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HomeMy WebLinkAbout01092012 City Council Minutes City of Seward, Alaska City Council Minutes January 9, 2012 Volume 38, Page 741 CALL TO ORDER The January 9, 2012 regular meeting of the Seward City Council was called to order at 7:00 p.m. by Mayor David Seaward. OPENING CEREMONY Police Chief Tom Clemons led the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag. ROLL CALL There were present: David Seaward presiding and Jean Bardarson Christy Terry Vanta Shafer Marianna Keil Bob Valdatta Ristine Casagranda comprising a quorum of the Council; and Ron Long, Assistant City Manager Johanna Kinney, City Clerk Cheryl Brooking, City Attorney him Absent — None CITIZENS' COMMENTS ON ANY SUBJECT EXCEPT THOSE ITEMS SCHEDULED FOR PUBLIC HEARING Keith Campbell said he was there to respond to an article regarding the Fourth ofJuly Beach which brought to mind Seward's forty year history of purposefully trying to separate industrial endeavors from peoples' residential life, and cautioned council to review the history and studies that had been done and to be careful about what was put into print and its impact on public perception. Carl Hughes thanked them for the opportunity to apply for the Port and Commerce Advisory Board. He hoped to bring a fresh insight with his experience in various marine industries he had worked in. Tim McDonald said Resolution 2012 -004 gave any one of the four people signing too much authority and there was no accountability. His concern was that one person could have the authority to have access to the city's funds without any oversight. He stated it was a poor resolution and should be voted down. Deborah Altermatt announced the Seward Rotary Club's annual wine tasting and dessert auction would be held on February 4, 2012 at the Breeze Inn. This year the Boys & Girls Club would receive the proceeds. She hoped the council and community would attend and provide their support. City o/ Seward, Alaska City Council Minutes January 9, 2012 Volume 38, Page 742 Marilyn Sutherland announced the Polar Bear Jump Off was coming up on January 21, 2012. Because of the success of the event, they had reached the capacity of 150 jumpers. The mai American Cancer Society needed only $114,000 to reach their $2 million goal. This program benefited all children under 18 years old with cancer on the Kenai Peninsula. She handed out a schedule to council for the many events of the weekend, including the frozen turkey bowling event that would be held at the American Legion. APPROVAL OF AGENDA AND CONSENT AGENDA Motion (Keil /Shafer) Approval of Agenda and Consent Agenda Councilmember Shafer pulled Resolution 2012 -004 from the consent agenda in order to have further discussions. Motion Passed Unanimous The clerk read the following approved consent agenda items: The October 24, 2011 City Council Regular Meeting Minutes and the December 12, 2011 Regular City Council and Special Meeting Minutes Were Approved. There was a non - objection for the liquor license renewals for the Breeze Inn, Chinooks Waterfront, the Marina Restaurant and the Peking Restaurant. Council agreed to continue the Port and Commerce Advisory Board for another year. Ordinance 2012 -001, Amending Seward City Code 2.30.220 And 2.30.221 (a) And (c) To Change The Planning And Zoning Meeting Times To 7:00 P.M. And Set Adjournment No Later Than 10:30 P.M. And Further Clarify The Meeting Adjournment Requirements. (INTRODUCED) Resolution 2012 -002, Amending The City Council Rules Of Procedure To Amend Rule 27, Addressing The Council By The Public — Citizen's Comments And Discussion, To Reflect The Time Limit From Two Minutes To Three Minutes Per Person And The Total Time From Not More Than 30 Minutes To Not More Than 36 Minutes. Resolution 2012 -005, Accepting An Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council Grant In The Amount Of $89,725 For A Vessel Wash -Down And Wastewater Recycling Facility At The Seward Marine Industrial Center, And Appropriating Funds. SPECIAL ORDERS, PRESENTATIONS AND REPORTS Proclamations and Awards A proclamation was read and presented for the 2012 Polar Bear Jump Off. City of Seward, Alaska City Council Minutes January 9, 2012 Volume 38, Page 743 Ron Long was recognized with an engraved plaque for his service on the Port and Commerce Advisory Board. Borough Assembly Report, Sue McClure stated the Assembly met last Tuesday for the first meeting of the year. They postponed Ordinance 2011 -042 regarding the Seward land swap in Fort Raymond Subdivision at the request of the Planning Commission. It would be addressed at the February 14, 2012 meeting. It was suggested by the Planning Commission that Seward was getting the advantage in the land swap as the land they would receive was roadside. At the next Assembly meeting on January 17, 2012 they would be acting on the Ordinance to accept and appropriate the cruise ship head tax money, which had been postponed so the new City Manager and Borough Mayor could meet with the Bear Creek Fire Department to clarify the statutory language involved. It was the opinion of the borough that the two cities impacted (Seward and Homer) should receive these funds. The State capital project priorities had been set into tiers: Tier 1 included extending gas pipeline from Anchor Point to Kachemak City; repairs for school running