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HomeMy WebLinkAbout06/27/2000 Adjourned Meeting 386 • CITY OF YAKIMA, WASHINGTON JUNE 27, 2000 ADJOURNED MEETING The City Council met in session on this date at 7:30 a.m., in the 2nd Floor Training Room, at the Police Station /Legal Center, 200 South 3rd Street, Yakima, Washington, Mayor Mary Place presiding. Council Members Clarence Barnett, Henry Beauchamp, Lynn Buchanan, Larry Mattson, and John Puccinelli were present. Council Member Bernard Sims was absent and excused. Staff members present were: Dick Zais, City Manager; Glenn Rice, Assistant City Manager; Marketa George Oliver, Administrative Assistant to the City Manager; Rita Anson, Director of Finance and Budget; Chris Waarvick, Director of Public Works; Ray Paolella, City Attorney; Bill Cook, Director of Community._ - & Economic Development; Al Gillespie, Fire Chief; Don Blesio, Police Chief; Kay Adams, City Engineer; Denise Nichols, Parks & Recreation Division Manager; Shelley Willson, Streets & Traffic Division Manager; Rick Pettyjohn, Information Systems Division Manager; Doug Maples, Code Administration Division Manager; John Haddix, Public Works; Bob Desgrossellier, Senior Engineer and Randy Tabert, Engineering Technician II. • Mayor Place called the meeting to order at 7:40 a.m. REPORT AND RECOMMENDATIONS REGARDING USE OF STATE FUNDS "IN LIEU" OF MVET REVENUE City Manager Zais said he would like to discuss the backfill funding first'and then move on to the grind & overlay program. City Manager Zais said the County received four times the amount of money the City did from the State. The City has received $237,000 and will receive $474,527 in 2001. He said staff was recommending using the funds for grant matching, public safety overtime, technology, park maintenance, stormwater, and temporary salaries in Personnel, the Clerk's office, Purchasing, etc. He said very little of the funding is allocated toward restoration of reductions taken last December and, for the most part, those should stand until the economy turns around. Council Member Barnett said the funding was not adequate for the irrigation system for the cemetery. Chris Waarvick, Director of Public Works, said that the cemetery irrigation project was eliminated in the MVET reductions and this is only one piece of the former project. Council Member Puccinelli asked what Parks waters with when the irrigation water is off. Denise Nichols, Parks & Recreation 387 JUNE 27, 2000 ADJOURNED MEETING Division Manager, responded that it varies depending on the park. Council Member Buchanan asked why the City would need to water after the irrigation season is over. Mrs. Nichols said staff is concerned if irrigation goes down for a few days as it can significantly impact the greens. Council Member Barnett asked if this money should be used to offset the difference between what the grant was to fluoridate the City's water supply and what the costs are projected to be. City Manager Zais responded that utilities are supported by a rate base and this money is coming into the General Fund. It is extremely rare for the General Fund to subsidize a Utility Fund. Council Member Buchanan said a citizen commented to him that the Council always seemed to find the money to do projects. For example, citizens were told that there was no money to erect the fence at the cemetery and the project was done. In all actuality, there was $40,000 for that project. If we keep telling people there is a shortfall here, and then we keep finding the money for it, there will be more questions about government financing. Council Member Mattson asked if backfill funds will be highlighted in the budget this fall. Mr. Zais said this is a separate line item in the revenue side of the budget. If Council approves this, staff will have to come back with a budget appropriation, and that will be tracked separately. Mayor Place asked for consensus to have staff come back with legislation. Council directed staff to bring back the appropriate legislation. REVIEW OF YAKIMA AVENUE DESIGN PLANS Mayor Place asked Bill Cook, Director of Community & Economic _Development, to discuss the grind and overlay project for Yakima Avenue. Mr. Cook indicated there is $1,700,060 budgeted to do this project. He asked the City Engineer, Kay Adams, to provide Council with project details. .Mr. Adams said that staff would like to go out to bid next week and have the bids come back at the end of July. The work will be done through the months of • August, September and October. Mayor Place said she wanted to make sure that ample notice is given to the merchants that construction is going to be taking place in front of their business. Council Member Puccinelli asked if the major intersections will be done at night. Mr. Adams responded the plan was to do most of the paving at night. Mr. Puccinelli asked about cutting into the street right after this project is finished and Mr. Adams responded some lines are being put in as this project is underway and then there will be a 5 year moratorium on street cuts. City staff has been notifying businesses about the moratorium. Council Member Mattson asked if there is a procedure if someone needs to do a cut during the 2 3 JUNE 27, 2000 ADJOURNED MEETING moratorium. If someone needs to make a cut, they will be responsible for repaving that section of street. Mr. Cook discussed a potential Local Improvement District (LID) being considered by the Westside Merchants Association for sidewalks, but it will not impact this project. Mayor Place asked about the sidewalks on Yakima Avenue between Front and 1st Street. Mr. Adams said the way the ordinance reads, the adjacent property owner is responsible