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HomeMy WebLinkAbout07252011 City Council Minutes City of Seward, Alaska City Council Minutes July 25, 2011 Volume 38, Page 630 CALL TO ORDER The July 25, 2011 regular meeting of the Seward City Council was called to order at 7:00 p.m. by Vice Mayor Jean Bardarson. OPENING CEREMONY Police Chief Tom Clemons led the pledge of allegiance to the flag. ROLL CALL There were present: Jean Bardarson presiding and Vanta Shafer Marianna Keil Bob Valdatta Ristine Casagranda comprising a quorum of the Council; and Phillip Oates, City Manager Johanna Kinney, City Clerk i' Absent — Tom Smith, Mayor Willard Dunham CITIZENS' COMMENTS ON ANY SUBJECT EXCEPT THOSE ITEMS SCHEDULED FOR PUBLIC HEARING Selma Casagranda said she did not want the Tot Lot sold. It was one of her favorite places to play and less crowded and lots more fun than the other playgrounds. Bijou Bernard said the Tot Lot Park was good for parents to take their kids, too. APPROVAL OF AGENDA AND CONSENT AGENDA Motion (Keil /Shafer) Approval of Agenda and Consent Agenda Motion Passed Unanimous The clerk read the following approved consent agenda items: The July 11, 2011 City Council Regular Meeting Minutes and the July 11, 2011 Special City Council Meeting Minutes Were Approved. i Appointed Bob Linville and Ron Long to the Port and Commerce Advisory Board with a term to expire July 2014. City of Seward, Alaska City Council Minutes July 25, 2011 Volume 38, Page 631 Scheduled a work session for an update by the Friends of the Jesse Lee Home for August 22, 2011 at 5:45 p.m. Resolution 2011 -060, Authorizing The City Manager To Submit A Municipal Harbor Facility Grant Application To The State Of Alaska, Department Of Transportation And Public Facilities In The Amount Of $1,180,000 For The Replacement Of D Float In The Seward Harbor. SPECIAL ORDERS, PRESENTATIONS AND REPORTS Proclamations and Awards Our Obihiro guests were introduced and a proclamation was read and presented to each of them for Obihiro- Seward Sister Cities Week. The students and adults presented speeches to the council, and council presented the visitors with gifts. A Police Certification Award was presented to Officer Nicholas Degnan by the Alaska Police Standards Council. Chamber of Commerce Report. Chamber Director Cindy Clock recapped a summary of events for fundraising for the Chamber. The 201 1 Halibut Tournament was successful. 800 people purchased tickets, which was up a 100 from last year. The Fourth of July Festivities and the Mount Marathon Race went well. Clock extended a thank you to the city. The race day was great and no runners were hurt, however one spectator did fall and hurt themselves. The auction for race seats raised $30,000. Clock noted the cost of the Fourth of July festivities cost about $75,000 to pull off each year. The next membership meeting was August 5, 2011. The Silver Salmon Derby was coming up, and there were lots of visitors this year. She noted the Railroad had stated they would allow help with parking overflow for the derby. Clock spoke on bed tax funding from the city and stated the importance of it. The Chamber has enjoyed being the envy of destination marketing. She felt they were good at what they did, and the city should continue to send bed tax dollars their way. The Chamber created 125,000 destination guides a year, maintained a comprehensive website, produced a marketing video, executed the events mentioned earlier, and did lots and lots of advertising. Chamber staff worked sports shows and outdoors shows. The visitor center was open year round. Clock noted they supported travel writers, media, and journalists. Seward was the number 1 destination in 2010 on Trip Advisor; Clock noted this was achieved by careful planning, money and relationships with industry professionals. Finally, it was good business and beneficial to the city's budget to invest back in the Chamber of Commerce. City Manager's Report, City Manager Phillip Oates stated there have been no purchases approved between $10,000- 50,000 since the last Council Meeting. He stated the bond bank was meeting tomorrow. Communities in the Peninsula had been meeting with the Borough to come up with a better system for tsunami warnings. Oates listed the following criteria for the Request for Proposals for the Coastal Villages Region Fund Project Engineering Firm: 1. RFP for CVRF Project Engineering Firm City ofSeward, Alaska City Council Minutes July 25, 2011 Volume 38, Page 632 .. Cost = 30 Points Lowest Priced Proposal X 30 Current Priced Proposal Statement of Qualifications = 35 Points • Experience in Alaska with port & harbor engineering = 10 • Years