14 July 2021 City Council Study Session – Happy Bastille Day!

Downtown Library can’t find a buyer for $1.00. City on the hook for complete HVAC revamp. New traffic signals & painted bike lanes for Kitsap Way & Warren/Wheaton — pedestrian refuges at 2 wide locations (11&Kitsap, Brother Don’s) planned, drawing outrage from Simpson who’s seen no data showing that there is enough pedestrian need. There is. Public Works planned to increase 11th & Perry project’s stormflow to an outfall. They did not check the outfall to make sure it could handle it. It won’t. They must fix. This will cost. City Auditor, FTE before 2008 crisis, to go from 0.4 to 0.6 FTE. This will help them catch more things before they break, like the library’s HVAC system. First public appearance of the legendary Chris Mottner, our new Internal Services Manager.

BRIEFINGS on AGENDA BILL ITEMS

1. Confirm Appointment of Paul Dutky to the Parks & Recreation Commission

Mayor Wheeler presents. Younger has “accolades” for this appointment. Kitsap Lake Park will be redeveloped next year, so timing great. Moved to Consent Agenda, Dutky to speak after his appointment on 21 July.

2. Contract Modification Agreement No. 2 with KPFF Consulting Engineers for the East 11th Street & Perry Avenue Complete Streets Improvement Project

Chris Dimmitt, PW, presents. Downstream outfall lacks capacity to handle increased stormflow that would result from the project. [Geez! You’d think they’d have checked that earlier!]

Discussion: Daugs asks if there’s $$ allocated, Dimmitt says yes. Shane Weber explains to Gorman that there’s $$ to take care of this amendment this year, but project as a whole will need more $$ in 2022. Moved to Consent Agenda.

3. Local Agency Contract with Active Construction, Inc. for the Kitsap Way (SR310) and Warren Avenue (SR303) Traffic Signal and Multimodal Safety Project; and related Budget Adjustment

Andrea Archer-Parsons presents. 3 bids received by June 24, lowest didn’t use the right forms, Active Construction the second-lowest bidder. This is about multi-modal (bikes & walking & etc.) along SR 303 from Burwell to the city limit (just past Riddell Way) along Warren / Wheaton. The SR 310 is along Kitsap Way. White-bordered green bike lanes with white-painted bikes. There will be pedestrian islands. Pedestrian refuge island at 11th & Kitsap Way would cost $163,575K, while lighted street signs coming from side streets would run $85K. [Island! Would let drivers catch and kill multiple pedestrians at once!] PW is asking for $336K to fill the budget gap.

Discussion: Younger: OK with overrun, City contribution has gone from 2% to 13%, still good leverage. Where’s the bulk of the cost? Archer-Parsons: The electrical work, it’s gone up a LOT since pre-Covid. Weber says the 22 traffic signals are the costliest part. Lever explains breakdown of costs would be a LOT of work, but Younger waves it away, doesn’t need more info than they’ve given him. Specifically, Weber explains, the work at the signals will be to create a retroreflective background on signals to make them more visible. But once you look at the age of some signals, you realize you have to bring a lot of them up to modern standards. Simpson: What are the pedestrian crossing numbers that justify putting in these pedestrian islands? Archer-Parsons (A-P) says it’s the crossing length, people with ambulatory problems can’t get across in time but at least can take refuge and wait for the next green light for crossing. Simpson: Repeats his question, repeats that we’re creating a solution in search of a problem. Weber: There have been multiple complaints. Simpson: Repeats his question, repeats the solution in search of problem, what-abouts with Adele/Kitsap Way intersection, we need to explore a little more. [You really have to listen to the recording — 5:50-5:55pm – to hear the level of contempt in his voice. Daugs asks about impacts on businesses. A-P says she’s talked to both Brother Don’s & Dugout about impact, as ped island construction will block their access & diminish their parking. Both, she says, “are totally on board”. Younger says probably most complaints were from Brother Don’s & Dugout customers because that’s a very very dangerous intersection. Weber confirms. Gorman talks. Moved to General Business by general consent.

4. Professional Services Agreement with LNS Engineers, Inc. for the Downtown Library HVAC Systems Project

Chris Mottner presents! Chris Mottner! The newly appointed Internal Services Manager! He speaks! [He looks like an aging Steve McQueen. But with big bushy hair, eyebrows, mustache.] He has maybe never been on TV before, NOT a fan of public speaking at any rate. Reading from a script about how the bidding process was conducted and how it was fair. Once he’s talking about boilers and this one’s 1930s piping, though boiler itself is gas from 1987, he warms up. He’s showing us the innards of in-bookcase and wall-mount radiators. To be replaced with heat-pump devices and fans to move the air around for consistent temperature. This will give heating AND air-conditioning and after the heatdome we all know how much we need that. [Question: will this filter the air? That would be super helpful during wildfires.]

