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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1981-01-26 Committee of the Whole MinutesJanuary 26, 1981 7:00 P.M. TUKWILA CITY COUNCIL City Hall 3 d 86 COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MEETING Council Chambers MINUTES CALL TO ORDER Council President Van Dusen called the Tukwila City Council Committee of the Whole Meeting to order. ROLL CALL OF LIONEL C. BOHRER, MABEL J. HARRIS, GEORGE D. HILL, DORIS E. PHELPS, COUNCIL MEMBERS DANIEL J. SAUL, Council President GARY L. VAN DUSEN. APPROVAL OF MINUTES MOVED BY HARRIS, SECONDED BY SAUL, THAT THE MINUTES OF THE COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MEETING HELD DECEMBER 8, 1980 BE APPROVED AS PUBLISHED. MOTION CARRIED. AUDIENCE COMMENTS Sign Code MOVED BY HARRIS, SECONDED BY PHELPS, THAT THE MINUTES OF THE COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MEETING HELD JANUARY 12, 1981 BE APPROVED AS PUBLISHED. MOTION CARRIED. Ernie Patty, Andover Real Estate, asked for a revision of the sign code so real estate signs could be visible and proportionate to the size of buildings. Many people drive through the industrial section of the City on week ends and larger signs are necessary to attract them to buildings and warehouses that are available. Many people rely on sightings rather than news ads to locate space for their businesses. He said it is time the sign code was updated. It was adopted in July 1976. Councilman Hill said the Council had a reason to limit the size of signs. He said if large real estate signs are put on four different corners it will make the City look like a circus or carnival. The size allowed gives adequate information. If a sign is four feet square it is not going to be in place very long. Mr. Patty said he was talking about commercial signs. The buildings are large and the present allowed sign is dwarfed by the size of the buildings. Councilman Saul said most real estate ads are placed in the newspapers and that is where people look for what is available, rather than driving around looking for space. Mr. Patty said 99% of the office and commercial space is not sold through newspaper ads. Council President Van Dusen said the Council will study the sign code in the near future. Mr. Anthony Fell, Fell and Company, said his company had opened a retail store on Upland Drive in July. He said they had put up signs that were not in accordance with the sign code and had been fined. He said he felt the City Council should look at the sign ordinance. He said there is no people traffic on his street and the only way people can find his place is by signs. J. C. Penney Company has put out signs so people can find them. He said his signs are out on Saturday and Sunday. He felt some provisions should be provided on a temporary basis until the Council can consider the sign code. Mayor Todd said he would like to see the sign code revised to meet everybody's need. He said the City needs input so they will know what the people want. Al Pieper, Building Official, showed photos of some of the commercial signs that have been put up in the City. He said some of the commercial area is making a laughing stock out of the sign code. Councilman Bohrer said he was not sure what the laughing stock is, but if something is happening that is illegal that is not a reason to make it legal. Mr. Pieper said if he enforces the sign code he has to go out on week ends to spot the sandwich board type of sign that is put out on the week end. Council President Van Dusen said the Council will have the sign code as a subject of discussion and will hold public hearings to get public input. TUKWILA CITY COUNCIL COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MEETING January 26, 1981 Page 2 DISCUSSION Sewer Rate Study 30r? Ted Uomoto, Public Works Director, said the sewer rate analysis was made by the City's consultant, Horton Dennis and Associates. During the progress of the studies, numerous meetings were held with Public Works and Finance Department staff in preparing the preliminary rate study report which was then discussed in the Public Works Committee on January 21, 1981. The conclusion and recommendation of the consultant was that the existing sewer rate can be lowered even after considering the capital improvement and renewal and replacement. The conclusion of the Public Works Committee and the staff is that no change to the rates be considered until the comprehensive study for water and sewer is completed at which time the City can equate the long -range program with any revisions to the utility rates. A representative from Horton Dennis and Associates presented a summary of the analysis that was conducted. The conclusion of the study was that the existing sewer rate can be lowered, but it is recommended that this not be done until the comprehensive study is completed. Councilman Hill said all of the members of the Public Works Committee would like to recommend an ordinance be drawn up to adopt the recommendation of $8.70 per month. He said he would like the City to have a little cushion in the bank for capital improvements. MOVED BY PHELPS, SECONDED BY SAUL, THAT THE WATER /SEWER RATE STUDY BE ON THE AGENDA OF THE FEBRUARY 9, 1981 COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MEETING. MOTION CARRIED. Golf Course Irriga- Don Williams, Parks and Recreation Director, said in December he wrote tion Project, a memorandum to the City Council stating time had been spent Budget Review. negotiating the cost of the Change Order at an overall cost increase of less than $20,000. He said as soon as Ohno agreed the matter would be brought to the Council. He said he was asking that the project's budget be increased by $27,076. This request is necessary for two reasons: (1) An original improper budget was requested, which did not take into consideration additional necessary expense that totalled over $16,000. (2) The original estimate of the cost to reduce the watering cycle from 14 to 10 to 12 hours was underestimated. Change Order No. 3 covers the entire revision of the pump station, including proper safety and functional changes and the increased pumping capacity reducing the watering cycle. Ohno Construction has agreed to reduce their original request of $30,708 to $20,000, if the City agrees to a supplemental contract paying them the retainage for work they have completed thus far. They have completed all of the piping and wiring systems in the field, installed the field controllers and completed much of the restoration. If the Council approves Change Order #3, Ohno will construct the pump station and install it this spring, in late April at the earliest. We are holding $16,794 of retainage in an escrow account and normally would not release these funds until the entire project is complete, however, because we have used the new piping and sprinklers, Ohno believes it is fair for the City to release the retainage for the pipe, wiring and restoration. They are not asking for any additional funds other than the Change Orders and agree that they will abide by the guarantees of the original contract, which includes a 30 day operational period of the entire system once all work is completed. If the Council agrees to the budget revision we can issue Ohno Change Order #3 which would revise the pump station and allow the City to prepare a supplemental contract. The Council will be presented the supplemental contract for approval as soon as it is proper to do so. The Council has two decisions to make: (1) Is whether or not to issue Change Order #3 (pump station). If we do not make the proposed changes, we will have a pump station that cannot provide the water for the reduced water cycle and will not have proper safety and related functional controls. (2) The request of Ohno Construction to go to a supplemental contract enabling their retainage to be paid. They have a valid claim against the City as we have used the irrigation system and they have a right to be paid for work completed. If we agree to their request, we will still have about $40,000 in payments yet to be made and $4,000 in retainage that will be held for at least 30 days after the 30 day operational period is completed. TUKWILA CITY COUNCIL COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MEETING January 26, 1981 Page 3 DISCUSSION Contd. Golf Course Irriga- Councilman Saul said no one bid on the pumps that were to run the tion Project, thing. All of the requirements were not looked at. The bid specifi- Budget Review cations were not complete. contd. Councilman Hill said the City hires a consultant to give us a workable water system for the golf course. It looks like it was not taken into consideration that we would need bigger pumps to run the system. There are so many changes it makes a person wonder why the City hires consultants. Don Williams, Parks and Recreation Director, said we have not had a lot of change orders. The consultants were told to design the system they thought they could get for $150,000. He said he had indicated that he thought the City had not done