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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes 10/04/19991 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 October 4, 1999 City of Petaluma, California Minutes of a Regular City Council Meeting Vol. 33, Page 485 Monday, October 4, 1999 Council Chambers The City Council of the City of Petaluma met on this date in the Council Chambers at 3:05 p.m. ROLL CALL Present: Cader-Thompson, Healy., Keller, Maguire, Thompson, Torliatt Absent: Hamilton PUBLIC COMMENT Jennifer Coleman, 284 San Felipe Way, Novato, asked Council to look into the demolition of the Wahl House (an historic structure known as the Haystack Landing), located on South Petaluma Boulevard that was built in 1905. [Clerk's Note: At the request of Council, Ms. Coleman provided her telephone number (415) 897-4977.] Geoff Cartwright, 56 Rocca Drive, spoke in favor of cablecasting the County Board of Supervisors' meetings. COUNCIL COMMENTS Council Member Keller referenced a letter received from Sonoma County Superior Court inviting the Council to a Town Hall Meeting regarding the possible expansion of court services in Petaluma. The letter unfortunately was received the day after the meeting. He wanted a note sent to Sonoma County reiterating Council's desire to have a Domestic Violence Court in Petaluma and expanding the capabilities of having traffic or other sessions held in Petaluma. Council Member Torliatt also wanted to encourage the County to provide more court services in Petaluma. Council Member Maguire stated that several members of the Council and Director of General Plan Administration Pamela Tuft had attended a daylong seminar sponsored by the Natural Step regarding sustainability in both business and government and Vol. 33, Page 486 October 4, 1999 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 expressed it would be applicable to the sustainability component of the new General Plan. Council Member Cader-Thompson added, regarding the Natural Step, that she had received a call from Onita Pellegrini of the Petaluma Area Chamber of Commerce who was interested in working together with Council to invite the Natural Step to come and speak in Sonoma .County and hoped that this would be planned in February. In addition, she received a complaint about the landscaping on Pamela Place and wanted an update from City Management. She missed her first Zone 2A meeting and apologized. She understood the cost to cableeast the Board of Supervisors meetings was to be borne by the City and thought this was- unfair; the meetings would be broadcast for the benefit of the entire County. She further stated that she had a discussion with a downtown business owner who stated that the closure of Kentucky Street for the Antique Faire had negative impacts for his business and others and suggested that other streets be considered for future events. She wanted a joint meeting scheduled with the Council and the Music,. Recreation and Parks Commission regarding prospective properties for ball fields. She had heard that several children were injured. while using the Casa Grande field and expressed her concern about the condition of the field. Mayor Thompson read a question he received from Diane Reilly-Torres asking why there. was no EIR ("Environmental Impact Report") done for the River Enhancement Plan. Council Member Cader-Thompson had received several complaints about signs around the City posted by citizens that should be removed. She wanted to know if the City had an ordinance that addressed the problem; if not, she thought one was needed. Council Member Maguire replied the Council had a discussion about four years ago and determined that enforcement would be difficult. Lori Shea had worked with someone on a subcommittee of the Chamber of Commerce that volunteered time to remove signs but the practice had not continued. He thought there was a lack of resources and expressed that Council needed to look at the larger issues, such as litter control and the proliferation of illegal signs, and develop a systematic approach to contend with those issues. City Manager Fred Stouder noted that he had requested several departments to provide information about the City's current practices and legislation on these issues. He would follow-up with an historical review and report to the Council. PRESENTATIONS Mayor Thompson presented the following employees with Employee Service Awards for July through September 1999. 30 Years 15 Years 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 October 4, 1999 Vol. 33, Page 487 Tom Hargis -Engineering Department Clayton Begrin -Police Department Leonard Sparks -Fire Department Jan Tolbert -Planning Department 25 Years 10 Years Lt. Dave Dohn -Police Department Trae Cooper - IS Analyst Leslie Manning -Finance Jane Thomson -Planning Peter Witt -Electrician PROCLAMATION Mayor Thompson read a Proclamation declaring the Week of October 3-9 as Fire Prevention Week and presented it to Fire Department Chief Terry Krout. AGENDA CHANGES, ADDITIONS, AND DELETIONS City Attorney Richard Rudnansky asked Council to consider the following Closed Session item be added to the Council's agenda: CONFERENCE WITH LEGAL COUNSEL EXISTING LITIGATION (Subdivision (a) of Government Code Section 54956.9. Bravo vs. City of Petaluma et al. Sonoma County Superior Court Case No. 218404. Motion: Council Member Maguire moved, seconded by Hamilton, to add the following Closed Session item to Council's Agenda: CONFERENCE WITH LEGAL COUNSEL EXISTING LITIGATION (Subdivision (a) of Government Code Section 54956.9. Bravo vs. City of Petaluma et al. Sonoma County Superior Court Case No. 218404, to today's Closed Session. Motion Passed: 6/0/1 (Hamilton absent). CONSENT CALENDAR Items numbered 1, 2, 5, 7 and 9 were removed from Consent. Items 3, 4, 6, and 8 were approved under Consent. 1. Resolution Authorizing the City Manager to Sign Agreement with the Sonoma County Water Agency (SCWA) for Funding Portion of the Construction Costs of the Army Corps of Engineers U-Shaped and Trapezoidal Channels. SCWA Funding is $1,518,000 for U-Shaped and $3,000,000 for Trapezoidal Channels. Project No. 9724. Council Member Torliatt questioned the indemnification clause in the agreements for reimbursement. from Sonoma County Water Agency ("SCWA") and whether it indemnified SCWA for issues arising from construction of this project and did not relieve Vol. 33, Page 488 October 4, 1999 1 them from any responsibilities for flooding impacts that have occurred in the past or that 2 may occur in the future. 3 4 Mr. Rudnansky responded that he raised that issue with the County Counsel's Office 5 and in discussions with them derived at the changed language reflected in the 6 Resolution. He stated that it was his understanding in discussions with County Counsel 7 that the way the provision was written was that the City would only indemnity SCWA for 8 this project and not anything that was closely related to the project. 