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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCity Council Meeting - Council - Minutes - 4/4/2023 (2) Approved City Council Workshop Workshop Special Meeting KENT Minutes W.SNitiG,oe April 4, 2023 Date: April 4, 2023 Time: 5:00 p.m. Place: Chambers I. SPECIAL WORKSHOP OF THE KENT CITY COUNCIL AND KENT SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 415 Board of Directors of the City Council of the City of Kent Kent School District No. 415 Dana Ralph, Mayor Awale Farah, Vice President Bill Boyce, Council President Leslie Hamada Brenda Fincher, Councilmember Joseph Bento Satwinder Kaur, Councilmember Meghin Margel Marli Larimer, Councilmember Tim Clark Zandria Michaud, Councilmember Toni Troutner, Councilmember Les Thomas, Councilmember Other attendees: Israel Vela, Superintendent of the Kent School District Dr. Wade Barringer, Associate Superintendent of Strategic Initiatives and Operations Ben Rarick, Associate Superintendent of Finance for the Kent School District Chad Bieren, City of Kent Public Works Director Tammy White, City Attorney Assistant Chief Kasner Julie Parascondola, City of Kent Parks Director 1. Welcome Council President Bill Boyce opened the meeting and welcomed all to the meeting. Mayor Dana Ralph provided opening comments. Kent School District Board Vice President Awale Farah provided opening comments. Superintendent, Israel Vela provided opening comments. 2. Elected Officials and Senior Staff Chad Bieren indicated he focuses on providing infrastructure for the City of Kent. Joe Bento advised he has been on the board since 2021, he is a teacher and is passionate about supporting students. Ben Rarick has been a board Member since 2018 and works to build a model of fiscal health and sustainability. Dr. Barringer has worked at the Kent School District for 19 years and is passionate about kids - especially kids that are further away from educational justice. Barringer indicated he meets monthly with City staff to move forward together and support one another. Awale Farah is the Board Vice President and is a former Boeing Engineer. Farah is passionate about the community and strives to give back. Farah works to celebrate the diversity throughout the city and City Council Workshop Workshop Special April 4, 2023 Meeting Kent, Washington Minutes helps to welcome refugees so that they have the tools to succeed. Leslie Hamada works to help children find their career path and gain a sense of community. Hamada hopes the students of Kent feel supported and are prepared to succeed. Meghin Margel brings her finance and educational background to the board. She enjoys listening to the different voices in the community and is thrilled to witness the legacy of the City of Kent becoming the place where students want to grow up and ultimately remain in Kent. Julie Parascondola, Parks Director conveyed her goal is to raise the bar on how the City operates and is working be have the parks system nationally accredited. Councilmember Satwinder Kaur is passionate about the community and strives to make Kent government more transparent and accessible. Councilmember Brenda Fincher hopes to provide access to good jobs to everyone in Kent and hopes to make Kent the place to play, work and live. Building a strong, vibrant community is one of Fincher's goals. Councilmember Toni Troutner is proud of the Council's work and hopes Kent schools and businesses can help prepare students for trade-related jobs. Councilmember Zandria Michaud hopes the City and District can work to support one another to help solve issues. Public safety is Michaud's #1 priority. Tammy White, City Attorney advised her focus is to support the goals of the Council. Assistant Chief Kasner talked about working with the Kent School District to come up with solutions related to the diverse needs of the City, building relationships, aligning goals and work together. Israel Vela, Superintendent talked about the challenges coming out of the pandemic. Vela is interested in building relationships with the City and supporting the needs of the Kent. Mayor Ralph talked about being a 4t" generation City of Kent resident. Mayor Ralph acknowledged the board and council's passion for wanting to take care of people, families and businesses and indicated it needs to be a group effort. Mayor Ralph expressed her appreciation of Vela's willingness to come together with the City and work together on addressing issues and concerns. 