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HomeMy WebLinkAbout08102015 City Council Minutes City of Seward,Alaska City Council Minutes August 10, 2015 Volume 39, Page 584 CALL TO ORDER The August 10,2015 regular meeting of the Seward City Council was called to order at 7:00 p.m. by Mayor Jean Bardarson. OPENING CEREMONY Chief Tom Clemons led the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag. ROLL CALL There were present: Jean Bardarson presiding and Marianna Keil Ristine Casagranda Christy Terry David Squires Dale Butts Iris Darling comprising a quorum of the Council; and Jim Hunt, City Manager Will Earnhart, City Attorney Johanna Kinney, City Clerk Absent—None CITIZEN COMMENTS ON ANY SUBJECT EXCEPT THOSE ITEMS SCHEDULED FOR PUBLIC HEARING Sue McClure announced Founder's Day was August 28, 2015 and there would be an open house that day at the Library Museum. There would be free museum admission,snacks,music and Resurrection Bay Historical Society would be recognizing the Alaska Railroad's and Urbach's 100 year anniversaries. Sharyl Seese heard speculation there might be a parking lot going in on the 500 block of First Avenue and hoped the city wouldn't pursue this. She noted there was an emergency on Mount Marathon recently and an ambulance was at the bottom of the mountain, waiting to transport the injured hiker,but she was dismayed the vehicle sat with its engine on for several hours and felt that was a waste of money. Tim McDonald understood Seese's comments and had concerns of his own. He'd been recently accused of slander and felt it was an important subject. The city entering into 99 year leases was not in the public interest and felt the timing of these leases was suspicious. McDonald hoped to see some better statesmanship. Orson Smith,city representative for the Prince William Sound Regional Citizens Advisory Council, stated he recently became treasurer of the Executive Board and had some ideas for their City of Seward,Alaska City Council Minutes August 10, 2015 Volume 39, Page 585 accounting. Smith noted it was a well-run organization. The mayor received a letter regarding long range planning for the council including review of the SERVS fishing vessel program and others. There was a$2.6 million project list planned for this fiscal year. The annual Marine Firefighting Symposium would be held in Valdez this year and council has been invited to help contribute to the planning of the event. APPROVAL OF AGENDA AND CONSENT AGENDA Motion (Keil/Casagranda) Approval of Agenda and Consent Agenda Motion Passed Unanimous The clerk read the following approved consent agenda items: Ordinance 2015-003,Amending Chapters 11.01 And 11.05 Of The City's Vehicle And Traffic Code, Adopting State Of Alaska Traffic Laws,Adopting The Surcharge Required By AS 29.25.074,And Updating Enforcement Provisions Related To Traffic Violations. (Introduced and set for public hearing and enactment on August 24, 2015) Resolution 2015-067, Authorizing The Fire Department To Conduct Live Fire Evolutions During The 2015 Alaska Fire Conference On A Structure Located At 2109 Dimond Boulevard. SPECIAL ORDERS,PRESENTATIONS AND REPORTS Proclamations &Awards Mayor Bardarson read a letter from City of Kushiro and noted they sent a trophy for the winner of the Silver Salmon Derby. Mayor Bardarson took a moment to thank Deputy City Clerk Brenda Ballou for her work on the Japanese Student Exchange. Borough Assembly Report.Sue McClure reported the assembly met on July 28,2015 and much of the meeting pertained to the hospitals on the western side of the peninsula. The assembly was slated to meet only once in August where they would be considering amending the code regarding rights of way and land use regulations. The annual borough election was coming up,and on the assembly three seats were up for election,McClure's being one of them as she was becoming term limited out. The service area board seats were also up for election as well. McClure encouraged those interested to go to the Seward Annex Office of the borough for candidate information. McClure corrected an error in a previous report and clarified that the Kenai Peninsula Borough currently had two task forces—a marijuana task force and a health care task force. City Manager's Report.Jim Hunt noted there were two purchase orders between$10,000 and $50,000 approved by him since the last council meeting: $49,000 to the Alaska Railbelt Cooperative Transmission and Electric Company(ARCTEC)for capital contribution and$15,076 to G&W Electric for a recloser for the Spring Creek Transformer. Hunt reported the pay station for the R/V dump station had now brought in over$17,000 in fees. City of Seward,Alaska City Council Minutes August 10, 2015 Volume 39, Page 586 Casagranda asked if it was common for people to be charged for water in the campgrounds, Hunt said it was contingent on the government, but didn't think it was unusual. In response to Squires, Assistant City Manager Ron Long stated administration and Community Development were working with a map to see what areas could be affected to be developed to 