City Council Committee Agendas

Public Works/Library Committee Meeting May 9, 2018 Attendees Present: Mayor Boudreau Council Members: Beaton, Brocksmith, Carias, Hudson, Hulst, Lindquist, Molenaar Staff Members: Public Works – Bell, Chesterfield, Duranceau, Hanson, Love; Library Director – Huffman; Police Chief – Dodd; Project Development Manager – Donovan; Finance Director – Volesky; Human Resources Director – Bartlett 1. Approval of Public Works Committee Minutes: Councilmember Beaton moved to approve the minutes from April 11, 2018; Seconded by Councilmember Hudson; Carried by all. 2. Library Committee – Isaac Huffman a) VR Update: The library presented on the VR in the library project and what they have learned so far. They have found that learning by experience works better as the experience tends to be both interesting and exciting. Running VR in libraries is both time-consuming and difficult, however, it also holds great potential. Staff has learned that many people are still uncomfortable, yet most people are amazed. Staff looks forward to learning more over the next couple of months. b) Safe Place Update The library has become a safer place over the last year with several upgrades including; the addition of cameras and door codes, users abusing the space are now trespassed, and the lighting has been upgraded. Furthermore, the space (including the grounds) is being kept cleaner and abandoned vehicles in the parking lot are being towed. In addition to the physical upgrades, staff is receiving mental health first aid as well as de-escalation training. Staff is also now enforcing a code of conduct. All of these things leave staff better equipped to handle situations and have cut down on the number of incidents at the Library. A few challenges remain that staff is looking to address with further changes. For now the Library is quite safe; it’s well staffed and well monitored. c) General Updates Library general updates covered the interesting children’s programming; virtual reality space travel, an earthquake table, and a topographic sand table were all brought into the library for a learning experience, adding to the move towards more instructional course style programming. The Library will also be trying to hold lessons on art and open data in the near future. The annual book sale was successful, especially with the help of Parks Department and volunteers; it’s nice to repurpose books into the community. Staff is also working towards an interlocal agreement with Central Skagit libraries for 2020. Benefits include a joint library catalog and library management system, standardized electronic resources, standardized barcodes and patron identification, and courier services. Paid library cards will likely decrease; however, the cooperative license should help offset the losses. May 9, 2018, Public Works/Library Committee Minutes Page 1 of 3 3. Program Coordination Division – Blaine Chesterfield a) Seneca Drive Culvert Cleaning The Seneca Drive culvert for Thunderbird Creek is filling up with gravel and needs to be cleaned (it was last cleaned in September of 2013). If not cleaned, it would continue to plug with additional debris and could cause erosion, road damage, or even flood homes. Public Works is currently working with the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife on a permit to clean the culvert. Cleaning is anticipated for late August or early September, during low water flow, and will require Seneca Drive to have daytime closures during the work. If this culvert continues to be an issue, the City may need to look at alternatives such as installing a box culvert. 4. Project Updates – Mike Love a) 2018 Curb Ramp Improvements Bid Award Construction bids were received for the 2018 Curb Ramp Improvement project; 49 curb ramps will be replaced this year, bringing the corners to current standards. Our street department is replacing catch basins on the corners to make them easier to maintain. Work will be done in conjunction with the City’s annual street improvement program. Staff is recommending Council award the bid to Trinity Contractors with their bid amount of $252,362 at Council this evening. b) College Way & 30th St Signal – Property Acquisition Consultant Supplemental Agreement Council will consider adding property acquisition to an existing consultant services agreement this evening. The consultant will assist the City in acquiring needed property on the northwest corner of the intersection for the College Way and 30th signal project. As this project is funded with Federal Grant funding, the acquisition process must follow federal laws of acquisition. Adding the right of way services to the existing consultant agreement is estimated at a cost of $20,400. c) Screw Press Installation Pictures were presented of the installation of the new screw press at the City’s waste water treatment plant. The new screw press replaces 30 year old equipment and will improve waste handling at the treatment plant. The new screw press should be able to lessen the liquids by 5- 6%, saving an estimated $2,000 per month. 5. Public Works Director Comments – Esco Bell a) FEMA’s Letter of Map Revision Update With completion of the downtown flood protection, the City filed a letter of map revision request with FEMA in order to remove the downtown from the 100 year flood zone. FEMA has 90 days to make a determination or ask for more information. Last Friday staff had a positive discussion with FEMA consultants clarifying important information about the City’s request. b) Pedestrian Activated Beacon Purchase The City is moving forward to install ten pedestrian activated yellow lights at crosswalks located mostly in school zones (plus one at 4th & Highland and another on Westside, crossing over the state highway). City Staff successfully obtained a grant that will pay for five of the ten lights. The following items are on tonight’s regular Council agenda for approval; 1) authorization to purchase the ten lights, and 2) request approval of the grant to pay for five of the lights. May 9, 2018, Public Works/Library Committee Minutes Page 2 of 3  c) New Hires in Shop, Streets, Wastewater Several new employees have been recently hired in the department of public works: • Shop: Darrell Hornbeck • Streets: Jason Sullivan and Kyler Howell; and part-timers Zach Rigelman and Gabriel Beuckman • WWTP: Ian Sanderson d) Skagit County Solid Waste Management Plan – Andy Hanson & Esco Bell Staff briefly presented Skagit County’s Solid Waste Management Plan. The plan was originally put together by Skagit County in 2008. The new plan will update the language and include other common sense updates. The plan has been through the Solid Waste Advisory Committee (including all area mayors) and has already been passed by the Department of Ecology. The plan presents a goal of 65% of the waste stream to be diverted (i.e. recycled), and Mount Vernon should have no difficulty meeting this goal. Staff will make the document available to Council by sending out a link to the County’s Solid Waste webpage. Council will be asked to approve the plan at a later meeting. 6. Traffic Safety Committee Update – Esco Bell & Mike Love The Traffic Safety Committee last met on April 17, 2018. A temporary speed hump is being installed on Monarch Boulevard next week. Staff has already met with the Homeowners Association with positive feedback towards this pilot test period of three months. The next Traffic Safety Committee is currently scheduled for June 19, 2018. 7. Wastewater Laborer Job Description and Wages – Kandy Bartlett & Gary Duranceau Kandy and Gary explained the need to update the WWTP laborer job description. Over the past few years the treatment plant has lost operators due to retirements and there are a couple more retirements anticipated within the next couple years. As it takes five to six years of experience to become capable of operating the plant, it makes sense to add to the laborer position the requirement to obtain an OIT (Operator in Training) certificate to which will better prepare them to become an operator. With this increased requirement it was determined the wage should be adjusted to reflect the additional responsibilities with a $353 per month increase at hire. This change to the salary matrix will require a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Teamsters Union. 8. Miscellaneous / For the Good of the Order Mayor Boudreau discussed how city staff is responding to street homelessness. Currently there are weekly meetings being held that include Development Services, Parks Department, Public Works, and the Police Department. Last week the group created a preliminary document geared towards homelessness and related consequences; they are working towards a broad interdepartmental response to the issues. Meeting adjourned at 6:51 pm Sherri Pritchard, Public Works Department May 9, 2018, Public Works/Library Committee Minutes Page 3 of 3