Discussion: Sullivan – Thought the whole cost would be $425K. Asks for and get clarification on spreadsheet. What’s overall cost (because here we’re looking for funding for this}? Mottner: LNS can give us a true engineer’s estimate. Various councilors ask why this is necessary, why it’s coming in so late, etc. Knuckey explains that 1937 building has contemporary piping, much of it is asbestos-wrapped, which makes the contract estimate higher – hazmat work. Basically, it’s over 90 years old and unlike humans, could persist for another 100 if its piping were replaced. LIBRARY WANTS TO SELL THE BUILDING TO SOMEONE FOR ONE DOLLAR, KITSAP LIBRARY SYSTEM DOESN’T EVEN WANT IT AT THAT PRICE. Sorry. I never do all caps. This was shocking to me. Younger: Was hoping it was a Carnegie library. Since those are mostly earlier on and in the East, pretty freaking unlikely, and yes, confirmed, not Carnegie. Younger asks PW questions about piping, pressurized steam, etc. Tries to recommend engineering stuff to engineers. Asks why this is the system they chose. Mottner: Explains engineering to Younger. Size of rooms, constraints of space and concrete walls & subroof are material constraints. Younger is answered. Thank you, he says. Simpson: Where’s our lobbyist on this? They should be at the forefront on this. We’re paying for a lobbyist and we’re not hearing what they’re doing. Wants to hear from the Audit Committee. [Which he sits on.] Mottner: I have a LOT of historical data about the building (Simpson’s ask) which he’ll forward to Simpson. Simpson gives a thumbs-up. Goodnow: Talks about preserving historical buildings & grants available to preserve them. Gorman: It’s our responsibility as landlord to preserve other people’s stuff by preserving building. [Weird post-Surfside condo comment without the concern for humans who died. Like people who might die if they couldn’t take refuge in the library during heatdomes, wildfires, Snowpocalypse, etc.] Gorman wonders about historical report for this non-landmarked building, Mottner says a pretty thorough one done in 2007. Moved to Consent Agenda, with caveat that Simpson will get the additional data on historical data promised by Mottner.

• Five-minute break 6:26-6:32.

5. Contract Modification Agreement No. 1 with KPG for the Marine Drive Water Main Replacement Project

Bill Davis presents. Oversight needed. Modification is already accounted for in budget.

Simpson: Didn’t we just create a position that would oversee this, for $120K plus benefits, so why do we have to contract. Lever explains that those were positions for Development, but these are planning positions, and we don’t have the people in place for these positions. Simpson: This is an important position, and repeats his question. Lever says we hired for Transportation and this is Water. Simpson bloviates about team spirit. Everybody should pitch in. Sullivan: We’re not even a month in to the project, and we’re asking for more $$? Davis explains that the person who’ll be hired hasn’t been hired yet. The man (no surprise, it’s a man) who was supposed to oversee this got promoted. She clarifies that this is Water, nothing to do with facilities managed by Mottner. Gorman: Well, we have to do it, and these explanations make sense. Davis: The woman (here’s a surprise, a woman!) we’re expecting to hire will take a while to get on board, etc. Moved to General Business, per Simpson.

6. Purchase of Wildland Fire Engine from Bud Clary Ford Hyundai of Longview, WA

McGanney presents. We held off on this because of Covid, Won’t be available until after this climate crisis fire season. Lots of back and forth about specifics, e.g., how many gallons per truck. Moved to General Business per Simpson.

7. Authorize Increase of 0.4 FTE to 0.6 FTE City Auditor

Leslie Daugs presents: Notes that Audit of Library produced Item A4, the Library HVAC. Audit = Oversight, checking our whole City system before things break. She duplicates Power Point slides from the Packet for this meeting, reads them out loud. All in jargon, nothing in plain language, showing how many hours the Auditor would have to work to get anywhere, really, with the many projects they have in front of them. Simpson calls for this being a FT position, Gorman talks about thoroughness and specificity of Seattle auditor process compared to Auditor reports Council receives from Auditor, would like to see our Auditor’s reports improve, apparently, but does not come out and say so. Moved to General Business, per general consensus.

8. Acceptance of Lodging Tax Advisory Committee’s FY-2021 Funding Recommendations

Money for all the usual suspects, except Experience Kitsap, less than asked for Chamber of Commerce, Kitsap Historical, up for Visit Kitsap, down for Downtown Bremerton Assoc, MAJORLY down for WA Science Fair, asked for $45K, got $17K. A lot of back and forth, none of it charitable, much of it about process. Various councilors ask about specific bequests. More hazzurai about how hard it is to give everybody what they want from a finite pool of $$. Moved into General Business, per Goodnow.

ACTION on AGENDA BILL ITEM 1. Purchase of (2) new Flygt Pumps from Whitney Equipment Company for Wastewater Pump Station EB-2 I_t_e_m_ _a_d_d_e_d_… _

Eric Burris presents. The pumps we bought as a stopgap measure don’t work for this, they’re under warranty so we can get these fixed & put them in the positions they’re intended for. Daugs asks good, technical questions especially on information or input deadlines. [It’s 7:43 pm. I have an interview in 2 minutes. Gotta go.]

GENERAL COUNCIL BUSINESS (none of this covered by me)

o Audit Committee Monthly Briefing – Chair Leslie Daugs

o Race Equity Advisory Committee Monthly Briefing – Chair Leslie Daugs

o Other General Council Business

ADJOURNMENT OF STUDY SESSION

NB: Meeting held remotely, as there were glitches in hybrid Zoom / actual meeting plan for Chambers. So yet another meeting where we see a violation of the USC Flag Code.