3. Shared Services Facilities Shared-use Agreement Parks Director, Julie Parascondola detailed what City staff work with the Kent School District and provided a recap of why it's important for the City to partner with the District: *Kent Parks and the Kent School District serve the same students *Work together to achieve joint goals to provide Kent youth the best possible opportunity for success, graduation and life. *Kent Parks is among the largest providers of out-of-school time programs throughout the city. *Youth and teen programs provide numerous benefits to caregivers, families and the Kent community. Strategic Planning and Jobs ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... Page 2 of 5 City Council Workshop Workshop Special April 4, 2023 Meeting Kent, Washington Minutes Kent Parks Comprehensive Recreation Program Plan, completed in 2020 (activated in 2022) and the Kent Parks and Open Space Plan, completed in 2022, included significant community engagement, intentional focus on equity, engaged KSD staff, engaged youth and families throughout the City and more. Confirmed alignment with the KSD's 2016-2021 Strategic Plan and will be reviewing KSD's new strategic plan that is currently being updated Kent Parks is one of the largest teen employers in Kent. Over the course of an average year, Kent Parks employs 125+ individual KSD students who may work throughout the year in the role of sports officials, after school leaders, track officials, day camp leaders and summer playground leaders. Hiring age is 15+. Shared Use Agreement and Policy Kent Parks and KSD have a current shared use agreement (created back in 1969, last update in 1983). While still valid and utilized currently, it needs to be updated to reflect performance management and tracking by both KSD and Kent Parks regarding maintenance and operations, increased demand of use impacting lifecycles, prioritization of spaces and ease of scheduling, joint capital project planning and more. Kent Parks and KSD also have several separate agreements, MOUs, etc. that focus on shared maintenance services when parks are adjacent to schools and/or for parking during off hours, etc. (Scenic Hill Park and Campus Park). In addition, KSD's Policy 4260 outlines how the KSD works with community partners, municipal partners and more. This policy makes clear that Kent Parks is a #2 Priority for facility booking, following the owner as #1 and Kent Parks gives the same to KSD in return. Began the joint use agreement update process through an established KSD-Kent Parks staff working group in late 2019, with established goals and timelines. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic hit immediately thereafter and both organizations needed to shift focus on pandemic response and changes in respective services. KSD and Kent Parks staff have gotten back together and met several times in 2023 on beginning these discussions again, as capacity allows. Primary staff that work together on the joint use agreement are Brian Smith with the KSD and Recreation Managers with Kent Parks. These staff members are in communication daily-weekly and also meet formally monthly. Through the shared use agreement with the district, this allows Kent Parks to provide many activities that serve thousands of children. Parascondola talked about concerns over physical inactivity throughout the City and district. The goal is to improve equitable access to K-12 schools' fields and athletic facilities and local parks agency facilities with the goal of increasing physical activity for youth and families. The Kent School District utilizes many City Spaces, including: *Hogan Park *Service Club Ballfields *Kent Memorial Park *Wilson Playfields *Cross Country Meets at Riverbend Golf Complex and Clark Lake Park *Riverbend Golf Complex is the home course for Kent Meridian High School Golf Team ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... Page 3 of 5 City Council Workshop Workshop Special April 4, 2023 Meeting Kent, Washington Minutes *Aquatics access at the Kent YMCA for Kentwood High School and Kent Meridian High School Swim Teams (through the City of Kent's 50 Year Operating Agreement with the YMCA of Greater Seattle) Joint Capital Project Planning Building on momentum created during the 2022 Parks and Open Space Plan, Kent Parks and KSD are working on co-developed facilities at Kentridge High School and Canyon Ridge Middle School. The Athletic Field Capacity Study conducted as part of the Parks and Open Space Plan showed that the City does not have sufficient space in our system to expand or build new athletic field space, creating a significant barrier to keeping pace with increased use demand. The