9 10 Council Member Keller asked City Management to provide a current budget on the 11 project, showing all current expenses, sources of funds, projections for future 12 expenditures and fund sources, and a timeline for the project. 13 14 Mayor Thompson requested City Management to provide the information by the next 15 Council Meeting. 16 17 Motion: Council Member Torliatt moved, seconded by Maguire to adopt Resolution 18 99-199 N.C.S. Authorizing the City Manager to Sign Agreement with the Sonoma 19 County Water Agency (SCWA) for Funding Portion of the Construction Costs of the 20 Army Corps of Engineers U-Shaped and Trapezoidal Channels. 21 22 Motion Passed: 6/0/1 (Hamilton absent). 23 24 2. Resolution Approving Claims and Bills 85004 through 85400. 25 26 Council Member Torliatt questioned the wording of the Resolution. 27 28 Mr. Stouder responded that the check numbers were listed on the back of the packet 29 and the sequence of numbers was due to payment from separate enterprise funds. 30 31 Motion: Council Member Keller moved, seconded by Torliatt, to adopt Resolution 99- 32 200 N.C.S. Approving Claims and Bills 85004 through 85400. 33 34 Motion Passed: 6/0/1 (Hamilton absent). 35 36 3. Resolution 99-195 N.C.S. Approving Claims and Bills 85401 through 85715. 37 38 Approved under consent. 39 40 4. Resolution 99-196 N.C.S. Accepting the Completion of the 1998-1999 Sewer 41 Manhole Relining Project. The Project Involved Relining 24 Deteriorated 42 Sewer Manholes to Reduce Inflow/Infiltration (I/I). Contractor: J. F. Pacific 43 Liners, Inc. Final Project Cost: $33,182.20. Project No. 9799 Phase 8. 44 45 Approved under consent. 46 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 4S October 4, 1999 Vol. 33, Page 489 5. Resolution Granting a 15' x 20' Drainage Easement to the County of Sonoma for a Storm Drain Inlet on Hardin Lane and Authorizing the City Manager to Sign the Easement Documents. The County is improving the general condition of the roadway drainage facilities. Council Member Healy inquired if the City would still have a buildable lot if it surplused the land and whether the 300 square feet. easement would bring it below the three-acre minimum. Director of Engineering Tom Hargis replied that the acreage was one to one and had a 500,000-gallon storage reservoir that was on the site now and did not believe an easement would change the three-acre minimum. Council Member Healy suggested that Council could approve this item and direct City Management to confirm the information before the project was signed up. Council Member Keller asked what the cost to the City was for the preparation of documents and management of the easement project. Mr. Hargis replied that there was approximately three hours of staff time expended to date. Motion: Council Member Maguire moved, seconded by Keller, to adopt Resolution 99- 201 fV.C.S. Granting a 15' x 20' Drainage Easement to the County of Sonoma for a Storm Drain Inlet on Hardin Lane and Authorizing the City Manager to Sign Easement Documents. Motion Passed: 6/0/1 (Hamilton absent). 6. Resolution 99-197 IV.C.S. Rejecting Sealed Bids for the Re-roofing of Fire Stations 2 and 3 (Carr) Approved under consent. 7. Resolution Supporting Fair Competition and Taxpayer Savings Act Initiative to Amend the State Constitution to Ensure the Ability of State and Local Governments to Contract Out. for Architectural and Engineering Design Services. (Stouder) IVo Action Taken. Council concurred to continue this item to a date indefinite, that is, until City Management could come back with an opposing viewpoint to the legislation for Council to consider both the pros and cons of the legislation prior to giving an endorsement. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 Vol. 33, Page 490 October 4, 1999 8. Resolution 99-198 N.C.S. in Support of Preferred Alternative in the U.S. Coast Guard's Programmatic Environmental Assessment for the U.S. Coast Guard Base at Two Rock. Approved under consent. 9. Resolution Accepting Completion of Roundabout Intersection Improvements at Ely Blvd. and Casa Grande Road as part of Subdivision Improvements with Cross Creek Subdivision. Project No. 9967. Contractor: Argonaut Constructors. Final Project Cost: $298,200. Council Member Keller suggested that, in the future, roundabout landscaping designs be improved. Council Member Torliatt responded that three options were given to Council from Park and Recreation Department regarding landscaping and this design was the result of Council's action. She wanted the Tree Advisory Committee 'to place on an agenda for discussion an item regarding future roundabout landscape design. Council Member Healy clarified that the Tree Advisory Committee had discussed this particular project on several occasions but that they became involved in the project too late. This project was regarded as a learning experience. Council Member Cader-Thompson was in favor of roundabouts throughout the City. Council Member Maguire suggested that cages or t-barred stakes be put around the roundabout to protect the small trees. Motion: Council Member Maguire moved, seconded by Keller, to adopt Resolution 99- 202 N.C.S. Accepting Completion of Roundabout Intersection Improvements at Ely Blvd. and Casa Grande Road as part of Subdivision Improvements with Cross Creek Subdivision. Project No. 9967. Motion Passed: 6/0/1 (Hamilton absent). UNFINISHED BUSINESS 10. Status Report by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Regarding Status of Payran Reach Project. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Lynn Galal gave a verbal status report regarding status of the project. The floodwalls, weir, channel work, and elimination of the river diversions would be completed prior to the rainy season. She stated that the latest hurdle that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers encountered was that therE~ were three underground storage tanks discovered and appeared to be two fuel tanks and one sanitary tank. She notified City Management of the problem and verified that the U.S. Army Corps of October 4, 1999 Vol. 33, Page 491 1 Engineers would further an investigation. She thought the discovery of the tanks would 2 not delay the project.. 