CITY OF SHORELINE
SHORELINE CITY COUNCIL
SUMMARY MINUTES OF WORKSHOP MEETING
Monday, February 3, 2003
Shoreline Conference Center
6:30 p.m. Mt. Rainier Room
PRESENT: Mayor Jepsen, Deputy Mayor Grossman, Councilmembers Chang, Gustafson, Hansen, Montgomery and Ransom
ABSENT: none
1. CALL TO ORDER
The meeting was called to order at 6:30 p.m. by Mayor Jepsen, who presided.
2. FLAG SALUTE/ROLL CALL
Mayor Jepsen led the flag salute. Upon roll call by the City Clerk, all Councilmembers were present, with the exception of Councilmember Hansen, who arrived shortly thereafter.
3. CITY MANAGER’S REPORT AND FUTURE AGENDAS
City Manager Steve Burkett reminded Council that the Feb 18 meeting is cancelled and the Feb 24 meeting will be a special meeting starting at 6:00 p.m.
4. COUNCIL REPORTS
Councilmember Chang thanked those Councilmembers who attended the celebration at the Korean Consul General's residence, and expressed appreciation to those who supported recent proclamations in the area honoring 100 years of Korean immigration. He said it serves not only to recognize past achievements, but to help make our community a better place to live.
Councilmember Ransom commented that as a newly-appointed member of the Human Services Steering Committee for the National League of Cities, he is kept more informed about the issues than when he was on the larger, 150-member planning committee. He reported that he will be attending steering committee meetings four times per year.
Deputy Mayor Grossman commented on his attendance at the celebration at the Korean Consul General's residence. He expressed appreciation for opportunities that celebrate the diverse communities that make up the City of Shoreline.
Mayor Jepsen called attention to various items that were discussed at the last King County Mayors meeting and at the Northend Mayors meeting. He said the Northend Mayors meeting focused on Brightwater and how the County intends to respond to public comment on its Draft Environmental Impact Statement. He also noted that the King County Executive wants to move forward with the proposed King County parks levy in May.
Councilmember Ransom asked if it is possible for Shoreline to get its portion of funding ($200,000+) since the City took over the pool and parks from King County. Mayor Jepsen said the levy only includes the Federal Way Aquatics Center.
Mr. Burkett presumed that the money generated from pools in unincorporated areas would be used for ongoing operation of those pools.
Continuing, Mayor Jepsen reported that the King County Council will be undertaking a governance study, as well as reviewing the records and elections process. Due to concerns about the last election, the KC Council has requested changes that will give it authority to approve candidates to head the Elections Department. Finally, he reminded everyone to vote in tomorrow's election.
5. PUBLIC COMMENT
(a) Patty Crawford, Shoreline, speculated about whether Mayor Jepsen and Mr. Burkett responded to ex parte communications regarding the Aegis project, to which Deputy Mayor Grossman did respond. She thought it coincidental that Mayor Jepsen and Deputy Mayor Grossman, who work in real estate and development, were the only ones contacted by Aegis solicitors. She asserted that the City illegally took the property at Greenwood/Dayton to use for a City Gateway, noting that any code violations there did not warrant a land taking. She advised that Shoreline should not be a city that unfairly takes property from its citizens. She said the scope and costs of cleaning up that particular site should have been considered before moving forward with the Gateways project.
(b) Richard Johnsen, Shoreline, encouraged Council to study the history of Echo Lake in order to get a clear understanding of that area before designing the Interurban Trail project. He recommended that Council read the book Seattle by Trolley by Warren Ring, which provides expert information on this area. He also encouraged Council to invite Mr. Ring, or Vicky Stiles of the Historical Museum, to make a presentation about Echo Lake at a future Council meeting. He noted the presence of a bridge in early Interurban photographs, indicating that it may have been built to cross a wetland in the Echo Lake area.
(c) Tim Crawford, Shoreline, asserted that Aegis will be required to remove its newly-constructed building on its north site due to buffer encroachment. He said Aegis did not protect the creek on its construction site, and that Shoreline will likely be sued by Aegis for granting illegal permits. He stated that the quality of life in the Parkwood neighborhood has suffered due to the Aegis project. He suggested that Tim Stewart be replaced as Planning Director to prevent such a travesty from ever happening again. He said there will be no positive changes until the City admits it was wrong and takes responsibility for granting illegal permits.
(d) Anthony Poland, Shoreline, asserted that Mary Jo Heller, whose recently criticized the Shoreline Merchants Association and Councilmember Chang, is simply a "mouthpiece" for the City Council. He said she also used the Council of Neighborhoods as a means to threaten Representative Marilyn Chase into disassociating herself from the Shoreline Merchants Association. He expressed concern about potential three-lane configuration of Richmond Beach Drive as a result of the Brightwater project, noting that neighbors would never agree to such a configuration. He said the City is creating its own gridlock, and asked if a reorientation of Richmond Beach Drive was part of the Brightwater plan.
Mayor Jepsen said he is not familiar with a plan to reorient Richmond Beach Drive. Mr. Burkett responded that the six-year Capital Improvement Program does not include a project that would accomplish such a goal.
6. EXECUTIVE SESSION
At 6:59 p.m., Mayor Jepsen announced that the Council would recess into executive session for two hours to discuss property acquisition for potential City Hall sites. The executive session concluded at 10:10 p.m.
7. ADJOURNMENT
At 10:11 p.m., Mayor Jepsen declared the meeting adjourned.
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Sharon Mattioli, CMC
City Clerk