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HomeMy WebLinkAbout04132026 City Council MinutesCity of Seward, Alaska City Council Meeting Minutes April 13, 2026 Volume 43, Page 202 CALL TO ORDER The Monday, April 13, 2026, regular meeting of the Seward City Council was called to order at 7:00 p.m. by Mayor Sue McClure. OPENING CEREMONY Chief of Police Louis Tiner led the Pledge of Allegiance. ROLL CALL There were present: Sue McClure, presiding, and John Osenga Robert Barnwell Julie Crites Casie Warner Lori Draper Mike Calhoon comprising a quorum of the Council; and Kat Sorensen, City Manager Jason Bickling, Deputy City Manager Kris Peck, City Clerk Jodi Kurtz, Deputy City Clerk Kody George, City Attorney Excused — None Absent — None PROCLAMATIONS AND AWARDS Seward Seahawks Girls Basketball Team State Championship was read by Vice Mayor Osenga and accepted by the players and coaches. Recognition of Seward Police Dispatchers was read by Mayor McClure and accepted by Acting Police Dispatch Supervisor Evan Hinton. Sam Daniel Seward Area Clean Up Day was read by Mayor McClure and accepted by Mary Daniel. City of Seward, Alaska City Council Meeting Minutes April 13, 2026 Volume 43, Page 203 CITIZEN COMMENTS ON ANY SUBJECT EXCEPT THOSE ITEMS SCHEDULED FOR PUBLIC HEARING Skip Reierson, inside city limits, handed out a laydown report and spoke about the Mountain Haven long-term bond. He hoped the council would consider a bond payoff which would allow the $1.4 million to be refunded to the City of Seward. Robert Coleman, inside city limits, introduced himself as an applicant for the Planning & Zoning Commission and described his qualifications and community involvement. Amanda Sweeting, outside city limits, spoke on behalf of the Chamber of Commerce. She provided updates on the Community Awards, the Destination Marketing Organization contract, and upcoming signature events such as the Silver Salmon Derby and Mt. Marathon Race. Mica Van Buskirk, inside city limits, provided an update on a recent school board meeting and the budget cuts that took place. Four schools were voted to be closed, which included the Seward Middle School. She also updated council on the various swimming pool closures and how communities were coming up with creative ways to keep the pools open. Samantha Allen, inside city limits, spoke on behalf of Seward Bear Creek Flood Service Area. She announced a Spring Permitting Day event. The purpose of the event was to give landowners a chance to meet and greet with various government permitting agencies. Sarah Tougas, inside city limits, spoke as president of Seward Tsunami Swim Club. She was both anxious and excited to see the presentation on the Seward swimming pool. She spoke in support of keeping the pool open. APPROVAL OF AGENDA AND CONSENT AGENDA Motion (Osenga/Calhoon) Approval of Agenda and Consent Agenda Motion Passed Unanimous The clerk read the following approved consent agenda items: Approval of the March 23, 2026, City Council Meeting Minutes Resolution 2026-036: Authorizing the City Manager to Purchase Annual Electric Utility Materials from General Pacific, Inc for the 2026 Operating Year in the Amount of $297,413 Resolution 2026-037: Authorizing the City Manager to Execute Amendment No. 01 to the Professional Services Agreement with KPFF Consulting Engineers for Emissions Inventory Services for an Amount Not to Exceed $284,995 which is Fully Funded by the EPA Grant as Part of the Shore Power Project City of Seward, Alaska City Council Meeting Minutes April 13, 2026 Volume 43, Page 204 IN -PERSON REPORTS AND PRESENTATIONS City Manager Report City Manager Kat Sorensen invited city staff to provide individual updates. Sports & Recreation Manager Russ White updated council on various tournaments, events, and festivals. Community Development Director Daniel Meunick updated council on a GIS map that featured all the murals in Seward. He provided a live demonstration on how to access and utilize the mural map from the city website. Sorensen informed council there would be a presentation from the Electric Department on the second meeting in May which would tie into the culmination of the Town Hall meetings. On another topic, Sorensen noted that parking enforcement would start May 1 and seasonal parking passes are available now online. City Clerk Report City Clerk Kris Peck update on the student exchange program with Obihiro, Japan. The Clerk's Office has extended the deadline for applications due to the recent