tracks; hazardous tree removal; and extending security cameras in the borough schools and buildings. There was a group of surgeons who would like to open an ambulatory surgical center in Kenai. It was decided that there needed to be a Resolution done for this. Last year, the Assembly authorized a working group to discuss pet evacuations in the event of an emergency; they met today and were getting closer to finding places to put pets during emergencies. As a result of Hurricane Katrina, there now was a federal mandate that required cities to have a program in place. The Seward Bear Creek Flood Service Area Board still had vacancies; the question was still out there if the borough could change one of the city seats to an area -wide seat; regardless, the seats needed to be filled. ism In response to Councilmember Keil, McClure said there were no Tier 1 projects that were Seward - specific, but things like running track repairs would affect Seward. In response to Councilmember Valdatta, McClure said the properties for swapping were not land - locked. In response to Councilmember Terry, McClure said the hazardous tree removal would be extending the spruce bark beetle kill project, as the funding for that was running out. City Manager's Report, Assistant City Manager Ron Long stated there were no purchases approved by the City Manager for between $10,000 - 50,000 since the last Council Meeting. The following request for proposal had been released by the Harbor: Vessel Wash Down Pad and Wastewater Recycling Facility at SMIC. The criteria to evaluate request for engineering proposals included: Cost = 30 Points • Project budget compared to proposed cost of services Statement of Qualifications = 40 Points • Experience in Seward and /or Alaska with port & harbor engineering = 10 • Years in Business, Number of Jobs = 10 • Experience designing similar projects = 10 • Plan for Permitting = 10 Organizational Structure = 15 Points • Describe the resources to accomplish the engineering work = 5 • Describe previous lawsuits involving the City of Seward (including judgments, settlements, or liquidated damages arising from previous City of Seward, Alaska City Council Minutes January 9, 2012 Volume 38, Page 7d=1 engineering contracts) and ANY other legal conflicts during the past 5 years with all clients = 5 mast • Describe the approach to achieve the most cost efficient project = 5 References = 10 Points • Provide comprehensive list of port customers over the past 5 years and at least 2 references with contact information = 5 • Phone call to references by City of Seward with these specific questions = 5 - Compliance with guidance and /or changing requirements? - Responsiveness to communications? - Completion on time and within budget? - Quality and timeliness of plans and specifications? - Accuracy and quality of billing and accounting information? Clarity of Proposal = 5 Points • Deliverables = 1 • Approach to the Project = 1 • Documentation = 1 • Permitting = 1 • Timeline = 1 Harbor /SMIC: Staff had been working on slip renewals; currently at 92.5% response rate. During December the harbor received more than $839,000 in payments. Ron Long and Harbormaster Mack Funk met with Coastal Village Region Fund General Manager Nick Souza at their Anchorage offices on December 21, 2011 to discuss the project; CVRF said they were entertaining offers and /or ideas from private businesses on how they could help the project. Cruising World magazine featured Seward in an article written by a couple from New Zealand who spent a winter on their boat in the harbor. The harbor crew was ready for the Polar Bear Jump Off weekend January 20 -22, 2012. Public Works: Staff met regarding the SMC Dolphin Project with PND and PP &M for a pre - construction kick -off meeting December 9, 2012. According to the schedule, construction would begin February 23, 2012 and would be complete April 16, 2012. Biweekly teleconferences would be held until construction begins followed by weekly meetings after construction begins with all involved parties. Staff was also working with engineers to complete the necessary update to the Lowell Point Wastewater Plant Operations & Maintenance manual, as well as compliance issues with Seward Marine Industrial Center and Lowell Point Wastewater Treatment Plants. They were also working with the Alaska Department of Energy Conservation to complete the Maple Street Sewer Line loan application for FY2012 and would present a resolution at the January 23, 2012 for council approval. As well, they were finishing the final audit from the Environmental Protection Agency on the Lift Station #3 Electrical Upgrades Project and were preparing files and documents for the Phase 1 NSWST and EECBG EPA audit. In response to Shafer's question regarding the windmill for AVTEC, Long said the Electric Department was having discussions with AVTEC, and it was moving forward. Foutz added that the resolution coming to council to amend the contract with Chugach Electric to purchase power from other entities would be on January 23, 2012. He added that AVTEC had a building permit in with the building department, and it was being processed. Concerning construction, the last update was they had finished digging in the conduit and installing the switchgear. Regarding the interconnect, Foutz City of Seward, Alaska City Council Minutes January 