CITY OF SHORELINE
SHORELINE CITY COUNCIL
SUMMARY MINUTES OF SPECIAL WORKSHOP DINNER MEETING
Monday, October 8, 2018 Conference Room 303 - Shoreline City Hall
5:30 p.m. 17500 Midvale Avenue North
PRESENT: Mayor Hall, Deputy Mayor Salomon, Councilmembers McGlashan, Scully, McConnell, Chang and Roberts
STAFF: Debbie Tarry, City Manager; Eric Friedli, Director of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services; Shawn Ledford, Police Chief; and Allison Taylor, Deputy City Clerk
GUESTS: Shoreline School District: Rebecca Miner, Superintendent, Marla Miller, Deputy Superintendent; David Tadlock, Meridian Park Elementary School Principal
Shoreline School Board: David Wilson, President; Mike Jacobs, Vice President; Board members Heather Fralick and Dick Nicholson; Soumya Keefe, Shorecrest Student Representative; and Saagar Mehta, Shorewood Student Representative
At 5:31 p.m., the meeting was called to order by Mayor Hall.
Debbie Tarry opened the meeting with an update on the City’s Development activity and spoke about the new construction valuation increases, partially due to the draw of the Light Rail extension. She gave an overview of the current public projects and spoke on the status of the proposed, in process, and completed residential and mixed-use projects. New construction valuation for 2017 was reported at $121.9 million. Ms. Fralick asked if the City could predict which housing projects that were likely to attract families with children, and Ms. Tarry explained that forecasting this is not simple.
Rebecca Miner detailed the extensive construction work happening throughout the School District and described the timeline for completion and plan for services at each site. While the new construction at the Edwin Pratt Early Learning Center, Parkwood Elementary, and Kellogg and Einstein Middle Schools are the broadest scope, Ms. Miner also mentioned extensive renovation work in other schools. Councilmember McConnell asked if all schools would have one-button lockdown capability, and Ms. Miner explained the measures the District is taking to enhance security at every site. Councilmember McGlashan asked if there were plans for development at the Shoreline Center and was told there are not.
Ms. Miner said that the district-wide enrollment, which is difficult to predict, has dropped below the projected count for the 2018-2019 school year, and nearby districts don’t seem to be making up the difference. This lower enrollment means revenue from State funding will decrease, so expenditures will need to be adjusted accordingly. She reported that the District is on track to meet the State targets in class size reductions, which will be facilitated by the transition of sixth grade to the renovated middle schools in 2020. Mr. Nicholson asked if the City had statistics on trends/projections of families with school-age children moving into new construction projects. Ms. Tarry said the City would research for information, but Mayor Hall said that from a permitting perspective that information was not tracked.
Deputy Mayor Salomon arrived at 5:50 p.m.
Councilmembers Chang and McConnell encouraged the District to consider year-round open house and tour options. Councilmember Chang stated that families considering educational options are looking for information in the fall, which is easily gained from private schools, but not so available in the public schools. Soumya Keefe commented that Shorecrest has student ambassadors available by appointment to host prospective students.
Ms. Tarry gave an update on the new School Resource Officer (SRO), Deputy Jon Salter, who splits his time between the high schools. This program is funded by the City General Fund (68%), the School District (24%), and the State Criminal Justice (8%). While there is clear interest in adding a second SRO, the City said the District would need to increase its contribution to the costs. Ms. Miner spoke to the SRO’s proactive engagement with students, and both student representatives echoed this observation. Deputy Mayor Salomon asked if there were metrics to track success, and Mayor Hall agreed that performance-based metrics might provide valuable information. Councilmember Scully suggested that since an entire community contributes to school safety it would be difficult to establish a metric specifically measuring SRO-driven successes. Ms. Miner added that metrics cannot measure “what didn’t happen” and said she was unaware of statics of incidents before Shoreline had an SRO, for comparison purposes. Chief Ledford shared that not many officers are drawn to the more routine, administrative work required in schools, and that he is defining a mechanism to attract quality candidates. He praised Deputy Salter’s positive relationship-building with students. Ms. Miner revealed that as an effort to normalize the police presence in schools a new program is in place that offers free lunch on all campuses to all officers.
