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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCity Council Committees - Public Works/Planning - 02/04/1992 0 PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE FEBRUARY 4, 1992 PRESENT: JIM WHITE ED CHOW PAUL MANN ED WHITE JIM BENNETT MR. & MRS. RUST GARY GILL CARLITA DREBLOW ROGER LUBOVICH STEVE DIJULIO In addition there were approximately twenty others in attendance. Jim White introduced the two new members of the Committee. Solid Waste Ordinance Gary Gill commented this updated our existing solid waste ordinance. Steve DiJulio stated the ordinance deals with three principal elements. King County requires all participants in the King County program to implement yard waste programs. In the event they are not, an additional rate increase for solid waste could go into effect September 1, 1992. Whenever the City adopts a yard waste program, this ordinance deletes yard waste from the permissible waste stream. A yard waste program will be coming before you in the next three to six months. The second issue addressed by this ordinance is waste stream control - mandatory service element. It has long been the practice of the City to require and mandate service for solid waste. There have been questions and enforcement difficulties that are clarified by this ordinance. The third aspect is to authorize liens on property for which there is delinquent payment for utility services. This is already in place for the other utilities but had not been implemented for solid waste utility to date. The City's two contractors have had difficulty in collecting for services provided and have requested that the City make provisions to allow the private garbage companies to place liens upon private properties for non-payment. DiJulio also pointed out a change that should be made on page 6 of the ordinance deleting the words "and includes refuse" in the definition of Solid Waste. Additionally, a clause will be added which makes violations of this ordinance a civil penalty. Jim White asked who would collect or enforce a lien. DiJulio explained the City Attorney's office would authorize the contractor to pursue the lien. The contractor would bear the expense and responsibility of the lien. Jim White asked if this were consistent with the water and sewer utility. DiJulio responded that it is with even tighter controls. i Public Works Committee February 4, 1992 Page 2 Addressing the yard waste issue, Jim White asked what happens in the interim since this ordinance mandates the separation of yard waste from solid waste but we do not have a yard waste program in place. DiJulio responded that the citizens can continue to put yard waste into the solid waste containers until we implement the program. Don Rust asked if there would be a fee to every resident of Kent and would every resident be required to participate and will there be exceptions for those who compost. Gill explained that the program is not developed and those are issues that must be determined. Paul Mann moved that the ordinance be approved with the changes in the definition on page 6 of the ordinance and the addition of the civil penalty clause. The Committee unanimously recommended approval. Jim White urged staff to develop the yard waste program as quickly as possible as well as the rules by which the program will be administered. DiJulio noted for the Committee that within the next couple of weeks we should be completing the contracts with the haulers. Transportation Improvement Board Grants - 272nd/277th Corridor - 192ndII96th Corridor Gary Gill explained that we had recently received notification from WSDOT that they have approved $225,000 for predesign of the 272nd/277th Corridor project. Gill added that we have already budgeted the matching funds for this grant. The predesign phase includes completion of the Environmental Impact Statement, preliminary engineering design and development of more accurate cost estimates of the preferred alternative. WSDOT has also approved $3 ,044, 950 for the preliminary design and right of way acquisition of the 192nd/196th Corridor from WVH to EVH. Gill explained that the matching funds for the 192nd/196th Corridor would be generated by the street utility. Matching funds are already budgeted for the 272nd/277th Corridor design phase. Should the street utility not be approved, we would have to return the grant. White asked that staff explore all possibilities of funding and not just the street utility. Jim White asked about the alignments. Gill explained the alignment for the 192nd/196th Corridor is pretty much determined, following the existing 196th right of way. The alignment of the 272nd/277th corridor will come about as part of the final EIS. The comment period on the EIS is over February 15. Once the comments are all in, we will respond to the comments, develop the Final EIS, and bring a recommendation to the Council. Paul Mann asked about any • consideration for connecting to Highway 18. Gill explained that is part of the long range plan that the County is looking at. The Public Works Committee February 4, 1992 Page 3 County also participated on the Technical Advisory Committee for our project. Jim White asked the attorney when Council could review the proposed alignments of the Corridor. Roger Lubovich responded that Council could look at it once the final EIS is published. Jim White asked if before that time could Council hear input from concerned citizens and unofficially review the material. Roger Lubovich commented he would recommend that at this point Council should not be making contact regarding the project since it appears likely they will be having to rule on it in a quasi-judicial