9, 2012 Volume 38, Page 745 was still working on that, but they had given AVTEC an interim approval so they didn't have to wait for the city's interconnect policy to begin generating. Terry wanted to know the city wasn't following the policy of not allowing people to interconnect, because the code stated there was an appeal process. Foutz said last night's power blip was a tree falling on a line that caused a transmission wire to touch a distribution wire. Chugach Electric was in town for their repair work in Moose Pass. Their crew was staying in town due to the upcoming storms. Councilmember Terry brought up Homer Electric's program regarding a wood pole test and treat program which was a ten -year cyclical program where they proactively improve the structural integrity of power poles. Terry wondered what Seward's program was for its wood poles. Foutz replied that the city did not have an organized program at this time. In response to Shafer, Foutz responded that all generators were fully functional as of the last update he received. She was also concerned about whether there was a means in place of asking citizens to conserve power when the city was running on generator power. Foutz responded that they were looking at various means of communicating to the public to conserve power when the city was running on generator power, including messages on the city's website. Casagranda wanted to know if the TYC ice rink would be plowed again; Long said he'd have to look into that as there was no one present from the Public Works department to respond. Valdatta inquired about the work that Alcan was doing for several days at Mile 18; Foutz irm replied that they were doing work on one wire of a three -wire distribution system that was on the ground. The city did not have the appropriate equipment to do the work so they contracted Alcan to do the work. Bardarson asked about the snow blower and when would it be repaired. Long said the part may be delivered early next week, and the repair work would take a day and a half after that. Councilmember Shafer said it seemed like the snow blower needed repairs every winter, and wondered if the snow blower was actually cost effective to keep. Long said he would have to review the past history and evaluate the value of it. She suggested that they perform an evaluation of its cost effectiveness this summer. City Attorney Report, Cheryl Brooking apologized for not making the last few meetings due to inclement weather. She reported that in the last several months, she provided advice on resolutions, ordinances, SMIC improvement matters, personnel matters, municipal tax questions, contracts, Request for Proposals, administrative appeal process, general administrative matters and land use matters such as platting, North Forest Acres Levee road, and she continued to pursue a condemnation of Tract B. The Master's hearing was scheduled in April in Anchorage. She filed a Quiet Title action related to two lots on the waterfront that were not in the city's name as originally thought from the 1920's; she was now going through the steps to officially give ownership of the lots to the city. In the harbor, she worked on land use matters and questions relating to compliance. Today, she filed a Brief on the Resurrection Bay Conservation Alliance (RBCA) litigation. For the Electric Department, she assisted with utility and contract matters. And, she worked on certain proposed negotiation arrangements with Seward Association for the Advancement of Marine Science (SAAMS) and the Alaska SeaLife Center. City o/ Seward, Alaska City Council Minutes January 9, 2012 Volume 38, Page 746 Valdatta asked for clarification on where the two quite title lots were located, and Brooking said they were along the waterfront park area. She further clarified that years ago the land was replatted and vacated, and during that process it was discovered that two lots were not showing up of record in the city's name. Mayoral Report, David Seaward stated he hoped everyone had a good Christmas and a Happy New Year. Seaward said Seward's outlook was great. He read an article regarding the proposed governor's budget in 2012 and listed the Seward projects and financial amounts proposed in the governor's budget. He felt Seward's future was bright. Port and Commerce Advisory Board (PACAB) Chairman Deborah Altermatt gave the annual report. She stated it was her pleasure to be before the council again and that the past year was busy for PACAB. The board continued to review the city code pertaining to the harbor to provide recommendations for changes, including recommending that the port and harbor tariff changes which included increasing transient fees by ten percent, eliminating quarterly rates and eliminating electric reconnection charges. The board also recommended to take the electric billing out of the harbor and return it to the finance department as it had been in the past. Several additional resolutions were reported to council, including support for a partnership between the city and the Alaska Department of Fish & Game for fish enhancement programs. PACAB also supported the vessel wash -down and wastewater recycling program at SMIC, investigating funding opportunities for continued harbor development, particularly at the Z -Float and wr g g S pp P p Y small boat harbor, and the Coastal Villages project. PACAB