HomeMy WebLinkAbout02-26-2001CiTY Of AUBURN PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE MINUTES FEBRUARY 26, 2001
I. GALL TO ORDER
The meeting was called to order at 4:30 p.m. Those in attendance were Mayor Booth,
Committee Chairman Rich Wagner, Council/Committee member Pete Lewis, and
Council/Committee member Sue Singer. Staff in attendance were Public Works Director
Christine Engler, Finance Director Diane Supler, Planning Director Paul Krauss, City
Engineer Dennis Dowdy, Assistant City Engineer Dennis Selle, Sewer Utility Engineer Jeff
Roscoe, Storm Drainage Engineer Tim Carlaw, Project Engineer Ingrid Gaub, Project
Engineer Scott Nutter, Project Engineer Peter Gates, Transportation Planner Joe Welsh,
Streets Supervisor Steve Pasztor, and Administrative Services Supervisor Pam Miller.
Guests in attendance were Teary (Campbell) Wedin and Tim Campbell; Larry Bradbury,
Water District No. 111; Consulting Engineer Dwight Holobaugh; Ken Watanade.
Chair Wagner noted that in the future, approval of minutes would be included on the
Consent Agenda. Director Engler introduced Street Supervisor Steve Pasztor to the
Committee.
II. CONSENT
A. PERMISSION TO ADVERTISE FOR BIDS, PR 606, SANITARY SEWER EXTENSIONS
The major items of work for this project include supply and installation of approximately 2,
958 LF of sanitary sewer conveyance lines, and restoration of street surfaces to existing
standards at SE 326th Place and SE 310th Street on Lea Hill. Construction will start in May
and be complete in July. Property owners had requested that service be provided along
their streets. An estimated 2001 project budget contingency of $123, 197 will remain in the
431 Sewer Utility Fund.
Sewer Utility Engineer Jeff Roscoe explained that the Sanitary Sewer Extension program is
a program to extend sewer service into developed neighborhoods that are currently on
septic. He is proposing, as part of the program, to offer an incentive wherein homeowners
would be charged 70% of the actual cost if they sign up within the first year. Lengthy
discussion was held on the proposed incentive program, and concerns were raised
regarding setting a precedent by offering incentives to some homeowners when other
developers within the City are required to pay their fair share, and the possibility of more
neighborhoods wanting to be included in the incentive program than the City could
accommodate. Council/Committee member Lewis commented that the City could proceed
with Project PR 606, and discuss the incentive program at a later date.
It was moved by Lewis, seconded by Singer, that the Committee recommend Council grant
permission to advertise for Project No. PR 606, Sanitary Sewer Extensions, without an
incentive program. Motion carried.
B. PERMISSION TO ADVERTISE FOR BIDS, C9053, 'A' STREET SW AND 2ND STREET SW
TRAFFIC SIGNAL
This project will complete the construction of the traffic signal at the intersection of 'A' Street
SW and 2nd Street SW. This signal is required to facilitate the ingress and egress from the
Sound Transit Station parking garage and bus loop. The underground conduits were
installed as part of the 'A' Street SW Improvement Project. This project is anticipated to be
advertised in early March with construction completed in the fall of 2001.
PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE MINUTES FEBRUARY 26, 2001
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Including grant funding, the total intended project budget is $237,000. The amount
expended in 2000 was less than expected, however, a project budget contingency of
$33,988 remains in the 102 Street fund for 2001. There was no discussion.
It was moved by Singer, seconded by Lewis, that the Committee recommend Council grant
permission to advertise for Project No. C9053. Motion carried.
C. PERMISSION TO RENEW SMALL WORKS CONTRACT 00-11, PROJECT NO. C0007,
CHANNELIZATION PROGRAM, WITH STRIPE-RITE INC.
This project provides for modification and maintenance renewal of paint striping, legends,
bars, arrows, etc., and raised pavement markings on designated streets throughout the City
of Auburn. Contract No. 00-11 was executed with Stripe-Rite in June of 2000 for a unit bid
price of $45,269.64. The contract documents were written so that the contract could be
renewed in 2001 at the same unit bid prices.
