City Council Committee Agendas

Public Works Committee Meeting January 10, 2018 Attendees Present: Mayor Boudreau Council Members: Beaton, Brocksmith, Carias, Hudson, Hulst, Lindquist, Molenaar Staff Members: Public Works – Bell, Chesterfield, Duranceau, Love; Library – Huffman; City Attorney – Rogerson; Police Chief – Dodd; Project Development Manager – Donovan; Finance – Volesky 1. Approval of Public Works Committee Minutes: Councilmember Lindquist moved to approve the minutes from December 13, 2017; Seconded by Councilmember Hudson; Carried by all. 2. Program Coordination Division – Blaine Chesterfield a) SR9 Gravel Pit Update: Skagit Aggregates has operated the SR9 Gravel Pit since October 2015 and has paid royalties for gravel borrow sold of more than $109,000. Skagit Aggregates has given a rough estimate of 150,000 tons ($75,000) of gravel still in the pit; amount may vary depending on clay layers within the pit. The gravel pit has been owned by Skagit County since the 1940’s; transferred to the City of Mount Vernon sometime in the 1970’s. Once the pit is depleted, Skagit Aggregates will be required to follow through with the reclamation plan (as part of an updated permit). After reclamation the City can decide what to do with the property. 3. Project Updates – Mike Love a) College Way Widening beneath I-5: The City is actively working to acquire the right of way and also working with WSDOT on the construction sequence plan determining night work activities. This project is grant funded with FWHA and State TIB funding; total project cost estimate is $6,200,000. Before and after pictures were presented showing planned changes for the roadway lanes. This project is anticipated to be out to bid within the next month or so. b) College Way and 30th signal design: The City has a design contract with Reichhardt & Ebe for $153,000. The total project cost is estimated at $850,000; 100 % grant funded through FWHA. The project will require WSDOT approval and is anticipated to go out to bid by the end of this year. January 10, 2018, Public Works Committee Minutes Page 1 of 4  c) College Way and Riverside Drive Signal upgrade: The City has a consultant design contract with Transportation Solutions, Inc. for $200,000. The project is 100% federally funded at $1,229,700 and includes flashing yellow left turns, ADA upgrades, and LED lighting along both the Riverside Drive and College Way corridors. d) Floodwall BNSF Crossing: Progress is being made on the floodwall construction on the 70’ opening crossing the railroad tracks adjacent to Lions Park. Staff is currently working with BNSF who has completed a small portion of the work already. e) Riverside Drive railroad crossing: There is potential for a $1.4 million grant to design and construct vehicle and pedestrian improvements at the Riverside Drive railroad crossing via the rail safety program through WSDOT. This project would be 100% grant funding with no local match as long as it is completed by 2019. The project includes upgraded warning technology, modernized railroad crossing equipment, and improved pedestrian safety. A large portion of the work will be performed by BNSF. 4. Public Works Director Comments – Esco Bell a) Draft ADA transition plan: The City is in the process of developing its ADA Transition Plan in order to be in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The draft plan is approximately 90% complete. b) Proposed City Shop Preliminary Engineering Phase: The preliminary engineering required in order to build a new shop facility has been funded in this year’s budget. Statements of qualifications are being received from architects / engineers in the process to obtain needed professional services for the project. The next step is to select a consultant and then move forward towards design. 5. Traffic Safety Committee update – Esco Bell a) Residential signing to slow speeds: The Traffic Safety Committee is recommending implementation of a system of residential signing to slow speeds. If approved by Council, the warning signs can be placed as traffic turns from an arterial street into a residential neighborhood. This is a low cost application that can bring awareness to drivers. The proposed signage is a yellow “Residential Street” with 20 mph warning. b) Temporary speed humps: Staff presented the idea of temporary speed humps in some residential areas. Staff is hesitant to use speed humps at all; however, these would be temporary and only placed in a very select few areas that fall within specific parameters. The humps would be a reminder to drivers to slow down. Speed trailers could measure the before and after speeds to