primary recommendation from that study was to work in partnership with KSD on joint-use / joint-development of shared-use facilities. These two sites are currently funded through existing KSD bonds and will serve as a pilot for future use/development agreements. Kent Parks staff are working with the KSD project team to incorporate our program needs into the project (ex: storage, lighting, access, O&M). Through updates to the various shared-use agreements and MOU, Kent Parks will make a capital investment and have priority to scheduled program hours outside of typical school use. This renewed partnership will create new athletic field program opportunities for Kent Parks at new, top-class facilities. Additionally, Kent Parks will continue to make investments into our heavily used athletic complexes including Hogan Park, Service Club Ballfields, Wilson Playfield, etc. Currently Working on: *Loss of dedicated, permanent space at the Canyon Ridge Middle School (previously Phoenix Academy), for a Kent Parks Teen Center. Space was significantly reduced in 2023 due to the transition back to a middle school. *Reversing the declining trend in organized sports/athletics. Kent Parks is beginning to work on marketing and outreach to entice and engage youth and teens to participate in sports, through multiple strategies. KSD has joined our efforts, as a partner in this effort. *Updating of the KSD/Kent Parks Shared Use Agreement. Discussed previously. Working collaboratively on capital projects planning. Discussed previously. Communications/Partnerships - open discussion Council President Boyce talked about how the Kent Police Department works closely with the schools on training and sharing latest plans to address safety. Boyce appreciates the current working relationship the City has with the District and looks forward to working together. The group discussed the joint public meetings held during a recent school event and how effective it was keeping the community informed. 4. Shared Services Superintendent Vela provided a recap of the State of the District. Dr. Barringer talked about the boundary changes that will be effective for the 2023/24 school year and advised 42 of 43 schools have been impacted. The new school boundaries are detailed on the district's website. Dr. Barringer discussed: *Middle school model committee work ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... Page 4 of 5 City Council Workshop Workshop Special April 4, 2023 Meeting Kent, Washington Minutes ......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................._............................................................................................................................................................................................................... *Middle school transition work to reduce anxiety *6th grade moving to middle school *Opening Canyon Ridge Middle School *Open Houses and Information Nights Dr. Barringer talked about the need for a Strategic Plan, the process to develop the plan, intended outcomes, four goal areas, stakeholder engagement, getting involved and the website that will host the Strategic Plan updates. Dr. Barringer provided details on the upcoming 2023 Bond. The bond will not be used for new schools, but will be used to address facility needs, bring in preschools and bring all schools up to 2023 standards. Barringer talked about the Bond Task Force and the 2016 Bond - Promises Made, Promises Kept. S. Closing Council President Boyce expressed a desire to meet jointly with the Kent School District twice/year. Vela indicated he looks forward to continuing to build a partnership with the City. Mayor Ralph indicated she is excited about the current relationship with the district and looks forward to coming together to do good work for the community. Meeting ended at 6:50 p.m. K�w�ley A. Kotmotcr City Clerk ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... Page 5 of 5 KENT PARKS ADAPTIVE RECREATION PRG KENT PARKS GYMNASTICS KENT PARKS GARDENING CLASS KENT PARKS TENNIS PROGRAM KENT PARKS TRACK PROGRAM KENT PARKS UPDATE ON SHARED USE CITY OF KENT AND KENT SCHOOL DISTRICT JOINT MEETING A P R I L 4, 2023 V ^ lop q 3 , F / - 1 �Ilk KENT PARKS YOUTH BASKETBALL PROGRAM KENT PARKS-CAMP WASKOWITZ KENT PARKS-YOUTH SOCCER PROGRAM KENT PARKS-DANCE PROGRAMS KENT PARKS-TEEN COOKING CLASS / - l e �' WHY CITY OF KENT AND KENT SCHOOL DISTRICT JOINT MEETING I APRIL 4, 2023 • Kent Parks and the Kent School District (KSD) serve the same students KSD serves Kent youth (on average) from 7am-3pm (plus athletics/activities) Mon-Fri