legislation that now provides city funding of $3,000 per student for the airfare. City Attorney Report City Attorney Kody George provided an update on RTO [Railbelt Transmission Organization] hearing and said he was anxiously awaiting an order in June. It was an expansive hearing and overall went well. The other big City Attorney projects involved the Electric Department and the legal framework involved in hydroelectric projects. Other Reports and Announcements - None Presentations Kenai Peninsula Borough School District Swimming Pools Presenters: Director of Planning and Operations Kevin Lyon, Assistant Superintendent Kari Dendurent and Pool Manager Nita Hollingsworth Council moved the discussion item on the Seward Pool to take place immediately following the presentation. Council discussed utilities, timeline, the 710 account, funding vs. operating, and a possible work session on the topic. Council directed administration to bring back a Memorandum of Agreement for operating the Seward Pool as a discussion item for further review. City of Seward, Alaska City Council Meeting Minutes April 13, 2026 Volume 43, Page 205 Council recessed the meeting at 8:15 p.m. Council resumed the meeting at 8:20 p.m. PUBLIC HEARINGS Resolutions Requiring Public Hearing Resolution 2026-034: Authorizing the City Manager to Negotiate the Terms for Conveying a Portion of City Cemetery Property to the Qutekcak Native Tribe Motion (Osenga/Calhoon) Approve Resolution2026-034 Meuninck noted the previous council discussion in March that resulted in this resolution being brought forward. It was a great opportunity to see the Qutekcak Native Tribe take ownership of a portion of the cemetery. If this resolution gets approved, the surveying process would be initiated. The conveyance will come back to council two more times — one resolution for the plat and one resolution for the final conveyance document. Notice of the public hearing being posted and published as required by law was noted and the public hearing was opened. Dolly Wiles, outside city limits, spoke about her experience maintaining the Qutekcak portion of the cemetery. She described metal markers that had gone missing, metal detecting, and locating graves which included a mass grave. Many volunteers have been involved in moving this forward, and her goal was to honor the families and loved ones. Tim McDonald, inside city limits, was curious to know more about what areas of the cemetery were being affected. He was concerned if any graves were going to be moved. Krisnan Weston, inside city limits, spoke as the program manager for the Qutekcak Native Tribe. She clarified that no graves would be moved around the cemetery. She wanted to draw awareness to the darker history of the Jesse Lee Home, and to keep the area clean and well -maintained. No one else appeared and the public hearing was closed. McClure noted she was a frequent visitor of the cemetery. She referred to the map in the packet and explained the various sections. Council discussed cemetery maintenance, markers, volunteer efforts, and difficulty finding certain graves. McClure summarized the resolution and noted it would be coming back again before council. This resolution would be the official start of the process. Motion Passed Unanimous City of Seward, Alaska City Council Meeting Minutes April 13, 2026 Volume 43, Page 206 Resolution 2026-035: Authorizing the City Manager to Enter into a New Lease Agreement with Cordova Telecom Cooperative for Installation of a High -Speed Submarine Fiber -Optic Cable Across City Owned Tideland Along the Waterfront Motion (Osenga/Barnwell) Approve Resolution 2026-035 Harbormaster Tony Sieminski summarized the lease agreement with Cordova Telecom Cooperative. He referenced the map in the council packet and explained the concrete headwall. Sorensen added this lease agreement does not bring Cordova Telecom to Seward, but rather brings stability to Cordova's internet access. Notice of the public hearing being posted and published as required by law was noted and the public hearing was opened. No one appeared and the public hearing was closed. Motion Passed Unanimous UNFINISHED BUSINESS — None NEW BUSINESS Other New Business Discuss the Seward High School Swimming Pool [This item was moved to immediately follow the presentation on swimming pools] Discuss Accessory Dwelling Units [Sponsored by Warner] Warner explained the research she had done on ADUs around the state and compiled some information into the council