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HomeMy WebLinkAbout11-24-2003CITY OF * CITY OF AUBURN PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE November 24, 2003 WASHINGTON MINUTES / I. CALL TO ORDER The meeting was called to order at 5:30 p.m. Those in attendance were Mayor Pete Lewis, Committee Chairman Rich Wagner, Council/Committee member Fred Poe, and Council/Committee member Gene Cerino. Staff in attendance were Public Works Director Dennis Dowdy, City Engineer/Assistant Director Dennis Selle, Assistant City Engineer Ingrid Gaub, Utilities Engineer Duane Huskey, City Attorney Dan Heid, Community Development Administrator David Osaki, and Secretary Lorna Dahlke. Guests in attendance were Michael Kipper, Kipper & Sons Fabricators, Inc.; Denny Holt, Holt & Associates, Inc.; Reid Shockey, Shockey/Brent, Inc. II. CONSENT AGENDA A. APPROVAL OF MINUTES It was moved by Councilmember Poe, seconded by Councilmember Cerino, that the Committee approve the Public Works Committee minutes for November 10, 2003, as submitted. Motion carried. B. AWARD CONTRACT 03-11, PROJECT NO. C319A, LAKE TAPPS PARKWAY MEDIAN GUARDRAIL, TO PETERSEN BROTHERS INC. ON THEIR LOW BID OF $34,772 It was moved by Councilmember Poe, seconded by Councilmember Cerino, that the Committee recommend Council award Contract No. C319A to Petersen Brothers Inc. Motion carried. III. ISSUES A. NONE IV. DISCUSSION AND INFORMATION A. CONSTRUCTION CLOSURE OF C STREET SW Two construction projects are scheduled along C Street SW, which will impact traffic over the next approximately 12 months. One project is the construction of the King Count~ Wastewater Treatment Division 42" diameter gravity sewer pipe that will extend east along 15"' Street SW from approximately Perimeter Road to C Street SW and continue south on C Street SW to a point approximately midway between 15t' Street SW and Ellingson Road. This project is expected to take about 5 months, with work anticipated to start in February 2004. The second project is the street improvements for the Safeway development to C Street SW, from the southern gate of the Safeway property to the intersection of C St and Ellingson Road, with improvements to the intersection signal light at C Street SW and Ellingson Road. This project will also impact the flow of traffic on C Street SW. The anticipated start date is March 2004, and may take up to 9 months. Pu'blic Works Committee Minutes November 24, 2003 There are a number of different methods to handle traffic flow during these construction projects, and lessen the impact to the public. CreWs could work at night and during non-peak hours. Another option is to close the road on weekends, which would allow construction crews to get more done in less time. The Committee was not opposed to weekend closures, and added that the signage needed to be highly visible and clearly marked. Staff will be meeting with the parties and other stakeholders to develop a plan that minimizes community and commercial hauling impacts. B. KIPPER & SONS REQUEST This item was discussed prior to item IV. A. Kipper and Sons Fabricators at 310 44th Street NW requested that the City prohibit parking on the north side of 44th Street NW, east of D Street NW, which would allow trucks enough radius to turn out of their facility. After discussion of the problem and the need to find a remedy in the interest of all parties, the Committee supported the request, and requested staff draft an ordinance amending City Code. C. REVISED STREET DELAY LANGUAGE This item was discussed after IV.H. The Committee was in favor of the revisions to the language in the Street Delay agreement, which will preserve the current 10 year term of the agreement, but continues the obligation until the improvements are completed or secured to the City's satisfaction. The City will continue to have a need for delay agreements, and this is a way to preserve and secure these street improvements for the future. A draft of the agreement will be presented to the Committee at the next meeting. D. DEVELOPMENT REVIEW FEES FOR PRIVATE STREETS Fees for plan review and inspection of private street development, such as gated communities, conducted by City staff to ensure that they are designed and constructed to City standards, are not charged to the developers. The Committee was in favor of charging fees for reviews of private streets, since the same public resources are spent on reviews of private streets and public streets. Staff will develop a proposed fee structure to bring before the Committee to review in the spring. For plan review and inspection of streets being constructed in King and Pierce counties, the Committee was not in favor of charging fees, since the developer is already paying fees to the counties. E. DRAFT ORDINANCE NO. 5802 RELATING TO CITY COUNCIL