and Kent Parks serves Kent youth from 3pm-9pm, Mon-Fri, as well as weekends (if participating in Kent Parks programs). Agreement with the KSD, that we should vork together to achieve joint goals to provide Kent youth the best possible opportunity for success, graduation and life. • Kent Parks is among the largest providers of out-of-school time (youth and teen) programs throughout the city, offering safe, engaging and welcoming places to go when schools are not in session. Those hours after school and the days during the summer can be challenging and potentially risky times for youth, who may not be under the direct supervision of a caring adult. These timeframes also present opportunities for learning and enrichment, physical activity, environmental education and social- emotional development that open up greater possibilities for children. • Youth and teen programs provide numerous benefits to caregivers, families and the Kent community . They enable working guardians to continue to work, while the youth of those families receive needed services, including: academic support; mentoring; healthy meals and snacks; cultural enrichment; and opportunities to spend time in nature, play sports and enjoy unstructured play with peers. Given the impact the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has had on youth — especially the disruption to learning and socialization and the direct and indirect trauma and adversity many youth have experienced — these programs are in high demand. iw ► : ' +. , STRATEGICAND JOBS CITY OF KENT AND KENT SCHOOL DISTRICT JOINT MEETING I APRIL 4, 2023 • Kent Parks Comprehensive Recreation Program Plan, completed in 2020 (activated in 2022) and the Kent Parks and Open Space Plan, completed in 2022, included significant community engagement, intentional focus on equity, engaged KSD staff, engaged youth and families throughout the City and more. Confirmed alignment with the KSD's 2016-2021 Strategic Plan and will be reviewing KSD's new strategic plan that is currently being updated. Kent Parks final plans located: httl2s://www.kentwa.gov/departments/kent-parks/guidin_q kent-parks-plans • Kent Parks is one of the largest teen employers in Kent. Over the course of an average year, Kent Parks employs 125+ individual KSD students who may work throughout the year in the role of sports officials, after school leaders, track officials, day camp leaders and summer playground leaders. Hiring age is 15+. O For every young person, a job is an important step in completing the transition to adulthood, a milestone ti -- towards independence and self-reliance. — - O For young adults living in poverty and in other disadvantaged situations, employment is often the main means for attaining a better life. _ O Youth employment promotes social integration, intergenerational dialogue, citizenship and solidarity. TEEN EMPLOYEE.AFTER EHCHOOLILL ELEMENTARENARYPROGRAM AT SCENIC HY O Employing youth benefits economic development by facilitating the entry of young skilled people into the productive sectors of an economy, and enabling the economy to sustain or increase its productivity and competitiveness. SHAREDAND P LICY CITY OF KENT AND KENT SCHOOL DISTRICT JOINT MEETING I APRIL 4, 2023 • Kent Parks and KSD have a current shared use agreement (created back in 1969, last update in 1983). While still valid and utilized currently, it needs to be updated to reflect performance management and tracking by both KSD and Kent Parks regarding maintenance and operations, increased demand of use impacting lifecycles, prioritization of spaces and ease of scheduling, joint capital project planning and more. • Kent Parks and KSD also have several separate agreements, MOUs, etc. that focus on shared maintenance services when parks are adjacent to schools and/or for parking during off hours, etc. (Scenic Hill Park and Campus Park) • In addition, KSD's Policy 4260 outlines how the KSD works with community partners, municipal partners and more. This policy makes clear that Kent Parks is a #2 Priority for facility booking, following the owner as #1 and Kent Parks gives the same to KSD in return. • Began the joint use agreement update process through an established KSD-Kent Parks staff working group in late 2019, with established goals and timelines. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic hit immediately thereafter and both organizations needed to shift focus on pandemic response and changes in respective services. r su and Kent Parks staff have gotten bUCK together and met several times in 2023 on beginning these discussions again, as capacity allows. • Primary staff that work together on the joint use agreement are Brian Smith with the KSD and Recreation Managers with Kent Parks. These staff members are in communication daily-weekly and also meet formally monthly. SHARED SPACE CITY OF KENT AND KENT SCHOOL DISTRICT JOINT MEETING I APRIL 4, 2023 Physical activity is one of the most important elements of overall health. And yet, inactivity among youth is increasing in Kent, participation in both school and recreational sports/athletics has continued to see decreased engagement and this trend has been compounded by the pandemic. The cost of not addressing youth inactivity is very high because physical activity is a predictor of physical and mental health well-being, school attendance and attention, and long-term overall health. Physical inactivity is a health equity crisis in our city. o This concern was recently highlighted in King County's 2019 State of Play report and then later confirmed again during the State of Washington's 2022 Physical Activities Task Force and Report, completed by the Recreation and Conservation Office, with the overall goal to improve equitable access to K-12 schools' fields and athletic facilities and local parks agency facilities with the goal of increasing physical activity for youth and families. o School Districts have significantly more indoor facility space (classrooms, music rooms, performing arts centers, etc) and athletic infrastructure (gyms, tracks, tennis courts, athletic fields, etc) than cities and counties, and play one of the most important roles in helping community partners positively combat critical community issues - by allowing shared use of its publicly funded spaces. o Important to note, the City and KSD recognized this early on and unlike other agencies across the state, we've had a shared use agreement for over fifty plus year; to help combat the above and other crisis' for Kent's youth. We should all feel proud of this and celebrate our decades long partnership and commitment to each other and our community. SHAREDRESULTS CITY OF KENT AND KENT SCHOOL DISTRICT JOINT MEETING I APRIL 4, 2023 • Through our shared use agreement with KSD, this allows Kent Parks to provide: KSD Facilities utilized over the last 12 months: • 25 elementary, middle school, high school gyms • 27 elementary fields, 1 use of French Field for Elementary Track Junior Olympics • 2 Performing Arts Centers o Traditional sports: basketball, volleyball, T-Ball/Toss Ball, baseball, elementary track, soccer consisting of 3,055 practices, 120 games, 4,293 registered participants o After school, late-night programming, holiday and summer camps o After school programming uses 13 elementary, 3 middle school, and Kent Phoenix Academy and serves 400 participants aer week o Partnership with PSESD: 5 schools, 148 service days, serves 20 kids per day o Elementary school for summer camp: 35 service days, 65 participants per day o Winter and Spring Dance recitals with 300 participants and over 650 tickets sold o Six Spotlight Series shows at Kent-Meridian PAC (would have been 7, but one tour canceled). We did not use Kentwood PAC in 22-23 due to concerns over whether renovations would be complete. Total ticket holders: 1,768, ana -)1 artists participated for a total of 1,819 participants o Outreach programming brings performers into the schools for workshop opportunities. In the 21 -22 season, we had 6 outreach activities with 675 students served. 1 4L SHAREDRESULTS CITY OF KENT AND KENT SCHOOL DISTRICT JOINT MEETING I APRIL 4, 2023 • KSD Utilization of City Spaces: o While we do not track outputs or # served for Kent School District, the following spaces are utilized by KSD: ■ Athletic Complex Use: ■ Hogan Park ■ Service Club Ballfields ■ Kent Memorial Park ■ Wilson Playfields - - -' ■ Cross Country Meets at Riverbend Golf Complex and Clark Lake Park ■ Riverbend Golf Complex is the home course for Kent Meridian High School Golf Team KSD CROSS COUNTRY MEET AT RIVERBEND GOLF COMPLEX ■ Aquatics access at the Kent YMCA for Kentwood High School and Kent Meridian High School Swim Teams (through the City of Kent's 50 Year Operating Agreement with the YMCA of Greater Seattle) JOINT CAPITAL PROJECT PLANNING CITY OF KENT AND KENT SCHOOL DISTRICT JOINT MEETING I APRIL 4, 2023 • Building on momentum created during the 2022 Parks and Open Space Plan, Kent Parks and KSD are working on co- developed facilities at Kentridge High School ana canyon Ridge Middle School The Athletic Field Capacity Study conducted as part of the Parks and Open Space Plan showed that the City