in Business, Number of Jobs, Permitting Experience = 5 • Experience designing breakwaters, wave barriers, floats and docks including water / sewer /electric /communications / cranes /telecommunications /security = 15 • Plan for Public Involvement = 5 Organizational Structure = 20 Points • Describe the approach and resources to accomplish the engineering work: wave modeling, waterfront engineering, electrical engineering, permitting, graphic design, subcontractors = 10 • Describe previous lawsuits or liquidated damages arising from previous engineering contracts = 5 • Describe plans for coordination and interaction with Northern Economics (the firm that is accomplishing the economic analysis and financial strategy), Coastal Villages Region Fund, and the City of Seward = 5 References = 10 Points • Provide comprehensive list of port or harbor customers (with contact information) where work has been performed over the past 5 years and 2 written references from customers = 4 • Phone call to references with specific questions by City of Seward = 6 - Compliance with guidance and /or changing requirements? - Responsiveness to communications? - Completion on time and within budget (15% contingency)? - Quality and timeliness of As -Built documentation? - Accuracy and quality of billing and accounting information? Clarity of Proposal = 5 Points • Deliverables = 1 • Approach to the Project = 1 • Timeline = 1 • Permitting = 1 L Documentation = 1 City of Seward, Alaska City Council Minutes July 25, 2011 Volume 38, Page 633 Oates noted the City Clerk's office had candidate packets available beginning July 25, 2011 for three council member seats and the mayoral seat. Candidates must be registered in the Seward Precinct and residents within the City Limits for one year as of August 15, 2011. There were vacancies on the Historic Preservation Commission, the Planning and Zoning Commission, and the Seward Bear Creek Flood Service Area Board City of Seward seat. In the Harbor Department or SMIC, City Administration met with Northern Economics, representatives from Coastal Villages, and the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority last week regarding the economic analysis and feasibility study for enclosing the SMIC basin. An agreement could not be reached with the Alaska Railroad regarding seasonal charges for waste deposited at the J Dock dumpster by its leaseholders. Beginning in the fall, Alaska Waste would contract directly with the businesses operating in this area, and the harbor may install a smaller waste container in 2012 for the public during the busy summer season. The harbor received ADEC approval to operate the new water system on Z float. Water was available on the float beginning July 21, 2011. City departments would be participating in a Homeland Security exercise with State agencies August 8 -12, 2011. There may be mortar rounds (fireworks) being set off for the exercise. The Fire Department was asking the community for participants to act as casualties. The new parking LUKE Paystation was installed and operating in the South Harbor Uplands. Now, all city parking lots had automated pay stations. A new LUKE Paystation was also installed and operating at the South Boat Launch Ramp (for the $10 Daily Launch Fee). Both Boat Ramps ow were now using automated pay stations. The existing LUKE Paystation at the Northeast Boat Ramp was now offering a $20 One Day Combo which included Parking AND Launch fees. This was a very popular option with customers as it simplified the process and offered one simple transaction and one receipt. The city had applied for a permit with Alaska Railroad for overflow parking on Railroad property for busy weekends and the upcoming Salmon Derby. A new 30- minute loading zone had been created in the Northeast Shoreline Lot to accommodate folks who were affected by the Z Float and loss of beach for landing crafts and kayakers. Oates gave a comprehensive report on the recent meetings for the Coastal Villages Region Fund and how Northern Economics would accomplish the economic analysis for home porting the fishing fleet in Seward for Coastal Villages. It was possible to apply for and potentially utilize a TIGER Grant to DOT for partial funding for the project. Applications for this grant must be completed September, 2011. Mayoral Report, Vice Mayor Jean Bardarson stated the mayor's report could be found online for the public, and referred to the written report submitted to the council. Other Reports, Announcements and Presentations A Presentation was given on Seaview's Resource Directory. Jill Simpson delivered the 2011 Directory of Community Services to the council. This