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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCity Council Meeting - Council Workshop - Regular Minutes - 01/18/2022 Approved City Council Workshop Workshop Regular Meeting Minutes January 18, 2022 Date: January 18, 2022 Time: 5:32 p.m. Place: Chambers I. CALL TO ORDER Attendee Name Title Status Arrived Bill Boyce Council President Present Brenda Fincher Councilmember Remote Satwinder Kaur Councilmember Remote Marli Larimer Councilmember Present Zandria Michaud Councilmember Present Toni Troutner Councilmember Present Les Thomas Councilmember Present Dana Ralph Mayor Present II. PRESENTATIONS 1 Panther Lake Park Brian Levenhagen 45 MIN. Terry Jungman Deputy Parks Director, Brian Levenhagen opened the workshop by providing information on the Panther Lake Community Park. Background: Panther Lake was annexed to Kent in 2010. Over 24,000 new residents and 5 square miles of land Kent Parks took over 3 parks from King County: Park Orchard Park - 6.3-acre neighborhood park Green Tree Park - 1.5-acre neighborhood park North Meridian Park - 35-acre athletic complex/natural area Kent Parks looked for property for future parks Future site for a Community Park Future water access to Panther Lake Water access to Panther Lake City acquired Matinjussi and Van Dyke Properties in 2010 6.61 acres combined Last feasible acquisition targets on Panther Lake to provide water access to the Lake. Acquired with an RCO WWRP - Water Access Grant Site will also serve as a neighborhood park for that area of Panther Lake One of 3 new neighborhood parks called out as strategic projects in the 2016 Park and Open Space Plan City Council Workshop Workshop Regular January 18, 2022 Meeting Kent, Washington Minutes Panther Lake is slowly turning into a wetland, with significant water vegetation growth for 6 months a year. Future Panther Lake Community Park Site City acquired the Huse Property (2010) 33.7 acres Largest undeveloped property available for acquisition Acquired with an RCO WWRP - Local Parks and KC CFT Grants Already a great park site, just needs access Goal is to preserve natural character of the site 2017 Park and Open Space Plan In 2016, the City Council adopted the Park and Open Space Plan, which following goals: Quality Public Spaces: Provide a high-quality park system that promotes Kent as a livable city. Performance-based Approach: Plan and maintain the system with the help of a performance-based set of assessment tools. (Recreational Value Based Level of Service) Transformation Through Reinvestment: Reinvest in the existing system to successfully transform it into a vibrant and relevant urban park system. Sustainable Funding: Implement a funding model which adequately supports a Level of Service that reflects the community's priorities. The 2016 Park Plan emphasized reinvesting in existing parks: Address Large Deferred Maintenance Backlog Lake Meridian Dock Lake Fenwick Floating Walkway Make Better Use of our Existing Parks Hogan Park Field 1 Turf Conversion Morrill Meadows Park/YMCA Project West Fenwick Park Renovation Preserve and Enhance Recreational Value - Neighborhood Parks Renovated: Green View Park Kiwanis Tot Lot #3 Meridian Glen Park Seven Oaks Park Projects in Process Kherson Park Renovation Page 2 of 7 City Council Workshop Workshop Regular January 18, 2022 Meeting Kent, Washington Minutes Springwood Park Renovation Chestnut Ridge Renovation Salt Air Vista Renovation 4th and Willis Greenway What about building new parks? Parks has prioritized getting more recreational value out of our existing parks and replacing failing assets New Parks are much more expensive to build New Parks typically take more time to design, permit and do community outreach. Requires a larger increase in operating budget or reduction in LOS to maintain/operate Why we are building a new park 2016 Park Plan found that the LOS in the East Hill North Region of the city was less than a third, that of the entire city. This park deficiency was inherited and not the burden of the rest of the City of Kent. t Kent East Hill ranks towards the bottom compared to the rest of King County in many indicators of public health. Including physical activity limitations, poor health and high levels of mental distress. 7 elementary schools plus the new Kent Laboratory Academy within the East Hill North region. The 2020-2028 Comprehensive Recreation Program Plan found that people want programming opportunities closer to their homes. It would only make sense to build a new park if we could get a significant portion of the funding from outside of Kent. East Hill North does not have a Community Park Property comparison: Huse Property Community Park Potential Rec Value = 17.75 33.7 acres Service area covers entire East Hill North region Greater Ability to leverage outside funds Matinjussi Property Neighborhood Park Potential Rec Value = 9.5 6.61 acres Page 3 of 7 City Council Workshop Workshop Regular January 18, 2022 Meeting Kent, Washington Minutes Service Area is a .75-mile radius Less attractive for grants A Community Park should take some pressure off the existing neighborhood parks in this area of the city. Regional Trail Access Partnership Potential - Friends of Soos Creek/King County Parks Potential for Programming/Revenue, guided nature/birding walks, exercise classes in the parks, rentable picnic shelter, small events, summer day camps, etc. strategic projects. West Hill Park Property - Acquired 1995 nd 132 Ave Property - Acquired 1996 Matinjussi Property - Acquired 2008 Opportunities to build new parks are rare, if we can only add one new park in the next 15 years, Huse will have the biggest impact. Grant strategy Building a new Community Park for the East Hill North region of the city provides the biggest possible increase in recreational value for this underserved region, with