their home work. We did not have experts in this line in the City and he felt it was proper to go to consultants. He said Change Orders #1 and #2 were in the amount of $8,719. This was to reduce the watering cycle. There will be a one year warranty which will begin after the 30 day operational period when the system is accepted by the City. Councilman Bohrer said as he recalls at first the system was to be manually operated and then it turned out to be automatic. Somewhere along the line the direction was changed. As the change took place the cost went up. Don Williams, said when the City talked about manual control as opposed to automatic control, most golf courses are in- between. They have to set the clocks, how much water is to be dispensed and this is done by hand. We have not changed the concept. It is not fully automatic. It was always to be an automatic system with manual controls. During the hot weather the times are set; it can be for a daily, weekly, or semi weekly period of time as the weather changes. MOVED BY PHELPS, SECONDED BY HILL, THAT THE FORMAT OF THE SUPPLEMENTAL CONTRACT AND CHANGE ORDER #3 BE ON THE AGENDA OF THE FEBRUARY 2, 1981 REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING. MOTION CARRIED. Prop. projects Councilman Bohrer said at the Community Affairs Committee meeting the for potential Committee investigated a list of potential parks projects they were King County Bond considering and made a number of changes and recommendations. There Issue. were some differences in the recommendations of the Community Affairs Committee and the Park Commission. The recommendation from the Park Commission was to construct a softball park and running track at the elementary school. There were recommendations to have a handball/racket- ball court at the community center. There was the problem of a park at the old City Hall. The Committee would support the removal of the old police building at the old City Hall site. It seems we never quite get rid of it, action is delayed. With respect to the Open Space recommendation, it was not intended that the City purchase this property. Councilman Hill said getting grants is fine, but the letter stated it will be 50% grants. There are approximately 2 million dollars in projects and that would mean the City's share would be 1 million dollars. Don Williams, Parks and Recreation Director, said the projects would be a bond issue and there would be no matching of funds. It would likely be a Forward Thrust project. Mayor Todd said if the bond issue passes, we will all have to pay for it as citizens. Councilman Bohrer said the letter from the Committee for the Study of Parks, Recreation and Open Space requests an informal, tentative list of the types of projects which the City thinks are important to serve the service area, as well as any which the City thinks would serve a larger area or the whole county. The "service area" is a large area. It would be something like the planning area. He said he thought the amounts of money needed to accomplish the projects should be looked at carefully. The $75,000 to light Christensen Trail is not a necessary expenditure, in his opinion. TUKWILA CITY COUNCIL COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MEETING January 26, 1981 Page 4 DISCUSSION Contd. Prop. projects for potential King County Bond Issue contd. Don Williams said it is likely we are going to have to fight with Seattle and King County in order to use Fort Dent park. Don Williams said some of these projects are a ten year program. Councilman Hill said the Police Department has always said that a lighted place is better than having a man added to the Police Department in terms of safety. MOVED BY HARRIS, SECONDED BY PHELPS, THAT THE MAYOR WRITE A LETTER SETTING FORTH THE COMMUNITY AFFAIRS COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE JOINT CITIZENS' COMMITTEE FOR THE STUDY OF PARKS, RECREATION AND OPEN SPACE. MOTION CARRIED, WITH BOHRER VOTING NO. David Oak Condo Mr. David Oak, applicant, stated at the southeast corner of the Canyon Waiver: Applicant Estates project is a small, rectangular parcel of .38 acres upon which proposes to dev. 3- he would like to develop a 3 story 14 unit condominium. The site is story 14 unit condo currently zoned RMH, permitting a density of 40 units per acre. The project at SE cor- Comprehensive Plan calls for medium density development limit of a ner of existing maximum density of 16 units per acre. The waiver is necessary because Canyon Estate site. of the conflict which exists between