HomeMy WebLinkAboutCity Council Committees - Parks and Human Services - 10/17/2013 Parks and Human Services Committee
KENTW�SNINGTON Meeting Minutes for October 17, 2013
Council Members Present: Chair Debbie Ranniger and Elizabeth Albertson.
Councilmember Dana Ralph had an excused absence.
Chair Ranniger called the meeting to order at 5: 10 p.m.
Item 1: Minutes of September 19, 2013 — Approve
MOTION: Committee member Albertson moved to approve the minutes
dated September 19, 2013. Chair Ranniger seconded. The motion passed 3-
0, with concurrence from Committee member Dana Ralph.
Item 2: 2014 Community Development Block Grant Annual Action Plan
— Approve
Katherin Johnson, Manager of Housing and Human Services reported that, as an
entitlement city, the City of Kent receives Community Development Block Grant
(CDBG) funds every year from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban
Development (HUD. To receive this funding, the City is required to submit a Five-
Year Consolidated Plan for Housing & Community Development. The City's
Consolidated Plan is in effect from 2003-2017. Prior to the beginning of each year
of the Consolidated Plan, the City must inform HUD and the community of the
specific actions that the City will execute to implement the objectives and strategies
of the Consolidated Plan; this is outlined in the 2014 Action Plan. The Action Plan
also includes the allocation of estimated resources that will be used to carry out the
objectives and strategies, and a description of each program that will receive funds.
The City recommended that a major portion of CDBG funds be used to support the
City's Home Repair Program. This program serves many low-income, disabled, and
senior homeowners in Kent by providing needed repairs. The program also ensures
that a portion of Kent's low/moderate-income housing stock is maintained and
preserved.
On October 3, 2013, the City of Kent published a public notice on its website and
informed the community, organizations, and stakeholders that the Draft 2014
CDBG Annual Action Plan was available for review and comment for a period of
thirty (30) days. On October 17, 2013, the Human Services Commission held a
public hearing for the purpose of taking comments on the 2014 Annual Action Plan.
Human Services Commission Recommendations: The Human Services Commission
reviewed and approved recommendations for CDBG funding for 2014. The format is
different this year because the documents are downloaded from the online site.
Johnson reported that the estimate of $914,499.00 may increase or decrease
depending upon the final federal appropriations bill Congress passes in the fall.
Therefore, the recommended funding includes a contingency plan to address any
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potential changes that may occur when Congress adopts the 2014 budget. The
CDBG project accounts for 2014 are impacted by the budget.
Funding allocations for 2014:
1. Kent Home Repair Program: $569,424
2. Catholic Community Services - Katherine's House: $10,000
3. Multi Service Center - Housing Stability: $64,175
4. HealthPoint - Healthcare for the Homeless: $10,000
5. Refugee Women's Alliance - Case Management and EMS Assistance: $15,000
6. Refugee Women's Alliance - Senior Meals: $10,000
7. Washing CASH - Kent Micro-enterprise Initiative: $25,000
8. YWCA Anita Vista Transitional Housing: $18,000
9. Emergency Feeding Program - Food for All Around Kent: $10,000
Chair Ranniger asked if there is a way of finding out when the city will know what
the funding will be. Johnson said the latest the city has ever received the funding
was this year. The contract was received in August and agencies received their first
payment in September. She hopes it won't repeat itself, but staff is prepared for
that. To the credit of the agencies that provide services to Kent community, the
agencies they provided their costs until resources became available. What makes
the most sense is using the current number and having a contingency plan.
Watling thanked Human Services Planner Dinah Wilson who takes the lead on the
city's CDBG projects.
MOTION: Committee member Albertson moved to recommend Council
approve the proposed Community Development Block Grant 2014 Action
Plan, including funding allocations and contingency plans, and authorize
the Mayor to execute the appropriate certifications and agreements. Chair
Ranniger seconded. The motion passed 3-0, with concurrence from
Committee member Dana Ralph.
