Public Works Committee

TUMWATER PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE MINUTES OF VIRTUAL MEETING May 5, 2022 Page 1 CONVENE: 8:00 a.m. PRESENT: Councilmembers Michael Althauser and Charlie Schneider. Excused: Chair Eileen Swarthout. Staff: Transportation and Engineering Director Brandon Hicks, Water Resources and Sustainability Director Dan Smith, Communications Manager Ann Cook, Capital Projects Manager Don Carney, Water Resources Specialist Dave Kangiser, Community Engagement Marnie McGrath, Community Engagement Specialist Brianna Feller, and Administrative Assistant Cathy Nielsen. PUBLIC HEARING: 2022 - 2035 BARNES Specialist Kangiser reported the proposed Barnes Lake Management District LAKE MANAGEMENT assessment increase was moved forward from the Barnes Lake Management DISTRICT (BLMD) District Steering Committee. The committee received letters of support as ASSESSMENT well as a letter of objection on the proposed increase. Ten letters and one INCREASE: email conveyed support for the increase with one objection from a property owner appealing the proposed increase, which likely will be denied because of the terminology of the assessment. The property has lake access and will be assessed as a property with direct access to the lake. Staff requests the committee recommend approval to the City Council of Resolution No R2022-008, adopting a 5% annual increase to the Barnes Lake Management District Roll and Rates of Charges from 2022 through 2035 following public testimony. Councilmember Althauser asked about the basis for the objection by the property owner. Specialist Kangiser said the property owners believe the lake should be left in its natural state and eventually return to a meadow without vegetation maintenance. The owners are also appealing their property as lakefront property because the property line of the parcel does not touch the water; however, the owners have lake access, which by definition is assessed a lake access fee. Councilmember Althauser opened and closed the public hearing at 8:04 a.m. There was no public testimony. MOTION: Councilmember Schneider moved, seconded by Councilmember Althauser, to recommend the City Council approve Resolution No. R2022-008, adopting a 5% annual increase to BLMD Roll of Rates and Charges for 2022-2035. A voice vote approved the motion. CITY OPERATIONS Manager Carney briefed the committee on the status of the Operations and AND MAINTENANCE Maintenance Facility and the planned community meeting on May 18, 2022. TUMWATER PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE MINUTES OF VIRTUAL MEETING May 5, 2022 Page 2 FACILITY: The updated site plan places all facilities on the western half of the property on the west side of 79th Avenue with a small parking lot located on the eastern half of the property on the west side of 79th Avenue. The neighborhood park and kettle are located north of the small parking lot on the eastern half of the property. Site buildings and uses include:  Administration/Crew Building including public meeting space  Fleet maintenance building  Maintenance crews work shops  Covered vehicle storage  Fueling and vehicle wash  Material storage (salt, sand, de-icing agent, brine storage, etc.)  Open storage bins (tree limbs, asphalt cold mix, wood chips, gravel, etc.)  Staff parking  Landscaping, storm water facilities and fencing. The cost of the project is $36 million, which includes the roundabout at 79th Avenue and Old Highway 99, neighborhood park, and a sidewalk on the south side of 79th Avenue for access from the facilities to Old Highway 99. The project also includes remodeling the existing operations and maintenance facility and moving Facilities to that location. Facilities is currently housed at the old fire station. The old fire station will also be remodeled. Construction costs continue to be very volatile with no guarantee that the project cost will stay firm until construction begins. The consultant was asked to provide more renditions of the site plan for the community meeting. Manager Carney displayed several of the renditions from different views. An aerial photograph was displayed of the facilities on the west side of the parcel and the neighborhood park and kettle area on the east side of the parcel. The park will serve to separate the maintenance and operations facilities from the neighborhood. The roundabout will encroach into the airport property to some degree. The consultant team also provided an animation video depicting vehicle movement. Councilmember Althauser asked about vehicle access to the facilities. Manager Carney reported 79th Avenue would serve as the main entrance to the facilities with another access onto Trails End Drive as an alternative to exit the site. Using 79th Avenue as the main access would be much more convenient and efficient for traffic as the vehicles would likely be driving to Old Highway 99. Manager Carney reviewed project revisions in response to the 2018 open house feedback. One change is removing Facilities from the site with TUMWATER PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE MINUTES OF VIRTUAL MEETING May 5, 2022 Page 3 Facilities relocated to the existing operations and maintenance facility after the facility is remodeled. The result reduced the site plan building and parking by 30% with a smaller building site. Staff engaged in some noise- limiting strategies, increased covered parking, enclosed storage to improve aesthetics, added the roundabout, and added the completion of sidewalks on the south side of approximately 650 feet of sidewalk. The City has committed to an all-electric facility and is adding solar panels to assist in achieving that outcome. Electric vehicle infrastructure will be installed to accommodate the City’s electric fleet and future electric cars. Manager Cook reviewed community engagement strategies for the project. She explained that she has worked in communications for many years and has always been seeking a model that enables staff to “lean in and listen” to the community. She and City Administrator Doan have a shared experience in a community where he worked for a city and she worked for school district on a joint project to close an aging pool facility. During that process, she observed how traditional community meetings typically begin with a presentation followed by participants asking questions. Closure of the pool was important and many