Ms. Tarry gave updates on the 198th and Aurora Development and Partnership, a supportive housing project for people with behavioral health service needs and people experiencing homelessness, and the upcoming Sales & Use Tax for Sidewalks Ballot Measure (Proposition No. 1) for funding construction of new sidewalks.
Reporting on the feasibility of a new Community & Aquatic Center, Ms. Tarry said the pool at Spartan Rec Center is only projected to remain operational through 2022-2023 without major renovations, and announced that it is time to establish a comprehensive, long range plan for a new Center. She explained that in preparation for a future facility, the Council has authorized acquisition of the Storage Court on Midvale Avenue. Councilmember Scully said there is tremendous need for partnership, community support, and stakeholder involvement in approaching this endeavor. Mr. Friedli described some of the specific features targeted as necessary for the future facility and reminded everyone that this space would replace existing facilities and not increase competition with the YMCA. Councilmember Roberts asked when the deadline to submit a November tax bond measure was, and was told June. Mayor Hall said the City and the District must work together, since they jointly either get, or lose, a pool. Ms. Fralick asked if there was a way to gauge interest in a new pool in comparison to other issues, and opinion polling was discussed. Mr. Wilson inquired what competing issues would be up at the same time and was told King County may have a Parks Bond on the November ballot.
Deputy Mayor Salomon asked for an Executive Summary of the School District’s 4-year budget, and Ms. Miner said she would provide it to Council.
At 6:47 p.m. the meeting adjourned.
/s/Allison Taylor, Deputy City Clerk
CITY OF SHORELINE
SHORELINE CITY COUNCIL
SUMMARY MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING
Monday, October 8, 2018 Council Chambers - Shoreline City Hall
7:00 p.m. 17500 Midvale Avenue North
PRESENT: Mayor Hall, Deputy Mayor Salomon, Councilmembers McGlashan, Scully, McConnell, Chang, and Roberts
ABSENT: None.
1. CALL TO ORDER
At 7:00 p.m., the meeting was called to order by Mayor Hall who presided.
2. FLAG SALUTE/ROLL CALL
Mayor Hall led the flag salute. Upon roll call by the City Clerk, all Councilmembers were present.
3. REPORT OF CITY MANAGER
Debbie Tarry, City Manager, provided reports and updates on various City meetings, projects and events.
4. COUNCIL REPORTS
Councilmember McGlashan said he and Councilmember McConnell attended the SeaShore Transportation Forum. The agenda included an update on the status of the Road Usage Pilot Project from Paul Parker, Deputy Director of the Washington State Transportation Commission. He noted the established usage charge fee is 2.4 cents per mile. Then Alaska Way Viaduct Project Program Administrator, Brian Nelson, reported on the upcoming road closure which will impact 45 bus routes and thousands of commuters, and also shared information on their long-term planning.
Councilmember Roberts said at the 25th Annual Affordable Housing Conference, along with the Association of Washington Cities, he presented an update on Shoreline’s 198th and Aurora housing project and shared information on the inclusionary housing around Shoreline’s light rail stations. He mentioned that City of Olympia staff presented on proposed rezoning of low-density residential areas to accommodate townhouses, duplexes, and smaller apartment complexes.
Mayor Hall reported that the City Council met with the Shoreline School District Board earlier in the evening and discussed areas in which they overlap. He also said he participated in the Elected Officials Summit for the King County Cities Climate Collaboration (KCCCC) where they discussed ways in which to ensure communities were resilient, protected, and making steps to avoid the worst-case climate scenarios. He shared a draft of the Legislative Interests document complied by the KCCCC and asked Council to look it over and give feedback to the City Manager.