Item 3: 2013 Western States Arts Federation Grant - Accept
Superintendent of Recreation and Cultural Programs Lori Hogan reported that the
talented staff in the Cultural Division and the Kent Arts Commission received a
Western States Arts Federation (WESTAF) IM (Independent Music) Tour Grant in
the amount of $2,500.00 that was used to support the presentation of The
Changing Colors (an acoustic music duo), as part of the Kent Summer Concert
Series. The group also led an educational outreach activity at Kent Parks' summer
day camp program.
MOTION: Committee member Albertson moved to recommend accepting
2013 Western States Arts Federation grant in the amount of $2,500.00 and
approving the expenditure of funds in the Kent Arts Commission's budget.
Chair Ranniger seconded. The motion passed 3-0, with concurrence from
Committee member Dana Ralph.
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Item 4: Recreation and Conservation Office Grant Agreement —
Authorize
Parks and Recreation Director Jeff Watling introduced Hope Gibson, Manager of
Parks Planning and Development. Gibson explained that, as Council knows, the
Panther Lake area is quite underserved. In 2010, the city purchased approximately
32 acres at the north end of the city, also known as the Huse property, to become
part of the Panther Lake assemblage. The purchase price was $1,500,000. Staff
received a $650,000 grant from King County Conservation Futures toward the
purchase of the property. Gibson gave kudos to Brian Levenhagen who for applied
for a reimbursement grant through the Washington State Recreation and
Conservation Office and was awarded $834,725.00 towards the purchase of this
property. The grant will pay for half of the purchase price and all qualifying "soft
costs" associated with the purchase of the property.
Chair Ranniger asked if there was a master plan of the park. Watling responded
conceptually yes, but the master plan process has not begun. Currently, there is no
funding for park development. When funded, much like the Kent Valley Loop Trail,
there will be a lot of public involvement. Gibson confirmed that the contract amount
includes demolition of the structures on the property.
MOTION: Committee member Albertson moved to recommend accepting
the reimbursement funds from the Recreation and Conservation Office for
an amount not to exceed $834,725.00, and authorizing the Mayor to sign
all necessary documents, subject to terms and conditions acceptable to the
City Attorney and Parks Director. Chair Ranniger seconded. The motion
passed 3-0, with concurrence from Committee member Dana Ralph.
Chair Ranniger would like the city to consider putting a proposal together for
budget dollars to launch the process to begin to engage the public so that the public
knows what a gem this site is. She'd like to move forward with a master plan in the
next couple years and open it in some passive way for public use now. She feels
that having a piece of property in an area that is underserved and not being able to
use it, doesn't make sense. She wants it to be a budget priority, as well as the
small piece of property on 132nd.
Gibson said there will be a comprehensive focus on this property as preparation
begins for updating the Park Plan. As stated in previous meetings, the city's failing
assets need to be addressed, and balancing the needs of the infrastructure and
future development is delicate. We are trying to take care of what we've got.
Albertson feels that real estate has picked up and REET funding will come back. She
feels the city needs to think about how these issues will be addressed.
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Item 5: D. A. Hogan Consultant Agreement for Wilson Playfields -
Authorize
Watling reported that Wilson Playfields is very close to the end of its useful life.
Park Operations has done a great job extending the life of the turf by increasing
levels of maintenance. They have kept the field playable and safe, but the wear
continues.
The anticipated cost of the replacement is over a million dollars. The lack of
resources has prevented the city from replacing the turf to this point. However,
with the recent state grant and the improved revenue outlook, Parks has put
together options for funding this number one priority parks capital project, and it is
funding that the city currently has to accomplish this work.
This contract, if approved, will procure the needed design and construction
observation work necessary for a successful renovation project. D. A. Hogan is a
nationally regarded firm specializing in artificial turf construction and replacement
design. Wrapped into this agreement is some structural work on various netting
and poles, plus a review of the storm water system.
