HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC Minutes - 02/16/00 Work Session MINUTES
Eugene City Council
Joint Meeting with Eugene School District 4J Board
Fire Training Center--2"d Avenue and Chambers Street
February 16, 2000
5:30 p.m.
COUNCILORS PRESENT: Bobby Lee, Betty Taylor, Nancy Nathanson, Pat Fart, Scott
Meisner, David Kelly, Gary Rayor, Gary Pap~.
A.Joint Meeting with School District 4J School Board
Mayor James D. Torrey called the meeting to order. He welcomed the members of the Eugene
School District 4J Board to the City's Fire Training Center facility, and noted that the meeting was
the first in memory between the board and council.
The council was joined by School District 4J Board members Craig Smith, Mike Fox, Chris Pryor,
Phil Barnhart, Jan Payton Oliver, Beth Gerot, and Virginia Thompson, and District Superintendent
George Russell, District Vice Superintendent David Piercy, District Assistant Superintendent for
Instruction Tom Henry, and District Director of Facilities and Transportation Bill Hirsh. Those
present introduced themselves.
Craig Smith, 4J School District Board Chair, thanked the mayor and council for hosting the event
and hoped it would be the first of several such meetings.
Mayor Torrey said that he had been at a meeting of the Commission on Children and Families
and the Department of Juvenile Justice in Salem that day for a discussion of how to provide
services to Oregon youth. He said that the Department of Education had not been represented
at the meeting, nor was it at other meetings he had attended on the same topic. He asked the
board to ask the State Superintendent of Schools why the department did not bother to attend
those meetings.
Andrea Riner of Public Works Department provided a progress report on the City and district's
joint development of youth sports parks and multi-use synthetic surface fields. She showed the
board and council master plan schematics of each site and described the major elements and
anticipated programming of each site.
Mr. Hirsh of School District 4J reviewed the schedule for construction of the facilities and
provided an update on the bidding process.
Mr. Fart assured BetheI-Danebo residents that its new facilities at Meadowview, constructed with
the City's assistance, were comparable with the facilities being contemplated by School District
4J.
Ms. Nathanson said that in the past the City had not kept up with its obligation to provide parks
and open space throughout the city, particularly neighborhood parks. She was very pleased with
MINUTES--Eugene City Council February 16, 2000 Page 1
Joint Meeting with School District 4J School Board
the outcome of the election on the youth sports parks proposal and expressed appreciation to the
board for helping the City to create areas that could function as neighborhood parks in places
where no parks previously existed. She said that the approach gave both the City and district the
"biggest bang for the buck."
Mr. Kelly requested an executive summary of the Intergovernmental Agreement.
Mr. Kelly asked how the City's interests were managed in the bid process if the district was the
entity issuing the bids. Mr. Hirsh responded that there was a project management agreement
between the City and district. The district was the lead on project management, but the lead
project manager was a City staff person. That individual looked out for the City's concerns.
Mr. Kelly noted a concern he had previously raised regarding advertising at the fields and said he
continued to dislike the concept and was concerned about the image that signs would convey.
He noted, however, that any signage would have to comply with the City's Sign Code.
Mr. Meisner agreed with Mr. Kelly's concerns about signage, although he recognized the need for
the revenues the signs would produce.
Mr. Meisner said that his primary concern about the joint venture had to do with continued
guaranteed access for non-students to facilities developed with the money of municipal
taxpayers. He wanted the Intergovernmental Agreement to reflect that, and hoped the designs
were consistent with the intention to guarantee access. Mr. Meisner said neighborhood parks
should be usable, and it troubled him that it was a district decision to eliminate picnic shelters at
one site, and include them as a bid alternate at another site. Mr. Johnson noted that City staff
participated in that decision. Mayor Torrey said that the fence on the west side of the Sheldon
site was to be closed only during football season on Friday nights to avoid event attendees from
parking in residential areas. Regarding the picnic shelters, Ms. Riner said that both the district
and the neighborhood had been concerned about the security issue. Therefore, those
improvements had received a lower priority when bid alternates were identified. Mayor Torrey
pointed out that the picnic tables were still in the plans, but the picnic shelter roofs were being
eliminated.