5. PUBLIC COMMENT
There was no public comment.
6. APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA
The agenda was approved by unanimous consent.
7. CONSENT CALENDAR
Upon motion by Councilmember Roberts and seconded by Councilmember McGlashan and unanimously carried, 7-0, the following Consent Calendar items were approved:
(a) Approving Minutes of Regular Meeting of August 6, 2018
Approving Minutes of Workshop Dinner Meeting of September 10, 2018
(b)
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Approving Expenses and Payroll as of September 21, 2018 in the Amount of $2,581,215.25
(c) Authorizing the City Manager to Execute an Agreement with King County for a WaterWorks Grant in the Amount of $63,203 for the NE 148th Street Infiltration Facilities Project
8. STUDY ITEMS
(a) Discussing and Update on the PROS Plan
Eric Friedli, Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Services Director, reminded Council that the PROS Plan (adopted by Resolution 412), which includes 11 Strategic Action Initiatives, was adopted in July 2017 after an 18-month Community Outreach process. The Plan establishes a framework for Shoreline’s recreational and cultural programs for maintenance and investment in parks and open recreation facilities. The Strategic Action Initiatives were designed as specific and measurable actions designed to make a difference in response to the identified PRCS needs of the community. Mr. Friedli reported that work had been done on all 11 Initiatives and he provided an update on each one.
·
Build a Community/Aquatics Center
Mr. Friedli said a proposal for the Community/Aquatics Center is scheduled to
be presented to voters in 2020 and, if approved, the Center would open in 2022.
The site has been selected, property acquisition is underway, and the team is
working on site-specific design, budget, and program plan details. Additional stakeholder
community feedback on priorities was gathered and incorporated into the design.
He shared the concept design graphic, which is now in the cost-estimation
process and will soon be presented to the Park Funding Advisory Committee.
·
Expand Opportunities to Connect
with Nature
With the goal of increasing nature-based offerings to 35%, Mr. Friedli reported
that the City has added outdoor camps and art exhibits, raising its offerings
to 28%. Additional ways to meet the 35% goal are currently being developed.
·
Expand Recreational Facility
Opportunities
Mr. Friedli explained that the City recognizes the need to expand offerings by
2023 to accommodate population growth, while being mindful of available space.
He shared that these targeted needs include a spray park, basketball and
pickleball courts, an additional playground and swing set, an adventure
playground, and another community garden and looped path. The City has completed
concept designs for nine sites in eight parks. With completed concept designs,
the stage is set to explore funding mechanisms. The proposals are scheduled to
be presented to the Park Planning Advisory Committee.
·
Serve the Full Spectrum of Adult
Recreation Needs
Mr. Friedli stated this goal required creating an additional Plan, budgeted as
a one-time allocation of $40,000 and set for completion by 2019. He said that The
Adult Services Strategic Plan work is nearly complete and included participants
from the Parks Department, Shoreline-Lake Forest Park Senior Center, the King
County Aging Adults Agency, and Sound Generations. Preliminary findings
indicate no noticeable gaps in service but there is concern about the location
of the Senior Center.
·
Support Diverse Communities
(Cultural Services and Art)
Mr. Friedli said the goal of having Shoreline sponsored special events
participation reflect the diversity of the community has been approached by
creating Spanish-language flyers for summer concerts, offering a bilingual noon
concert, and improving the diversity of performances at Celebrate Shoreline. He
mentioned it has proven to be difficult to measure success of this goal and
tracking methodology is being developed.
·
Enhance Place Making Through
Public Art (Cultural Services and Art)
Mr. Friedli said that meeting this goal has included installing neighborhood
based outdoor art exhibits in several parks, continuing the Piano Time
program, and selecting an artist (rhiza A+D) for the permanent significant
piece of art. The acquisition of the art is in the budgeting stage. Councilmember
McGlashan asked if the City was still accepting piano donations and was told no
due to storage limitations.