was able to review the state and federal priority lists this year and would like to request that funding be pursued to install a vessel wash -down and wastewater recycling program be put into place at the 50 -ton travel lift. The City of Seward continued to be a member of the World Trade Center Alaska through a joint affiliation with PACAB. At the January 18, 2012 conference, Northern Economics would be presenting, and several members of the city, chamber and PACAB would be attending. PACAB co- sponsored the meeting in the Rae Building regarding the Coastal Villages project and were very pleased to see such a large turnout of the community in attendance. She said PACAB would remain actively involved with this project as it proceeded. In November 2011, the City of Seward was represented at the Marine Expo in Seattle, Washington by Harbormaster Funk, Chamber Executive Director Clock and PACAB Chair Long. Two new members were appointed to the board in 2011, Bruce Jaffa and Steve Fink. She welcomed the new city manager and harbormaster and looked forward to working with both in the coming year. PACAB would continue to look to the council for direction and thanked them for their time. Other Reports, Announcements and Presentations A report was given by Seward Providence Medical & Care Center Administrator Chris Bolton. He provided operational updates, including an overview of what they provided for services: City of Seward, Alaska City Council Minutes January 9, 2012 Volume 38, Page 747 Lin critical access hospital, 24/7 emergency room, provider -based family medicine clinic, co- located long -term care facility and an outpatient services provider. The facility was owned and funded by the City of Seward and managed by Providence. In 2011 they installed "EPIC ", which was an electronic health records system that interconnected records for Providence Hospitals in five states. The EPIC system was endorsed by Medicare and Medicaid. Three new family medicine physicians were added to the hospital's staff. Goals for 2012 included getting the census up at Mountain Haven, increasing community access to primary and preventative care by extending clinic evening and weekend hours, expanding the sliding fee scale program, and installing a patient portal whereby patients could have instant access to their own lab results, pay bills online, etc. They also wanted to obtain funding for a CT machine replacement, achieve a trauma designation from the state, expand capacity in the emergency room for behavior - problem patients, and be appointed as a Federally Qualified Healthcare Facility. Bolton stated "critical access" was a Medicare designation for facilities that met service criteria in terms of proximity of location to other facilities. For Seward Providence being so far away from any other hospital, it meant that they received cost -based reimbursement. It meant that Seward Providence gets reimbursed by Medicare at the end of the year for all actual costs incurred. Bolton explained that a "swing bed" meant that a bed could be used for either acute care or for skilled nursing. When they used a bed for skilled nursing, the reimbursement rate was much greater. Terry asked for clarification between the long -term care facility in Anchorage versus Seward and what the referral process encompassed. Bolton explained that they used the EPIC system to proactively seek out potential patients that may be an appropriate "fit" for the care provided at Mountain Haven, and then they work through the families to see if that matched with their wishes for the patient's care. Seaward questioned the attrition rate at the hospital for physicians and nurses. Bolton explained that in the last five years the average turnover rate was 15 %. Seaward prompted for more explanation of why people leave, and Bolton said they didn't currently offer loan repayment, and often nurses who come just stayed long enough to fulfill their relocation commitment and then they leave. Councilmember Shafer added that in her estimation, the staff in general was beginning to approach retirement age, and that would lead to higher turnover in the coming years. PUBLIC HEARINGS Resolution 2012 -001, Approving A Land Exchange Of A 0.56 Acre +/- Portion Of Lot 8A -1 For A 0.56 Acre +/- Portion Of Lot 6A -1, Fort Raymond Subdivision Replat No. 2, With The Kenai Peninsula Borough And Appropriating Funds. 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. Motion (Bardarson /Shafer) Approve Resolution 2012 -001 Long requested council postpone this to the January 23, 2012 council meeting in order to have a more fully developed resolution and agenda statement. City of Seward, Alaska City Council Minutes January 9, 2012 Volume 38, Page 748 Motion (Terry /Shafer) Postpone Resolution 2012 -001 to the January 23, 2012 meeting. Motion Passed Unanimous Consent NEW BUSINESS Resolution 2012 -003, Naming The Newly Constructed North Forest Acres Levee Drive Surface, As Dieckgraeff Road; Located Within The Public Access Easement On Tract B, Dieckgraeff- Gillespie Replat; Located At 2501 Seward Highway. Motion (Bardarson /Shafer) Approve Resolution 2012 -003 Long stated this was a recommendation from the Planning & Zoning Commission. Shafer said she had received many phone calls and input from the community, all of them acknowledging the Dieckgraff's and what they have contributed