PROCEDURES This item was discussed after IV.C. Ordinance No. 5802 will provide greater flexibility for the City Council to address issues. Committee members questioned whether the right-of-way issues for franchises would still be reviewed by the Public Works Committee. Director Dowdy stated it was staff's intent to draft language so that the public service portion of the franchise agreements would be reviewed by the Municipal Services Committee, but the right-of-way issues would still come to the Public Works Committee for review. DRAFT ORDINANCE NO. 5803 RELATING TO BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS The Committee agreed to Ordinance No. 5803, which provides for uniformity in dealing with removal of members of Boards and Commissions. Page 2 P~blic Works Committee Minutes November 24, 2003 G. UPDATE ON LAKE TAPPS TASK FORCE Director Dowdy said that Puget Power will no longer be allowed to divert water from the White River into Lake Tapps for the purposes of electric power generation. The only apparent option remaining for keeping Lake Tapps viable is the non-power option. The Cascade Water Alliance is currently pursuing a water right for the lake. By January 14, 2004, when the FERC stay expires, PSE will be forced to close the power plant, unless new ESA coverage can be provided. A skeleton crew will remain at the facility in case it would become economically feasible in the future to operate the plant with the stricter environmental requirements. An agreement will be pursued on how to divert sufficient amounts of water to keep the lake fresh and still meet criteria for fish recovery. Another possibility for keeping the lake viable would be the formation of a Local Improvement District (LID) among affected property owners, which could support the rebuilding of the diversion dam, modernizing it for fish collection, allowing the diversion to continue. Another alternative is the use of the lake for water, which the Cascade Water Alliance is currently pursuing a waterright. H. PERMIT PROCESS REPORT Mr. Shockey reviewed the study that was completed in review of the City's permit process. Confidential interviews were held with staff and customers. Surveys were sent out to people who had dealt with the City in obtaining permits. Aisc a 12 member stakeholders committee met three times, and offered to meet again once improvements are made to determine if they are having the desired effect. The overall impression was that there is a good relationship between the developer community and the City, but improvements to the process could be made. The CRW computer system seems to be working when it's used, but is not being used consistently by staff. The recommendation was to get additional training for staff. There was discussion about the need for project coordinators, who would track applications through the process. This is a function that could rest on one person or could fall to various staff members. Other recommendations included to identify the top five code issues, for example, that cause the most complaints and make improvements to them; limit markup revisions to plans, which require changes, to two. Mr. Schocky said that Auburn is unique in using the SEPA procedure to go beyond the requirements listed in City Codes for developments. Consideration should be given to a system for prioritizing projects, so large developments would get the attention they need, but also small requests by citizens could be accommodated quickly. The Committee asked that, to what extent it is possible, if it could be determined how much money is collected in fees and how much staff expense is required in the permitting and review processes. Page 3 ~ ' ~ P~blic Works Committee Minutes November 24, 2003 I. STATE GROWTH MANAGEMENT GRANT FOR AUBURN WAY CORRIDOR STUDY The Committee was in agreement to commit the funds necessary for the study in order for the City to receive the $30,000 grant funds from the state for the project, Auburn Way North from SR18 to 4th Street NE. J. CAPITAL PROJECT STATUS REPORT In answering a question by the Committee, Assistant City Engineer Gaub said that Item No. 6, the Lakeland Hills Way/East Valley Highway Signal should be completed by the end of December. In updating the Committee on Item 13, City Wide ITS Improvements Project, the City has $800,000 for the project currently, and may possibly receive additional funds from the Federal government and the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe. V. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business to come before the Public Works Committee, the meeting was adjourned at 7:05 p.m. DRD/Id Submitted by Lorna Dahlke, Public Works Secretary. Approved by the Public Works Committee on December 8, 2003. File: 17 (17.2) REF. H:\PWCAgendaMinutes\l 1/24/03Minutes Page 4