of lands out
by the airport boundaries. There is some land outside the airport
fence that is noise impacted. Even though broader, generalized land
use issues need to be considered, the residential area developed to the
south and west of the airport is not found to be impacted by the
operations of the airport. Therefore no .such compensation would be due
them or should any restrictions be placed on this area that housing
should not be built. From a regulatory point of view, there is no
justification for further restricting the use of that land and /or
compensating landowners for damages that they might incur. On the
other hand, there is a declining height restriction that does apply
within the Airport Overlay Zone for any use situated there, and that is
reviewed whenever a building permit is sought. He indicated the staff
recommendation is that the Airport Master Plan be adopted by reference
as an element of the new Urban Area Comprehensive Plan.
Council Member Puccinelli reiterated his concern about upset residents
wanting a new airport at a new location. Mr. Anderwald directed
attention to the foldout maps, Exhibit 6 -6, 2012 Noise Contours, and
Exhibit 6 -5, 1997 Noise Contours, and pointed out that the map actually
shows.a reduction in the amount'of noise, particularly to the south,
occurring at the airport in the year 2012 over what it is today. That
is expected because the aircraft being built today are, . substantially
quieter than those in use at the present time and would be retired over
that time frame. Mayor Buchanan pointed out that the projected noise
levels are averaged over a 24 -hour period. There is no comparison
between this and single occurrence noise levels. Commissioner Lewis
pointed out that this is for the noise of aircraft, not maintenance or
any other activity that might occur in the Industrial Park. There has
been some complaints about ground operations, ground noise pollution,
not aircraft flying over. These are issues that the joint owners will
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have to work on and probably invest some money. Noise levels need.to
be taken into consideration with the growth of residences around the
airport and determine what kind of noise 'level is going to come from
any proposed operation at the airport.
Daniel Ellingsworth, 2610 Hollow Creek Place, complained about
excessive noise levels, not from aircraft flying over, but from a
private company's ground maintenance activities which seems to !be
intensifying. Mr. Ellingsworth reported that the City regulations
pertaining to noise which have been adopted and enforced are different
than the State regulations the Department of Ecology is supposed :to
enforce, but due to budget restraints they don't. He expressed concern
for residents who will live in the new condominiums being developed; in
this area. This issue needs to be taken into consideration so that the
noise levels don't increase for the surrounding areas.
AIRPORT INDUSTRIAL SITE DEVELOPMENT
Dick Zais reported that City, County, and Union Gap representatives met
over a month ago to talk about Airport industrial siting and a specific
property that may be affected by the formation of an industrial site.
During that meeting overlapping jurisdictional questions were raised
about the extension of water and sewer service into this area. Since
that joint meeting with all the policy makers, a staff group from the
City, the County, and Union Gap discussed what jurisdictional approach
to take should grant funding become available or loan funding become
available to enable this to happen. Currently, the strategy isito
leverage and attract as much support as possible. Perhaps the armory
project, currently in the legislature which would have state and
federal funding associated with it, could be used to extend the
utilities. One of the key questions that had arisen was whether or not
Union Gap and /or the City of Yakima should be the responsible parties
to extend the service with perhaps Nob Hill Water participating. as
well With respect to sewer utilities, the City of Yakima feels that
it is within its service area to propose that extension of sewer and
utilities and allow that to go forward on that basis. Union ;Gap
officials were asked to consider that as they look at their own
requirements and development responsibilities in the area they have' to
serve. Water service was also considered and it is felt that is still
an option that the city could also pursue. Nob Hill Water does not
have a close enough direct tie to serve the area in question.
Referencing a conceptual drawing of water and sewer lines proposedifor
the industrial site area, Glenn Rice briefly outlined the proposal to
extend water 'and sewer to the industrial site area from 16th Avenue to
the east and Ahtanum to the south along with an extension to the west
as part of the Public Facilities Plan for future service. Mr. Rice
introduced Dueane Calvin and Doug Mayo, who were available to answer
water and sewer system questions. Mr. Rice also emphasized the need to
acquire substantial funding from perhaps both state or federal
' resources to accomplish this proposal as resources and time permits.
Paul Burlingame reported that he had talked informally with the Union
Gap Council, and they feel they want to . develop water and sewer
services south of Ahtanum and west of 16th. Glenn Rice pointediout
that he might suggest, as they've discussed with Union Gap, the County,
and the City of Yakima, that these areas are within the Yakima Service
Area, both for land use issues and water, sewer and utilities.
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In response to questions by,Mayor Buchanan, Mr. Calvin and Mr. Mayo
provided specific details a9 dut: the utility service extension plans,
including the size of the water main pipes and the lift station
discharge pipes as well as other information. Mr. Mayo reported that
the cost of this installation is substantially more than what was put
forth in the YCDA written proposal of a week or so ago. It will cost
about $2 million each to provide water and sewer utility services to
the proposed industrial site. Mr. Rice again indicated that part of
the 1997 Biennium will concern this and the supplemental legislation
hopefully for other utility services to service the area. It is the
start and we will have to work with public works trust funds or other
funding to service the area in this fashion.
OPEN DISCUSSION /OTHER ISSUES
Mayor Buchanan directed attention to the fire protection for the
airport where there is a requirement for one full-time firefighter.
Since 1992 the cost to maintain that firefighter and equipment at the
airport has been 90 percent paid for by the taxpayers of. the City of
Yakima.
In response to a question from Commissioner Flower, Al Chronister, Fire
Chief, explained that the equipment is used specifically for airport
crash fire rescue, is airport owned, and was 90 percent purchased with
federal grant money. Those apparatus are used specifically for airport
operations. They only go off the airport grounds if there is, for
example, an airport crash away from the airport. Specifically, it has
no other purpose in any other area except for crash fire rescue. The
other apparatus there are city owned vehicles and they respond to
first -aid alarms or to the fires within the city. He then described
the scenario up to this point as it relates to the firefighter and
equipment at the airport. It was an unforeseen cost to the City of
Yakima that it has borne for the past five years. Council Member
Berger pointed out that with the budget season coming up on both the
city and county it is a question that needs to be clarified fairly
soon; it should be a shared cost. Mayor Buchanan stated that the City
has been subsidizing it for five years now and that is money the City
could be using for other general fund activities. There was a
considerable amount of discussion about the costs and how to resolve
not only this issue but other unsettled issues that also involve
Terrace Heights and Union Gap. After indicating that a time should be
scheduled with the County to discuss the airport firefighter costs
issue, the meeting adjourned at 8:25 a.m.
READ AND CERTIFIED ACCURATE BY: „ / / " /1/ 9,
COUNCIL MEM: R j DA^I'E
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COUNCIL ME∎ BE'RR DATE
ATTEST: .
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CITY CLERK BUCHANAN, MAYOR
Minutes prepared by Deputy City Clerk Skovald. An audio tape of this meeting is available in
the City Clerk's Office.
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