30'x100' lots. Once that was determined,they intended to take that information to the Planning and Zoning Commission for a recommendation. Keil said there were lots that had been subdivided but were privately owned. Hunt said he worked with Kerry Martin to locate these types of lots and many of these were owned by out of town owners. Hunt wanted to engage those owners and start a conversation to find out their intent with the land. In response to Butts, Hunt said he had zero complaints about odor at the Lowell Point Sewage Lagoon since the last meeting. The lagoon was about 90% full and it appeared to be functioning as it was supposed to. In response to Bardarson, Long announced the city lost Project Manager Rick Wise to the National Park Service. In this loss, administration was able to gain an appreciation for the value of the position when well executed. They would be advertising the vacancy soon. In response to Darling,Hunt and Electric Utility Manager John Foutz stated the downtown decorative lights would be on their agenda for replacement in the fall due to the busy summer season and short staff of the Electric Department. In response to Terry,Hunt stated there were actually three positions in the Finance Department to be filled: the front desk Cashier position,the Payroll Clerk position, and the Assistant Finance Director position. City Attorney's Report. Will Earnhart stated he and the City Clerk recently conducted training with the City Council and all boards and commissions on general matters such as the Open Meetings Act, meeting procedure, and ethics. He was working with staff on drafting ordinances, personnel issues, and review of contracts. Other Reports,Announcements and Presentations—None PUBLIC HEARINGS Resolutions Requiring A Public Hearing Resolution 2015-065,Recommending Kenai Peninsula Borough Approval Of The City Owned Seward Tidelands Survey ATS 1574, Tract A, Replat No. 2; Located On The East Side Of Resurrection Bay Within The Resource Management Zoning District. Motion (Terry/Casagranda) Approve Resolution 2015-065 Long indicated the area on a map. The additional development would be reduced in size and scope and the approximate area was ten acres. He emphasized this resolution recommended a replat and things like restrictive covenants could be discussed later. This recommendation had the support of the Planning and Zoning Commission and administration. Long recommended council approval. City of Seward,Alaska City Council Minutes August 10, 2015 Volume 39, Page 587 Notice of the public hearing being posted and published as required by law was noted and the public hearing was opened. Tim McDonald would be interested in the plan for this ten acre area,it sounded like a small boat harbor was being planned. No one else appeared to address the Council and the public hearing was closed. Darling was interested in who owned the contingent uplands. Long said the property owners within 300 feet were notified,but he was not sure who it was. He clarified this was not a proposed action. Any proposed restrictive covenants would come later and this replat was to designate a project mitigation site required for dredging permits. Terry called attention to the Whereas that stated "no subdivision installation agreement is necessary as this replat contains no uplands or developable area" and wanted to know if that language should also be in the Sections of the resolution. Long didn't think it was necessary but said it wouldn't hurt to add it. He stated the covenant would be more controlling and listed to the council the nine conditions that would come to council for consideration later on. Squires asked who would do the enforcement and reporting on this development. Long said this area would not be a place that would attract commercial vessels to approach,and fishing vessels may use the area, so he anticipated it to be somewhat self-enforcing. Casagranda didn't understand why the city wanted to replat this area. Long said the city was not giving this land to anyone and would retain ownership. He explained because they were taking some habitable area to pursue the Seward Marine Industrial Center breakwater improvements,the city needed to offset this by providing another area. The replat was because the current boundary was too large, and they needed to identify a smaller mitigation site. Hunt commended Long for his foresight in approaching these mitigation efforts. Motion Passed Unanimous Resolution 2015-066,Recommending Kenai Peninsula Borough Approval Of The Forest Acres Levee Replat No. 2; Creating Seven (7)Parcels; Vacating Undeveloped Rights-Of—Way And Utility Easements While Dedicating New Rights-Of-Way And Utility Easements; Located North And South Of The North Forest Acres Levee(Dieckgraeff Road)Located Within The Resource Management Zoning District. Motion (Terry/Casagranda) Approve Resolution 2015-066 Long said this platting action would dedicate the right-of-way for the remaining public use easement of Dieckgraeff Road and additional rights-of-ways for Pine,Oak,and Maple Streets and Dimond Boulevard. He added this would