3 4 Council Member Cader-Thompson: stated she had. visited the project and talked with 5 some of the homeowners in the Payran area who were very pleased, but had questions 6 concerning the closure of the gap areas. She said the homeowners needed to be 7 apprised that the gap areas were not going to be closed and what was going to be done 8 about it. She also applauded Frontier Construction for a job well done. 9 10 Mr. Hargis gave an update on matters with the rail authority regarding the bridge. He 11 expected the last agreement signed and faxed back giving permission to construct the 12 railroad bridge before the end. of the day. Regarding the construction of the center pier 13 on the mainline bridge, Frontier Construction estimated two months and, since 14 construction could not occur over the winter months, this would not be done by the 15 target date at the end. of October. He stated that the two approaches could be built. He 16 further stated that Frontier would begin hauling excess material from the Corps site 'in 17 mid-October to the disposal site at Shollenberger Park and that there would be a press 18 release to .notify the public about what was happening: He also stated that there. was a 19 funding problem with the Corps of Engineers' y,.ear2000 river dredging. 20 21 Ms. Galal added that the dredging project was a cyclical project and was not done every 22 year. Originally the project was scheduled. to be dredged ,in. fiscal year 2001 but 23 because of budget constraints, was bumped .to 2002'. She stated ~~that the only way to 24 get it pushed back to 2001 or the year 2000 was to lobby congressional representatives 25 and have them try to address this issue as a congressional addition to the 26 appropriations bill. She shared a concern that once the flood control project was 27 completed that there could be an increase in the shoalirig downstream. and the 28 feasibility report that was published several ,years ago did state that an increase 'in 29 sedimentation once the project was completed would occur. A condition survey or 30 hydrographic survey was being looked into, if additional .funds were available, to see 31 what the conditions were. With a condition survey, this, information could be used in 32 trying to persuade congressional representatives. She stated. that the Corps' O & M 33 Division handled the issue of federal funding and Mark McGovern was the name ofi their 34 point of contact. Mr. Evert and Mr. McGovern had already spoken and that hopefully 35 Mr. McGovern could give Council the information needed,,,,. 36 37 Council Member Keller inquired whether the funds could be accelerated. because the 38 Corps was participating in a project that may well increase the sedimentation. 39 40 Ms. Galal responded that she was uncertain of the answer. 41 42 Council Member Healy asked what the cost of a condition survey would be and would 43 the study be performed this season or after the next rainy season. 44 45 Ms. Galal responded that she was uncertain about the cost because it would come from 46 the federal budget, but could find out. In response to when the survey would be Vol. 33, Page 492 October 4, Y999 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 performed, she stated that. it could go either way because it was not currently scheduled to happen in this federal fiscal year and' was not scheduled to do a condition survey' until the next fiscal year. The condition survey would not take more than a week's, time, Council Member Healy stated that he felt getting the information on how this survey could .be accomplished sooner rather than later was. important. Council Member Torliatt wanted a represenfati~e from O & M to address Council on this: issue and secondly felt the Corps would really have a vested interest in :dredging because the success of the, flood control project depended a lot on the fact that the turning basin was dredged~~out. Council Member Keller requested, City Management to provide a copy of the last survey conducted regarding,tle shoaling/dredging of'th`e River. John Cherie , 55. Rocca Drive y ~ ~ ,asked Council if the pumps-would be operating on both sides of the River to take the water that cannot get back into the River. Mr. Hargis responded ~"no"~ and :fhat the. contractor. would start working on the pump stations.in the winter-~when work could not be done in the river. Mr. Cheney stated that.:this would impose:a serious problem. He also stated that landfill.: at Old Adobe;was~still there, that the ma~n'was ;paying. a fine. for it, but nothing was being done. .Lastly; regarding the channelization,'tyillow trees were supposed' to be planfed and it had not been done. ' Council Member Maguire responded that Council had' been pursuing, the landfill' matter aggressively. and the County was not being particularly cooperative. He requested help from the constituency and asked City Management to provide. a status report of the willow tree planting. Mr. Hargis replied~he would .hoped to give a status report during: the evening meeting. Council Member Keller suggested the interested parties of the Adobe landfill contact downstream property owners along that side of town whose I'and might be impacted by a change in surface water flows and who might have a financial interest"i'ri making sure that it got corrected. The engineering firm has indicated everything, was okay. Me indicated that. interested. parties on that side of the river, whose land would be affected by the overflows, might have better leverage with the County. Geoff Cartwright, 56 Rocca Drive, requested that. Council consider proposing an ordinance to stop development in the floodplain. Council Member Torliatt requested an update on the: City's litigation costs arising from the flood claims. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 October 4, 1999 No Action Taken. Vol. 33, Page 493 City Attorney Rich Rudnansky announced the following items to be addressed during Closed Session: CLOSED SESSION CONFERENCE WITH LEGAL COUNSEL EXISTING LITIGATION (Subdivision (a) of Government Code Section 54956.9. Bravo vs. City of Petaluma et al. Sonoma County Superior Court Case No. 218404 CONFERENCE WITH LEGAL COUNSEL EXISTING LITIGATION (Subdivision (a) of Government Code Section 54956.9. Hecht vs. City of Petaluma et al. Sonoma County Superior Court Case No. 220548. CONFERENCE WITH LABOR NEGOTIATOR Pursuant to Government Code Section 54957.6, Units 1, 2 and 3, AFSCME. Agency Negotiator: Acorne/Stouder. CONFERENCE WITH LABOR NEGOTIATOR Pursuant to Government Code Section. 