Chair Wagner asked if the work will include the 'R' Street SE channelization, near Game
Farm Park. Street Supervisor Pasztor responded that staff are in the process of performing
an inventory of work needed, which will be prioritized to ensure that the City gets the most
possible work done for the funds budgeted. He stated that they will probably focus on
arterials and the Central Business District, and that the section on 'R' Street SE was an area
that he also feels needs to be replaced. Chair Wagner asked that 'R' Street SE be placed
on the list. Mayor Booth asked about the 'A' Street SE entrance to Lakeland Hills, stating
that a meeting had been held recently where residents in the area placed top priority on the
need for a signal at that intersection. Transportation Planner Welsh stated that Auburn staff
had worked with the City of Pacific to submit a grant for a signal at the intersection, which is
located within the Pacific City limits. It is anticipated that the City should hear by March 1 if
the grant application was successful. The Mayor commented that a Council workshop on
crosswalks is being scheduled for March 5.
It was moved by Singer, seconded by Lewis, that the Committee recommend Council
approve renewal of Small Works Contract 00-11. Motion carried.
D. AMENDMENT #1 TO AG-C-82, PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AGREEMENT WITH
CURRAN MENDOZA ATTORNEYS
Amendment #1 to Agreement No. AG-C-82 with Curran Mendoza Attorneys is for work
related to the South 277th Street Reconstruction project, PR 562. The scope of work for this
amendment remains the same, on-going legal services for right-of-way acquisition.
Amendment #1 is in the amount of $150,000 and brings the total contract amount to
$180,000. The term of the agreement is extended to December 31, 2001. There was no
discussion.
It was moved by Singer, seconded by Lewis, that the Committee recommend Council
approve Amendment #1 to AG-C-82. Motion carried.
III. ISSUES
A. RESOLUTION NO. 3324, INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT WITH LAKEHAVEN UTILITY
DISTRICT RELATED TO PROVIDING SEWER SERVICE TO THE PEASLEY RIDGE
DEVELOPMENT PROJECT
Resolution No. 3324 authorizes the execution of an interlocal agreement between the City
PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE MINUTES FEBRUARY 26, 2001
Page 3 of 7
and Lakehaven Utility District for interim provision of sewer service to the Peasley Ridge
Development project.
Chair Wagner raised concern over use of the word "any" on Page 3, Paragraph 6, of the
agreement, which refers to Auburn abiding by provisions of Lakehaven's franchise
agreement with King County. Director Engler responded that staff would review
Lakehaven's franchise with King County to verify that conditions included in their franchise
are the same as the conditions included in Auburn's franchise with King County. In addition,
the Committee asked that an exhibit be added to the interlocal agreement that details those
expenses for which the City would be required to reimburse Lakehaven, as stated on Page
3, Paragraph 8, of the agreement.
It was moved by Lewis, seconded by Singer, that the Committee recommend Council adopt
Resolution No. 3324, provided an exhibit is added to the interlocal agreement that details
the expenses for which the City would be required to reimburse Lakehaven. Motion carried.
B. RESOLUTION NO. 3330, AMENDING RESOLUTION NO. 3071 BY AUTHORIZING THE
MAYOR TO EXECUTE AN AMENDED MEMORANDUM OF AGREEMENT REGARDING
THE THOMAS-NELSON FARM
Resolution No. 3330 amends Resolution No. 3071, which was adopted by Auburn City
Council on March 15, 1999, by authorizing the Mayor and City Clerk to execute an
amendment to the Memorandum of Agreement between the City and King County Office of
Cultural Resources, Washington State Department of Transportation, Washington State
Historic Preservation Officer, and the ..... the adverse
The Amendment and the original Memorandum of Agreement define "stipulations" to be
taken by the involved agencies to document, protect and move the Thomas Nelson
farmhouse. Currently, the owner will not allow access onto his property to complete any of
the stipulations. The amendment sets aside funds to complete the stipulations at a time
when the owner is amenable to such actions.