help for future development access for other areas. Planning and Zoning supported this replat and administration recommended approval. City of Seward,Alaska City Council Minutes August 10, 2015 Volume 39, Page 588 Notice of the public hearing being posted and published as required by law was noted and the public hearing was opened. No one appeared to address the Council and the public hearing was closed. Butts asked if any correspondence was received from any land owners. Long said not at the Planning and Zoning Commission meeting,but several inquiries were made to staff and they all had their questions answered satisfactorily. In response to Squires, Long stated the unused easements would be relocated. Squires didn't see any accesses to the two properties the city had off Dieckgraeff Road and asked if there were any restrictions regarding access. Long did not recall if there were,but if it was an issue it could be addressed in a separate action. Motion Passed Unanimous UNFINISHED BUSINESS—None NEW BUSINESS Resolutions Resolution 2015-068, Authorizing The Purchase Of A Lift Bed With Hoist From Quality Equipment Sales & Service For$9,135,And Appropriating Funds. Motion (Keil/Terry) Approve Resolution 2015-068 Public Works Director W.C. Casey said this and the next resolution finalized the two vehicle purchases done earlier in the year. This resolution specifically was to purchase a lift bed with a hoist for a new Public Works vehicle. Quotes were solicited and they were requesting authorization to purchase. Squires applauded the Public Works Department in keeping the vehicle under budget, but noticed things like warning lights and additional equipment and radios were not included. He would like to see items like these included in the project so it didn't come out of the budget later on. He wanted to see some of the surplus gained in the vehicle used for those additional items. Darling had a hard time following the quotes provided. She asked why the budgeted amount was so much more than the purchase price. Casey stated that occurred from time to time, and the budgeted amount was only an estimate. There were more expensive vehicles quoted to them, but they opted for a cheaper vehicle. Motion Passed Unanimous Resolution 2015-069,Authorizing The Purchase Of A Utility Box With Crane From Quality Equipment Sales & Service For$25,151 And Appropriating Funds. Motion (Casagranda/Terry) Approve Resolution 2015-069 City of Seward,Alaska City Council Minutes August 10, 2015 Volume 39,Page 589 Casey stated the features for this vehicle were more expensive due to the crane attachment. They felt this vehicle would help serve the department's needs and asked for approval. Squires reiterated similar comments from the previous resolution. He felt more items should be included in the total price of the vehicle cost. Squires didn't believe the department should have to piece together the project; he wanted to see all the things included in the total price. Hunt noted staff was often hesitant and cautious when it came to the purchase of vehicles. Squires could understand that position, but it was confusing to the public why items kept coming back repeatedly. It did a disservice to the department by not doing it this way. Casey had discussed this with his crew and they often found when they did purchase a vehicle with the additional features needed,they often didn't know how they were assembled and felt it was better to have the city install them internally for easier future repairs. It was easier maintenance. Casey appreciated Squires' concern on the funding of the true cost of the vehicle,but he thought it would be in the better interest to install the additional equipment and pay for it out of the motor pool. Bardarson agreed the two bids were hard to follow. They seemed like different quotes,one included a bumper and one didn't, so it didn't appear consistent. Casey couldn't answer the questions,but could find out from his shop mechanic and emphasized his staff was comfortable with the quotes being satisfactory to what the department needed. Darling had difficulty comparing quotes as well. Hunt said vendors often offered packages they wanted to rather than what the city was specifically asking for. In response to Casagranda,Casey anticipated the truck with the crane was also to be the shop service truck. It would have a lot of demands placed on it, and that was the reason it was a 4X4. Casagranda hoped council could receive a more detailed accounting for the motor pool budget. In response to Terry, Casey said the replacement vehicle would be going to surplus. Motion Passed Unanimous Resolution 2015-070,For Port Avenue Safety Improvements,Painting,Signage And Decking Replacement In An Amount Not To Exceed$125,000,And Appropriating Funds. Terry disclosed she worked for the Alaska Railroad,where the cruise ships docked and this resolution proposed using cruise ship tax monies. She added she had no direct or indirect financial gain from this resolution. Bardarson ruled that no conflict existed and there was no objection from council. Motion (Keil/Squires) Approve