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HomeMy WebLinkAbout09232013 City Council Minutes City of Seward, Alaska City Council Minutes September 23, 2013 Volume 39, Page 200 CALL TO ORDER The September 23, 2013 regular meeting of the Seward City Council was called to order at 7:00 p.m. by Mayor David Seaward. OPENING CEREMONY Lieutenant Louis Tiner led the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag. ROLL CALL There were present: David Seaward presiding and Jean Bardarson Bob Valdatta Vanta Shafer Ristine Casagranda Christy Terry Marianna Keil comprising a quorum of the Council; and W.C. Casey, Acting City Manager Johanna Kinney, City Clerk Absent—None law CITIZEN COMMENTS ON ANY SUBJECT EXCEPT THOSE ITEMS SCHEDULED FOR PUBLIC HEARING Tim McDonald addressed the council on the possible baseline trail. He recently discovered Homer had a similar trail. McDonald was speaking with representatives in Homer who informed him they were expanding their trail with cruise ship head tax monies. The community's annual Shorebird Festival was dependent on this trail,he noted. He would like to bring this to council again for consideration. It was an important trail and there was precedence in using cruise ship head tax funds for this type of project. APPROVAL OF AGENDA AND CONSENT AGENDA Motion (Bardarson/Keil) Approval of Agenda and Consent Agenda The August 26, 2013 Meeting Minutes were pulled from the consent agenda by Council Member Terry. Mayor Seaward added a Mayor's Report under Special Orders, Presentations, and Reports. Motion Passed Unanimous The clerk read the following approved consent agenda items: City of Seward, Alaska City Council Minutes September 23, 20/3 Volume 39, Page 201 Council appointed Wendy Shaffer to the Seward Planning&Zoning Commission,with a term expiring February, 2016. Council approved Mark Kansteiner, Rose MacSwain, Mary Williamson,James Herbert and Carol Griswold to the Election Board for the October 1, 2013 City Election. Council approved Lori Draper,Dorothy Osenga,Marsha Vincent,and Nici Murawsky to the Canvass Board for the October 1, 2013 City Election. Approve the August 12, 2013 City Council Regular Meeting Minutes. SPECIAL ORDERS, PRESENTATIONS AND REPORTS Proclamations & Awards Recognizing American Legion Day Recognizing Patriot's Day Chamber of Commerce Report,Cindy Clock stated the Board of Directors invited Bryan Zak of the Alaska Small Business Development Council to their meeting on September 26, 2013. On September 13,2013,Christi Bell and Ed Morrison of Strategy-Nets travelled to Seward to assist the chamber's Core Group in resuming the implementation of their Seward's Strategic Doing Plan. She thanked Vice Mayor Bardarson, Council Member Terry, Assistant City Manager Long, and everyone else who attended these workshops. Collaboration was encouraged in these workshops. There were four working groups: Seward Marine Industrial Center(SMIC),broadband,alternative energy, and Entrepreneur's Row (industrial/commercial area near Port Avenue). It was generally agreed that the community plan needed to be integrated with the city budget. Clock noted upcoming meetings and events around town, including winter tourism focus groups, Meet the Candidates Night, and the Seward Music and Arts Festival. City Manager's Report,Acting City Manager W.C.Casey stated the following purchase orders had been approved by the City Manager since the last council meeting,all through the Electric Department: Shoreside Petroleum, $16,610.37 for generators while painting transformers; Alaska Directional,$24,250.00 Boring on Scott Way for city system improvement for Bear Creek Volunteer Fire Department; Alaska Directional - $37,875.00 Boring on Rough Drive for city system improvement in Lost Lake Subdivision; and a change order had been signed for the foundation contract for $29,815 for foundation insulation and vapor barriers for the new warehouse project. In Public Works, the department had received delivery of the new dump truck. Road sand was being prepared for the slick season as well as ongoing tire changes and general winter preparations. Water/Waste Water personnel were flushing sewers and various hydrants which may be causing some localized cloudy water. Staff was researching and working with a consultant on options. costs, and permit stipulations for addressing the Lowell Point Waste Water Lagoon issue. Bids were received for the City Hall Annex (the Old Library) refurbishment to ready it for City City of Seward, Alaska City Council Minutes September 23, 2013 Volume 39, Page 202 Electric and Community Development offices to move in. Work was set to begin immediately. The hew department was starting the interview process for the open Equipment Operator/Mechanic position. The Electric Department had four outages