54957.6, Unit 8, Department Directors. Agency Negotiator: Acorne/Stouder CONFERENCE WITH LABOR NEGOTIATOR Pursuant to Government Code Section 54957.6, Unit 7, Fire. Agency Negotiator: Acorne/Beatty/I<rout ADJOURN Council adjourned to Closed Session at 4:30 p.m. RECONVENE The City Council of the City of Petaluma reconvened its Regular Meeting on this date in the Council Chambers at 7:05 p. m. - ROLL CALL Present: Cader-Thompson, Healy, Keller, Maguire, Thompson, Torliatt Absent: Hamilton PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE At the request of Mayor Thompson, Vince Landof led the Pledge of Allegiance MOMENT OF SILENCE At the request of Mayor Thompson, a Moment of Silence was observed. Vol. 33, Page 494 October 4, 1999 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 PUBLIC COMMENT Richard Brawn, 141 Grevillia Drive, spoke against having two stop signs on Sunnyslope Road to control traffic. Alice Bonomi, 862 South McDowell, voiced her concerns regarding animal abundance and cruelty. . Bob Martin, 171 Payran Street, read a letter regarding .zero net fill, violation"s and distributed it to Council Members and City Management present. Ned Orrett, 620 2nd Street, thanked Council Members and others who' "had recently attended a sustainability conference. Council Member Cader-Thompson noted that the Chamber of Commerce, was interested in having the Natural Step come to Sonoma County and mentioned an award Mr. Orrett received from the Bay Institute. Vince Landof, 12 Cordelia Drive, spoke in favor of the Flood Control Project and expressed his concerns to City Management regarding the permit delays for the railroad trestles. Mayor Thompson directed Mr. Hargis and Mr. Stouder to meet with Mr. Landof about these issues. Mr. Landof requested a public discussion on the issue. Mr. Rudnansky reminded Council that this item was not on the agenda and comments., . if any, at this time should be brief and without discussion. Geoff Cartwright, 56 Rocca Drive, spoke regarding the allocation pool for Oak Creek Apartments voiced his opposition to development in the floodplain. Diane Reilly-Torres spoke regarding the Zone 2A meeting that was not publicized and wanted to be notified of future meetings. She then read an article regarding the California Federal Flood project. COUNCIL COMMENTS Council Member Keller thanked Ned Orrett for the invitation to .attend the :Natural'., Step Conference and added that it was very informative regarding the sustainability. Regarding the letter and comments from Bob Martin, he stated that he also. had been concerned about the fill, the paving, and oiling of the property on Stony Point Road :and requested City Management investigate and produce a comparison. of existing elevations versus some aerial photography going back prior to the fill of that property. He continued that it had long been suspected that there was substantial, illegal fill on 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 October 4, 1999 Vol. 33, Page 495 that property resulting in uncontrolled run off to the Petaluma River' and requested a response in writing from City Management on this issue. Regarding Ms. ~Bonomi's comments, Council received a memo from Assistant City Manager, Gene Beatty, regarding her meeting with the City and he agreed with the recommendation that the Animal Services Advisory Committee address a catch and release program and come back to Council with a report regarding their findings. Council Member Torliatt requested the meeting be adjourned in honor of the memory of Joe Burton and Marilyn Swensen who died in a plane crash on September 18.after departing from the Petaluma Airport. Secondly, on October 2 the Mayor and members of Council toured the Dairymen's Mill and the Ribbly Dairy that resulted in very informative discussions with people in the agriculture industry. Some. of the issues derived from those discussions included railroad operating needs, water needs, sewer treatment needs, expansion needs, and the land use impacts. She continued that she also toured DFA ("Dairy Farmers of America"), previously the co-op in town, and expressed her thanks to them and the Chamber of Commerce for putting the' tours together. Mr. Hargis reported that he and Lynn Galal, Project Manager of the. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, gave their monthly update that afternoon on the Corps of Engineers' project and the great success being made by Frontier Construction on the trapezoidal channel. He stated that Frontier Construction was also the City's contractor for the mainline railroad bridge replacement. Other items discussed were the efforts in trying to obtain permits from the railroad business with Golden Gate, Northcoast Railroad Authority and Railways, Inc. in order to start construction, how the window was lost to get the center pier in, obtaining permits for the abutments and efforts replacing the two bridges. He stated that inquiries should be directed to him, not Mr. Stouder, regarding this Corps of Engineers project. Mayor Thompson announced that no reportable action was taken during Closed Session. PROCLAMATION Mayor Thompson read a Proclamation regarding Domestic Violence Awareness Month and presented it to Detective Ed Crosby who accepted it on behalf of the Police Department. uNi=iNishE®~usiN~ss 11. Written Report on healthy Community Consortium (hC2) Committee Action/Youth Programs. Director of Parks and Recreations Jim Carr summarized the written report presented by HC2 Committee Action/Youth Programs which included an overview of its history and efforts taken through the years, and concluded that much more needed to be done, Vol. 33, Page 496 October 4, 1999 1 especially in the areas of health services, job training, educational tutoring and .nutrition 2 assistance for Petaluma youth. He stated that based on data collected from the 1997 3 Community Needs Assessment, the Teen Speak Outs,, and. the University of Califo,r.nia 4 at San Francisco (UC) report (that addressed the health of Petaluma adolescents)... The 5 CAPS (Collaborative Action Planning Session) group identified six areas that were key 6 issues for the Petaluma youth: (1) development of an update of the Teen Resource 7 Guide established years ago and. make it available to families and- social service 8 providers; (2) development of a youth commission comprised of adults who would act. 9 .as mentors and be the resources that would link to the community; (3) create a Teen. 10 Council made up of representatives of the teens themselves, not just the sports people 11 and the academic high achievers, but a wide cross spectrum of teens; (4) conduct some 12 Town Hall meetings with youth as the focus,. (5) development or expanded menforing 13 programs; and (6) .expanded substance abuse prevention program for junior and senior 14 high schools. He suggested returning to Council on October 18 since Council was.just 15 given the report, with a resolution that would establish the Youth Commission and Teen 16 Council in collaboration with the City Council, the Board of Education and the ..Petaluma 17 Healthcare District to address the needs of Petaluma youth. He placed emphasis on the 18 establishment of two bodies, its goals and timelines, and moving forward. 19 20 Council Member Cader-Thompson expressed the importance of a proper .physical 21 education program in our schools, especially in dealing with the health of our youth sand 22 inquired whether the School District was involved in the discussions. 