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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC Minutes - 01/20/99 WS MINUTES Eugene City Council McNutt Room--City Hall January 20, 1999 11:30 a.m. COUNCILORS PRESENT: Scott Meisner, Pat Fart, David Kelly, Bobby Lee, Nancy Nathanson, Gary Pap~, Gary Rayor, Betty Taylor. Mayor James Torrey called the Adjourned City Council Meeting from January 13, 1999, to order at 11:30 a.m. A. ITEMS FROM MAYOR, COUNCIL AND CITY MANAGER Mr. Kelly referred to an article which had appeared in a recent issue of The Register-Guard. He said he was concerned that officials of TeleCommunications, Incorporated (TCI) were reported to have re-numbered the Community Access channel which makes it inaccessible to some subscribers. He said opposition to such a change had been previously expressed by the Metropolitan Policy Committee (MPC). He suggested that if other councilors shared his concern, it would be appropriate to oppose the change. Mayor Torrey stated that the City Council had supported assigning a lower number to the Community Access channel within the last three months. He added that nothing in the TCl franchise with the City gave it or the MPC any ability to control numbering of channels. Mr. Rayor asked if copies of the City Council agenda and support material was available at the Library and whether it could be provided to a group named "Citizen Partners." City Manager Jim Johnson replied that copies of the agenda and material were already placed in the Library, but that to make the entire packet available directly to individuals or groups could become prohibitive because it frequently contained an extremely large amount of material. Mr. Rayor requested that more than one copy of the agenda and support material be placed at the Library. Mr. Pap~ suggested that council meeting agenda and briefing statements be posted on the World Wide Web (WWW) home page of the City. Mr. Johnson said the agendas were currently on the home page and that he would have an analysis made of the feasibility of also posting briefing statements. Mr. Kelly stated that computer software applications recently became available which simplified translation of most word processing files into Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML) used on the WWW. Ms. Taylor suggested that each councilor be given an opportunity to designate recipients of one or two copies of meeting agenda packets, since some citizens did not have access to the City's MINUTES--Eugene City Council January 20, 1999 Page 1 11:30 a.m. WWW home page and many seeking to use the copy of the material at the Library could create difficulties. Ms. Taylor asked if progress had been made in filling the position of Eugene Urban Forester. She also asked if it would be possible for the council to take a position on wetland issues to be considered in a public hearing. She said that she would like the council to discuss issues related to density in new developments. She also said she was pleased that the MPC had taken a stand on the numbering of the Community Access channel by TCI and suggested that another statement by the City Council could be influential in encouraging it to be changed. Mr. Farr reported that the Council Committee on Homelessness and Youth would meet with a large group of disenfranchised youth on January 28. He invited all councilors to attend and participate in the discussion to take place. Mr. Farr said that he was saddened by the decision to close the McKenzie Outfitters retail store on the Downtown Mall. He said he was concerned by the statement reported by media that the decision had been prompted by the presence of youth on the mall. He suggested that consideration of reopening Broadway through the mall might be supportive to commercial outlets located there. Mr. Farr said he was pleased by the recent report that processing of building and development by City departments averaged 22 days. He noted that the average showed significant improvements were being made in processing applications. Mr. Farr said that he appreciated the suggestions for increased distribution of City Council meeting agenda material because it would likely lead to improved citizen participation. Mr. Farr said that, despite its regrettable re-numbering of the Community Access channel, TCI continued to provide a high level of service in the community. He said he believed its package of cable services was one of the better ones available. Mr. Meisner asked that an estimate of the cost involved in reopening Broadway through the Downtown Mall be provided for any discussion of the issue by the council, specifically including what it would cost to undo what we just did a couple of years ago, developing Broadway Plaza. Mr. Lee said that he was made uncomfortable by the possibility of reopening of Broadway through the mall because of the impact such action would have on youth. Mr. Lee commented on the purpose of the City Council. He said he believed the time involved in policy-making functions was superceded by councilor's problem-solving work. He noted that although it was time-consuming to involve all stakeholders in an issue, it was a significant role of elected officials. Mayor Torrey stated that it would not be appropriate for the City Council to take a position on wetland issues at a forthcoming hearing because the complicated nature of the subject required an understanding of detailed matters before such a position could be reached. He said that any councilor could appropriately testify at or write a letter to be included in the record of such a hearing. MINUTES--Eugene City Council January 20, 1999 Page 2 11:30 a.m. Mayor Torrey suggested that councilors' questions, issues, or concerns about council processes be given to the City Manager in advance of the Council Process Session to be held on February 5. He also suggested that consideration