Mr. Pap~ commended the work done by the district and City staff and said he looked forward to
the implementation of the vision embodied in the ballot measure. He said that the projects
would result in much more play than was initially envisioned. At the request of Mr. Pap~, Ms.
Riner discussed the collaborative effort that led to the designs being proposed and noted the
input of sports fields advocates, neighborhood interests, skateboard advocates, and City and
district staff.
Mr. Pap8 asked for information on the district's review and disposal of surplus property. Mr.
Smith responded that the district was in the middle of a long-term planning process, entitled
Schools of the Future, which involved several hundred citizens. Part of that process included
facility planning, and he anticipated the board would be developing policies on the retention of
excess property. He said that the district currently had significant excess property and, given
enrollment trends, expects to be able to dispose of some of it. He said the planning process
would be completed within the year, and the policy development would probably occur in 2001.
Mr. Pryor emphasized that athletic fields were not the only focus for the district in the project.
The district was concerned with children, and they do more than play sports on fields. He said
MINUTES--Eugene City Council February 16, 2000 Page 2
Joint Meeting with School District 4J School Board
that the project was exciting not only in that it would realize artificial turf fields, but that it would
support other recreational and family-oriented activities. He said that the two bodies were not
used to working together and needed to recognize that fact and remember that they were
exploring some new places they had never been to before. Mr. Pryor liked the approach and said
he thought the project was just the start of a partnership based on common interests.
Mr. Rayor asked if there would be ongoing monitoring as to the use of the fields, and how that
was reflected in the Intergovernmental Agreement. Mr. Hirsh responded that the agreement
included the establishment of a user committee and a matrix had been developed for the initial
use of the synthetic fields. The user committee, which would include City representatives and
key community organizations such as KidSports, would oversee the use of those fields and
attempt to meet the needs of those who wished to use the fields. Mr. Johnson added that the
user committee would develop a statement regarding the intent of the project.
Mr. Rayor asked if the fields would be signed in a way that invited use of the facilities and
ensured that a potential user did not think they were on school property and should not be there.
Ms. Riner said that staff was looking at the City's current park signage and establishing a new
standard that would be used at the sites. She anticipated that signs would establish the
entryways as City parks. The shared fields at North and South high schools might have a slightly
different approach. Mr. Rayor said that there was considerable City money involved and he
wished to ensure citizens knew it was alright to use the facilities. He thought the issue should be
addressed in the Intergovernmental Agreement. Mr. Johnson was unsure that the agreement
needed to include that information, adding that no one disagreed with Mr. Rayor's points.
Mr. Barnhart said there had been "a continuum of connections" between the City and district. He
noted his long-time interest in involving all Eugene citizens in the schools, and said Mr. Rayor's
remarks regarding signage reflected the kinds of things the district needed to do to get people
involved. He said that for the schools to be adequately funded, the community must be familiar
with and connected to the schools, and he considered the parks a fabulous way of making those
connections.
Mr. Barnhart noted that the largest use of the all-weather fields will likely be for soccer, and
Eugene had many, many soccer players.
Mr. Fox said that the board had always considered the fields to be multiple use with multiple
users. He provided Mr. Kelly with his copy of the draft Intergovernmental Agreement.
Mr. Lee asked how the district and City could use the new facilities to leverage a more
meaningful discussion about a continuum of services for the youth population. He said he did
not know the answer to his question, and suggested further discussion.
Mr. Lee said he would like more information about the relationship between school districts and
their municipal governments in other communities, such as Portland. He wanted particularly to
know more about how cooperative ventures could occur in a meaningful and sustainable way.