23 24 Mr. Carr replied that the School District was involved in the process and that the 25 physical education program in the schools was an item for discussion and possible 26 action. 27 28 Council Member Keller wanted a list of concise goals and objectives for the. Council and- 29 the Committee in order to have a clear sense of how the goals and objectives-would fit. 30 within the context of the overall youth program and provide assurance that the; goals 31 and objectives had not been addressed elsewhere so there were 'no compefing 32 interests. He stressed that the teens be assured that this was not just a "feel good" 33 exercise that they were asked to participate in and let down by promises; it would have 34 some real consequences. He further stated he wanted a report brought'back o Council 35 with that type of detail. 36 37 Mr. Carr replied that the UC report stated there were a number of organizations .moving 38 in various directions and nobody knew overall what was going on. He thought it was 39 important to find out what the resources were and get them moving in a common 40 direction. 41 42 Council Member Maguire requested a recap of the existing Teen Center, such as the 43 number of hours open, the number of users, and current cost. 44 45 Mr. Carr responded that at the present time the facility was primarily used as a res~ouece. 46 center working with the School District for work permits and j®b fairs in order'to provide October 4, 1999 Vol. 33, Page 497 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 jobs for Petaluma youth. One of his thoughts was to use the facility as a starting location for this umbrella organization, though the report did not necessarily support that idea. He stated that the $15,000 annual budget available was sufficient to get the program up and running. Council Member Maguire inquired what process would be used in order to get a real cross section of teenagers to participate in a consistent manner. Mr. Carr responded that this was one issue that would need to be developed before becoming public. Various models would be used in the development of this plan.. He stated that the City of Visalia had a very successful Teen Program, and was one model that would be used. Council Member Cader-Thompson inquired whether the School District would be putting any money towards this project. Mr. Carr stated that the School District has not been approached. Diane Reilly-Torres suggested a joint partnership with Rohnert Park for youth services. Council Member Cader-Thompson suggested having a joint meeting with the School District to go over the material. Mr. Carr responded that the School District was heavily involved in discussions in providing community youth with food, shelter, clothing, educational tutoring and those were the type of things the City would continue to look at. Council Member Maguire supported the Council was ready to adopt a resolution information that is more concrete. concept wholeheartedly, but wondered if and create a commission without having Mr. Carr replied that authorization was needed for City Management to begin the process. Council Member Keller stated before he entertained a proposal for a Youth Commission and Teen Council he wanted to see it put together as a concrete business plan that answered questions such as what was the objective, the constituency, formation and financing. Council Member Healy was in favor of moving forward with the program and that the time for action was now. He stated that goals and objectives needed to be formulated. Council Member Torliatt stated that the program needed refined objectives and the youth selection criteria, such as, term and age. She also wanted to see the. School District more involved in the process. Vol. 33, Page 498 October 4, 1999 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 Ms. Sue Ellen Thompson, HC2, responded that most of the people involved in the . project had a long history working with kids. She emphasized that this proposal was. to obtain authorization to move forward with the project. The goals would not be refined until a youth forum was established and the youth were represented. Sh'e stated that the proposal had taken into consideration the best of the various plans that had been reviewed and combined them. Council Member Keller reiterated his request to have the proposal presented as a business plan. Ms. Thompson replied that HC2 membership would meet again and would advise Council of when those meetings would take place for their input. . Council Member Maguire was willing to support the proposal with some modest amendments. One amendment would be that more general goals be established such _ ,: as quantifying the level of teen participation and specifying participation of race, ,gender, variety of teen of ages, and socioeconomic criteria among others;._ He_ suggested . adopting this resolution with an amendment that it returns to Council for review-and final approval in three months. .~ ~ . Mr. Stouder clarified that this resolution was scheduled for Council. action_,at the- next' regular Council meeting. Council Member Cader-Thompson requested a timetable for the project be presented ,af_. the next meeting. Council Member Torliatt was interested. in having a discussion at the next meeting. about how the program was. to be funded. No Action Taken 12. Introduction of Discussion on Final Design Option for th;e McDowell Boulevard/East Washington Street Intersection Transportation Improvements, Project 9863, Phase III. Mr. Stouder introduced this item and noted that it would be placed on the October 1'8 agenda for possible Council action and direction. He introduced and turned this item over to Mike Evert for presentation and questions. Mr. Evert presented the project and the alternatives that focused on .roadway,. bicycle;., pedestrian, landscaping, and safety improvements for .the area. He. in'troduced' Keith Hastings, the Design Engineer with CSW Stubber Strow, and Jason, Lew,. Traffic Engineer with Wilbur Smith Associates. He stated that the presentation was divided into three schedules crucial for discussion the project. Schedule "A" focused on the intersection, roadway, bicycle, pedestrian, and landscaping around .the' intersection.. Schedule "B" provided bicycle and pedestrian alternatives from the northbotand off-ramp October 4, 1999 Vol. 33', Page 499 1 of U.S. Highway 101 westerly over the freeway to Ellis Street. Schedule "C" provided 2 for the addition of bike lanes along East Washington from McDowell Boulevard to 3 Adobe Road. He then reviewed the Summary of Traffic Performance Report on the 4 intersection level of service, delays, and traffic- counts at the East Washington 5 intersection of the northbound off ramp at peak times; an increase in traffic of 6 approximately 30% over the past four or five years. The intersection was at capacity 7 and an origin destination survey. 