Construction is anticipated to commence in late first quarter of 2014. Approval for
construction in the form of a bid award will come before City Council in early 2014
before the busy athletic season.
MOTION: Committee member Albertson moved to recommend authorizing
the Mayor to sign the Consultant Agreement with D. A. Hogan and
Associates for $26,450 for the Wilson Sports Field Synthetic Turf
Renovation project, subject to final terms and conditions acceptable to the
City Attorney and the Parks Director. Chair Ranniger seconded. The motion
passed 3-0, with concurrence from Committee member Dana Ralph.
Item 6: Kent Valley Loop Trail Update — INFO ONLY
Parks Director Watling reminded Council that a couple months ago, staff
endeavored into a master planning effort to take a new look at the trails systems in
the valley. This stems out of the strategic plan discussions and understanding some
of the primary goals of taking care of what we have, how we can maximize our
current assets. Also a critical role in how connectivity plays a role in the
community.
Hope Gibson, Manager of Parks Planning and Development, stated that a few years
ago Parks Planning and Development staff entered into an ambitious planning
project funded through the CPPW program where connectivity throughout the city
was reviewed, both on Right of Way (ROW) and off ROW. Often in cities, the on and
off ROW systems are looked at and they don't always come together. Fortunately,
the city's Public Works Department reached out further than most cities and they
considered the off ROW facilities and then took the planning a step further. One of
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the suggestions from that study was to take a new look at the Green River Trail and
the Interurban Trail - particularly since the opportunity presents itself at the south
end of the city where these two trails intersect. so they thought what about looking
for the opportunity to create a loop experience at the northern end of the city. At
that time, a Request for Proposals was advertised and Berger Partnership was
contracted to assist us in this goal.
Greg Brower, a consultant from Berger Partnership, attended the meeting to update
the committee on their progress with this project. Mr. Brower reported that the
potential trails studied were the Interurban and the Green River Trail. They looked
at what can be done to link those trails together and to develop a loop trail through
the city with the recreational user in mind.
The first slide in the presentation started with the city's Open Space and trails Plan,
featuring the study area down in the valley and the potential of linking the
Interurban and Green River Trails with the recreational user in mind. Other slides
showed numerous areas that users can enjoy along the trails, from farmland and
the golf course, to Boeing Rock. Mr. Brower also spoke to the many challenges with
multiple ownership of the Interurban Trail and how that may impact the project.
Some of the same images from the presentation were included in the virtual survey
that was placed online to seek input from the community. The response from the
community was very successful with 275 comments received. When compiled, the
online comments became 30 pages, double-sided. Instead of including all of those
pages in the presentation, the consultants created a "Wordle," which is a tool they
used to generate "word clouds" from text that was provided in the comments. The
clouds give greater prominence to words that appear more frequently in the source
document. Results from the survey questions developed into Wordles included:
What is your favorite thing about the trail? flat, views, river, paved, Interurban.
Have you ever stopped at (fill in the blank): Foster Park, Russell Road, Van Doren's,
Three Friends, Riverview. What is your preference for the length of the loop route?
Results were from two to thirteen miles.
The consultants then took the input and began to strategize on how to connect the
Interurban Trail to the Green River Trail at the northern area near Tukwila.
However they didn't find a magical route with continuity. They also looked at the
196th section they thought had potential. It has bike lanes and appeals to the
commuters and runners, but does not provide a family/recreational experience. As
a result of these findings, they wanted to see how they could achieve a loop within
the city and not be so concerned with connecting the Interurban and the Green
River Trails. That led them to Frager Road, which runs along the other side of the
Green River. They decided they could work in a lot of different loops along Frager
Road and create multiple experiences for recreational users. From that information,
they created the "Kent Valley Loop Trails Project." These loops accommodate all
kinds of users because of the multiple lengths of each loop. The user would go
down one side of the loop and have the option to cross at numerous locations at
existing parks along the Green River and lead them into the downtown core. The
loops range from 1.5 to 13 miles, thus providing shorter and longer trail lengths
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and satisfying the various needs of users. The next steps will be to develop the plan
for existing facilities and the Valley Floor, Riverview Park, and the Downtown
Gateway. Another virtual meeting will be featured online to gather additional
feedback from the community.
