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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCity Council Committees - Parks and Human Services - 10/23/2014 K E N T NPN.4 MICA('�iiP>A Parks and Human Services Committee Meeting Minutes Councilmembers: Deborah Ranniger, Chair • Dennis Higgins • Brenda Fincher October 23, 2014 - 5:00 p.m. Call to Order: Committee Chair Debbie Ranniger called the meeting to order at 5:08 p.m. Roll Call: Chair Debbie Ranniger, and Committee members Dennis Higgins and Brenda Fincher were in attendance. Changes to agenda: None 1. Minutes Dated September 25, 2014 - Approve Committee member Higgins MOVED to approve the minutes dated September 25, 2014. Committee member Fincher SECONDED. The motion PASSED 3-0. 2. 2015 - 2019 Consolidated Plan for Housing and Community Development - Approve Katherin Johnson, Manager of Housing and Human Services, reported that two years ago the committee approved a five year consolidated plan. There have been regulations in the Federal regulations for forty years that say if a county is a recipient of the "home dollars" and they are entitlement communities within that county that are a member of the home consortia, the consolidated plans must submitted jointly. That has never happened before, mostly because there has never been a mechanism to identify that they haven't been submitted. Consequently, the consolidated plan has to be re-submitted. The portions that the city writes are more around public service, capital, economic development and planning and administration projects. The home dollars that the county receives on behalf of everyone in the county is about housing and that housing portion of the plan is now written by the county. The city does have a right to edit it, if necessary. In summary, the City of Kent receives Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) as an Entitlement City. To receive this funding, the city is required to submit a Five-Year Consolidated Plan for Housing & Community Development. Although the City submitted a five-year plan for 2013-2017 already, the city is required to resubmit its Consolidated Plan as part of the King County Home Consortia. Page 1 Dinah Wilson, Human Services Planner explained that the Action Plan is the part of the plan that describes how the CDBG dollars will be spent, what the city's priorities are, and what our contingency plan is in case of increased dollars from the Federal Government. Wilson reported that there are a few new projects to support. One is the energy efficiency project. The plan is to pilot the program in a neighborhood to assist homes to be more efficient with energy efficient windows and doors. Staff can work with PSE to see what programs they offer and see how the city can leverage some of their work. Also funded is "Open Doors for Multi-cultural Families." This is a program for special needs kids, focused around education. One program no longer supported through entitlement funds is "Healthcare for the Homeless." It is supported by general fund dollars. Higgins apologized for missing the October 16 Human Services meeting and asked if public testimony was taken at the meeting. Katherin said there was public comment from a gentleman that applied for general fund money and not CDBG money. For that reason, he did not receive funding, but wanted to speak of his support for programs designed for the Latino community. He also asked that, if the funding balance grew in the future, his agency would possibly get funding. MOTION: Committee member Fincher MOVED to recommend the City Council approve the Proposed 2015 — 2019 Community Development Block Grant Consolidated Plan for Housing and Community Development, authorize the Mayor to execute the appropriate certifications and agreements, and upon final federal appropriation, authorize the Mayor to finalize the Consolidated Plan, amend the budget, and authorize expenditures in accordance with the Consolidated Plan and its funding contingencies. Committee member Higgins SECONDED. The motion PASSED 3-0. 3. Consultant Agreement for Park Plan Update - Authorize Jeff Watling, Director of Parks, Recreation and Community Services introduced this item stating that a key item in our work plan for next year is updating the Parks and Open Space Plan update. The Park Plan is updated every five years and it is a big part of the city's strategic thinking. From the last update, staff has made great progress. One element is connectivity - - as in the Kent Valley Loop Trail Master Plan for bike and pedestrian needs. This plan sets into motion a lot of key work and staff wants to take a deeper dive into updating the plan. The city's park system is beginning to show its age and making strategic investments into the current system is vital. The typical level of service plan doesn't really fit Kent anymore. The standard is acres per 1,000 in population, but that measurement doesn't address the performance