Resolution 2015-070 Hunt communicated with the Alaska Railroad of his intent to improve signage for their visitors and he encouraged them to partner with the city in these efforts to better guide visitors. He would like council to invest in this effort for improvement. They had the opportunity to make ,I, City of Seward,Alaska City Council Minutes August 10, 2015 Volume 39, Page 590 improvements using cruise ship tax funds. Hunt stated he would like to use signage to better direct people to the harbor and downtown and away from the industrial area. In response to Terry,Hunt stated this work would probably be split between contractors and in house. Any contract work would come back for council approval. Keil said she supported this as it was odd to see people dragging their luggage on dirt roads when they could be directed to use the walkways designated for them. Bardarson disclosed her husband had a business in this area. In response to Squires,Hunt stated he'd like to replace the whole boardwalk as it was in bad shape. Harbormaster Norm Regis said it depended how far out the developments were intended if a permit was required. Casagranda noted this resolution didn't address bus stop signs. Hunt said he would make sure to include more bus stop sign improvements. Motion Passed Unanimous Resolution 2015-071,Authorizing The City Manager To Enter Into A Construction Contract With Hamilton Construction, LLC In An Amount Not To Exceed $15,032,101.80 For The Phase 1 Harbor Improvements At The Seward Marine Industrial Center And An Additional $1,503,210 As A Project Contingency And Appropriating Funds. Motion (Terry/Casagranda) Approve Resolution 2015-071 Long stated this was a project that had been in the planning stages for a long time. Some of the project features were half a billion pounds of rock to go into the breakwater, relocating and improving the sewer outfall,and replacing a damaged turning dolphin. They intended to stockpile a good size pile of stone available for city use for floods and other emergencies. Long stated Jeff Hamilton was in attendance tonight from Hamilton Construction as well as the Harbormaster if there were any questions. The attorney did end up reviewing this contract,who pointed out three proposed changes before council by laydown. He noted in the original version in council's agenda packet,the calendar date and number of days didn't coincide correctly,the type of ownership was incorrectly identified, and the language regarding liquidated damages needed to be cleaned up better. These were the three proposed changes before council tonight. Hamilton was the successful,responsible,and responsive bidder in this process.It was noted if awarded tonight,the city would need to go back and amend the contract with R&M Consultants to provide quality control and assurance for this project. Staff was requesting a ten percent contingency and felt it was necessary for a project of this caliber. Squires appreciated the laydown on the contract tonight as it answered most of his questions. In response to Squires, Regis confirmed the city received all required forms such as proof of City of Seward,Alaska City Council Minutes August 10, 2015 Volume 39,Page 591 insurance and borough tax completion certification. Regis provided the list of subcontractors for this project for council to review. Terry asked if R&M reviewed the winning bid. Long confirmed they did and had initial concerns with the bid amount being so much lower than the other bids. The big difference was due to the fact that the contractor had a past contract which left them with an abundance of varying sizes of rock that fit the specifications of the city's project. Hamilton permitted R&M to look at this rock and was satisfied it would meet the needs of the project. Prior to voting,City Clerk Johanna Kinney confirmed with the City Council they were voting to approve the modified,laydown contract provided to them this evening and council agreed this was the case. Motion Passed Unanimous Resolution 2015-072, Authorizing The City Manager To Execute A Grant Agreement With The Alaska Department Of Transportation Harbor Facility Grant Program For$2,680,000 For The B, C, S,And A-Float Replacement Project At The Seward Small Boat Harbor. Motion (Keil/Casagranda) Approve Resolution 2015-072 *City Manager Jim Hunt left the meeting at 8:40 p.m. Regis said the grant came to the council late because the Governor was late in signing the state budget. The city finally received the necessary paperwork to begin the grant process. Staff anticipated at the next meeting to do additional appropriations and contract execution for this project. Keil said this was an exciting development for Seward and thanked staff for their excellent work. Bardarson was told these grants were going away and this might be the last opportunity to take advantage so she was happy the city was getting these funds. This saved the city millions. Regis added this would complete harbor improvements. To Butts, Regis answered the improvements would happen all at the same time. All boats would be moved and