packet. Council discussed ADUs, approved designs, guidelines, architects, permits, and existing resources. Building Inspector Jeremy Rogers clarified a few things in the report and explained what Anchorage was trying to accomplish with their new process. He noted Seward did not require engineering on ADUs. It wasn't something the City of Seward would benefit from compared to a larger city like Anchorage. Council directed administration to publish a checklist of current information and resources regarding ADUs. City of Seward, Alaska City Council Meeting Minutes April 13, 2026 Volume 43, Page 207 Discuss a drive down dock in the boat harbor [Sponsored by Draper] Based on citizen feedback, Draper was looking to bring a drive down dock in the boat harbor and possibly have council direct administration to do a study for the best location. Council discussed the location, concept designs, preliminary estimates, different user groups, and investing in the harbor. Council directed administration to bring back a task order and concept for a drive down dock in the boat harbor. Appoint a Planning & Zoning Commissioner for a term set to expire February 2028. There are two applicants for the seat: Tyna Siptrott and Robert Coleman Council suspended the rules to allow Tyna Siptrott to introduce herself since she missed the opportunity during citizen comments. The City Clerk set the timer for 3:00 minutes. Tyna Siptrott, inside city limits, introduced herself to council and went over her background information and credentials. Peck explained the voting process with paper ballots. Council voted on the paper ballots and handed them back to the City Clerk to read the results. Tyna Siptrott: 6 votes [Calhoon, Osenga, Barnwell, Draper, Crites, McClure] Robert Coleman: 1 vote [Warner] Council appointed Tyna Siptrott to the Planning & Zoning Commission with a term set to expire February 2028. INFORMATIONAL ITEMS AND REPORTS Upcoming City Council Meeting on Monday, April 27, 2026 at 7:00 p.m. CITIZEN COMMENTS Katy Jurney, outside city limits, expressed several concerns about the current operations of the Boys & Girls Club. The kids in Seward are not getting the same level of service as the kids in Kenai. Tim McDonald, inside city limits, shared his concerns about cruise ships with open loop exhaust systems. Some cruise ships have a closed loop system which kept all the pollution contained onboard until they can discharge in Seattle. Sarah Tougas, inside city limits, thanked council for the discussion on the swimming pool. City of Seward, Alaska City Council Meeting Minutes April 13, 2026 Volume 43, Page 208 COUNCIL AND ADMINISTRATION COMMENTS & RESPONSE TO CITIZEN COMMENTS Calhoon noted the number of cruise ships this summer was slightly down. He recalled how Sam Daniel could kick the top of the doorway from a standstill, and was an excellent one -handed pool player. Sam Daniel will be dearly missed for a lot of reasons. Warner congratulated Tyna Siptrott and thanked Robert Coleman for his interest in P&Z. She thanked the public who attended the meeting and made comments. She thanked council for the discussion on ADUs and the drive down dock. Barnwell thanked public for coming out tonight. He thought the swimming pool discussion was great, and thanked Qutekcak for the moving testimony. The work session today was exciting for the future of affordable housing in Seward. Lastly, he shared highlights from his recent lobbying trip to Juneau along with the City Manager. Draper echoed Warner's comments. She couldn't imagine Seward being the hometown of Lydia Jacoby and not having a swimming pool. Crites echoed previous comments. Osenga welcomed Tyna Siptrott to P&Z and thanked Robert Coleman for applying. He was pleased with the interest in the Developer Reimbursement Program and that the city was taking action. He thanked City Administration for their efforts and wished them good luck on future endeavors based on this evening's workload. McClure also noted the City Administration had been given quite a bundle of issues to deal with. She hoped for a good outcome for the swimming pool. She recalled locals learning how to swim in First Lake, which was not ideal for new swimmers. She was excited about conveying the portion of the cemetery to Qutekcak Native Tribe. McClure also announced an upcoming historical event about the Swingin' Grannies softball team. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 9:25 p.m. Kris Peck City Clerk Sii-oti-W (ttt. v-t Sue McClure Mayor