of such issues as reopening of Broadway would be appropriately discussed at the council work session on vision and values to be held on February 6. Mayor Torrey reported on his experience reading to students at Danebo Elementary School. Mr. Johnson reported that all meetings of the Eugene Budget Committee would be broadcast on TCI cable Channel 11. Mr. Johnson reported that a new Eugene Urban Forester had been hired and would begin work on February 8. He said a description of the background of the individual hired would be provided to councilors. Mr. Johnson invited councilors to discuss with him concerns about the council process session since the agenda time allotted for the discussion at the January 13 meeting had not been available. Mr. Johnson distributed copies of a memorandum to the Executive Managers dated January 4 regarding the City and the environment. He noted that a report from an ad hoc employee committee about the City's environmental stewardship was attached to the memorandum and that the executives would discuss the concerns raised at a meeting to be held January 21. He said he would report to the council regarding progress made regarding the concerns. B. DISCUSSION OF ELECTION OF OFFICERS Mayor Torrey reminded councilors of the tie which had resulted when the council voted to elect a Council President at the January 13, 1999 meeting. He said he continued to believe it was inappropriate for him to vote on the motion to break the tie. He requested that Mr. Fart, current Council President, preside over a discussion of the election of officers. Mr. Fart reminded councilors that Mr. Meisner and Ms. Nathanson had each received four votes in the election referred to by Mayor Torrey. He called upon Ms. Nathanson. Ms. Nathanson stated that in the interest of council unanimity and good working relationships, she would withdraw as a candidate for Council President. She said that she would like to be considered as a candidate for Council Vice President. Mr. Fart moved, seconded by Mr. Lee, to informally select Scott Meisner as Council President for 1999. The motion was adopted unanimously, 8:0. Mr. Rayor nominated Betty Taylor as Council Vice President for 1999. Mr. Pap~ nominated Nancy Nathanson as Council Vice President for 1999. Mr. Lee nominated himself as Council Vice President for 1999. MINUTES--Eugene City Council January 20, 1999 Page 3 11:30 a.m. Mr. Lee stated that he had placed his own name in nomination because it was tradition for the Council Vice President to be elected Council President in the following year. He said he appreciated the clear thinking and historical perspective contributed by Ms. Nathanson to council deliberations and suggested that an "ex officio position" be created for her as an advisor to the Council President. Mr. Kelly stated that he did not believe it should be assumed that the Council Vice President would be elected Council President in the following year because each councilor was capable of serving in the role. He said he believed all councilors should be given an opportunity to serve in a leadership role and that he supported the nomination of Ms. Taylor. Mr. Meisner stated that he preferred not to be required to express a preference among the nominees for Council Vice President because each was well-qualified and that he believed he could work well with any of them. He said a major responsibility of council officers was to propose motions which reflected a perception of the will of the council. Mr. Meisner said he did not believe there was a strong tradition for the Council Vice President to be elected Council President in the following year. He noted that it was not required by the City Code, or any council regulation or agreement, and was regularly broken in practice. He said he had some sympathy for a process that provided all councilors an opportunity to serve as an officer. Mr. Rayor said he agreed that the decision of whom to chose was difficult because each of the nominees was qualified. He suggested that council officers should have a calm and steady leadership style. He said he believed it was positive to have honest differences of opinion among council leaders and that he wanted council officers to be respected and respectful. Mr. Lee said he hoped his suggestion of an advisor role for Ms. Nathanson would be accepted and that a new perspective on the role of the vice president could be developed. Ms. Nathanson stated that she would always be willing to serve as a consultant to the Council President, but that she was concerned that establishing a role, as suggested by Mr. Lee, would not be appropriate because such a position was not described in the City Charter. Mr. Meisner stated that, whatever the outcome of the election for Council Vice President, he would consult Ms. Nathanson as unofficial historian. Mr. Pap8 stated that he did not believe the Council Vice President should be automatically elected Council President in the following year, but that the best person available should be elected each year. Mr. Farr noted that, as Council Vice President, he had been called on to preside at council meetings on several occasions. He expressed his respect for each of those nominated as Council Vice President. He noted that the terms of each of the nominees would be completed in two years, eliminating the possibility of at least one from serving as leadership. Mr. Lee said he was pleased there seemed to be little concern that the Council Vice President be automatically elected Council President in the following year. He said he wished to withdraw his nomination as a candidate for Council Vice President. MINUTES--Eugene City Council January 20, 1999 Page 4 11:30 a.m. Mr. Fart determined through a straw ballot that three councilors favored Ms. Taylor and five councilors favored Ms. Nathanson to serve as Council Vice President and stated that the vote would