participants were representing organized groups, such as swim teams making it difficult to ensure equity of voices. Many participants signing up to speak during the council and school board meetings were single parents or elderly couples and because of the number of speakers, they often left the meetings without speaking. It was always challenging to ensure equity of voices, as well as leaning in and listening. She eventually discovered a model that enabled staff to consider the objective of the meeting and the desired outcomes. The model includes a matrix with a scoring application of affected stakeholders. The model describes the upcoming community meeting as an informed and consult meeting. The meeting will include an update on what the community shared in 2018 and the current plan and differences between the old and new plan with input from participants. The meeting format will include mini information kiosks with subject matter experts to listen to the community to identify any problems that could be resolved immediately. The project’s architects, engineers, and traffic engineer will be available to answer concerns and questions. Often, it is possible to make small adjustments that do not impact the budget. Some adjustments can be easily accommodated when the right people are available to respond. Manager Cook shared that she was involved in one of the largest school bond projects in the state. The project included an operations facility, a bus garage of 120 school buses, a central kitchen, warehouse delivery, and a high school and middle school in the center of a large residential neighborhood. The comments she received were similar to the comments the City has received to date, such as residents upset with a 120 buses traveling through a dense residential area. The same model was employed for the public meetings with similar conversations as the 2018 meeting generated. She learned many things, such as the availability of mitigation strategies the TUMWATER PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE MINUTES OF VIRTUAL MEETING May 5, 2022 Page 4 architects can use for queuing vehicles, screening, or odor/noise control. Manager Cook shared photographs of previous meetings with subject matter experts speaking in small group settings with community members in an open house format enabling community members to rotate between different subject areas of a project. Individuals will have a variety of ways to offer and submit feedback through feedback forms or a one-on-one meeting with a staff member. Staff will also document all questions during the meeting. Councilmember Althauser asked how the information obtained by staff and the consultants would be distilled and shared with the Council. Manager Cook advised that all feedback would be entered into an Excel spreadsheet and documented as to whether an answer was provided or identification of a preferred method for conveying responses. All suggestions would be forwarded to the engineering team. The spreadsheet would be accompanied with a summary document, such as an executive summary with the information shared with the Council and posted on the website. Another subpage would continually be updated. Homeowner association presidents have been contacted for assistance in communicating the community meeting. Manager Cook advised that she has attended one HOA meeting and staff plans to attend other meetings as needed. Those meetings included discussions on traffic improvements, neighborhood traffic, and the project. The City is also publicizing the meeting through Nextdoor. Councilmember Schneider asked whether there is any intent to conduct future meetings. Manager Cook said the Council directed staff to engage with the community. The May meeting is the first meeting. Other sessions could be scheduled as well. Councilmember Schneider suggested contacting the school district for possible use of school libraries for meeting locations. Councilmember Schneider asked about number of acres required for the new downsized project. Director Hicks advised that the total acreage of the site is 22.2 acres between the two parcels. Approximately 15 acres would be dedicated to the park and approximately 6.6 acres would be dedicated to the operations and maintenance facility on the western half of the property with reservation of a small rectangle for staff parking on the eastern side of the property. Councilmember Schneider conveyed that his concern is placing the facility in a neighborhood but he is open to the idea as long as he understands how the community feels about the issue. His other concern is funding for the facility, which will undoubtedly increase. He’s appreciative of the community meetings and plans to attend but does not intend to engage with the public. He has scheduled a tour of the current facilities to learn about programming needs. He supports the process and appreciates staff considering the concerns by the Council to attend the meeting. TUMWATER PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE MINUTES OF VIRTUAL MEETING May 5, 2022 Page 5 Councilmember Althauser said he appreciates the format of meeting community members one-on-one and having conversations with subject matter experts. He is also appreciative of the level of transparency the process offers both in the meetings and through the availability of information. Manager Cook thanked the committee for the feedback. In the next several days, staff is focusing on addressing some misinformation and outdated information. Councilmember Althauser agreed that much of misinformation is actually new information as the project has been revised and that information needs to be shared with the community. Manager Cook introduced the City’s two newest Community Engagement Specialists, Marnie McGrath and Brianna Feller. Specialist McGrath recently joined the City this week and she will serve as the lead for the Operations and Maintenance project for communications. Specialist McGrath has much experience in capital projects with Seattle Public Utilities, King County Department of Transportation, and seven years with the Association of Washington Cities. She understands city processes. The committee welcomed Specialists McGrath and Feller to the City. ADJOURNMENT: With there being no further business, Councilmember Althauser adjourned the meeting at 8:45 a.m. Prepared by Puget Sound Meeting Services, psmsoly@earthlink.net