City Council Committee Agendas

City of Mount Vernon Economic Development Committee Minutes from August 19, 2015 Chairperson Joe Lindquist called the meeting to order. Present were Council members Mark Hulst, Dale Ragan, Mike Urban, Ken Quam, Gary Molenaar, Bob Fiedler and Mayor Jill Boudreau. Staff members present were Bob Hyde, Rebecca Lowell, James Weppler, Mike Love, Kevin Rogerson, Tom Wenzel, Jerry Dodd, Esco Bell, and Alicia Huschka. Minutes: Mr. Urban moved, second by Mr. Hulst, to approve the minutes from the meeting of June 17, 2015. Motion carried. A large audience was present regarding noise from a local school and child care facility. Mr. Lindquist explained tonight's meeting is not a regular council meeting with time dedicated for public comment. This meeting is a study session but public comment will be permitted from both sides of the issue. The order of agenda items was changed to allow this item to be heard first. Miscellaneous - Foothills Christian School: Mr. Hyde provided background on the noise complaint from property owner, Donna Klein, who lives adjacent to the school. This has been unresolved despite staff efforts to bring both sides to an amicable solution. Staff organized a meeting between the neighboring property owners and school officials last April. Numerous site visits have been made by staff to determine if decibel readings exceed normal levels. Comparisons of different noises and their decibel levels were provided. An average level of 50 is considered acceptable. The decibel level at the school ranged from 55 to 70 and is audible inside Mrs. Klein’s home. Mediation has been recommended but not all parties are agreeable. Two tickets for noise violations have been issued to the school. A brief discussion ensued between Council and staff with respect to noise levels at other schools and places where children gather. Mr. Lindquist invited three people each from the school and neighborhood to voice their opinion. Amanda Montronic, Cornerstone Education Center, stated they have 25 to 35 children. They have tried dividing the children into separate groups to minimize the decibel level but it remained the same. Questions raised by Council included changing the code, number of complaints, when did noise level increase, and would installing sound proof windows in Mrs. Klein’s home be an option. Mr. Hyde stated Mrs. Klein is the only person to have complained, noise level increased mid to late July. The school has offered to install windows if they can have assurance that Mrs. Klein will stop the complaints. A code amendment is a legislative process. Mr. Rogerson suggested the City use tools such as a conditional use or variance. Mark Collins, Foothills Christian School, stated they have planted trees along the property line and installed slats in the fence. They have tried to control the noise level but stated these children are no different than other children. They are agreeable to mediation. Donna Klein, 700 N. 16th Street, stated she has worked in occupations where noise is present but this has gone too far. She leaves her house to avoid the noise, and can’t deal with the screaming. Page 1 of 3 Cindy Lakey, Mount Vernon, stated Mrs. Klein yelled at her while she and other children were at the school. Amanda Montronic, Cornerstone Education Center, referred to violations issued by the City and she wants a resolution. They have looked at other locations. They can’t tell the kids to whisper. There are special needs children that are louder than the other children. Consensus of the Council is for both parties to consider mediation. Mr. Hulst requested no other violations be issued to the school during mediation. Downtown Mount Vernon Riverwalk Restroom Project: Mr. Love presented three options with preliminary floor plans each with the number of stalls, fixture units, and costs. He discussed function, storage, maintenance, security and hours of operation. The bid has been awarded to Axthelm Construction. Peter Carletti, architect for the project, explained the design lay-outs; adding he does not feel a family style restroom is necessary. Following a discussion regarding the advantages and disadvantages of a family style restroom Council directed staff to bring back for approval Option 1 which does not include a family style restroom. Downtown Design Standards Committee: A committee to review design standards for the downtown has been formed. Members include Bob Fiedler, Mike Urban, Bob Hyde, Rebecca Lowell, Ellen Gamson, Balisa Koetje, Donna Klein, Al Lyon, Julie Blazek, Adair Orr, and Don Gordon. Downtown Parking Update: An overview of tickets and fines issued was presented. The number of repeat offenders has increased. A 3 hour limit has been proposed along with a new fee schedule. Discussion ensued regarding long term parking north of the bridge and monthly parking passes. Staff was directed to compare parking fines in other cities. Projects Update: Mr. Hyde provided the following building updates:  The demolition of the Teriyaki Stop at 521 S. 2nd Street is complete.  Burger Master is nearing completion.  Farmstrong Brewery is scheduled to open in September, and  Poulsbo RV has just completed a new 15,000 square foot building. West Mount Vernon Update: Mr. Hyde has contacted WSDOT requesting much needed maintenance for the west side bridge. He has also asked that a safety rail be installed on the bridge’s sidewalk as it is unusually narrow. Public Works crew moved the fog line in about three feet to direct traffic away from the sidewalk. Mr. Lindquist suggested it could be a safe route to school. Some of the business owners in West Mount Vernon have complained about the street trees blocking the visibility of their businesses and the maintenance. Mr. Fiedler suggested pruning or removing the street trees. Mr. Hyde added scheduling more events at Edgewater Park would be beneficial to West Mount Vernon. Page 2 of 3 Mr. Hyde reported the joint review of the city’s Engineering Standards is on-going. The next review is scheduled for August 28th. The inter-local agreement for the marketing campaign needs to be renewed. This agreement will use a new firm. Impact Fee Information and Comparisons: Mrs. Lowell presented a detailed report on impact fees. This included several graphs emphasizing traffic, school and parks impact fees in over than 30 cities, and an example of the costs and trip fees created by new development. She explained the Level of Service, (LOS), and the grading system given to roadways, A to F. A list of current failing segments of roads and the cost estimates to bring up the LOS was also provided. Impact fees only pay a portion of improvements; funds must come from other sources such as grant and city funding. Some jurisdictions have transportation districts to help fund projects. As this is such a large topic she will provide more information on this at future meetings. Miscellaneous: Downtown Development Incentives: Mrs. Lowell provided a hand-out that highlighted current incentives and potential new ones. Mr. Fiedler recommends looking at other areas for re-development. Mrs. Lowell stated south Mount Vernon may be an area where development regulations could occur. Due to the length of the previous agenda items the remaining items under Miscellaneous were tabled to a future committee meeting. The meeting adjourned at 8:30 p.m. Page 3 of 3