Public Works Committee

TUMWATER PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE MINUTES OF VIRTUAL MEETING February 22, 2024 Page 1 CONVENE: 8:00 a.m. PRESENT: Chair Eileen Swarthout and Councilmembers Michael Althauser and Angela Jefferson. Staff: City Administrator Lisa Parks, City Attorney Karen Kirkpatrick, Finance Director Troy Niemeyer, Transportation and Engineering Director Brandon Hicks, Water Resources and Sustainability Director Dan Smith, Assistant Transportation and Engineering Director Mary Heather Ames, Engineering Services Manager Bill Lindauer, Water Resources Program Manager Patrick Soderberg, Communications Manager Ann Cook, Sustainability Coordinator Alyssa Jones Wood, and Administrative Assistant Cathy Nielsen. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE, JANUARY 4, 2024: MOTION: Councilmember Jefferson moved, seconded by Councilmember Althauser, to approve the minutes of January 4, 2024 as presented. A voice vote approved the motion unanimously. ILA BETWEEN Coordinator Jones Wood reported the prior Interlocal Agreement (ILA) THURSTON initiated in 2023 outlined the implementation of the Thurston Climate COUNTY, CITIES Mitigation Plan (TCMP) and the formation of the Thurston Climate OF LACEY, Mitigation Collaborative. The City’s commitment is to select a regional OLYMPIA, & initiative to pursue jointly with the three partners each year. In 2023, the TUMWATER 2024 process was initiated to select the initiative by seeking input from the THURSTON Collaborative to propose a regional initiative. The Collaborative is comprised CLIMATE of the Executive Committee, Community Advisory Work Group, and a staff MITIGATION team. Following a retreat, two initiatives were selected. The staff team COLLABORATIVE developed a project plan, timeline, and a budget. The process includes each REGIONAL partner allocating resources necessary to implement the two initiatives. INITIATIVES: The two regional initiatives for 2024 are a Residential Energy Efficiency and Electrification Campaign (E3) and a Home Energy Score Ordinance. Both initiatives align with TCMP strategies and substantially improved through regional coordination. The scope of work is to design the energy efficiency campaign and develop a draft model ordinance. Implementation of the initiatives are scheduled in 2025 if resources are provided. Within the ILA, each jurisdiction’s staff team member will contribute. A project manager and co-manager have been assigned for each initiative. The City of Olympia is the contract manager for the ILA for any contractors hired. The partner cost to develop the campaign and the model ordinance will not TUMWATER PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE MINUTES OF VIRTUAL MEETING February 22, 2024 Page 2 exceed $14,875 in 2024 with partner jurisdictions providing in-kind staff resources. The Residential Energy Efficiency and Electrification Campaign is intended to educate, incentivize, and support residential homeowners to make changes in their home to help reduce emissions while ensuring an understanding of how any changes are beneficial in cost savings and to their health. The Inflation Reduction Act in 2022 includes many programs and incentives. The campaign will be designed to help accelerate residential building electrification and energy efficiency throughout the Thurston region to include prioritizing benefits to low and moderate-income residents, and over- burdened communities through three main efforts as part of the overall campaign. The three main components of the campaign include: • Component A: Web-Based Information Hub (Anticipated Launch: January 2024) • Component B: Advisory Support Service (Anticipated Launch: April 2024) • Component C: Local Incentive & Outreach Campaign (Anticipated Launch: January 2025) The web-based information hub was located at www.wa.switchison.org. The interactive website helps residents identify both local and federal incentives and provides a list of vetted contractors for energy efficiency and electrification upgrades projects. The effort was led by King County, Pierce County, and Thurston County and county seat cities in each county. The Advisory Support Service is scheduled to launch in April 2024 to provide support to those wishing to pursue electrification or energy efficiency projects. The service would be available through calling, email, and virtual meetings with a customized step-by-step recommendation list provided. The last component is to design a campaign to encourage and support information to fill the information gap to ensure residents are informed as to actions they can take and how to complete those actions. The campaign is scheduled to launch in 2025 with design of the campaign completed in 2024. Councilmember Althauser inquired whether funding and staff resources would create the structure of the campaign with