Council/Committee member Singer asked about the difference in the original cost of
$63,000 compared to the required $400,000 to establish the fund. Project Engineer Gates
stated that the original agreement included an amount of $63,250 to restore historic
landscaping, in addition to the City bearing the costs of moving the house. The amount of
$400,000 is in addition to the $63,250, which has already been paid, and includes the cost
estimated to move the house, and sets those funds aside until a time when the owner is
amenable to such actions. Currently, the property owner is opposed to moving the house.
In response to a question from the Mayor, Director Engler responded that the original
agreement did not specify an amount to move the house, so the costs to be borne by the
City were not defined or limited. The City's obligation will now be limited by the
establishment of an escrow fund in the amount of $400,000. Project Engineer Nutter stated
that these costs were anticipated and are included in the project's right-of-way contingency.
Council/committee member Singer noted that Stipulation 10b states that the City will pay the
difference if the costs to move the house exceed the amount in the escrow account. City
Engineer Dowdy pointed out that the language also states the difference will be paid from
available project revenues, which narrows the City's obligation to the project budget.
Assistant City Engineer Selle stated that the amendment is necessary so that the City can
satisfy the County's requirements and proceed with award of the construction contract for
the South 277th Street project.
PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE MINUTES FEBRUARY 26, 2001
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It was moved by Singer, seconded by Lewis, that the Committee recommend Council adopt
Resolution No. 3330. Motion carded.
C. ORDINANCE NO. 5506, CREATING AUBURN CITY CODE CHAPTER 19.04, WHICH
ESTABLISHES TRANSPORTATION IMPACT FEES
Due to time constraints, this issue was not discussed.
IV. INFORMATION OR DISCUSSION
A. PURCHASING POLICY- APPLICATION TO CONSTRUCTION CONTRACT
CONTINGENCY MANAGEMENT
Council/Committee member Lewis asked that discussion on this item be deferred until more
information could be prepared. Director Engler stated that the main issue staff would like to
discuss is whether or not it is appropriate to continue the City's past practice of including a
5% contingency within a project budget. Without the contingency, every change order
would need to go through Committee and Council, which is a concern in managing
construction contracts. Council/Committee member Lewis stated that he had asked Finance
to gather information on how other jurisdictions handle this issue. Assistant City Engineer
Selle distributed a survey listing neighboring jurisdiction's administrative budget authorities
for change orders and contractor directives, along with a draft amendment to Auburn City
Code 3.10, "Purchasing Policy" that was recently distributed at a Finance Committee
meeting, and an outline of policy considerations for construction contract contingency
management. Selle commented that the main objective of presenting these materials is to
determine how to address situations in the field to keep projects moving without incurring
construction delays and their associated costs.
Committee members were asked to review the materials, and discussion was deferred until
their next meeting.
B. RE-PRIORITIZATION OF STORM CIP
Storm Drainage Engineer Carlaw stated that he had three issues he would like to discuss at
this time, with the first one being the status of the Storm Utility Fund, as requested at the
recent Council meeting. Finance Director Supler gave a brief history, stating that in October
of 1999, a rate increase was adopted, along with a change in how the rates would be
calculated. The increase was not scheduled to take effect until April of 2000. The change in
rate calculations included identification of 7 rate classification codes to enable the City to
collect storm fees in an equitable manner based on the amount of impervious surfaces on
parcels and on-site water treatment facilities. These changes were made as a result of a
Cost of Service Study and Rate Study. Because the research and calculations required to
implement the change was much more complex and took more time than anticipated, the
rate increase was delayed until October of 2000.