8 9 Council Member Keller asked if the destination survey included detailed information 10 related to shopping and restaurant locations. 11 12 Mr. Evert replied that shopping and restaurants were one broad category and did not 13 believe it was delineated. He indicated that another survey could be done for more 14 specifics on that issue and that he would get back to the Council on this point after 15 studying the surveys. 16 17 Mr. Evert then provided a summary of the different alternatives. Alternative "1 A" 18 covered the Washington Creek Channel with a structure that allowed the widening of 19 East Washington towards. the creek and provided for a new left-turn lane eastbound 20 onto East Washington from southbound McDowell and westbound onto Easf 21 Washington from northbound McDowell. Alternative "3" combined a new northbound 22 on-ramp with Alternative "1." The northbound on-ramp option was not recommended. 23 The alternative provided for a meandering pathway in a landscaped park setting. This 24 meandering sidewalk and the roadway could be used by bicyclists. He reviewed the 25 pedestrian/bicycle alternatives from the northbound on-ramp of U.S. Highway 101 over 26 the freeway to Ellis Street (Alternatives "B1 ", "B2", "B3", "B4"). 27 28 Council Member Maguire inquired what the expense was to enclose Washington Creek 29 and if feasible, the bike lane could be installed on the edge of the Beacon Station at the 30 backside of the shopping center and a cut over similar to the bicycle plan (Alternative 31 "B2"). 32 33 Mr. Evert replied that the cost to enclose Washington Creek was $2 million dollars. He 34 stated that adding lanes could be accomplished if the bike lanes were not on the 35 roadway, but. a bicycle path on the roadway was preferred by the Bicycle Committee 36 and satisfied General Plan requirements. He stated that running the bike lane fo the 37 shopping center side of Washington Creek could be researched. If done, the bike lane 38 would be removed from the Carrows Restaurant side of the street; the bike lanes were 39 five feet each and atwelve- foot lane was necessary for the bike lanes to allow for 40 removal from both edges of the roadway and enable sufficient capacity for automobile 41 lanes. 42 43 Council Member Torliatt asked what exactly Cal Trans' improvements were in 44 Alternative "A2" and if there were things the City could do to help facilitate Cal Trans 45 completing those improvements. 46 Vol. 33, Page 500 October 4, 1999 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 Mr. Evert responded that there was a Project Study Report ("PSR") that Cal Trans: did several years ago. The key to the PSR was removal,of fhe sharp-turn at~the otf-ramp and to provide adiamond-shaped interchange design... He stated that the,align;meAnt in Attachment "2" tied into a future alignment for the off-ramp. H,e stated that a meeting with Cal Trans could be arranged if Council so desired. He thought. the. proposal ,was expensive in comparison to the benefits the community would derive 'f"rom it. Mr. Evert summarized the financial impact of the project. He stated that fhe Capital _; Improvement Plan ("CIP") that was carried forward from '1994 showed a project cost of` $5,987,000. This amount was used as a base budget and :was developed :over a~five= , year period. Once Council chose an alternative, the p'roj'ect cost would be~ developed. There was approximately $1.4 million dollars accumulafed_ in Traffic'Mitgation ;Fees and the City had received a $900,000 grant for bike lanes. along East Washington Street. The feasibility ofi an assessment district that was part of the proposed-fundi'ng:.package needed to be reviewed by an assessment engineer through an assessment- district feasibility study. Proposition 218 was very complicated and had yery_specific,gu:idelines on how an assessment district was formed. The redevelopment fund of $1~,.3'~ mill,on dollars had not been allocated to this project. ~ _~ . Council Member Maguire asked to have fiscal impacts predicated on Traffic;IVlifigation Fee restructure in the General Plan build-out. Mr. Evert replied that the Traffic Mitigation ordinance was based on the General. Plan. Two things happened--one was that the build-out happened considerably .later Phan fhe current General Plan called for so funding came in over a longer period of time; and. two, the density of housing was less than what was called for in the General Plan therefore reduced traffic mitigation funds came into the City. City Management was to provide Council with an update on the Traffic Mitigation Fees. Council Member Torliatt asked for the update within the next two weeks. Mr. Stouder had reviewed the updated information and clarified that it would not be brought for Council review and discussion until he was comfortable with the information. Council Member Healy inquired if Council would be shown additional projects :that City Management would recommend in future years in order for Council to prioritize. Mr. Evert replied that City Management wanted to show projects beyond the five-.year CIP. He stated that the Old Redwood Highway interchange overpass replacement was as it would be beyond capacity in the near future. The City musf plan several ;years in advance to accumulate sufficient funds to replace that interchange. Council Member Torliatt commented that she believed the widening of Stony Point Road resulted in an increased capacity of the Old Redwood Highway interchange. October 4, 1999 Vol. 33, Page 501 1 Mr. Evert responded that the improvements done four or five years ago were beneficial 2 in reducing the traffic congestion at that interchange. 3 4 Council Member Torliatt agreed that future projects needed to be looked at, but believed 5 there was insufficient money in the five-year CIP to fund current projects. 6 7 Mr. Stouder responded that there had never been enough money to fund the projects in 8 the CIP and potential state and federal funds were identified to fill the gap even though 9 those state and federal funds may not be forthcoming. 10 11 Council Member Keller inquired if the bike lanes in this project were included in the five- 12 year CIP. 13 14 Mr. Evert replied that the project included basic improvements in the intersection, a bike 15 lane and sidewalk over the freeway to the Westside, and bike lanes on McDowell out to 16 Adobe.. Council was to choose from Schedule "A" one of the intersection improvement 17 alternatives that included bike lanes and pedestrian improvements within the 18 intersection, choose from Schedule "B" one of the bike path/sidewalk alternatives over 19 the freeway west, and then choose from Schedule "C" one of the bike lane alternatives 20 to Adobe Road. 21 22 Council Member Keller asked whether there were any duplicative cost savings in 23 combining one alternative to another or if there were isolated costs for each alternative. 