determine how the humps affect traffic speeds. Many Council concerns were discussed as follows; maybe try the residential warning signs first, Skagit Highlands would be a great January 10, 2018, Public Works Committee Minutes Page 2 of 4  place to test as the entire neighborhood seems interested in slowing the traffic, and City liability (Esco explained they would be properly signed). Council determined that they would like to see a policy prior to any implementation. It was suggested that 80% of residents in any particular area would need to agree to the temporary speed hump prior to installation. Staff will work towards a policy and bring before City Council for review. c) Push button pedestrian crossings: Staff would like to pursue installation of additional push button flashing pedestrian crossings. The system has been effective in a couple of places within the City already. There was a recent request for such signage at 4th and Highland. Schools would be the priority (Laventure Middle School crossing Laventure, Maddison Elementary crossing Fir, Lincoln Elementary crossing Broad, Washington Elementary crossing McLean, Little Mountain Elementary crossing Laventure at Fowler, and Mount Vernon High School crossing Division at 11th; other locations recommended in addition to N 4th at Highland are as follows: SR536 at N Baker, Pine Square across 2nd, and 18th Street Kiwanis water park. A current project already includes adding the push button crossings on Kulshan Trail at both 18th and 30th Streets. Estimated costs are $7,000 each for a total of $70,000 for the above referenced locations; the next step would be a budget amendment. Council responded positively for the added safety measure and deemed it a legitimate TBD expense. 6. Library Committee Topics – Isaac Huffman In the interest in maintaining adequate time, the Library update was postponed until the regular City Council session later in the evening. 7. Legislative Agenda – Mayor Boudreau Mayor Boudreau spoke on the upcoming legislative agenda for January 24, 2018, as follows; Mount Vernon supports legislation and shared revenue to acknowledge that Cities and Towns are where most residents live, work and play in our state. Mount Vernon Supports preservation of programs that produce infrastructure success. Grants, State Capital, Public Works Trust Fund, and Innovative partnerships are examples of proven collaboration and ensures local solutions. The City is keeping an eye on its districts (40th and 10th). The City is supportive of housing and capital budget; will advocate if asked. Mayor Boudreau noted a local infrastructure state partnership success story within the Downtown Mount Vernon Flood Protection and Revitalization project that will protect Mount Vernon’s historic downtown from flooding with FEMA certified flood protection and serve to revitalize the historic downtown area. She also talked of continuing with our WSDOT collaboration success, most recently the College Way Widening project under I-5. There are no specific asks for this year, just continued support for small cities. One big issue is that legislatures continue to look at us as “Special Interest Groups”; however, we should be partners in government. The statewide policy is not necessarily good for a small city. January 10, 2018, Public Works Committee Minutes Page 3 of 4  The City currently opposes HB1921 as written; Mount Vernon is willing to work together with the telecom industry to deploy a successful small cell network that does not compromise public safety, pre-empt local control of public rights of way, or diminish local codes designed to ensure the special character of our City. This bill will effectively favor a single utility (Telecom) above all others and negate progress made in 2017 by collaboration of Cities, Legislature, Telecom on the Carlyle amendment to SB5711. The City will continue to defend successful deployment of small cells. There is a current success story in the Boston area; our City shouldn’t accept anything less. The main focus for January 24, 2018 is the need to continue advocating for the City. HB2592 is currently quite ambiguous; more time is needed before the City’s opinion can be given. In fact, more analysis is necessary on many of the new bills that we know about; a final draft will be available at Committee next Wednesday, January 17, 2018. 8. Miscellaneous/ For the Good of the Order Councilman Hulst noted that the new signal at Section and Laventure has had a positive effect on traffic; a great job done. Meeting adjourned at 6:52 pm Sherri Pritchard, Public Works Department January 10, 2018, Public Works Committee Minutes Page 4 of 4