they would offer lifts. The project was anticipated to start in the late winter and be completed by April,2016. They would be careful to work with the Polar Bear Jump Festival in January. In response to Bardarson,Regis said all the creosote piling would be removed and galvanized piling would be installed. Motion Passed Unanimous Other New Business Items Schedule a work session on the Maple Street sewer and water project. Council scheduled a City of Seward,Alaska City Council Minutes August 10, 2015 Volume 39, Page 592 work session at 12:00 p.m. on August 28,2015. Set the 2016-2017 Biennial Budget Calendar. Council made the following changes to the calendar: the budget"Kick-Off'work session was scheduled to August 26,2015 at 5:30 p.m., and the annual budget work sessions were scheduled to October 7,8,and 9,2015 at 6:00 p.m. Schedule a Work Session to discuss City Garbage Collection.(Squires)Council scheduled this work session for September 14,2015 at 6:00 p.m. Schedule a Special Meeting at 5:30 p.m. on August 31, 2015 to approve the Seward Community Health Center's Annual Budget. This meeting was scheduled as proposed. (?) INFORMATIONAL ITEMS AND REPORTS—None COUNCIL COMMENTS Keil thanked administration for the hard work done on all the upcoming projects. There seemed to be a lot of forward movement and good progress being made. She thanked her fellow council members as well. Terry encouraged citizens to consider running for council. Candidate packets were available until August 17,2015 at noon at the City Clerk's office. Butts said a 14 pound silver salmon was currently leading the derby. He asked people going out on the water to be careful. Butts encouraged people to pick up council candidate packets and reminded the public there was still one vacancy on the Planning and Zoning Commission. Casagranda looked forward to one day having for technology to be more paperless. Kinney said she was prepared to bring forward a proposal for the 2016-2017 budget for the purchase of electronic tablets. Squires said regarding the comments made this evening about the ambulances running for extended periods of time,the Seward Volunteer Ambulance Corps(SVAC)paid for their own fuel and he thought they had to be kept at a certain temperature for care. Squires was supportive of a crosswalk at the Seward Highway and Sea Lion Drive. It was a dangerous area as many children were trying to cross at this part of the highway. He also felt there was traffic congestion at the off ramp from Port Avenue to the Seward Highway. Squires also encouraged people to pick up packets for open council offices and noted it was an exciting time. Darling thanked the staff for working so hard on the port project and encouraged folks to pick up council packets and encouraged public participation in the upcoming work sessions. The council needed public input on this budget and hoped people would come express their ideas. Bardarson thanked Jackie Wilde for providing for treats tonight at the meeting. She suggested a roundabout instead of a streetlight at Port Avenue. Bardarson thanked administration for the two very big projects moving forward tonight. It was exciting SMIC was moving forward. She City of Seward,Alaska City Council Minutes August 10, 2015 Volume 39,Page 593 congratulated the Finance Department for getting all necessary documents sent off to the auditors. She wished the Silver Salmon Derby fishermen good luck. Long agreed it was an exciting time to pull the trigger on the SMIC Expansion project,but there was a lot left to do. The city needed to stay on top and maintain quality and cost controls. Staff continued to work with Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority (AIDEA) on developing lease policies to eventually bring forward for public review. Long noted the community needed good representation all over the borough, and also encouraged folks to consider the open assembly seat. CITIZEN COMMENTS Tim McDonald said it was an interesting meeting tonight. He agreed the underpass on the highway was a problem area. A quick fix was to place better signage for the underpass. He made comments on the new breakwater structure compared to the old structure at SMIC. McDonald showed the public and the council a product that processed sewage. It was made in Washington State and the machine took waste and in approximately five minutes removed all the water with heat evaporation. The end product was ashes and it developed electricity as a bi-product.Research costs were sponsored by Microsoft's Bill Gates and it was originally intended for third world countries. COUNCIL AND ADMINISTRATION RESPONSE TO CITIZEN COMMENTS Terry asked when staff expected the much anticipated AIDEA report to be available. Long anticipated late September. Long thanked council and public for suggestions on signage for the underpass. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 9:21 p.m. sr RAW RAXit/ J hanna KM", CMC T -an Bardarson ity Clerk Mayor (City Seal) °aae®®m®e©same® O �°9�.o• P OR 41,�% 010 • i ® u SEAT s� L e ei 0 .d ov (9 4_ , a°oe:aae»be°" ec-' 0 �odO A y F. E � i: `�b