funding of incentives from another funding source. Coordinator Jones Wood affirmed the incentives would require another funding source. The cities of Lacey and Olympia and Thurston County received formula funding from the federal Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant. The City of Tumwater did not qualify because of population requirements. Staff applied for competitive funding through the program. However, only 12 jurisdictions throughout the TUMWATER PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE MINUTES OF VIRTUAL MEETING February 22, 2024 Page 3 country received funding. The state is also offering block grant funding; however, because the City lacks any federally recognized environmental justice census tracks, the City is not eligible for those funds. Staff continues to pursue other grant funding opportunities. The second regional initiative is the ordinance, which emerged from work completed over the last several years on topics of efficiency of a home at the time of a real estate listing. Energy efficiency is a key strategy in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and energy burdens. A home energy score is a measure factoring heating, cooling, water, ducts, attic and roof insulation, window and skylights, sunlight access for both lighting and heating, local climate conditions, square footage, orientation, and age of a home. The goal of the initiative is to design and propose a regionally consistent home energy score disclosure policy. The intent is to connect homeowners with the incentives and to help track efficiency and implementation of efficiency- driven improvements of existing housing stock. The process includes engaging with key stakeholders. The ordinance has been adopted in many locations throughout the country. Some tasks include developing preliminary recommendations and code concepts through focus groups and stakeholders, drafting a model ordinance, and requesting feedback and improvements on the draft model ordinance for eventual adoption by each jurisdiction. The initiative is in alignment with HB 1433 that seeks to standardize home energy score for home energy labeling statewide. Dependent upon the outcome of the bill during the current legislative session, the ordinance will be aligned with the final bill. Policy research is underway followed by stakeholder engagement beginning in March through June 2024. Development of the model ordinance is scheduled from July through September 2024 with refinement of the ordinance from October through December 2024 for consideration by each jurisdiction in January-February 2025. The entire budget for the regional initiatives for 2024 is a partner cost share not to exceed $14,875. Coordinator Jones Wood requested the committee recommend the City Council approve and authorize the Mayor to sign the ILA Between Thurston County, Cities of Lacey, Olympia, & Tumwater 2024 Thurston Climate Mitigation Collaborative Regional Initiatives. Chair Swarthout asked whether the City’s budget share is included in the current budget. Coordinator Jones Wood advised that the Council allocated $125,000 for general sustainability initiatives during 2024. The budget allocation would be from the budgeted amount. Chair Swarthout asked whether the advisory support group would include contacts with a representative to answer questions. Coordinator Jones Wood said the intent is to seek bids for the service for the region. Several providers are available throughout the country as well as some local providers that may TUMWATER PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE MINUTES OF VIRTUAL MEETING February 22, 2024 Page 4 have the capacity to provide the service to the region. Chair Swarthout inquired about the responsibility for payment of a home energy score. Coordinator Jones Wood said the development of the ordinance would address the payment process. However, the standard is for the seller to pay for the assessment as a component of listing the home for sale to avoid placing additional burdens on the purchase transaction. The approximate cost of an energy score assessment is $250. MOTION: Councilmember Althauser moved, seconded by Councilmember Jefferson, to recommend the City Council approve and authorize the Mayor to sign the ILA Between Thurston County, Cities of Lacey, Olympia, & Tumwater 2024 Thurston Climate Mitigation Collaborative Regional Initiatives. The committee agreed to forward the recommendation to the Council’s consent calendar. MOTION: A voice vote approved the motion unanimously. GRANT Coordinator Jones Wood reported the request includes two grants for different AGREEMENT WITH locations with different contracts requiring two separate actions. THE WA DEPT OF COMMERCE FOR The first request is with the Department of Commerce for a Solar plus THE CITY HALL Storage grant. The City received two Solar plus