Following implementation of the rate increase and associated changes in rate calculations, it
became apparent that revenues were falling short of projections, possibly by as much as
$1,069,022 for 2001. As staff began classifying accounts by looking at as-builts and
calculating impervious areas, it was discovered that the assumptions made in the Cost of
Service Study and Rate Study were inaccurate, with more parcels having on-site stormwater
facilities than anticipated. In addition, when staff applied criteria in looking at those facilities,
many properties were given credit for having water quality treatment if they had a down-
PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE MINUTES FEBRUARY 26, 2001
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turned elbow. In researching design guidelines from the mid-70s until recently, it was
discovered that the down-turned elbow was a water quantity detention facility, not water
quality; therefore, credit should not have been given. With proposed revisions to rate
classification criteria, revenue will be brought back into alignment, but is still projected to
result in a shortfall of approximately $640,140 if the revisions were implemented for 2001.
Carlaw pointed out that when the Cost of Service Study was conducted, it was projected
that the new rate classification structure would result in an additional $600,000, so basically,
once the classification criteria are revised, the situation is not so much one of the City
experiencing a decrease in revenue, but that the anticipated increase will not be realized.
He also stated that Boeing, who was previously exempt from paying a storm fee since the
majority of their site drains south and out of the Auburn City limits, has agreed to pay at the
lowest rate classification, which will result in about $150,000 revenue per year. Staff is
currently working with Boeing to determine the size of their impervious area, so this change
has not yet been processed. He also mentioned the possibility of negotiating with GSA to
charge them in the same manner as Boeing, which could result in an additional $50,000 per
year for their portion that drains to the Boeing facilities.
Chair Wagner asked if the proposed classification revisions would be presented to the
Committee at their next meeting. Engler stated that researching each individual parcel is a
slow process, so it would probably be two to three months before the information would be
presented to the Committee, especially in light of the recent resignation of one of the City's
GIS Technicians. Council/Committee member Lewis asked why all remaining parcels must
be reviewed before classifications could be revised. Engler responded that remaining
parcels should be reviewed so that the ordinance can be adopted and applied uniformly to
all accounts and not just those that have already been reviewed. The review has shown
that not all situations are addressed by the classifications. An example would be parcels
that have on-site facilities that only treat drainage from a portion of the parcel. Once all
parcels have been reviewed, criteria can be developed that can be applied uniformly, so that
engineering staff do not have to deal with the responsibility of having a range of
interpretations when applying the criteria.
Engler also clarified that while it appears that the utility is losing approximately $100,000 a
month until the rate classification issue is resolved, it should be kept in mind that the utility
will not necessarily be operating at a loss since a number of projects included in the utility's
capital improvement program for 2001 will not be undertaken. It is also important to apply
the new criteria to the categories, and then run the numbers of accounts in each of the
categories through the Cost of Service Study before making decisions concerning rates and
classifications so that revenue predictions are more accurate.
Moving to his next topic, Carlaw reminded the Committee that in a previous meeting, they
were asked to weight ranking factors, on a 1 to 5 basis, for the Storm Drainage CIP ranking
criteria, and submit their rankings to him. Carlaw distributed a matrix of the Committee
members' rankings, which he averaged for each criterion. He reviewed the rankings and it
was the consensus of the Committee that the average, rounded to one decimal point, should
be used where the members' rankings were in general agreement. Where differences
occurred, the Committee discussed the reasoning for their rankings and came to consensus.
The weighting factors and criteria will be applied to all of the individual projects within the
Comp Plan and the results presented to the Committee at a future meeting.
As a follow up to recent Council discussion on the moratorium issue, Carlaw distributed and
reviewed a list of Moratorium Action Items, which include continuation of the field
reconnaissance and reviewing the results of the field survey and comparing them to the
PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE MINUTES FEBRUARY 26, 2001
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results of the predicted elevations of Mill Creek in the Mill Creek Flood Control Plan,
Drainage Plan analysis to include all those developable areas within the moratorium area,
consideration of new alternatives within the moratorium area, and ranking of the new
recommended alternatives consistent with all City-wide projects. The issue of drainage from
areas outside the City limits that drain into and largely contribute to the flooding in the
moratorium area was also discussed. This drainage is mainly coming from an area in King
County that is estimated to be 2,400 acres. Carlaw stated that he would be asking for a
budget adjustment, estimated to be less than $100,0000, to extend the Comp Plan analysis
to include the moratorium area.