does not have sufficient space in our system to expand or build new athletic field space, creating a significant barrier to keeping pace with increased use demand. The primary recommendation from that study was to work in partnership with KSD on joint-use / joint-development of shared-use facilities. • These two sites are currently funded through existing KSD bonds and will serve as a pilot for future use/development agreements_ Kent Parks staff are working with the KSD project team to incorporate our program needs into the project (ex: storage, lighting, access, O&M). Through updates to the various shared-use agreements and MOU, Kent Parks will make a capital investment and have priority to scheduled program hours outside of typical school use. This renewed partnership will create new athletic field program opportunities for Kent Parks at new, top-class facilities. • Additionally, Kent Parks will continue to make investments into our heavily used athletic complexes including Hogan Park, Service Club Ballfields, Wilson Playfield, etc. Future partnership sites with KSD include but are not limited tc North Meridian Park / Meridian Middle School • Campus Park / Kent Meridian High School • Indoor Classroom and Gymnasium • School Playgrounds • Outdoor Sport Courts (Tennis, Pickleball, Basketball) 1 CURRENTLY WORKING O CITY OF KENT AND KENT SCHOOL DISTRICT JOINT MEETING I APRIL 4, 2023 • Loss of dedicated, permanent space at the Canyon Ridge Middle School (previously Phoenix Academy), for a Kent Parks Teen Center. Space was significantly reduced in 2023 -J= AM- due to the transition back to a middle school. I—U, TM_- Kent Parks will continue teen programming. Joint staff are working together on identifying potential space at _ Canyon Ridge Middle School. - This area of town is the most ideal because of the needs in this area, access to surrounding multi-family apartments, it's walkable and on the bus lines. • We expect the experience to look similar to how we manage after-school and evenings at other middle \ school sites. This is very challenging because staff need to be mobile and bring materials, equipment etc. with them before and then remove at the end of the program.There will also be no music studio, no io gaming/hangout rooms, etc. • Parks staff will also explore feasibility of adding programs and events at the Kent Commons. More r information to come as we continue to work through this concern. _ KENT PARKS TEEN CENTER/LATE NIGHT PPROGRAMS • Reversing the declining trend in organized sports/athletics. Kent Parks is beginning to work on marketing and outreach to entice and engage youth and teens to participate in sports, through multiple strategies. KSD has joined our efforts, as a partner in this effort. • Updating of the KSD/Kent Parks Shared Use Agreement. Discussed previously. • Working collaboratively on capital projects planning. Discussed previously. I r i KENT PARKS ADAPTIVE RECREATION PRG KENT PARKS GYMNASTICS KENT PARKS GARDENING CLASS KENT PARKS TENNIS PROGRAM KENT PARKS TRACK PROGRAM QUESTIONS I` lot y. �. •>, -�. i KENT PARKS YOUTH BASKETBALL PROGRAM KENT PARKS-CAMP WASKOWITZ KENT PARKS-YOUTH SOCCER PROGRAM KENT PARKS-DANCE PROGRAMS KENT PARKS-TEEN COOKING CLASS N • _-A4 WWI, C y lk EQUITY a EXCELLENCE COMMUNITY fl _ lS Kent School District Updates State of the District Boundaries /6th Grade Transition Strategic Planning 2023 Bond EQUITY lS STATE OF THE DISTRICT Israel Vela Superintendent EQUITY lS DISTRICT UPDATES Dr . Wade Barringer Associate Superintendent of Strategic Initiatives and Operations EQUITY • New School Boundaries Website- maps, address lookup • Boundary Committee work • Communication • Mddle School Nbdel Committee work • 1Vliddle School Transition work • 6th grade moving to MS • Opening Canyon Ridge NN • Open Houses and Information Nights EQUITY I EXCELLENCE I COMMUNITY 1S • Need for a Strategic Plan • Process • Pre-assessments, committee creation, community conversations, school visits, board adoption • Intended Outcomes of this process • Four Goal Areas • Stakeholder Engagement • Getting Involved • Strategic Plan Update Website EQUITY I EXCELLENCE I COMMUNITY I lbb 1 2023 10 N D • Why a 2023 Bond ? • What will the 2023 Bond funds be used for? • Five Major Project Areas and Associated Costs • Bond Task Force • 2023 Bond Tax Information • 2016 Bond- Promises Made, Promises Kept • Election Day-April 25, 2023 • 2023 Bond Website- videos, flyers, posters, PPTs EQUITY I EXCELLENCE I COMMUNITY FEEL FREE TO CONTACT 12033 SE 256 St, wade.barringer@kent.kl2. Kent,WA 98030 wa.us 253-373-7000 www.kent.kl2.wa.us