or trouble calls since the last council meeting, affecting eight users. The Seward High School engineering class enjoyed a field trip visit to the Fort Raymond Generator Facility. As of September 20,2013,three of the four transformers were painted. The fourth, and final, transformer was scheduled to be done September 24, 2013. All outages and generation events were complete for this project. The test results indicated the transformers were in good condition; however, the tests showed some issues which will be addressed by the Electric Department during construction season of 2014. The department continued to work until freeze-up and try to complete as many new requests as possible. In the Harbor Department, Moffatt Nichol Engineering Firm was writing a preliminary design report for the 5-ton crane. It was due to be finished October 10, 2013. The contract amount was just under$4,000. The budget adjustment to correct the electrical charges on Z Float would be submitted to council on October 14,2013,as well as the approval of the 2014 and 2015 Harbor Tariffs. The wash-down slab cure time was just about over. The crew started the two pressure washers and recycling system and it all worked smoothly. The preliminary cost of asbestos abatement in the Harbormaster restrooms was $36,000, which exceeded the grant's budget for this project. In the Library,high numbers attended the first Story Time of the season on September 13, 2013. A Community Book Club met every other month and anyone could join. Museum hours were reduced during the winter to Saturdays from 1:00 p.m. - to 5:00 p.m., starting October 5, 2013 and would be free to the public. Parks and Recreation was preparing to close for the regular season and lbw changing over to off-season/winter camping at the end of the month. Department staff added D-1 material to the potholes in the Resurrection Campgrounds. Casey noted congratulations were in order to employee Mark Stauble and Two Lakes Park, both of which received a Facility Excellence Award at the Alaska Recreation and Park Association Conference on September 13,2013. The Teen and Youth Center was busy with upcoming events, such as the First Friday Masquerade Fun and middle school dances. Sports and Recreation was preparing for winter sports leagues and fall events like the Halloween Carnival,Family Masquerade Ball and Glacier Family Medicine Pumpkin Prowl. In response to Shafer, Casey stated that sludge removal at the Lowell Point Lagoon was the first task at hand in his department, which was initially estimated at $900,000 (hauling and permitting included)for this alone. In response to Terry,Electric Utility Manger John Foutz stated he intended to discuss the department's proposed changes to the Sea Lion Avenue construction to the Seward Site-Based Council. Foutz said he'd been in discussions with the borough to produce better visibility. Terry wished they would continue to check in on those improvements. Casey said the snow blower was ready for the season. Shafer asked if they knew anything about the crane for the harbor,how that was going. Casey said they contracted for a design report for the crane, and he was thinking the logistics would be prepared in a report next month. Keil wanted clarification on the rumors going around town that the city wanted to take over the animal shelter to become a kill shelter. Police Lieutenant Butch Tiner stated that was not his recollection and council could designate it as a no-kill shelter. Mayoral Report,Mayor David Seaward thanked Jim Herbert,city's representative for the Prince William Sound Regional Citizen's Advisory Council (PWSRCAC) on his latest report City of Seward, Alaska City Council Minutes September 23, 2013 Volume 39, Page 203 submitted to the council. Seaward had just returned from Obihiro for the mural exchange and thanked all the delegates who helped make this event a success. It was a great trip and would not have been possible without the funding from the tax payers. Seaward thanked them and the council for the appropriation for him to attend the unveiling. The mural was very large and Seaward recited the speech he gave in Obihiro during the unveiling. Other New Business Approve the August 26, 2013 City Council Regular Meeting Minutes. Motion (Terry/Keil) Approve the August 26, 2013 City Council Regular Meeting Minutes Terry stated she pulled this item from the consent agenda because in the manager's report, the figures given to council were deemed incorrect, and she did not want it part of the official, permanent record. Motion to Amend (Terry/Keil) Amend the August 26, 2013 City Council Regular Meeting Minutes, by striking the following language from the City Manager's Report: us follows: Amount Comment S-i4e S-1-370-0Q S-1-4575440 R&M Steel Build-tag Change#1 $4,9 I 4 Upgrade