to this community. However, she believed that this road had already gone through the official process of being named as Levee Road, it had been referred to that for the past several years while the project had been developed, and it was already recognized in the 911 emergency system as Levee Road. Based on these reasons, she would not vote for this resolution and felt there could perhaps be a different way to handle it. Valdatta expressed his support based on their family's contributions for the community. He felt Levee Road was too common of a name. Keil felt she also could not support this at this time changing the name to Dieckgraff Road at this time because she didn't believe it conformed with the city's naming criteria listed in Resolution 1985 -010: streets should be pleasant- sounding, appropriate, easy to read /spell /say so that the public and children can handle it in an emergency situation. The new name did conform with the borough, but Seward's naming convention was more specific. Terry thought they needed to pursue additional public comment, especially since the public had only seen the road advertised as Levee Road. Bardarson suggested that council send it back to the Planning & Zoning Commission in order for them to seek more public input. Motion (Bardarson /Terry) Refer Resolution 2012 -003 back to the Planning & Zoning Commission to seek more public input. Motion To Refer Passed Unanimous City of Seward, Alaska City Council Minutes January 9, 2012 Volume 38, Page 749 Resolution 2012 -004, Authorizing Signatures For All City Bank Accounts And Rescinding All Previous Resolutions In Conflict Herewith. Motion (Shafer /Bardarson) Approve Resolution 2012 -004 Financial Director Kris Erchinger provided clarification on this resolution by stating that any two signatures were required to perform activities with the bank for initiating a payment, purchasing an investment and making transfers. There was a provision that allowed one individual of the four to access the safety deposit box, which was used for computer back -ups and the city stored no valuables or money within. Erchinger added that this procedure was deemed acceptable by the auditors. Motion Passed Unanimous OTHER NEW BUSINESS Council voted to appoint Carl Hughes to the Port and Commerce Advisory Board (PACAB) with a term to expire July 2014. Discussed upcoming council, including who will travel to Juneau and Washington D.C. for the upcoming legislative sessions. Shafer said usually the council waited until they had dates before they decided who would be attending each event. Long said he to travel with the mayor for the AML Legislative Meeting held in Juneau, Alaska from February 7 -9, 2012. Further, he had looked at the most advantageous time to go to Washington, D.C. and suggested they schedule that visit just prior to the National Association of Counties/National League of Cities meetings because typically that was when most Alaskan municipalities descended upon Capitol Hill, usually held in the last week of February or first week of March. Valdatta suggested that council send the City Manager, Assistant City Manager, Mayor and Vice Mayor. Keil said she thought council needed to wait until the city's lobbyists tell them when the most opportune time was for them to travel, and then make plans. Depending upon what the mayor's and vice mayor's schedules were at the time may decide which one would travel. Valdatta advocated that Long attend based upon his past experience with the Kenai Peninsula Borough and his relationships with many of the legislators. Keil added that Bardarson had been to Coastal Villages, Washington D.C., and Juneau so she also had a known face. City of Seward, Alaska City Council Minutes January 9, 2012 Volume 38, Page 750 Shafer agreed with Valdatta regarding Long's experience, but brought up the point that it was not wise for both the City Manager and the Assistant City Manager to travel at the same time. mai Seaward asked for clarification on the February 7 -9, 2012 AML Legislative Meeting in Juneau, and Long replied that at this point it would be just Seaward and Long who would be attending. Seaward suggested that going forward; perhaps council would consider rotating who attended certain meetings based upon experience and the buy -in of the council. Keil and Shafer both agreed that Seaward should attend that meeting. Long suggested that as meetings came up over time, the council should consider whose experience best fitted the opportunity and they should send that person(s). Mayor appointed Vice Mayor Bardarson to receive the completed evaluation form and tabulate the results prior to the formal evaluation sessions for the City Manager, City Clerk and City Attorney. The City Clerk stated the current proposed schedule was to have evaluations for the City Clerk in January, the City Attorney in February and the City Manager in March. Bardarson suggested they move the City Manager until May. Councilmember Terry added that it may be helpful to remove the numerical ratings and only provide comments on his evaluation. Bardarson requested that council have all the evaluation forms for the City Clerk completed and returned to her by January 18, 2012. INFORMATIONAL ITEMS AND REPORTS (No action required) October City Financial Reports Kenai Peninsula Borough Letter to City Council RE: Borough Planning