came out of realizing the city, Seaview Community Services, and Providence Seward Medical all had small directories, so this combined all directories of services and how to access them. This was issued with the help of a grant. Simpson City of Seward, Alaska Cily Council Minutes July 25, 2011 Volume 38, Page 634 noted this was the electronic version before the council and there was a smaller hard copy that would .o go out to clinics and various places. They hoped to include everything; it was not a business document, but for social services for the community. Simpson updated the council on tobacco /second hand smoke, and announced that the Seward Alehouse went smoke free in April after the last council discussion on this issue. This establishment was going to be featured in a commercial throughout Alaska noting the benefits of going smoke free. OTHER NEW BUSINESS Discussed a project manager for the Coastal Villages Region Fund Project. Shafer said she wanted this on the agenda, the city manager said the topic had come up, but that it was fairly early at the moment. Shafer said her issue was she didn't want to hire a new city manager and expect them to pick this up right away. It would be difficult for nearly any candidate, she stated. She felt it was important, but also understood if the discussion was premature. Oates added this was discussed with Northern Economics, Coastal Villages, and AIEDA, but the thought was these activities were very different, and the lead person probably did not need a new project manager at this time. He thought one may be needed later, and recommended council visit this topic later. Direction was given to the City Clerk on the hiring process for the City Manager position. Council scheduled a special meeting after August 1, 2011 work session, which was rescheduled to 6:00 p.m. Council scheduled an appeal hearing for NVision Architecture on the denial for an extension of the Temporary Certificate of Occupancy for the AVTEC Culinary Arts Building on August 3, 2011 at 7:05 p.m. Discussed and gave direction on selling city land. Assistant City Manager /Community Development Director Michelle Weston handed out information on land available after surplus levee land was researched. After the land was purchased, the city entered into an agreement and restricted covenances were entered into with Army Corps of Engineers. It left four lots that had a portion of the levee on it. The bottom line was there was not much land left for sale. Shafer wanted a little more information, of what was sellable, and what the sizes of the lots were. Weston said a rough estimate was four currently platted lots and a tract that needed to be subdivided out. There was a potential for other tracts to sell together or separately. Oates clarified there were no utilities to some of the tracts in question. In response to Valdatta, Oates said it would be difficult to exchange wetland or mitigation credits of land because the land was put in a conservation easement. INFORMATIONAL ITEMS AND REPORTS (No action required) Letter from the State of Alaska Department of Commerce Community and Economic Development, City of Seward, Alaska City Council Minutes July 25, 2011 Volume 38, Page 635 notice of $400,000 grant award for the purpose of CDQ Fishing Fleet Relocation Study. Letter from Ambassador Caprica Marshall, Ambassador with the Chief of Protocol, Washington. Letter to Barbara Donatelli of the Friends of the Jesse Lee Home. COUNCILS' COMMENTS Casagranda said thank you to Cindy Clock for taking the Director position at the Chamber. Valdatta wanted to know if the railroad could pay the dumpster bill for six months and charge their lessees. Oates said they had suggested that. Shafer was glad to meet the Japanese students; it was great to see them come this year. She understood why Seward wasn't sending anyone this year, but hoped next year there would be interest. Keil thanked Linville and Long for signing up for PACAB again. She asked the public to sign up for the vacancies in Seward — there was a lot of opportunity to volunteer time. Bardarson thanked anyone who participated in the exchange program. It was a wonderful program and she thanked Debbie Bond, the Seward International Friendship Association, the City Clerk's Office, and the homestay families. ,...i CITIZENS' COMMENTS - None COUNCIL AND ADMINISTRATION RESPONSE TO CITIZENS' COMMENTS - None ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 8:12 p.m. C l 7 - ie1,6r r- r�� ;?(--(101) t% 2c 29 ►'� J hanna Kinney, CMC Bardarson i ty Clerk��„� Vice Mayor ..p OF sE •,. .•`�� `V eft r. L ■ r "`"' . • • • . egi 'v ' vii, 41 „ M �,, g i p � • '•., OF A •` o4tinu.0