a service area that reaches all of the residents while also bringing the potential to provide recreational programming closer to residents. The larger service area and higher potential recreational value makes a community park more likely to receive significant grant funding. City of Covington recently got a $7 million DOC grant for phase 2 of had an estimated population of 21,175 in 2019, smaller than the population of Panther Lake (let alone the entire East Hill North region). small cities in the ar The inherited problem of the Panther Lake Annexation Area being underserved by parks has been a consistent topic of concern in discussions thth with state legislators in the 47 and 11 districts. Panther Lake Community Park project was dependent on outside funding sources to move forward since parks capital resources have been prioritized Reviewed available grant funding: WA State Department of Commerce Grants (no set limit) City of Kent submitted a request to the WA state legislature for $3 million to build Panther Lake Community Park, receiving $2 million. This grant is specifically tied to the Huse Property. ARPA Funds Page 4 of 7 City Council Workshop Workshop Regular January 18, 2022 Meeting Kent, Washington Minutes Parks submitted a budget request for Panther Lake Community Park and received $1 million in the approved 2022 mid-biennial budget. WA State RCO Grants (2022 application cycle) Staff is considering submitting for $500,000 WWRP - Local Parks Grant Staff is considering submitting for $500,000 LWCF Grant (federal grant administered by RCO) RCO is currently evaluating raising the max grant award to $1M-$2M due to increased funding from federal government. King County Grants Staff is considering submitting for a King County Parks Levy Grant in 2022($500,000 max) $2M in funds approved by the WA State Legislature combined with $1M from City Capital Resources Fund and $1M in ARPA funds approved in 2022 mid- biennial adjustment bring the total budget for this project to about $4M. Parks, Planning and Development Manager, Terry Jungman provided the Council with details on the Parks Department work on: Active projects in East Hill North Region Neighborhood Parks Garrison Creek Park Renovation Planning in 2022 Chestnut Ridge Park Renovation Construction in 2022 Community Park Panther Lake Community Park at the Huse Property RFQ process underway Dependent on outside funding to move Project overview Project Goals Create a vision for this community park that meets the needs of current & future residents Preserve existing natural character of the landscape while creating a space for people Improve connections to regional trail system Set a higher standard for sustainability and resiliency best practices on city projects Proposed Scope of Work Establish basic infrastructure and access: Parking, Utilities, and Restroom Nature trails and loop path (soft surface) Trail connectivity to Soos Creek and Lake Youngs Regional Trails Adaptive re-use of arena structure Other ideas that come out of public engagement process Page 5 of 7 City Council Workshop Workshop Regular January 18, 2022 Meeting Kent, Washington Minutes Design Consideration / opportunities Site Constraints frontage BPA Power Line Easement Wetlands both east and west Invasive species (blackberry and knotweed) Low Impact Development (LID) Strategies Work within existing hydrology of the site Minimize impervious cover Pervious pavement Soft surface trails Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GSI) Bioswales Rain gardens Enhance existing ecosystem through intentional design Engagement Plan Outreach Efforts EngageKentParks.com Mailers to residents within 1 mile Flyers/posters in nearby schools/churches Signage in park and along trail Recreation Newsletter Social Media (FB, Twitter, Instagram) Kent School District (Peach Jar) Kent Parks and Recreation Commission Engagement Opportunities Online engagement through EKP: Survey, News Feed, Message Boards Meet with local community for site history Pop-up events along Soos Creek Trail Partner with KSD on events with schools to engage youth and parents Traditional public meetings (video posted) Road show for interested organizations Work with CBOs to promote participation RFQ Process/project timeline RFQ Process Project First Advertised: 11/11/21 Mandatory Site Visit: 12/01/21 Submittal Deadline: 12/17/21 01/04/22 Page 6 of 7 City Council Workshop Workshop Regular January 18, 2022 Meeting Kent, Washington Minutes Interviews: 01/11/22 01/19/22 Project Kick- late Feb Project Timeline Master Plan Process Summer 22 Design Development Fall 22 Construction Drawings Winter 22 Permitting / Bidding Spring 23 Construction Phase 1* Summer 23 Construction Phase 2 TBD Michaud expressed her desire to preserve the natural character of the site. Meeting ended at 6:25 p.m. Kimberley A. Komoto City Clerk Page 7 of 7 N Matinjussi Water Access to Panther Lake Water Access – 6.61 acres combined City acquired and Van Dyke Properties in 2010Last feasible acquisition targets on Panther Lake to provide water access to the Lake.Acquired with an RCO WWRP Grant 15 Huse Property? Creek Trail near Soos Matinjussi will have the biggest Creek/King County Parks Huse Soos Acquired 1995 – Property and not the Acquired 1996 Acquired 2008 – – Friends of – Huse Property is one of 3 new neighborhood parks listed in the 2016 Ave Property nd West Hill Park Property 132Matinjussi A Community Park should take some pressure off the existing neighborhood parks in this area of the city.Regional Trail AccessPartnership Potential Potential for Programming/Revenue, guided nature/birding walks, exercise classes in the parks, rentable picnic shelter, small events, summer day camps, etc.Matinjussiplan’s strategic projects. Opportunities to build new parks are rare, if we can only add one new park in the next 15 years, impact. Why the