·
Ensure Adequate Park Land for Future
Generations
Mr. Friedli said it has been determined that 90 acres of new parkland need to
be added to keep up with calculated population growth. Given the high cost and
limited availability of land, the City is looking at alternative ways to
maximize resources. A comprehensive acquisition strategy is under development
and first steps have been made to explore acquisition of five properties in the
185th Street Light Rail Station Area.
·
Maintain, Enhance, and Protect the
Urban Forest
With a goal to restore ten acres of degraded forest land or convert appropriate
parkland into natural areas by 2023, Mr. Friedli said the Shoreline Native
Plant Stewardship Program has made a good start and will have restored 2.7
acres of degraded forest this fall. This work is supported by funding from the
King County Parks Levy and in partnership with the King Conservation District
and Washington Area Native Plant Society.
·
Enhance Walkability in and Around
Parks
Mr. Friedli stated that this initiative recognizes community desire for trails
within parks, the goal to create two miles of new nature trails within parks
and 2 miles of enhanced pedestrian access to parks by 2023 is well underway, with
1.2 miles of trails currently being installed, including an ADA accessible
portion in Hamlin Park.
·
Secure Sustainable Funding
With a goal of ensuring that all programs, facilities, and initiatives are
funded with an appropriate mix of fund sources, Mr. Friedli said the City is in
the process of defining what ‘appropriate’ is. The first step of this
initiative, Park Impact Fees, was implemented in 2018. A Park Funding Advisory
Committee of 16 residents was established and they have had two
information/orientation meetings, with regularly scheduled upcoming meetings. There
is a target date of March 2019 for submission of a recommendation to be
considered for a 2019 Primary Ballot measure.
·
Ensure Administrative Excellence
Mr. Friedli detailed that the process to attain certification from the
Commission for the Accreditation of Parks and Recreation Agencies was well
underway and on schedule. The City has documented proof that 135 out of 151
standards are currently being met, with the remainder to be completed by the
end of 2018. He shared that this process has encouraged the revision and
development of City practices, plans, and manuals in many areas.
Councilmember Scully commended the detail and creativity put into the concept design plans that are part of the PROS Initiatives. He thanked the City for the proactive work in exploring property acquisitions near the light rail and said he hoped work would be done to leverage grant opportunities. He said he is convinced that while the Aquatics Center is a community need, the need for the gymnasium component has not been clearly demonstrated to him. He requested a fleshed-out plan for a pool-only alternative for cost comparison purposes
Councilmember Roberts clarified that the Spartan Recreation Center land is owned by the School District and that it is the only full gym the City offers. He expressed his feeling that a Community Center would be an integral part of the facility, and his preference would be to design the facility to include it, rather than try to remodel the facility later on to add it.
Councilmember McGlashan reflected on the effort made to construct City Hall with future needs in mind to avoid a need for expansion, and stated additional development was still needed. He said he supports planning the Aquatics and Community Center for the maximum value possible. Regarding the potential property acquisition near 185th, he asked if discussion on shared use had been initiated with Seattle City Light. Mr. Friedli said that based on conversations with SCL, he has learned that while the land directly under power lines has very restricted use, there was more flexibility with adjacent land.
Councilmember Chang asked for clarification on the focus of the Park Funding Advisory Committee and what the process would be to explore funding alternatives. Mr. Friedli explained the City is exploring and evaluating additional sources to narrow the funding gap, and possible resources would be given to the Committee to inform their discussions of the amount, timing, and details that would go into the Bond measure.
Mayor Hall agreed that leveraging partnerships and other funding was very important, and assured Council that conversations about partnerships with the County were ongoing. He expressed appreciation for the time the Parks Funding Advisory Committee was giving to this important cause.
9. ADJOURNMENT
At 7:40 p.m., Mayor Hall declared the meeting adjourned.
/s/Jessica Simulcik Smith, City Clerk