be ratified at the meeting of the council to be held January 20, 1999. C. UPDATE ON NEW MAIN LIBRARY PROJECT Mr. Johnson stated that the council would be asked to make decisions on policy issues regarding the new main library project, and that the current report would be the first of many to be presented. Library Project Manager Carol Hildebrand stated that a great deal had happened since the last report was made to the council before passage of the levy supporting operation of the library system. She said the reactions of councilors regarding site design concepts under consideration, technical studies completed, and next steps to be taken would be valuable. Julie Aspinwall-Lamberts stated that she was chair of the New Library Advisory Committee which was charged to work with library, City staff, and the architectural team on all phases of the design project. She said the committee was particularly focusing on the needs and interests of library patrons. She said the committee began its work in October and has held four meetings. She said that several of the members had made a tour of libraries in Oregon and Washington with library and architectural team members. She said a public work session had been held in November, 1998 and another was scheduled on January 26, 1999. Ms. Aspinwall-Lamberts reported that 150 persons attended the first public work session and that many electronic mail and survey form responses had been received. She said that strong themes identified in the public responses at the work session and from displays at the library included: · Build as big a library as possible · Build a high-quality library. · The library should be constructed of Iow-maintenance materials. · The design should be "long-lived." · Energy conservation measures should be considered. · Outdoor community space and community meeting rooms should be included in the building. Ms. Aspinwall-Lamberts stated that the committee had recommended to the architectural team that it focus on development of a 90,000-square-foot building design. She said the committee also supported incorporation of expansion/lease space in the building. Jim Robertson stated that he represented Robertson/Sherwood/Architects, which had been chosen to coordinate the design and construction of the new Eugene Public Library. He said the main goals of the conceptual design phase of the project were to establish the scope and budget for the new library. He said the architectural team had completed a basic library design with the library staff which would meet the current and future needs of the community. He reviewed funding sources available for the project. Mr. Robertson explained that the Land Use Code had a major impact on development of the library site. He said being located in the Transit Overlay District required that any building developed needed to be twice the size of its site. He said the new library site required a building MINUTES--Eugene City Council January 20, 1999 Page 5 11:30 a.m. of approximately 107,000 square feet. He noted that pedestrian-oriented enhancements to a building provided special credits toward the size requirement. He said the new library would need to be larger than 90,000 square feet and/or take advantage of the ~edestrian-oriented enhancement credits to be approved on the site. Mr. Robertson said that he would present three alternative designs considered by the architectural team. He described elements common to each, as follows: · Entrance would be mid-building on 10th Avenue. · One level of below-grade parking would be provided with entrance/exit ramps located on the northwestern corner of the building. · Some or all of the maple trees on the site would be affected and need to be relocated. · A loading dock would be located off a one-way alley running west to east on the southern edge of the building. · A drive-up book drop would be located off the alley. · Elevator/stair components would be similar. · Future expansion/lease space would be possible. · At least 90,000 square feet of space would be provided. In response to a question from Mr. Meisner, Mr. Johnson explained that Urban Renewal District funds could not be used to construct expansion/lease space and that a General Fund resource for it would need to be determined. He suggested that a one-time allocation or use of future revenue from budget growth were examples of potential funding. Mr. Meisner said that he believed there would be value in including expansion/lease space as part of the library because the cost of construction would increase in the future. Ms. Nathanson noted past council discussion about the topic of incorporating expansion space when constructing City facilities focused on cost efficiency and effectiveness in terms of the rent the City paid to house staff in spaces outside the City Hall. Councilors in support of such an approach had believed it could be more cost effective to build more space than needed in the short term as expansion space and offset the cost with reduction in rent payment. Ms. Nathanson said that she was convinced that an argument to limit the size of a new library because books would not be as commonly used in the future was not accurate. She said that the library already had a wide variety of non-book material and that book collections continued to grow. She said she believed that if the City continued to grow in population, its library needs would continue to also grow. Ms. Nathanson asked if design of the library would be sensitive to its surrounding community. Mr. Robertson replied that design of exterior building facades would begin in the next stage of library development. Mr. Kelly asked if both rows of maple trees located on 10th Avenue would be affected by development of the library. Mr. Robertson replied that only the southern row would likely be affected by one or more of the design schemes, but that they were the