24 25 Mr. Evert responded that costs for each were independent. 26 27 Council Member Torliatt asked, in the worst-case scenario, the number of property 28 owners that would be affected by the use of their property as a portion of the 29 intersection improvements. 30 31 Mr. Evert responded that approximately four to five property owners were involved, 32 primarily located on the Beacon Service Station side of the intersection and across the 33 intersection in front of Wherehouse Records. The Best Western Motel and Carrows 34 properties were not affected by right-of-way, but were affected by the crowding of their 35 property line and the impacts to their existing landscaping. 36 37 Council Member Keller asked where access to the Beacon Service Station would be 38 located. 39 40 Mr. Evert responded that the driveway closest to East Washington would be closed off 41 and that one of its four pump lanes would be lost. Tanks and plumbing during the 42 remodeling of the Beacon Service Station were relocated so that they would not 43 interfere with the project. The property owner, prior to remodeling, had indicated that 44 the City would need right-of-way if the service station were changed to any great extent. 45 Rather than changing the service station, the owners replaced the tanks, the concrete 46 slab, and put in new pumps. The property owner would have had to have a dedicated Vol. 33, Page 502 October 4, 1999 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 right-of-way to change the use of the service station. The County had indicated that the property owner reasonably cleaned up the site. The City would have to do some borings to see what was there when the road was widened, and anticipated that the roadway may not encounter any contaminate problems. Council Member Cader-Thompson commented that she had worked on resolving traffic circulation issues at this intersection for the past six years and to finally baring this matter to the Council pleased her. Council Member Torliatt inquired whether the other property owners were. Sonoma County Water Agency and Cal Trans and did the City have to deal with acquisitions from both of these agencies. Mr. Evert replied yes and reviewed a proposed schedule. He recommended construction begin in 2001. However, there was a long list of obstacles presented in the report that were beyond the City's control. Cal Trans had to agreed to all of the improvements on East Washington west of McDowell, the environmental issues fad to be addressed, and there was a long list of important projects that had been delayed that were scheduled for next year such as the "D" Street bridge repair, Bodega .Avenue widening, Lindburg Lane, purchase of the Paula Lane revenue site., water main replacement, Water Street sewer, among others. All of those projects 'wou'ld be impacted because the Senior Project Manager for the Department was going to focus on this project. Mr. Lew presented a computer-generated model of the Washington/McDowell Intersection to illustrate existing traffic circulation and proposed recommendations. Chuck Syers presented Council with pictures showing intersection solutions in other jurisdictions, which were similar to the Washington/McDowell interchange. He wanted Council to expand the study and possibly combine Alternative "1A" with the northbound on-ramp. He felt that there was a need for a fair analysis regarding the increase in special assessments, which would negatively affect some of the shopping center's smaller tenants. He wanted to see the intersection improved cosmetically, He commented that Alternative "1 A" offered a better, nicer looking plan, and would be a credit to the Council and this administration. Jack Balshaw spoke in favor of Alternative "1A" and wanted Council to coordinate a northbound on-ramp. He wanted Council to consider a northbound exit, only at Rainier as a possible traffic solution. He distributed to Council a copy of his presentation. Geoff Cartwright, 56 Rocca Drive, expressed the necessity for improvements at McDowell/Washington intersection so whatever alternative was needed. to snake it work he was in favor of it. Richard DiCarli, Best Western Inn/Petaluma Inn, 200 S. McDowell, expressed concerns. Ocfober`4; 1999 Vol. 33, Page 503 1 that the planters/landscaping; signage and ,turningradius for guests coming in and out 2 of the Inn would be compromised :by~~the proposed alternatives. He requested that 3 limited hours of construction be considered: ~ He was not in favor of an assessment 4 district. He thought thaf -the proposed alternatives did not benefit the Inn but were 5 necessary for the community. 6 7 Hank Flum, 1721 Stonehenge Way, spoke in favor of the proposed alternatives for the 8 Washington/McD,owell intersection but could not understand why bike paths were 9 needed for both sides of the roadway. 10 11 Vince Landof spoke in favor Alternative "C". 12 13 Council Member Torlatt noted that the Bicycle Advisory Committee had not seen the 14 report to date. 15 16 Richard Myers, Petaluma Properties, Inc. 200 S. McDowell Blvd., encouraged Council 17 to experience the traffic circulation problems by pulling into the Best Western Hotel 18 and/or Carrows and then exiting the parking lot(s). 19 20 Recess: 10:15 p.m. 21 22 Reconvened at: 10:25 p:rn. 23 > 24 Council Member Healy wanted more information on _(1).'impaet to other intersections 25 because he did .not want to be moving the traffic problem elsewhere; (2) calculation: of 26 .assessments of nearby property owners -- more information on a realistic estimate, the 27 methodology to be 'incorporated and' what. money could be expected from the 28 assessments; (3) construction, duration •of approximately 185 - 245 days and how 29 disruptive the construction would be; and' (4) what 'the 'othex priorities were regarding 30 traffic improvement problems around the City and their cost. ~ He thought a bike lane on 31 East Washington was worth looking into further. 3 2 _ • • ... ., .. 33 Council Member Cader-Thompson'wanted to see if Alternative "'1 A" could be phased in 34 with Alternative "C'' and for Cify~ Management to begin. discussions with. Cal Trans. She 35 wanted the City Manager to add,ress~ the $5 million thaf had been brought. up during fhe . 36 Rainier discussions. ~` 37 - ~ •• . 38 Council Member .Keller .compared the figures. from this ,project with the Rainier figures. 39 He thought that. fh-is project would provide an exfraordinary improvement over what 40 Rainier ever promised for the intersection at a, seventh or eighth of the price. He was 41 interested ~in (1) visual.'