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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCity Council Meeting - Council - Minutes - 12/29/1977 Kent, Washington December 29, 1977 A special meeting of the Kent City Council was called to order at 5:00 p.m. Present: Mayor Hogan, Councilpersons Carey, Johnson, Just, Kitto, Masters, McCaughan and Storment, City Administrator Street and City Attorney Mirk. Also present: Fire Chief Foster, Lt. Opel of Fire Prevention, Councilman- Elect Jon Johnson, Ted Bower and Wini Carter of the News Journal. KENT COMMONS CAREY MOVED to reconsider the sprinklering of Phase I and Phase II of the Kent Commons, Storment seconded. Upon Just's question, Carey stated that it was not his intent to halt construction on any phase of the project. He stated that the Council had never received any information as to the costs for sprinklering Phase I AFTER construction. Just noted that the next regular meeting of the Council was scheduled for January 3, and suggested that such information could have been secured without the necessity for a special meeting. Carey noted that action of the meeting of December 19 provided for abandoning the consideration of sprinkler systems entirely, and that without further council action, he could not on his own ask the staff to further consider the matter. McCaughan asked if any new figures were available since those presented at the December 19 meeting. Bower stated that there were not. McCaughan noted that Carey proposed to not halt construction, and therefore we would save the charge proposed by Huff, the contractor, of $1100 for each week of delay. The delay had been estimated at 8 weeks, for a total of $8800. Bower opined that install- ing a sprinkler system after completion of the building might present other expenses having to do with structural problems. Masters stated that figures given to the council were not the same as those given to the staff. She noted that Bower's figures on the cost of sprinkler systems for the Commons facility were given orally at the December 19th meeting, and she told Bower that she wanted his figures documented in writing so that the costs could be evaluated. She stated that since the project is still under construction she did not under- stand why the city should be charged for revision of plans for including the sprinkler system. Upon the Mayor's question, Carey stated he had a memo from the Fire Prevention Department which contained different figures than those presented at the December 19th Council meeting.. He determined for Just that he had received the memo yesterday. Just opined that the information should have therefore been delivered to the rest of the Council members along with the notice of this special meeting so that it could be evaluated by each councilperson prior to a special meeting session. Upon Mayor Hogan's question, Carey stated that the information was contained in a memo dated December 23 from Lt. Opel to Chief Foster and that he had approached Opel for information without going through the Administrator. Masters clarified for Just that upon receipt of this information, the special meeting was called to ask the Council to reconsider the sprinkler matter, and if they so agreed, to then present the information to the entire Council. Just commented that it appeared that a few councilpersons had withheld information from the others. He noted that there was only one more working day before the regular Council meeting of January 3 and he questioned the urgency of the matter, and the necessity for a special meeting. Upon McCaughan's suggestion, a recess was called to allow the Clerk time to make photo copies of Opel's memo for the councilpersons and staff. Some discussion took place during the recess, in the absence of the City Clerk, which was recorded. After copies of Opel's memo were distributed and one filed with the Clerk, the Mayor declared the meeting officially in session. Carey stated that regardless of the difference in cost figures, there still had been no estimate for the cost of installing a sprinkler system in Phase I after construction, and that he thought this information was needed before the decision was made to abandon the matter of sprinklering. Bower confirmed for McCaughan that an estimate for the cost of installing the system after construction was not given with the figures in his December 19th letter to Joe Street, and that no such estimate had been made. He stated further that such a plan would require more design time, chargeable to the project. Johnson stated that she was in favor of sprinklering the Commons facility, and in view of the information presented by Carey tonight that the matter should be reconsidered by the entire Council. She noted that this could be taking place while construction proceeds. Just stated that he did not feel the matter was urgent enough to warrant the special meeting since Carey did not propose to halt construction. He further pointed out that P perhaps sprinklering should be considered for the City Hall and Library. Johnson stated that it was urgent because something might be done before the construction is completed. Kitto stated that he thought that the figures in Opel's memo were the same as those presented to the Finance Committee, and he did not consider this to be new information. He pointed out that he still concluded that the project would cost over $50,000. McCaughan stated that he didn't see how any additional figures would change the minds of the Council, on a dollar basis, unless a councilperson decided that the project should be sprinklered regardless of the cost. He noted that the cost was estimated at between $50,000 and $70,000. Carey stated that the difference was in the $1100 per week which would have to be paid to Huff if the project was delayed and in the possible liability to the lesees if the building was not ready for occu- pancy on schedule. Carey's motion to reconsider the sprinklering of Phase I and Phase II of the Kent Commons CARRIED, upon the following roll call vote: Carey, Johnson, Masters and Storment voted in favor, with Just, Kitto and McCaughan voting against. STORMENT MOVED to adjourn at 5:45 p.m. , McCaughan seconded. Motion carried. Respectfully submitted, Marie Jensen, CMC City Clerk