Storage for Resilient SOLAR PLUS Communities grants of $14,900 for storage feasibility assessment and STORAGE preliminary design. One grant is for City Hall and the second is for the FEASIBILITY AND Tumwater Library. The grants require no match by the City. DESIGN PROJECT Goals of the project are to improve key emergency locations in Tumwater to & increase resiliency during power outages. Tumwater City Hall serves as an important component of emergency operations as the alternative Emergency GRANT Operations Center (EOC) and houses communication systems necessary for AGREEMENT WITH emergency response. City Hall is supported by a fossil fuel generator used THE WA DEPT OF for emergencies; however, as the City continues to decarbonize its buildings COMMERCE FOR and its fleet, the City requires a more reliable backup power source for THE TUMWATER emergencies. Tumwater Library serves as the only heating and cooling LIBRARY SOLAR shelter in the City and serves as the key lifeline resource for internet access PLUS STORAGE for residents lacking broadband access or the ability to pay for the service. FEASIBILITY AND DESIGN PROJECT: The grant proposal was submitted when the vote for the Regional Fire Authority was pending, which is why the Tumwater Fire Station is not included in the project. Coordinator Jones Wood described the public engagement process for both projects. TUMWATER PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE MINUTES OF VIRTUAL MEETING February 22, 2024 Page 5 The project scope would provide two shovel-ready solar plus storage projects to enable staff to apply for construction funds in 2024/2025. Based on the feasibility of the projects, the match requirement might align with the federal tax incentive as direct pay eliminating a match requirement for construction funds. Coordinator Jones Wood requested the committee recommend the City Council approve and authorize the Mayor to sign the Grant Agreement with the Washington Department of Commerce for the Tumwater Library and City Hall Solar Plus Storage Feasibility and Design Projects. Councilmember Jefferson asked about the project timeline. Coordinator Jones Wood advised that based on the delay in receiving the notice of award, the City must complete the work by the end of June 2024. The timing aligns with the second track for submittal of applications for construction funds. MOTION: Councilmember Althauser moved, seconded by Councilmember Jefferson, to recommend the City Council approve and authorize the Mayor to sign the Grant Agreement with the Washington Department of Commerce for the Tumwater City Hall Solar plus Storage Feasibility and Design Project, and place the recommendation on the Council’s consent calendar. A voice vote approved the motion unanimously. MOTION: Councilmember Jefferson moved, seconded by Councilmember Althauser, to recommend the City Council approve and authorize the Mayor to sign the Grant Agreement with the Washington Department of Commerce for the Tumwater Library Solar plus Storage Feasibility and Design Project, and place the recommendation on the Council’s consent calendar. A voice vote approved the motion unanimously. BARNES LAKE The review was deferred to the March meeting. MANAGEMENT DISTRICT (BLMD) 2024 BUDGET AND WORK PLAN REVIEW: R2024-003, Assistant Director Ames briefed the committee on the annual process for AMENDING THE amendments to the City’s Six-Year Transportation Improvement Program 2024-2029 SIX-YEAR (TIP). The process also includes adding the amendment to the State TRANSPORTATION Transportation Improvement Program (STIP). Both processes serve as the IMPROVEMENT foundation for transportation funding within the state. Each city/jurisdiction PROGRAM prepares a list of transportation projects for the next six years to serve as the local TIP. The lists are submitted through local planning organizations. For the Thurston region, Thurston Regional Planning Council serves as the local planning organization. TRPC submits local TIPs to the state to form the STIP. TUMWATER PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE MINUTES OF VIRTUAL MEETING February 22, 2024 Page 6 The request is to amend the current TIP, which was approved by the City Council in June 2023 covering the period of 2024-2029. A public hearing has been scheduled for March 5, 2024. Based on the outcome of the hearing and the Council’s action for approval, staff will submit the amendment to TRPC. The proposed amendment is required to add a project to the current TIP to enable the City to accept funds for the Somerset Hill Fish Passage Barrier Removal project. Staff submitted an application for $4 million in PROTECT funding. Similar to a previous project, the project site sits within Percival Creek with high salmonoid potential but with less than ideal conditions. The entire creek has many fish passage barriers, high