Ms. Thompson anticipated that the Schools of the Future planning process will lead the district to
work more closely with the entire community, and if it does not, it will be unable to sustain the
schools alone. With the City, she believed the district would be able to provide services to youth
beyond the provision of sports fields. She said that the district would return to the council and
MINUTES--Eugene City Council February 16, 2000 Page 3
Joint Meeting with School District 4J School Board
ask it to review those recommendations and "think with us" as the board began to consider them.
Ms. Taylor hoped the district and City could cooperate on indoor spaces as well. She advocated
for a downtown youth center and suggested that there was a role for the school districts in that
effort.
Ms. Taylor said that the community needed to reduce vehicle miles traveled (VMT), and she
hoped the district would work to reduce the number of students driving to school. She suggested
reducing parking lot spaces, charging for parking, or establishing bus pass programs. Ms. Taylor
said it would be great if special programming provided by the schools could be provided by
teachers traveling to the students, rather than vice versa, which would also reduce VMT.
Mayor Torrey said that he had met with Library, Recreation, and Cultural Services Department
Director Angel Jones earlier that day to discuss the issue of how to leverage the facilities for
greater effect, and they would meet again with the school districts and Commission on Children
and Families to review a report identifying after-school program gaps on May 24.
Mr. Kelly referred to TransPlan and said he would like to see the district involved as a partner in
that plan. He had been quite surprised by the number of trips that could be attributed to
noncommuters, and said that a considerable percentage were generated by parents driving their
children to and from school and taking them to school-related events. Mr. Kelly suggested the
district could be a partner in looking at programs to reduce those trips and funding to support the
programs.
Ms. Nathanson said she would appreciate staff developing a process for future joint meetings,
rather than holding such meetings only to discuss special projects. She suggested that it would
benefit residents if the district and council established a more regular working relationship to work
on the interface between schools and community. Ms. Nathanson said that there seemed to be
an ongoing interface at the staff level, but not at the policy making level.
Mr. Smith noted that district had approximately 18,000 students, about the fourth largest in the
state, and while the boundaries of the district and city were not contiguous, about 15 percent of
the city's population were district students K through 12. Regarding the issue of transportation,
Mr. Smith said that one of the task forces formed by the Schools of the Future Committee dealt
with school choice, and the issue of transportation had come up in that context and was being
discussed. He thanked the council and welcomed more joint meetings.
Mayor Torrey thanked the board.
The council took a brief meeting recess.
B.Work Session: Library Update
Library, Recreation, and Cultural Services Department Director Angel Jones introduced the item.
Ms. Jones reported that the project had reached the end of the major design phase. The design
had been reviewed and accepted by the New Library Advisory Committee throughout the design
process and met the library's growth needs for 15 to 20 years. She provided background on the
design process, noting that the public input had directly impacted the building and site design.
MINUTES--Eugene City Council February 16, 2000 Page 4
Joint Meeting with School District 4J School Board
She cited an increase in the bicycle parking spaces and a design that would use 30 percent less
energy than State law required as examples of how public input was addressed.
Ms. Jones recognized Julie Aspinwall Lamberts, chair of the New Library Advisory Committee;
Jim Robertson and Carl Sherwood of Robertson/Sherwood/Architects; and Tom Wiper of the
Library Foundation. She acknowledged the presence of staff involved in various elements of the
project.
Ms. Jones provided an overview of the evolution of the project design and noted the inclusion of
5,400 square feet of additional space as a bid alternate in case funding was available.
Ms. Jones emphasized that the project had not exceeded expected funding.
Sue Cutsogeorge, Administrative Services Department, provided a brief overview of the project's
financing plan, noting that circumstances related to timing had added some additional money to
the Urban Renewal Agency contribution that would be directed to the project. She discussed the
first bond issuance, to occur in spring 2000. Ms. Cutsogeorge anticipated the second series of
bonds would be issued in approximately two years and would be backed by the freed-up lease
payments from City office space. The council would consider the bond resolution for the first
issuance on February 28.