of those acres. An acre of open space performs differently than an acre of developed park land, and performance changes too with aging parks. Staff wants to come up with a new level of service that puts a standard of Page 2 performance metrics around each of those acres. It looks at how parks are performing and their performance potential. Watling added that this is great timing for the update with the Parks and Recreation Commission coming on board. As their first task, they will assist staff in working through the park plan update. Hope Gibson, Manager of Park Planning and Development, reported that two landscape architectural consulting firms were selected off of the city's consultant roster for interviews. From the interviews, the Berger Partnership was selected. Watling informed the committee that, since this is an A&E Consultant Contract, procurement law dictates we select the firm based on skill set and expertise and exempts us from going through a bidding process. Gibson noted that the park plan update is due by the end December 2015 to allow for staff review prior to the deadline for the Recreation and Conservation office (RCO). Committee Chair Ranniger noted that the agreements stated the work needs to be completed by the end of December and asked if it is necessary to take a full year to complete. Gibson confirmed yes, considering the new methodology to the update. Chair Ranniger asked about council receiving updates. Watling said, as agendas are drafted for 2015 committee meetings, updates can be scheduled throughout the year. Watling added that staff can keep Council apprised in the quarterly reports as well. Also, in working with the commission, there will be a high level of public outreach and subsequent reporting. Gibson referenced Lake Meridian as an example of creating new levels of service by performance. She said the playground had a small playground area and, even through a large playground was installed, the park is still categorized the same, according to the current level of service measures. Gibson reiterated that parks should be measured by performance, not acreage. Chair Ranniger stated that this is a whole new way of looking at things. Committee member Higgins commented that he recalls attending a couple of the community meetings when the city went through the process in 2009. He asked what the cash outlay was for a consultant at that time. Watling explained that there was a full time staff member dedicated to updating the plan but the position is no longer in the budget. Also, with the LOS performance based approach, the entire plan will have to be reevaluated and then produced using a brand new method which will take consultant expertise. Watling explained that additional funds are not being requested and support will come from a vacant position in Parks Administration. Committee member Fincher asked if the person that completed the update in 2009 was in Administration to which Watling responded no, the position was in Parks Planning and Development. Fincher asked if the position was already in the department to refill. Watling said the positon hasn't been filled yet. It's considered a business development position, responsible for aligning strategic partnerships in the community. Page 3 Committee member Higgins asked if the funding is from this year or 2015. Watling responded that some funding comes from this year and the remaining from 2015. Higgins asked when the invites will go out for public meetings. Gibson responded that she hopes to get a web page up early in the year and then outreach scheduled by spring. Watling stated that the commission will be tasked with assisting with the plan starting with the first meeting. Watling also mentioned that staff has seen web-based surveys multiply the feedback from the community - as shown in the success with the Kent Valley Loop Trail project online survey. Gibson reported that the park plan needs to get through the RCO by March of 2016, or the city won't be qualified for funding. Committee member Higgins stated he is very supportive of this as an investment because it continues to make the city eligible for more grants for park acquisition. For example, the city was able to purchase the Huse property located in the Panther Lake annexation area during the recession because it was done through grant funds. Committee member Fincher wants to make sure the entire Parks and Recreation Commission list of applicants is kept informed on these issues, not just the appointees. Watling agreed. MOTION: Committee member Higgins MOVED to recommend Council authorize the Mayor to sign the consultant contract with the Berger Partnership for $119,810.00 to update the Park Plan, subject to final terms and conditions acceptable to the City Attorney and Parks Director. Committee member Fincher SECONDED. The motion PASSED 3-0. 4. 