healthier of the trees and it was anticipated that they would be moved to where the northern row currently stood. In response to a question from Mr. Kelly, Mr. Robertson explained that large semi-trailer truck deliveries of library material would be made to a City-owned central receiving location and that MINUTES--Eugene City Council January 20, 1999 Page 6 11:30 a.m. the library loading dock was planned for small truck deliveries and for bookmobile and inter- branch transfers. In response to a question from Ms. Taylor, Mr. Robertson said that "inner courtyard" concepts could easily be incorporated into building designs and that exterior courtyard areas were also being considered for the children's library and a cafe/bookstore proposal. Mr. Rayor stated that he was confident that the trunks of all trees on the library site were within the street right-of-way. He said that the City needed to be especially sensitive to Land Use Code requirements regarding trees to ensure that private developers also follow its requirements. He said he questioned the need to provide underground parking for the library since the Lane Transit District station and various other parking garages were available within walking distance of its site. Mayor Torrey said that he hoped future reports to the council would include information about the cost of adding expansion/lease space to the library, about costs involved in building design to keep trees in their current locations, and about whether there were efficiencies which could take place in branch libraries which would replace proposed services in the central library. Mr. Robertson said that each of the issues raised by Mayor Torrey was under consideration and that reports about them would be made to the council. Mayor Torrey said that he and counselors regularly received expressions of citizen concern about trees in relation to development of the new library, but that expressions of concern about adequate parking were far more numerous. Mr. Meisner stated that the recommendation of the New Library Advisory Committee for one level of underground parking at the library was based on the preponderance of citizen input. He said that the advantages of the adjacent transit terminal were also thoroughly discussed. Mr. Meisner said the committee had discussed how the interconnection between central and branch library systems tended to increase cental library use. Mr. Meisner said that he believed all of the trees on the library site had value and that he hoped as many as possible could be saved. Mr. Robertson reviewed prepared charts and documents distributed with the agenda of the meeting, as follows: · Aerial map of library site area. · "Site Summary" diagram · "Stacking Diagrams--Scheme Ca: Stand Alone 90,000 sf Library" · "Stacking Diagrams--Scheme Cc: 90,000 sf Library with 30,000 sf Lease Space" · "Stacking Diagrams--Scheme Ya: 90,000 sf Library with 30,000 sf Lease Space, Maximum Use of Site" · "Revised Library Program Summary" · "Floor Space Utilization Diagrams--Scheme Ca" material · "Floor Space Utilization Diagrams--Scheme Cc" material · "Floor Space Utilization Diagrams--Scheme Ya" material MINUTES--Eugene City Council January 20, 1999 Page 7 11:30 a.m. Mr. Robertson reported that the library staff had preferred Scheme C stacking and floor space utilization proposals. Public Works Facility Project Manager Brad Black reported on technological considerations for development of the new library. He said the Site Survey, GeoTechnical Tests, and Site Specific Seismic Studies for the site were completed. Mr. Black said that a soil boring had revealed contaminated materials at a specific location of the property and that risk management procedures were underway to clean up the site and remove hazardous substances. Mr. Black said that a building foundation had been uncovered during examination of tree root structures and that an archeological study to identify and fully understand it was underway. Mr. Black reported that a management firm had been hired to coordinate the "One Percent for Art" element of the project. He said that the goal was to incorporate the required public art into the design and function of the building. Mr. Black said that a tree analysis report just received seemed to indicate that all were in good condition and were good prospects to be relocated. Mr. Kelly expressed appreciation for the project update reports. He said he believed development in the downtown area should "build up, not out." He said he was concerned that the appearance of any building on the pedestrian level be considered. He said he preferred Scheme Cc proposal which included expansion/lease space and that he would like staff analysis of its cost. Mr. Kelly stated that he appreciated that no surface parking was considered for the development and that he believed underground parking was important for persons with special needs. Mr. Johnson said that it would be helpful to have councilors express their preferences regarding proposed building schemes, but that no decision would be made regarding options. Mayor Torrey said that he agreed with Mr. Kelly that Scheme C options were most viable for the library site. He asked how closely options had been studied. Ms. Hildebrand replied that cost studies had not yet been completed on any of the proposed options. Mr. Torrey said that he hoped special consideration would be given to local artists in the incorporation of public art into the library project. Mr. Pap8 said that he was most concerned about cost elements of the library project. Mr. Robertson said that he was reluctant to discuss budgetary elements of the project until the full amount of resources available was determined. He said the quantity and quality of the project design would be determined by available resources. He said it appeared there were currently inadequate resources allocated to the