Brad Black, Library Project Manager, discussed next steps in the design and construction
process. He provided an update on the discovery of volatile organic compounds in the
groundwater on the site. He identified the compound involved as vinyl chlorides. The source
and extent of contamination was unknown. Staff assumed that the problem was long-term and
must be addressed as a project expense. Mr. Black said that the hole must be pumped dry and
the water treated and discharged for construction to proceed. He believed the problem could be
addressed within the next six months, and the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) was
assisting in that process. At this point, the City was assuming that it was responsible for the
costs of cleaning the site.
Mr. Black emphasized the energy savings anticipated from the building design.
Mr. Black anticipated construction would begin in late summer or early fall 2000, and construction
time was approximately 24 months.
Responding to questions from Mr. Lee, Mr. Black confirmed that the building is required to meet
current seismic codes, potentially enhanced because of the building's function in the City's
Emergency Response Plan; and the design complied with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Mr. Kelly commended the background material in the council packet. He was pleased by the
design. He endorsed the inclusion of green building concepts in the design and noted the
relationship to the council's goals on sustainability and a healthy and natural built environment.
Mr. Kelly hoped the approach could become routine for any City building project.
Mr. Kelly objected to the six underground parking spaces dedicated to the Information Services
Division, saying it was ten percent of the total available spaces. He asked staff to revisit the
design and be creative, suggesting that the City may be able to arrange for parking spaces with a
nearby property owner. Mr. Black said the loading area and service core had been designed to
allow the six computer technicians to bring equipment to and from the library from the basement
MINUTES--Eugene City Council February 16, 2000 Page 5
Joint Meeting with School District 4J School Board
to the fourth floor, so the proximity of parking to that function was important. He added that staff
had looked for alternatives but had not found a good one yet. Mr. Kelly said that given staff were
likely to unload equipment and remain at the office for some time, it did not seem unreasonable
that staff would move the vehicle across the street after unloading. Mr. Johnson noted that the
division would pay for those services. Mr. Kelly was less concerned about cost than about the
availability of public spaces.
Mr. Kelly expressed concern that the $2 million contingency in the bond resolution was somehow
related to possible project cost overruns and did not want to "open the door for that now." He
said that could occur later if necessary, and requested clarification for the next work session on
the topic.
Responding to a question from Ms. Nathanson, Mr. Johnson anticipated staff would provide the
council with quarterly project status reports.
Responding to a question from Ms. Nathanson regarding the source of the groundwater
contamination, Risk Manager Chuck Solin said that the pollution at the site was of the point
source type. The chemicals involved were solvents used for cleaning that had degraded over the
years, leaving vinyl chloride behind. Mr. Johnson confirmed that the City may have assistance in
paying for the cost of the clean-up from the State.
Ms. Nathanson commended the green building concepts and energy conservation elements of
the building design.
Ms. Nathanson suggested that at some point in the future staff prepare an update on other library
building projects in the country and how Eugene's project compared with those.
At the request of Mr. Rayor, Mr. Black identified the bid alternates as the 5,400 square feet of
space on the second and third floor; a change in the south facade finish from brick to stucco;
deleting the grand stair beyond the third floor; and changing the metal roofing material to a less
expensive material. The total of all bid alternates was approximately $800,000. Mr. Black said
the fourth floor was 33,000 square feet.
Mr. Rayor noted that he had submitted written questions about the project to the City Manager,
copies of which he had distributed to the council, and said he expected responses at a future
work session. He said that the project was on budget but appeared to be "pushed to the edge"
by add-ons. Mr. Rayor said that there was not much room for mistakes or mismanagement in the
project. He was glad the City was bidding alternates, but was concerned about the fiscal impacts
of those alternates and the public's perception of them. He did not want the public to think the
City was building an office building instead of a library. He supported returning any additional
money collected for the project back to the taxpayers. Mr. Rayor believed the issue of the project
budget could have a bearing on how a proposal for a new police and fire headquarters were
considered by the public.