2014 Third Quarter Fee-in-Lieu Funds - Authorize Gibson reported that between July and September 2014 the City of Kent received a total of $20,550.00 from the following developers, who voluntarily paid fees in lieu of dedicating park land to mitigate the development of single family homes in local subdivision. The funds will be used at the park locations as noted below. Lake Meridian Park: $12,675.00 from Jasvir Singh Lane on 132nd and 260th Springwood Park: $7,875.00 from Zhong Qing MOTION: Committee member Fincher MOVED to recommend City Council accept $20,550.00 for Fee-in-Lieu-of funds and amend the Park Lifecycle Program budget for future expenditures of funds in project budgets. Committee member Higgins SECONDED. The motion PASSED 3-0. Jeff explained that the amount of fee-in-lieu funds wouldn't get far in the development of a new park, which could easily cost $1-2M. And, given the statue of limits that mandates use of funds in five years, that is not enough time to try and get the additional $1-2M dollars necessary to invest in a new park. Watling Page 4 added that fee-in-lieu is only accepted on short plats that are 10 lots or less - otherwise, staff prefers that space is dedicated for recreation. Fincher asked about acreage requirements. Gibson responded that for larger plots, there is a development code requirement of approximately 450 sf per lot. Watling said there is a formula for land and the number of recreational opportunities that need to exist in that space. He will supply that information to the committee if needed. S. 2014 Third Ouarter Reports, Contributions Report and Sponsorships Report - INFO ONLY Watling referenced two big projects this summer; the Wilson Playfield Turf Replacement project and the Green Tree Park renovation. He commented that it was very busy summer with Lake Meridian setting a record with over 100,000 visitors to the park. Higgins asked for update on fencing at Green Tree Park. Watling commented that some of the small projects still left to complete at the park will be done by Park Operations staff as soon as possible. The Recreation staff is constantly looking for creative ways to acquire sponsorships for programs and events. Tab Wizard has been an incredible partner for both the Cornucopia and Christmas Fun Runs by providing sponsorships for anyone 60+ to run for free, as well as gifts and treats for the younger participants. This year at the Corn Days Run, the senior participation expanded to 125 runners! With a creative twist this year, the youth sports staff recruited coaches by advertising with posters asking for "youth sports mentors." The positive influence that these volunteers have on the participants in our sports programs is notable and appreciated by staff. Watling gave a big thank you to Facilities staff for brightening up the parking areas and stairwell in the Centennial Building. The two-tone painting of the outside of the building added a nice aesthetic to the campus as well. 6. Director's Report - INFO ONLY Watling referred the amazing pool of candidates for the Parks and Recreation Commission. He thanked the committee for their support. Recommendations for appointment will be presented at the City Council meeting on November 18. The first commission meeting will be more of a social gathering in December. Ranniger asked for advance notice of the social because she and other council members would like to attend. Jeff provided the committee a heads-up for the HVAC replacement project at Riverbend Golf Complex. In 2007, the city identified a need to replace its aging heating, ventilation and air condition (HVAC) systems with equipment that was more energy efficient and that would require less maintenance time. In 2010, the city executed a performance based contract with McKinstry to replace heat pumps at the Centennial Center. This year, Facilities staff went through a Page 5 solicitation process and identified McKinstry as the city's ESCO provider for the HVAC project at Riverbend as well. Staff submitted a grant request to the Department of Commerce in the amount of $125,000 which, if funded, will offset the cost of the equipment. The Earthworks Park poplar tree removal is scheduled for November 8. Staff has initiated communication with neighborhoods in Scenic Hill and Mill Creek. Information will also be included the city's EScene Newsletter, and the Kent Downtown Partnership has been contacted as well. The next Parks and Human Services Committee meeting was changed to November 25, due to the Thanksgiving holiday. The third quarter report reflects in-kind and cash support from individuals and business in the community. Over $14,800 was received for the months of July, August and September. Another $20,000 was received that same quarter in sponsorships as part of our youth sports programs. This report shows the wonderful partnerships and support we have in the community. Chair Ranniger adjourned the meeting at 5:50 p.m. Respectively submitted, Ter, Pefva(z Teri Petrole Council Committee Secretary Page 6