for the sidewalk. There is no City funding currently to assist in sidewalk rehabilitation. The City does have a 50/50 program for sidewalks, where the owner pays 50% of the cost and the City pays 50 %. However, there is no funding for it. Mr. Cook discussed the Whistle Ban project and how the grind and overlay project will be coordinated with it. Mr. Adams and Senior Engineer, Bob Desgrossellier, talked about the video information gathered to date through the Whistle Ban project. Mr. Desgrossellier said that bids will be opened on June 28th for this project. Staff met with Burlington Northern last week and they have signed the agreements. He reported that Burlington Northern should be making some upgrades in mid - August. Mr. Cook brought up the issue of left turn lanes at 1st and 4th Streets that had been discussed by the Downtown Area Redevelopment Committee (DARC). He said the City is not currently planning to do any left turn lanes. Mr. Adams added that the drawings Council Members were presented do show some of these options, but the options are not planned as a part of this project. Council Member Beauchamp said that the City needs to include specifications so that there is workforce diversity on this project. Mr. Adams said that, because the funding is City and State money, any goals or quotas in specifications about • minority involvement are prohibited because of Initiative 200. However, staff will aggressively advertise the project and remind the contractor that the City has a 10% goal. Council Member Puccinelli said Yakima Avenue is the City's main street and with ClientLogic and some other businesses just moving into town and considering there will not be another project on Yakima Avenue for 10 years, he thinks the left turn lanes should be added to this project. Mayor Place asked where the money would come from to do that. Mr. Adams said the cost for the left turn lanes would average between $25,000 and $80,000, probably closer to $80,000. Council Member Puccinelli said it is $80,000 and it is not only necessary for Yakima Avenue to be successful, but also for the success of the side streets. It seems to him that now is the time to do that. He said it is an $80,000 investment by the City and the sales tax generated by the improvement should more than take care of it. Mayor Place 3 389 JUNE 27, 2000' ADJOURNED MEETING expressed concern about narrow lanes resulting from adding left turn lanes. Council Member Puccinelli said that there are always narrow lanes in larger cities' downtown areas. Council Member Buchanan mentioned that the Department of Transportation has information about what they call a 'shy' distance; that drivers feel cramped when the lanes are narrow and are more likely to go over or hug the yellow line. Council Member Barnett asked for staff to clarify the $80,000 cost estimate versus the $410,000 cost outlined in the memo. Mr. Adams explained that the cost outlined in the memo included sidewalks, instead of just the left turn lanes. Council Member Puccinelli talked about the problem of turning left off Yakima Avenue and then running into one way streets and how this could impact businesses on the side streets. Mayor Place said that prohibiting left turns is an option and may be the price of growth. Mr. Puccinelli was in Seattle and San Francisco where the lanes are very narrow and traffic still moves quickly. Council Member Mattson asked how many people are turning left off Yakima Avenue. Shelley Willson, Streets and Traffic Division Manager, said staff had recently undertaken a count at the intersection of 2nd Street and Yakima Avenue. There were 81 cars making a left turn northbound and 42 making a left turn southbound out of 900 cars. There was a collision and two close calls during that time. Turning north onto Second Street from Yakima Avenue was the most problematic area. Mayor Place suggested the idea of eliminating left turns in some of the problematic intersections. City Manager Zais said staff would like a decision from Council today regarding the grind and overlay project. He suggested if there was general consensus on the design, staff could move forward and also create a design alternate. Council could then see what the bid would be for the project with and without the addition of left turn lanes. When bids comes in, staff and Council can reconvene and see what the price is and if money is available for it. Council Member Puccinelli reminded Council that ClientLogic is going to change the complexion of downtown. There was consensus to move forward with the City Manager's suggestion. The City Manager announced that ClientLogic signed the lease with the Mall yesterday. Lynne Kittelson asked about empty conduit saying at one time there was discussion about putting empty conduit in for future expansion and she did not see that in this project. Mr. Desgrossellier said current companies have been notified, but with the fast -paced climate of technology, especially communications, it is difficult to know what companies will spring up in the future. Council Member Puccinelli asked if the City can put in PVC pipe under the ground as part of the project and then sell it. Mr.' Adams said that would be expensive, however, staff was planning to put some piping in under the 4 390 'JUNE 27, 2000 ADJOURNED MEETING railroad track because it is difficult to get permission to work on that area of the roadway. The meeting adjourned at 8:35 A.M. READ AND CERTIFIED ACCURATE BY : ,/ ' . /sr ; ,: ®p CO,P'CIL MEMBER e: DATE COUNCIL MEMBER D/ ATE ATTEST: / CITY CLERK RY PLACE, MAYOR Minutes prepared by Marketa George Oliver. An audio and video tape of this meeting are available in the City Clerk's Office • • 5