process. Jim White alluded to a citizen's meeting that is scheduled for Wednesday evening. Gary Gill stated that staff will be in attendance. The Committee unanimously recommended approval for the mayor to sign the grant agreements and for the budgets to be established. Left Turn Lane - Smith and Second - Kent Library Jim White stated this item was placed on the agenda as a result of a letter from Ms. Dreblow who is secretary for the Kent Library Board. Gary Gill explained that when the new Library was going through the SEPA process a left turn off Smith Street onto Second was discussed. It was determined that we would wait to allow time for the circulation patterns , to develop after construction was completed. At that time we could address specific issues. As a condition of approval of the Library, King County Library Board executed an agreement to pay for the left turn at such time as the warrants were there to substantiate the need. The left turn lane was originally tied to the City's planned intersection improvements at 4th and Smith that we have included in the 1994 TIP. If the Library Board wishes to move the left turn at 2nd and Smith ahead, we could try to incorporate it into our Central Avenue Improvement project that is currently in design. Ed White will determine if the intersection meets the warrants for a left turn lane. Responding to Jim White's question, Gill stated that the County would fund the improvements per their agreement. Jim White asked if we could consider straightening out the "dog- leg" on Smith at the same time by possibly taking the right of way to the north and what that would do to the project from a cost standpoint. Ed White stated that we had reviewed that at the time the library project was being reviewed. It involves relocating three businesses and acquisition of additional right of way. Jim White asked for a financial analysis. This item will be 'brought back to the Committee at their March 3rd meeting. n Public Works Committee February 4, 1992 Page 4 Parking Jim White commented about the number of cars parked on 3rd Avenue in front of the church and those businesses on 3rd. He surmised they were mostly City employees. He's concerned about the impact that has on the businesses. He requested Ed White to look at what can be done, determine if the City needs to acquire property for a parking lot or what other measures can be taken. Gary Gill added there were other issues that had to be included in such a review such as the requests we have had for vacation of Saar and 3rd and the Mayor's program for downtown revitalization. Ed White stated that two larger issues - the Growth Management and Transportation Demand Management legislation - dictate that the City develop parking policies not only for downtown but for the entire City. He suggested that we look at the entire problem rather than just piecemealing. Bill Doolittle suggested the City use the empty parking stalls in the Centennial Building parking garage or open it to the public. Jim White reminded Mr. Doolittle that the Centennial Building and its garage are privately owned and the City would have to rent any parking in that structure. At Bill Doolittle's request, Jim White asked that Ed Chow contact the owner of the Centennial Building and inquire about the possibility of using additional parking in the Centennial Building garage. Staff will present interim solutions to the Public Works Committee at their March 3rd meeting. (NOTE: This was later changed at the City Council meeting to allow staff to study the entire downtown parking problem in conjunction with the Downtown Revitalization program which will be ready for Council review in the early summer of 1992 . ) Russ Stringham suggested that City employees use the lot at 4th and Smith. Street Occupation Ordinance Ed White indicated that the decals for the signs have not been received to date. (NOTE: the decals were delivered in the afternoon mail on 2/4/92) . A letter has been drafted that will be sent to the businesses in the City informing them of the process to follow to obtain a permit. That draft is in the Mayor's office for approval. Jim White reiterated that we should not be enforcing the ordinance until we are able to issue permits. Mike Spence addressed the Committee regarding the process as it relates to real estate signs. He presented a suggested modification of the ordinance to define real estate signs as on or off premise signs and allowing one on premise sign per street frontage and up to four off premise signs. Gary Gill clarified that there were some misunderstandings on part of staff on interpretation of the ordinance but it has always been the intent to administer the Public Works Committee February 4, 1992 Page 5 program as presented to the Committee. Off-premise directional real estate signs will be allowed as long as they are placed in a safe location and do not obstruct site distance. Gill continued that some of the signs that were recently confiscated were in landscaped medians or islands in the middle of the street thus affecting site distances. Steve Dowell suggested the existing ordinance be eliminated and an attempt be made to develop something new. After much further discussion on the issue, it was determined that Jim White, the City Attorney, Mr. Spence, Public Works Director, City Engineer, and Transportation Engineer would meet on Tuesday, February 11 to discuss the issue further, consider the modification presented by Mr. Spence, further define "apartment for rent" signs and bring back the recommendations to the Committee on February 18. Jim White clarified for Ed White that staff is not to implement the ordinance until these items are determined.