permitted building intensity levels of the site's current zoning classification and Comprehensive Plan use designation. Mr. Oak said he intended to provide a recreation area; one half would be open and the other half would be covered. Councilman Bohrer said he noted there are two pieces of property and the waiver request is for the one. Mr. Oak said that was correct, they have plans to build a similar appearing 4 unit project on the south. It is consistent with both the existing zoning and the Comprehensive Plan. The waiver pertains to the northerly 14 unit project. Councilman Bohrer asked if most of Canyon Estate is zoned RMH? Mr. Oak said it is in R -4 density and their project is about R -4 and on the same scale. Some of the units will be one bedroom and some two bedroom. Council President Van Dusen noted that staff recommendation was that the waiver be approved with stipulations that: maximum residential density shall not exceed 24.9 units per acre and height, yard and bulk standards contained in Chapter 18.16 of the T.M.C. govern the design and construction of the project. MOVED BY BOHRER, SECONDED BY SAUL, THAT THE PROPOSED WAIVER REQUEST BE ON THE AGENDA OF THE FEBRUARY 2, 1981 REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING. MOTION CARRIED. COUNCILMAN SAUL LEFT THE MEETING AT 8:55 P.M. Van Woerden Dev. Mayor Todd said it is proposed to remove the title encumbrance since Agreement: Request the terms of the agreement have been satisfied. to have Dev. Agree- ment removed as a MOVED BY HARRIS, SECONDED BY PHELPS, THAT THE VAN WOERDEN REQUEST title encumbrance BE ON THE AGENDA OF THE FEBRUARY 2, 1981 REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING. since the terms have been satisfied.Councilman Bohrer said he would like a copy of the Mayor's Policy Directive dated January 6, 1981 and it be included in the agenda package for next week's meeting. This building is the one on the far northeast corner of the site and it appears to be constructed on some of the City easement. He suggested the developer be at the meeting when this is discussed. Council President Van Dusen said someone would be at the meeting to discuss this. City Attorney Carlsen said the title encumbrance makes it look like there is an obligation. He said it would appear next time there was a title search. Mayor Todd said the property has a different owner now. TUKWILA CITY COUNCIL COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MEETING January 26, 1981 Page 5 DISCUSSION Contd. Van Woerden Dev. MOTION WITHDRAWN BY COUNCILMEN HARRIS AND PHELPS. Agreement: Request to have Dev. Agree- MOVED BY BOHRER, SECONDED BY PHELPS, THAT THE REMOVAL OF THE ment removed as a DEVELOPER'S AGREEMENT AS A TITLE ENCUMBRANCE BE BROUGHT FORWARD AT title encumbrance THE DISCRETION OF THE CITY COUNCIL PRESIDENT. MOTION CARRIED. since the terms have been satisfied contd. Commitment of Interurban Ave. Corridor Funds. King County Emer- gency Medical Services Defib- rillation Program. 3o9'a Jacob Macias, Grants Coordinator, said we are on our third extension for committing the $20,810 in Interurban Avenue Corridor funds. The expiration of this project is June 30, 1981 and the funds must be committed by then. We have four alternatives: (1) Commit the funds to improve Interurban Avenue; (2) Do nothing; (3) Reallocate funds to an existing project; (4) Reallocate funds to a new project or projects. If the funds are committed toward improving Interurban Avenue, we need to identify the items on which the money is to be spent and take action. If nothing is done the project will expire, but we would still have the money available and it would have to be used on other projects acceptable to King County Block Grant administrators. The simplest alternative is to reallocate funds to an existing block grant project. The only block grant project that funds could be diverted to is the community center. The final alternative is to reallocate the money to a new project. The project(s) would have to be submitted to the King County Joint Policy Committee for approval. There could be considerable amount of time involved in this alternative. Councilman Bohrer said this matter was discussed at the Community Affairs Committee meeting and it was determined the funds should remain allocated to the Interurban Avenue Corridor project. He said he would like to proceed and get action initiated on this. MOVED BY HARRIS, SECONDED BY PHELPS, THAT THE COUNCIL ACCEPT THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE COMMUNITY AFFAIRS COMMITTEE AND