change-.2 $121,600 (R25,R38) $27,979 Design site,-Rrepare Civil/.. : : • $493,190 E9(panttlecl-pa4-k-ing lot,per t-Glian-ge-Or-der-#4-was-fer-in Change#2 $28,750 floor-heat,vetoed-hy Council) : : : ••:„ •t Change #3 H+114+10iVil •:• • AI of heat-& 1-011 $478,000 - c-haftge-ig $4274949 Architectural Services Rell-up-door-s $37,342 A4legrezza Doo47-instal4ed S-1-0450 . • "g-14-I-ng •-"-:' **"• ") $44400 Rattressent-ERFoposed) ElreAfiC Dayton style Ceiling $1,000 Mennt-(4-) S-1-44-14,02,5 City of Seward, Alaska City Council Minutes September 23, 2013 Volume 39, Page 204 Motion to Amend Passed Unanimous Consent Main Motion Passed Unanimous Consent Discussion on converting water meter readers. Valdatta would like new construction for automatic water meters. He felt they should give businesses a time period to convert to a newer system of metering water usage. It was not a hardship to change the meter. He felt it needed to be a code change. Casey said this discussion had come up before, and he talked about this recently with his crew. They had read outs on one-half to two-thirds of the meters in town. The department still went inside and checked against the master meter, because they weren't always the same. It behooved the crew to keep track of what was going on with the plumbing in the building to compare the master meter with the outside meter. Terry said if it was a code or tariff change,they should be incentive-based, instead of punitive, and whatever legislation was written should be from a "this point forward" position. Council directed administration to bring forward some cost estimates on such a project. Reschedule the work session to discuss transient merchants on the South Harbor Uplands. After some discussion,council directed the City Clerk to bring this item back for rescheduling at the November 25, 2013 meeting. INFORMATIONAL ITEMS AND REPORTS - None COUNCIL COMMENTS Bardarson welcomed the Coast Guard ship in town. She was glad the mural project went well and she thanked the Seward Arts Council for the upcoming Music and Arts Festival. Keil encouraged everyone to go out and vote October 1, 2013 or vote early. She thanked those who worked on the garden at the library. Shafer liked idea of working with the chamber before they set the two-year budget, as mentioned tonight. They could be proactive rather than reactive. Valdatta said for the last three years Hertz was directing cruise ship traffic and passengers. The Hertz representative, along with the Alaska Railroad and the Longshoremen did a great job of this. Terry welcomed the Coast Guard Healy members to Seward. She thanked Wendy Shaffer for applying to the Planning and Zoning Commission and also thanked the election and canvass board members. Terry thanked Jim Herbert for representing Seward so well on the Prince William Sound Regional Citizen's Advisory Council and also John French,his predecessor. She agreed with that Kerry Martin was a super volunteer. iram. City of Seward, Alaska City Council Minutes September 23, 2013 Volume 39, Page 205 City Clerk Johanna Kinney reminded everyone of the upcoming budget work session September 24, 2013, Meet the Candidates Night September 25, 2013, and if anyone had election or voting questions to please contact her office. Seaward said the city should have a display at the library of all the gifts from Obihiro year round. The City of Kenai was also having a community mural next year, and he encouraged the council and community to be involved in the mural location for when Obihiro reciprocates. CITIZEN COMMENTS Tim McDonald stated winter was coming fast and he noticed a lot of potholes on Adams Street. He noted they were using some concrete and recommended staying with that as it was much stronger. He was concerned with the Sewage Lagoon at Lowell Point. He wondered if they needed to look at a new sewage plant if the current lagoon was too antiquated. He would like to hear more information on the current system. Wolfgang Kurtz stated there was a community advisory board meeting for the local radio station on September 24, 2013. There was a big push to get things moving and he would like some help and encouraged involvement. COUNCIL AND ADMINISTRATION RESPONSE TO CITIZEN COMMENTS Valdatta said they should repair the airport runway and build the proposed baseline trail in that area. ami Seaward asked for clarification on the two million dollars coming available for roads. Keil added they would be used during the next fall. He was glad to hear the funds were going to be used for roads within the next year. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 8:17 p.m. aft,n_ ohanna Kinney David Seawa ity Clerk Mayor (City *II!'''' Ot SEbt" 0.:ct ......... - #. Sek 00(..;0'0 ii,;>.40 <c% : 0 . I" • SEAL • I . . . 71• \ : • ......... OF -•......