HomeMy WebLinkAboutCity Council Committees - Public Works or Public Works Committee - 11/01/2021
Approved
Public Works Committee
CC PW Regular Meeting
Minutes
November 1, 2021
Date: November 1, 2021
Time: 4:01 p.m.
Place: Chambers
Attending: Brenda Fincher, Committee Chair
Satwinder Kaur, Councilmember
Marli Larimer, Councilmember
Agenda:
1. Call to Order 4:01 p.m.
Councilmember Fincher called the meeting to order.
2. Roll Call
Attendee Name Title Status Arrived
Brenda Fincher Committee Chair Present
Satwinder Kaur Councilmember Present
Marli Larimer Councilmember Present
3. Agenda Approval
Added Information Only item: Storm Response Update
Moved item 7 - Information Items to item 6
Moved item 6 - Adjournment to item 7
4. Approval of Minutes
1. Approval of Minutes dated October 18, 2021
MOTION: Move to approve the Minutes dated October 18, 2021
RESULT: APPROVED \[UNANIMOUS\]
MOVER: Marli Larimer, Councilmember
SECONDER: Satwinder Kaur, Councilmember
AYES: Fincher, Kaur, Larimer
5. Business
1. INFO ONLY: Snow and Ice Preparedness
Streets and Vegetation Manager, Bill Thomas and Streets Supervisor, Brent
Collins provided an update on how the city prepares for winter weather.
Starting in late summer to early fall operations staff begin preparations and
coordinate with adjoining jurisdictions to identify lifeline routes and any new
roads to make sure that they are covered. Upcoming storms are tracked
through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
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Equipment is prepared mid-September.
Anti-Ice and Snow and Ice Priority Routes maps were presented. Anti-ice
efforts begin when frost is forecasted. Councilmember Fincher asked how
environmentally friendly the chemical usage is, and does it negatively impact
the Puget Sound region. Collins responded that Calcium Chloride is used to
save money and time, as well as protecting the environment. Both liquid and
granular methods when applied correctly, will maximize our road service
levels. Benefits for anti-icing is that less chemicals are required to prevent
ice-bonding than to remove ice once bonded to pavement, and better friction
can be achieved. Anti-icing applications can last up to 7 - 10 days. Collins
mentioned calcium chloride does not significantly harm aquatic and plant life
and has less negative impact than any other treatment.
Collins further stated that communication is very important during an event,
both internally and to the public. Road status updates are posted to
DriveKent.com, Facebook, Twitter, and variable message boards. Kent Police
also play an important role and provide a lot of help.
Thomas closed by emphasizing the importance of being prepared at home, in
your car and at work.
2. INFO ONLY: Grant Opportunities
Senior Transportation Planner, April Delchamps presented two transportation
grant opportunities remaining in 2021: 1) The Puget Sound Regional
Transportation Improvement Board (TIB) Complete Streets Program.
The PSRC TAP grant is a regional competition, with three types of projects
eligible: bicycle, historic preservation of transportation assets, environmental
mitigation, and the key foundation is planning and planning effort. Need for
the project must be identified in our comprehensive plan, specifically our
transportation element. $13.5M will be distributed for 2022-2024 ($4.5M for
each year), and jurisdictions are limited to two applications with a maximum
request of $2.5M for a specific project.
Applications are due December 3, 2021, and with funding awards announced
in February 2022. The funding will not be available until mid-April. The city is
considering two projects from a possible seven: multi-modal facilities on
multiple places on Meeker Street, new and improved pedestrian crossings, as
th
well as identified sidewalk gaps on 240Street and Russell Road.
The TIB Complete Streets Program is open to all municipalities that have a
complete streets ordinance and how well the City is doing to move the needle
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Minutes Kent, Washington
on complete streets, the policies, projects we are doing, and how we are
incorporating. To apply, the City must submit applications to eight
nominating agencies. $14.67M is available statewide, with awards between
$100K to $1M. The City has been developing applications for the last two
months and will be submitting the last application today. The city should be
informed in December if we are being considered for funding.
3. INFO ONLY: ARPA Budget Request - Fleet Vehicle Replacement
Deputy Public Works Director, Dave Brock discussed questions raised during
fleet, specifically $2.25M
to replace some fleet vehicles. Legislation has been in place since 2007 (RCW
converting vehicle fleets to electric and biofuels and defers to the
Department of Commerce to define what is practicable. The Department of
Commerce adopted WAC 194-29-020 defining practicality.
vehicles. In 2022, 18 vehicles are slated to be hybrid. In terms of the
budget adjustment, 42 vehicles have been identified for replacement in 2022
with nine vehicles to be transitioned to hybrids, and three transitioned to
electric which is a pilot project within Facilities mini pool. Currently, staff is
working with Facilities on charging stations which will be located on the City
Hall campus.
Councilmember Larimer asked if the vehicles that are not slated to be
transitioned is due to vehicle type. Brock confirmed that in the evolution of
hybrid vehicles started out with compact vehicles and then progressed up to
half ton pickups. Larger vehicles are not currently available.
4. INFO ONLY: Storm Response Update
response to the rainstorm on October 28, 2021. An atmospheric river passed
depending on the location within the city. The Public Works Storm section
had three two-man crews working the first 8-hour shift, and a second crew
came on at midnight. Vincent mentioned that with the amount of rain, it was
a successful event, and everything ran smoothly.
6. Adjournment 4:49 p.m.
Moved item 6 to item 7.
Cheryl Viseth
Committee Secretary
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