.improvements for thi's;entrance`to Petaluma; (2) the possibility of 42 having three lanes that could carry the capacity needed leaving shoulders and bikeways 43 on the existing easement; (3) having a corriforfable_walkway for shoppers and students 44 going to and from school with rest areas; aril (4).: the possibility of running the extra 45 width or turn lanes as 'in Alternative "1 A", but not over the creek, to be used as an Vol. 33, Page 504 -October 4; 1.999 1 amenity. He ;also questioned what happened :to the. $5 million mentioned in, connection 2 with the Rainier discussion since Council~had~turned,down the project. 3 _. 4 Mayor Thompson was concerned abo:ut how much .money would be spent on this 5 project and the other long-term needs of the City. 6 7 Council Member Mag,u.ire was not inclined to pursue the northbound on'=ramp and 8 wanted it built later and have Cal Trans pay: for if. He was ;n favor of aesthetic-looking _. .. 9 corners and having a two-way bike. pathway on the north side of 'Washington Creek. 10 from Sonoma Parkway to near Ellis Street and wanted to hear back on available 11 choices. He stated that the southerly.entrance into the Flaza.South presented; driveway 1:2 problems; however, h'e was in favor of .going ahead in finding a solution to this problem. 13 14 Council Member Torlatt wanted staff to start discussions with Cal Trans and. asked 15 whom the. public should' contact' if they wanted more. information. 16 17 Mr. Evert: responded ;that tte public could contact him at 778-4304. 18 ~ . 19 IVo Action Taken. 20 21 PIIBLIG iiEARINGS 22 ~.. 23' 1`3. Introduction of an Ordinance Updating the Radar Enforceable. Speed Zones 24 Citywide. __ ~ . 25 ,_ 26 Council .Member Tocli'att wanted clarification ' of the report. regarding the cost of the 27 proposal for the. replacemernt~and upgrading of speed ,zone signing; was the estimate 28 $8,000 and 1;20 staff hours or. $4,000 ;and. 80 staff hours She also inquired about 29 changing the speed unit on UVestern Avenue from 30. to 25 and whether- City 30 Management had received signifiicant input from .residents on that streef or in that area. 31 _ - . 32 Traffic Engineer Alan, Tilton replied. that. the origi:iial estimate was $4„000 and 80 hours,. 33 but after reviewing the condition and number of signs .that needed 'to be replaced, tte 34 figures. increased significantly, ~ The current estimate was: $.8,000 and, 120 hours to~ 35 complete the project:.Regarding the speed limit__on V1Gestern Avenue, th"is w.as the only 36 significant change and was reviewed by the Police Department and'the Court system. to 37 evaluate. the safety pr.,oblem on-Western: This street has a #our times higher collision 38 rate than was expected for 'that type. of a roadway.. The Court supported reducing the 39 -speed limit. with an aggressi~e..campaign of''enforcement .and should that. not prevail, 40 when staff would come: back. with additionalmeasures to address the safety issues. 41 Collisions were primarily'oceurring comirig':out of the County parking lot before Webster 42 and collisions in and ;around Farr Street. This _recomm.endation came as an ihcremental: 43 .approach.. Hey supported. -~fhe .removal of parking, to increase sight distance,;; but 44 reductions to; speed limit; was still ~ne_eded~. 45 r, 1 2 4 5 6 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 October 4, 1999 Vol. 33, Page "505 Mayor Thompson commented he was concerned that once the speed limit was changed, nothing would be done about the parking problem on Western Avenue in and around Fair Street. Council Member Healy offered another option as an .additional stop sign on Western Avenue opposed #o a speed limit change. He thought that it was going to be hard. to train people to drive 25 miles per hour on Western. Mr. Tilton responded that there was a safety issue and how this safety issue would be addressed was under discussion. He would support afour-way stop at Fair and Western as an alternative or iri conjunction with the speed limit change. Council Member Maguire suggested taking the simple steps before changing the speed limit such as red curbing to improve: the line of ,sight,.. radar enforcement, and then ~~ coming back to Council next year with updated information and recommendations. Mr. Tilton responded that this could be done. He stated what staff would do was bring back for adoption an ordinance as prepared amended to retain the speed limit on Western Avenue at 30.miles per hour. Motion: Council Member Maguire moved, seconded by Torliatt to amend the Ordinance to retain the speed limit on Western Avenue at 30 miles per hour. Motion Passed: '6/0/1. (Hamilton absent) NEW Bl9SINESS 14. Corona Reach Committee-Discussion of Committee Formation to Complete the Planning Process. Council Members Keller and Cader-Thompson wanted this item placed on an agenda soon. Council Member Healy wanted a staff report .,before the matter came back for Council review and discussion that addressed: (1) what the different options would be; (2) whether to revive the. old Corona Reach Specific Plan Committee or form a new committee; (3) addressing this item in the General Plan process; and (4) what the pros and cons were. of different approaches recommended, the costs and its time frame. John Cheney, 5'5 Rocca .Drive, thought the last committee was a joke. He wanted to see Corona. Reach put off, wanted the flood project completed and the FEMA flood map updated. Beth Meredith, 104 Fifth Street,. wanted clarification of the wording of this item on the agenda and was interested in seeing a .committee move forward. She wanted to see the '.issue of stakeholders. She had talked with Napa regarding the Napa River Plan and '.~ Vol. 33, Page 506 October 4, 1999 1 suggested: (1) having a large committee as opposed to a small committee for the 2 inclusiveness factor' (1~5 or more membe:rs); (2) getting a facilitator who was accustomed 3 to working with contentious issues; and (3) taking 'the time to educate the public. on 4 certain issues involved in :making decisions, such as redevelopment financing or 101 on 5 urban design pri'nci'ples. 6 7 Geoff' Cartwright, 56 Rocea Drive, 'agreed there. was a serious flooding prob,l`e,m in. 8 Petaluma and it was time to start thinking about an ordinance to stop development in'. 9 the flo_odplain: 10 1;1 Mr. Stouder stated that tflis item would be placed on the agenda for October 18. 1-2 13 IVo Action Taken. 14 15 COUNCIL AIVD~ IViANAGEMENT (REPORTS 16 17 None 18 19 A®JOURN . 20 21 .The meeting, adjourned at 11.:10 p.m. in honor of the memory of Joe Burton and 'Marilyn 22 Swenson. 23 24 25 E. Clark Thompson, Mayor 26 27 ATTEST: 28 2' . - Beverly J. Kline, City Clerk- 32 . 33 34 35 36 *-* .