Commission approval of vacations of rights -of way within the City ofSeward (Clerk's Note: this action was approved by the Seward City Council by Resolution 2011 -037 and by the Planning and Zoning Commission by Resolution 2011 -004 which recommended borough approval of the Waterfront Park Preliminary Replat). COUNCILS' COMMENTS Bardarson thanked all the participants and volunteers for the Polar Bear Jump Off; she thanked everyone who made it such a great event. The Planning and Zoning Commision had three vacancies, and it was a requirement by city code, so please step up and help fill those vacancies. Happy New Year to everyone. Keil said she hoped everyone had a festive time at the Polar Bear Jump Off and that they reach the $2 million goal. She thanked Carl Hughes for volunteering his time for PACAB. Willard Dunham for being named Person of the Year and Tom Tougas Shafer congratulated W g g as for being named Business Person of the Year by the Chamber of Commerce. She said both City of Seward, Alaska City Council Minutes January 9, 2012 Volume 38, Page 75/ gentlemen had contributed greatly to this community. It was nice to see all the Christmas activities in town and she hoped everyone had a good Christmas and were having a good New Year so far. Valdatta complimented the city crews for snow removal. He asked the public help the snow removal crews by being aware when the crews were working and moving their cars. Bill Sheffield, former Governor of Alaska, was retiring from the Port of Anchorage. He asked that council send some acknowledgement to Mr. Sheffield that he would get at his retirement party to says thanks from the City of Seward. Casagranda appreciated the report from Providence Medical tonight. She thought that last year there had been more detail as far as numbers and she would like to see that in the future again. She commended the street shop for the maintenance of the roads. Terry said there was a blizzard watch in effect. The Seward High School Seahawks basketball beat Nikiski this last weekend and they would be playing at home against Eagle River this upcoming weekend; she invited all to attend. She thanked the crew who sanded the boat launches because she heard positive comments from the public about that today. The Mariner's Memorial was now complete and she encouraged community to take a look. She let council know PACAB Chair Altermatt asked Terry to sit at the World Trade Center table on January 18, 2012 so she would be attending that luncheon. Seaward said Seward had a good outlook and it looked bright and kudos to council and administration. He was excited for this town. CITIZENS' COMMENTS Tim McDonald began by saying he had a hard time hearing council during the meeting, and asked that they to speak up more. Regarding Resolution 2012 -004, Section 3, the signing of the checks was a formality, but having one person making the decisions for how Seward uses its money was fiscally dangerous and irresponsible. He thanked Chris Bolton for his presentation; he particularly keyed in on the trauma designation the hospital had achieved, and said that because commercial fishing was one of the most dangerous operations in the world. He thanked Councilmember Terry for bringing up the net metering law as far as the city buying power back. As he understood it, the net metering law passed two years ago making it mandatory for municipalities to buy power back from anyone who wanted to produce it. He questioned the actual `minimum' kilowatts that Foutz had mentioned and whether there wasn't a required minimum that a private individual had to produce in order to sell it back to the city. Lastly, he felt it was distasteful and unprofessional for councilmembers to eat their dinner during the meeting. City of Seward, Alaska City Council Minutes January 9, 2012 Volume 38, Page 752 COUNCIL AND ADMINISTRATION RESPONSE TO CITIZENS' COMMENTS Valdatta said the windmill was a training project and was important for it to get up and running for the students' sake. Terry asked administration to check on the trauma designation to see if it would allow women to have babies locally. Shafer said that particular trauma designation would not allow the hospital to do childbirth because they would need surgeons, anesthesiology, and special facilities for that. She also said that council members were busy and they ate when they could. Long stated there was a joint work session between council and the Planning & Zoning Commission on January 17, 2012 at 6:00 p.m. and it would be a good opportunity for anyone interested to see if it was something they would like to become involved with, either by filling vacancies or by becoming a member. EXECUTIVE SESSION Motion (Bardarson /Shafer) Go into Executive Session to discuss matters pertaining to the pending litigation of Resurrection Bay Conservation Alliance (RBCA) vs. The City of Seward and give direction to the City Attorney. City Clerk Johanna Kinney, Assistant City Manager Ron Long, City Attorney Cheryl Brooking and Harbormaster Ron Long were invited to attend. Motion Passed Unanimous Council went into executive session at 9:21 p.m. Council came out of executive session at 10:07 p.m. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 10:07 p.m. J hanna Kinney, CMC � Day ck eaward • • ■, ity Clerk � =�' ��;:_ Mayor (City Seal) o • o S �� E ' V S> 'q'astmar es • **