Watling spoke to taking assets that have been here for decades and using the
opportunity to re-package these amazing outdoor assets for a greater trail
experience that the city can market to the current residents and future businesses.
Through the Economic and Development Department, there has been great
feedback from businesses. The city's Bicycle Committee has provided useful input
and Public Works has been an integral part of this discussion. This plan with
multiple loops can provide an awareness of this asset with minimal expense.
Chair Ranniger said that this would be a great resource for families to enjoy while in
town supporting their kids at local games. This is definitely a benefit for the
economic development and the hospitality industry and she likes the variety of the
trail lengths.
In reference to signage along the loops, Watling compared it to a store directory at
the mall, guiding users to the location and showing the length of each loop.
Mr. Brower explained that the loop names need to be memorable to the user. As an
example of potential signage, for this presentation they gave each loop a local
identity, such as; Salmon, Eagle, Frog, Frye, and Tadpole. For user familiarity, they
also toyed with the idea of naming the trailheads after existing parks along the loop
trail, for example; Van Doren's Loop, 3 Friends Loop, Foster Loop, and Old Fishing
Hole Loop. Inspired by subways, the consultants similarly considered using color
coding along the trail. There will be further discussion before final decisions are
made for the signage.
Committee member Albertson felt, given the fact that over 127 languages are
spoken in the Kent community, animal markers makes it easy for everyone to
understand and remember.
In closing, Watling remarked on the timeliness of this project and fulfilling the
strategic goal of connectivity. Noting that the Green River has a lot of other
priorities, there is an advocacy and prioritization that we need to maintain. There
are other agencies that may prioritize vegetation planting above a trail experience.
There needs to be a balanced vision, incorporating the human experience.
Albertson appreciates the plan because it introduces more people to this open
space.
Item 7: Third Quarter Report — INFO ONLY
Watling reported that parks and public spaces are extremely well used and the
beach front at Lake Meridian is a perfect example. The park has a turnstile and
counted 91,000 visitors to the lake this summer. Watling complimented the
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lifeguards for providing exceptional service to the 91,000 customers and no major
emergencies.
Another highlight within the third quarter was Park Operations staff working on
irrigation efficiencies. They initiated a pilot centralized irrigation system program at
Van Doren's Park. By modernizing the control systems, there will be a significant
cost savings. A report will be available by early November that will measure some
of the efficiencies. Staff will be present the report to Council at the November Parks
Committee meeting.
Watling noted several letters from participants who attended summer camp through
scholarships. There were 51 campers with full or partial scholarships. Some of the
funds came from the annual fund raiser for Camp Waskowitz. One of the letters
thanked staff for adjusting the program schedule and menu for so they could honor
the religious holiday Ramadan.
Watling spoke to in-kind and cash contributions received during the third quarter of
2013, which totaled $27,008.93.
Chair Ranniger noticed a recurring theme in the letters from participants. Many of
the comments were about becoming more confidence and less shy. Watling
referenced some recent writings about "nature deficit disorder" and the positive
influence of nature on the mind, body, and soul.
Item 8: Director's Report — INFO ONLY
Watling thanked Council for their support with public spaces and public programs.
He feels Kent is a better place because of the support that Council provides.
Committee member Albertson referenced the positive comments from parents and
participants involved in youth/teen programs. In particular, testimonials of help
with diabetes, behavior improvement, confidence building, feeling stronger, and
providing a clean place. She is thankful for being reminded of "why we do this."
Chair Ranniger thought it would be a good idea to bring some of the participant
quotes to share during the budget process.
Chair Debbie Ranniger adjourned the meeting at 6:00 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Teri Petrole
Council Committee Secretary
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