stream temperatures, lack of large woody debris, and a lack of habitat. The project addresses those factors at the location on Somerset Hill Drive. The existing culvert is listed as a partial barrier to fish-passage because of flow velocities. The stream currently passes through corrugated metal culvert five-feet in diameter and 103 feet in length creating a barrier because of velocity. Because of a bankfull width survey completed in January 2023, the need for a 24-foot wide crossing was identified totaling four times more than the existing culvert width. In June 2023, a consultant evaluated three crossing types and recommended a 60-foot to 100-foot prefabricated bridge as the preferred option. If funding is secured, design will begin and the specific size of the bridge identified. If the grant, Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative Efficient and Cost-Saving Transportation (PROTECT), is approved, the funds would cover the cost of the project. If funding is awarded, construction is scheduled to begin in 2028. The design cost is estimated at $600,000 with construction of approximately $3.4 million. Staff is seeking grant funding for the total project cost with no match from the City. Councilmember Althauser questioned the probability of salmon returning to the creek when fish passage barriers are removed. Assistant Director Ames said surveys of the creek have been completed documenting the existence of salmon DNA in the water. Removal of the fish passage barriers enables fish to return. Additionally, salmon can be relocated to the creek to encourage fish runs. Director Smith added that based on testing results, some salmon are present in the system but likely not at the volume as in the past when barriers did not exist. The City is also working on the Sapp Road culvert project to increase access to the upper headwaters (Trosper Lake). Removal of the barriers promotes production of habitat serving as spawning habitat and creates more woody debris along the creek system. Downstream from both project sites is a fish ladder with gradual progress over the last 20 years opening the stream to salmonids. TUMWATER PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE MINUTES OF VIRTUAL MEETING February 22, 2024 Page 7 Councilmember Althauser inquired about the likelihood of the project remaining on the TIP if the City is unsuccessful in receiving the grant. Director Smith explained that the TIP includes many fish barrier projects that were added over the last 20 years As the projects became a priority and grant funds became available, the City has been able to move some projects forward. Staff intends to include the project within the Capital Facilities Plan as a project of priority for the City. Grant funding is essential for moving the project forward. Assistant Director Ames explained that since PROTECT funding is administered through the TIP the project will remain on the TIP this year. If not funded and staff anticipates the project would receive future funding, the project would continue to remain on the TIP. Chair Swarthout referred to the City’s recent award of the Brian Abbott grant for $2 million. She asked whether the grant could be used for other projects while applying for PROTECT funding of $4 million. Director Smith said staff consistently leverages different sources of funds to successfully fund projects. Through the City’s participation in the WIRA planning process with watershed stakeholders, the lead entity (TRPC) coordinates all regional projects within the Deschutes River watershed. Through that process in terms of the alignment of funding schedules, the City is required to apply for watershed funds and then apply for PROTECT funds. If the City is not eligible for PROTECT funding, the City would then utilize Brian Abbott funds for the design and permitting components of the barrier project. If PROTECT funding is awarded, the Brian Abbott funds would be returned to the Brian Abbott Board to utilize for other projects in the watershed. Essentially, the watershed would not lose those funds except the City would be unable to use the funds if PROTECT funding is awarded to the City. Chair Swarthout asked whether the Sapp Road barrier project was fully funded. Director Smith affirmed the project is funded. As both projects are located on Percival Creek, the Sapp Road barrier project is the first project followed by the Somerset Hill Drive barrier project. Improved upstream conditions will enable salmonid when the Somerset Hill Drive project is completed. Assistant Director Ames added that the Sapp Road barrier is in worse condition than the Somerset Hill Drive culvert. ADJOURNMENT: With there being no further business, Chair Swarthout adjourned the meeting at 8:41 a.m. Prepared by Valerie L. Gow, Recording Secretary/President Puget Sound Meeting Services, psmsoly@earthlink.net