project; it was hoped that capacity of the fund raising campaign to be undertaken by the Library Foundation would be determined soon. Mr. Pap8 asked if it would be possible to build the library in phases. Mr. Robertson replied that was possible within constraints of the Transit Overlay District were possible. MINUTES--Eugene City Council January 20, 1999 Page 8 11:30 a.m. In response to a question from Mr. PapS, Mr. Robertson stated that the City Council had not yet given any direction regarding trees on the project site. Mr. Lee said that he preferred Scheme C design proposals and was excited about the possibilities of developing a new library downtown. He said it was important to have assurances about the cost and the schedule of the project. Mr. Meisner pointed out that although there was an indeterminate amount of funding available to the library project from the Urban Renewal District, it was also true that the current library and the Sears Building were resources which could be used to fund the project. Mr. Meisner said that he was pleased that it was planned to integrate public art into the design and function of the new library. He also said he preferred that local arts be given special consideration for the project. Mr. Meisner said that he believed the City Council was committed to proceed with the issue of trees on the property differently than in the past. He reported that the City of Salem had incorporated trees which had been removed for a public building project by having furniture for the building made from them. Mr Meisner said that he favored Scheme C design proposals. Ms. Taylor said that she favored Scheme C design proposals. Ms. Nathanson said that she favored Scheme C design proposals, subject to their being affordable. Mayor Torrey said that he favored Scheme C design proposals. Mayor Torrey read a note from Tom Wiper which described the efforts of the Library Foundation to begin its fund-raising campaign. D. UNDERGROUND UTILITY TASK FORCE PROPOSAL City Engineer Les Lyle stated that the City of Eugene/Eugene Water & Electric Board (EWEB) Joint Task Undergrounding Force studying issues related to placing existing overhead facilities underground had concluded its work, and staff was recommending council approval of the articles of agreement with EWEB. Ms. Nathanson stated that she had served as the chair of the Underground Utility Task Force. She said the group had taken a comprehensive approach and developed proposed criteria for the relocation of existing overhead facilities associated with proposed public improvements to a right of way and because of potential health and safety risk situations. She said livability and safety were the primary reasons for seeking relocation in a number of locations throughout the community. She circulated a photo record of overhead and underground facility installations. She referred to a document entitled "Underground Utility Task Force Proposal--Articles of Agreement between the City of Eugene and the Eugene Water and Electric Board--December 1998" distributed with the agenda of the meeting. MINUTES--Eugene City Council January 20, 1999 Page 9 11:30 a.m. Ms. Nathanson said that the task force would have liked to continued to work on the issue, but that it had been agreed that the criteria in the proposed agreement would serve as an adequate guide for future development. Mr. Farr stated that his biggest concern regarding the project was the cost involved. He said he also recognized the importance of safety in the proposals and was glad that the two concerns had been recognized. Mr. Farr asked if other service providers using wire delivery had been involved in the work of the task force. Mr. Lyle replied that telephone and cable television service providers had been invited to participate, and representatives did attend the meetings, but were not officially members of the task force. Most of these services were normally undergrounded at the same time as that of EWEB. Mr. Farr moved, seconded by Mr. PapS, to approved the Articles of Agreement proposed by the Underground Utility Task Force; and to direct the City Manager to execute a Memorandum of Understanding which incorporated the Articles of Agreement with the Eugene Water & Electric Board, subsequent to similar action on the proposal by the EWEB Board. Mr. Lee said that the proposed criteria and agreement would positively affect the older neighborhoods of his ward. He said he hoped that the project would move forward quickly. He expressed appreciation to Ms. Nathanson and other members of the task force. Mr. Farr and Mr. Pap8 left the meeting at 1:30 p.m. Mr. Kelly thanked the task force for its thorough work. In response to a question from Mr. Kelly, EWEB Director of Public Relations Marty Douglass stated that the expense of placing existing utility wires underground would be born by all rate payers, but that the expense of doing so in a new development would be paid for by the developer. Mr. Meisner expressed appreciation for the work of the task force. He said he would like as much undergrounding of facilities in his ward as possible. In response to a question from Mr. Meisner, Mr. Lyle explained that judging the "remaining life of existing overhead facilities" was done jointly by the City and EWEB on a project-by-project basis. Ms. Nathanson added that there was a lifetime for utility poles and wires, even with good maintenance. Mr. Meisner reiterated that he wanted to make sure that when an EWEB facility was rehabilitated that EWEB would place those facilities underground. The motion was adopted unanimously, 6:0, Mr. Farr and Mr. Pap8 having left the meeting. The meeting adjourned at 1:35 p.m. MINUTES--Eugene City Council January 20, 1999 Page 10 11:30 a.m. Respectfully submitted, James R. Johnson City Manager (Recorded by Dan Lindstrom) MINUTES--Eugene City Council January 20, 1999 Page 11 11:30 a.m.