Responding to a question from Mr. Pap8 regarding the incorporation of wood and water into the
design, Mr. Sherwood described those elements of the design, noting their origin in the public
input offered by residents. He said that the design would maximize the use of daylight as well.
Mr. Pap8 asked if the City had environmentally characterized the site. Mr. Solin said no, adding
that the cooperation of the adjacent property owners had a bearing on the timing of that process.
MINUTES--Eugene City Council February 16, 2000 Page 6
Joint Meeting with School District 4J School Board
He agreed with a statement from Mr. Pap8 that the characterization would largely determine the
costs of cleaning the site, and those costs could exceed the current estimates for that work. Mr.
Johnson said that the City was working with both the neighboring property owners and the DEQ.
Mr. Pap8 agreed with Mr. Kelly's comments about parking.
At the request of Mr. PapS, Ms. Cutsogeorge clarified the revenue stream supporting the bonds
backed by net freed lease payments and confirmed the City would have to use the top floor of the
library for 20 years to realize the return. Mr. Johnson said that the City Council could also "buy
the space out" using Urban Renewal Agency dollars.
Mr. Pap8 asked about the Eugene Water & Electric Board contribution. Mr. Black said that the
contribution was a one-time cash payment of approximately $68,000. Mr. Pap8 asked for more
information about the Year 2000 contingency funds. Mr. Johnson said that staff was preparing a
report on the expenditure of the funds and indicated money still remained; staff intended to
prepare some recommendations for the balance. For example, because the building would be
integral to the City's emergency response, staff believed it was appropriate to use some of the
money to buy an emergency generator.
Mr. Pap8 asked where the bonding costs were reflected in the plan. Mr. Johnson said that those
costs were reflected in the total cost.
Responding to a question from Mr. PapS, Mr. Wiper said that the Library Foundation was on track
to raise the $4.5 million it previously indicated to the council it would collect for the project.
Ms. Taylor felt the green building concepts were extremely important. She wished the building
had windows that could be opened. She shared Mr. Kelly's concerns about the parking
dedicated to the Information Services Division.
Ms. Taylor asked if the polluter could be required to pay if the responsible party could be
identified. Mr. Johnson said yes, but part of the problem was that over the past years there had
been dry cleaners in three different locations adjacent to the site. He said that the City was
working with DEQ and third party environmental engineers were attempting to identify the source
of the plume. He noted that legal counsel was also involved in those discussions.
Mr. Meisner agreed with Mr. Kelly's concerns about the parking dedicated to Information Services
Division staff. He said that if the spaces were reserved for the division's purpose, the division
should be paying for the capital cost of those spaces. Mr. Johnson agreed.
Mr. Meisner pointed out to Mr. Rayor that the City had not held a bond election or made any
campaign promises about the sources of funds and how they would be spent. He agreed that
the project had grown, pointing out the council had decided to add the fourth floor last spring, the
largest factor in increasing the cost. Mr. Meisner believed that the additional third-floor space
was needed for library staff use, and that the fourth floor would ultimately be needed for library
purposes. He also noted that the Library, Recreation, and Cultural Services Department would
be paying the costs of the space dedicated to administrative purposes by savings in lease
payments.
MINUTES--Eugene City Council February 16, 2000 Page 7
Joint Meeting with School District 4J School Board
Mr. Meisner commended the foundation's fund raising efforts, saying he was awed by what the
foundation had accomplished in a four-month period.
By way of general comment, Mr. Meisner observed that over the course of the last three years,
the City Council had moved away from policy oversight of the project to detailed project
management.
Mr. Johnson said that in his review of the meeting minutes during which the council discussed
the additional of the fourth floor, it was clear that the cost of the extra square footage was not
only to be supported by rents from the Administrative Services Department and Information
Services Division, but that asset sales were also necessary.