REALLOCATE THE FUNDS FOR PRELIMINARY ENGINEERING. Councilman Phelps said the City can let the King County Block Grant administrators know this is what we want to do. We need to get the preliminary engineering underway by the end of June so there will be no delay. MOTION CARRIED, WITH HILL VOTING NO. Hubert Crawley, Fire Chief, said he had been notified that the King County Emergency Medical Services will terminate the Defibrillation Program effective March 1981. He said the defibrillator has been carried in the aid cars throughout King County for the last three years. It has been recognized that prompt attention by EMT personnel with the defibrillator has increased the survival rate of coronaries several times. The defibrillator has been utilized within the City of Tukwila at least 150 times during the last eight months. The cost of the unit, if purchased during March, will be approximately $5,500. This will be a reconditioned unit. Firefighters will have to have upgrade training periodically to maintain skill levels. This will take an estimated 30 hours overtime each year. The cost of supplies is estimated at $100 per year. Funds for the purchase will have to be provided from other sources than the Fire Department budget. It is suggested these funds be provided from the Contingency Fund in the amount of $5,500. If we wait to purchase at a later date the cost will be $9,500 and the service level will be lost during the interim. Councilman Phelps asked how many firefighters are trained to use this equipment. Chief Crawley said 8 firefighters are trained by King County. Chief Crawley said the units are presently owned by Physio Control who makes and owns them. They are on loan to Tukwila by King County. We have had them for two years. TUKWILA CITY COUNCIL COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MEETING January 26, 1981 Page 6 DISCUSSION Contd. Cedarwood Habitat, Council President Van Dusen stated the discussion on the Cedarwood request for recon- Habitat waiver reconsideration would be discussed at the Committee sideration of of the Whole Meeting on February 9, 1981. Waiver. CALENDAR REVIEW AND COMMITTEE REPORTS Finance Person- nel Committee Community Affairs Committee AWC Legislative Conference. Council Retreat Suburban Mayor's Meeting EXECUTIVE SESSION 9:30 10:51 P.M. ADJOURNMENT 10:52 P.M. MOVED BY HARRIS, SECONDED BY HILL, THAT THE CITY COUNCIL GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION TO DISCUSS PERSONNEL MATTERS. MOTION CARRIED. Gary L' !an Dusen, City Council President NorMa Booher, Recording Secretary 3091 King Co. Emergency MOVED BY HARRIS, SECONDED BY HILL, THAT THE CITY PURCHASE THIS DEFIBRIL- Medical Services LATION UNIT AND THE COST BE TAKEN FROM THE CONTINGENCY FUND AND IT BE Defibrillation Prog.ON THE AGENDA OF THE FEBRUARY 2, 1981 REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING. MOTION CARRIED. Prop. Ord. amending MOVED BY HARRIS, SECONDED BY PHELPS, THAT THE PROPOSED ORDINANCE Ord. #1198 to add AMENDING ORDINANCE #1198 TO ADD COUNCIL CONFIRMATION BE ON THE AGENDA Council confirma- OF THE FEBRUARY 2, 1981 REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING. MOTION CARRIED, WITH tion. HILL VOTING NO. Letter to Mayor Council President Van Dusen stated a letter had been received from City Council John McFarland, Administrative Assistant, thanking the Mayor and City from John McFarland.Council for his professional and personal association of four and one -half years with them. He thanked them for their confidence and support to the Office of Administrative Assistant. Chairman Phelps stated the Finance and Personnel Committee would meet on Thursday. Chairman Bohrer stated the Committee would meet February 5, 1981 and discuss the block grant funds for the Interurban Avenue Corridor. Councilman Bohrer stated there would be an AWC Legislative Conference in Olympia on February 19, 1981. As many of the City Council Members as possible should go. Council President Van Dusen said the Council Retreat has been scheduled for January 31, 1981. The Council will meet with Department Heads. Mayor Todd stated the Suburban Mayor's Meeting would be held next week. It was the recommendation of the Council that an ordinance be presented at the February 2, 1981 Regular Council Meeting regarding a Finance Director for the City. MOVED BY BOHRER, SECONDED BY HARRIS, THAT THE CITY COUNCIL GO OUT OF EXECUTIVE SESSION. MOTION CARRIED. MOVED BY HILL, SECONDED BY BOHRER, THAT THE TUKWILA CITY COUNCIL COM- MITTEE OF THE WHOLE MEETING ADJOURN. MOTION CARRIED.