C. ECOSYSTEM RESTORATION PROGRAM
Due to time constraints, this item was not discussed.
D. WATER SUPPLY CRITERION
Due to time constraints, this item was not discussed.
E. APPRAISAL FOR POTENTIAL ACQUISITION OF CAMPBELL PARCEL
Planning Director Krauss stated that he had ordered the appraisal work approximately three
weeks ago, and has been in contact with Roger Campbell. Mr. Campbell's son and
daughter, who were in attendance at the meeting, stated that the appraiser had been to the
site about a week ago. Krauss also told the Committee that the City has been approached
by Emerald Downs regarding the possibility of the City purchasing from them an
approximate 4.5-acre parcel adjacent to the Thermod site. The 4.5 acre parcel is located
adjacent to the Industrial Bolt & Supply Building on Clay Street. The Thermod site extends
across Clay Street and is divided by Highway 167. He distributed copies of the letter and
attachments received from Emerald Downs. Krauss stated that staff does not have a
position on Emerald Downs' inquiry at this time, but wanted to make the Committee aware of
the issue. He stated that he would update the Committee on the Campbell property
appraisal once it is received. Teary (Campbell) Wedin commented that the tax assessed
value of her father's property has almost tripled, even though the flooding continues to
worsen, even during this season of drought. Carlaw confirmed for Chair Wagner that the
analysis of the moratorium area would include the possible benefit of a storm drainage
system for the Campbell property.
F. STATE WETLAND BANKING PROGRAM
Committee members stated that they had received information previously regarding this
issue, and Planning Director Krauss stated the conclusion was that the program is not worth
pursuing.
The Mayor stated that a work session regarding Solid Waste will be held on March 6 for the
entire Council. For the benefit of Consulting Engineer Dwight Holobaugh, Chair Wagner
gave a brief update on Lakehaven's recent presentation to the Committee on their Oasis
project.
G. WELL #5 UPDATE
Due to time constraints, this item was not discussed. Director Engler stated that staff would
distribute a written update to Committee members.
PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE MINUTES FEBRUARY 26, 2001
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H. CAPITAL PROJECT STATUS REPORT
The following projects were briefly discussed:
#17, AWS Sewer Phase 1, Section B - Chair Wagner noted that the project is scheduled to
be advertised in March, and asked if this schedule would be met. Assistant City Engineer
Selle responded that it would. In response to a question from Chair Wagner on cost sharing
with the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe, Director Engler responded that negotiations have not
progressed beyond what was discussed at the last global meeting with the Tribe. She
stated that she has encouraged Sewer Utility Engineer Roscoe to contact the Tribe and
pursue the issue.
#21, Lakeland Hills West Supply Pump & East Valley Highway Pipeline - Chair Wagner
noted that the project is at 5% design and scheduled to advertise for bids in May. Selle
stated that the consultant agreement is in place for design, and surveying and preliminary
engineering have begun. It is anticipated the work will be executed in two contracts, with
the water conveyance lines being advertised in May, and the pump station advertised at a
later date and completed by the end of this year. Acquisition of permits for the projects and
a franchise agreement to own, operate, and maintain sewer and water systems in the City of
Pacific was also discussed.
Chair Wagner gave staff input on prioritization of issues that were on the agenda but did not
get discussed due to time constraints. He felt the Transportation Impact Fees should be
addressed as soon as possible, and that a workshop is not necessary at this time to discuss
the Ecosystem Restoration Program, although it may be needed after initial discussion at a
Committee meeting.
V. ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business to come before the Public Works Committee, the meeting
was adjourned at 6:35 p.m.
Submitted by Pare Miller, Administrative Services Supervisor
Approved by the Public Works Committee on/Y}~TJIg,/c, / 2'I ~, OD /
PM/bd
File: 17 (17.2)
REF. H:\ENGINEER\E01\E01-330 (E:\MINUTES\01 PW2-2)