Mr. Farr determined that the funding for arts was approximately $322,000. He urged staff and the
New Library Advisory Committee to use local artists. He also urged the City to use local
construction firms and to procure materials locally when possible. He said that would return
some of the costs of the facility to the taxpayers. Mr. Far suggested that the council have a
policy discussion on the topic of buying locally.
Mr. Fart termed the foundation's fund raising efforts "amazing."
Mayor Torrey said that he had been wrong about the amount of money the foundation could raise
and wished to compliment Mr. Wiper and the Library Foundation.
Mayor Torrey referred to parking and said that the new library would generate more traffic than
the existing library, which had many more spaces than was proposed for the new library. He
believed the City had an opportunity to look at other options besides the underground parking.
Mayor Torrey asked staff to consider that issue as he did not think the 70 spaces planned now
were adequate. He noted that representatives of Saint Mary's Catholic Church had indicated to
him that they had insufficient space to provide additional parking to the City. Mr. Johnson said
that staff was ready to proceed with the project as scoped now. If there were changes to be
made in the project design, those changes needed to be made soon. Mayor Torrey reiterated his
belief that there were other options for parking. Mr. Johnson suggested that the council devote
more time to the subject at a future meeting. Mayor Torrey believed that action could await that
discussion.
Mr. Lee moved, seconded by Ms. Taylor, to accept the proposed project
scope and financing plan as outlined in the briefing statement.
Speaking in support of the motion, Mr. Lee said he believe the City was closing in on a project
design. He suggested that Mr. Meisner work with the mayor and manager prior to the next
meeting on parking options.
Mr. Meisner said that the mayor's remarks implied an additional cost for the project, and he was
not interested in using library funds to pay for additional parking. He did not think that precluded
the City from securing additional parking. He did not think the library budget or project plan
needed to be modified, and said he supported the motion with the hope the City would seek other
resources to support additional parking.
Mr. Pap8 moved, seconded by Mr. Far, to table the motion to February 21,
2000.
MINUTES--Eugene City Council February 16, 2000 Page 8
Joint Meeting with School District 4J School Board
Mr. Kelly did not want to postpone action. He pointed out that the library does not exist in
isolation, and he did not want to address its parking needs in isolation. Mr. Kelly noted that the
council was just beginning a downtown visioning process that included examination of parking
downtown.
Ms. Nathanson said if the council believed that the building and underground parking were ready
to go forward, it seemed appropriate to both approve the project scope and funding plan while
still continuing to pursue other options for parking.
Mr. Pap8 withdrew his motion, and Mr. Farr withdrew his second. Mr. Pap8 left the meeting at
7:35 p.m.
Mayor Torrey maintained that the City did not have to build parking under the library. The City
could add parking either across the street or adjacent to the facility, and there were substantial
savings to not having underground parking. He said he was not asking that funds from the library
be dedicated to any other parking, outside the costs associated with parking inside the budget.
The main motion passed, 5:2; Mr. Rayor and Mr. Farr voting no.
Mr. Lee moved, seconded by Ms. Taylor, to direct staff to prepare a bond
resolution allowing issuance of up to $25 million of debt obligation in one or
more series. In addition, staff should prepare resolutions of the City and
Urban Renewal Agency authorizing the intergovernmental agreement which
obligates the agency to provide funds for the construction of the new library.
The motion passed, 7:0.
The council took a brief recess and convened in the Fire Conference Room. Mr. Farr and Mr.
Pap8 left the meeting.
MINUTES--Eugene City Council February 16, 2000 Page 9
Joint Meeting with School District 4J School Board
EXECUTIVE SESSION REGARDING REAL PROPERTY
Pursuant to Oregon Revised Statutes 192.660(1)(e), the City Council met in executive session for
them. This portion of the meeting was closed to the general public.
The meeting adjourned at 9 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
James R. Johnson
City Manager
(Recorded by Kimberly Young)
MINUTES--Eugene City Council February 16, 2000 Page 10
Joint Meeting with School District 4J School Board