CITY OF SHORELINE

SHORELINE CITY COUNCIL

SUMMARY MINUTES OF DINNER MEETING

Monday, July 14, 2003

Shoreline Conference Center

6:00 p.m. Highlander Room

PRESENT: Mayor Jepsen, Deputy Mayor Grossman, Councilmembers Chang, Gustafson, Montgomery, and Ransom

ABSENT: Councilmember Hansen

STAFF: Steve Burkett, City Manager; Julie Modrzejewski, Assistant City Manager; Joyce Nichols, Communications and Intergovernmental Relations Director; Paul Haines, Public Works Director; Jill Marilley, City Engineer; Kirk McKinley, Aurora Corridor Project Manager; and Maggie Brown, Special Capital Projects

GUESTS: Tim Bevan, CH2Mhill;Gina Marez-Kurz, Arai Jackson; and Colie Hough-Beck of Hough-Beck and Baird

Mayor Jepsen convened the meeting at 6:25 p.m.

Steve Burkett, City Manager, said tonight’s agenda includes a review of the urban design elements of the Aurora Corridor Project. He noted that the costs have been reduced from earlier discussions and emphasized that the new proposal factors in comments from earlier discussions going as far back as 2001.

Kirk McKinley, Aurora Corridor Project Manager, made introductions around the table and introduced the topic for discussion.

Gina Marez-Kurz, of Arai Jackson, described the design features, including street light poles (standards), pedestrian lighting fixtures, traffic signal standards, and color schemes. She said that Metro will place approximately 13 bus shelters along the first mile of Aurora and that it will supply and maintain bus shelters, trash receptacles and benches at bus stops. She said the design features discussed included crosswalk paving detail and tree grates.

Mayor Jepsen suggested that pavement detail (scoring) and crosswalks be designed so that drivers feel a difference when they go over a crosswalk as opposed to regular pavement. He also suggested that the designers look at different color treatments for crosswalks—again, so that drivers perceive a difference between the crosswalk and other pavement.

Paul Haines, Public Works Director, said his experience has been that the crosswalks need to be easy to use for all forms of walking and wheelchair access.

Collie Hough-Beck reviewed the landscape proposals for the sidewalks and medians. The tree proposals focused on fall color changes moving from yellow, to orange to red as you move south to north from 145th Street to 165th Street. She said all the maple trees proposed are columnar in shape to keep tree trimming and maintenance costs in line. The accent trees and bus shelters will include another maple, as well as other accent trees. Groundcovers are also proposed for sidewalk planting areas as well as medians.

Mr. McKinley discussed negotiations with the Washington State Department of Transportation for a demonstration project to determine the safety of trees in the wider, as opposed to the narrower, medians. WSDOT is doing such a project in Des Moines.

Ms. Marez-Kurz reviewed opportunities to integrate art into the design features, such as bus shelters, street lighting and paving in-lays.

Councilmember Chang asked about costs for the street trees. Ms. Hough-Beck responded maintenance costs, including water, would average $2,000 to $3,000 per month for all planted areas of the first mile. Mr. Burkett added that plants were chosen to be draught tolerant, with watering mostly during the first three years to establish the plantings.

Deputy Mayor Grossman asked if the City is using native plants, to which Ms. Hough-Beck responded that the mehonia and some ground covers are native species. However, many mature tree species cause maintenance problems (e.g., the big leaf maples). The tree species chosen behave much like native species in positive ways.

Councilmember Gustafson supported knowing and anticipating maintenance costs up front, because some times during difficult budget times, maintenance is cut back, which can compromise the City’s investment.

Mr. Burkett summarized that staff will follow-up on the suggestions for adding color and/or texture at crosswalks.

On another topic, Mr. Burkett noted that Councilmembers had requested information on the costs associated with an overpass/underpass for intersections along Aurora Avenue. He provided Council with a list of projects with cost figures for comparison purposes and offered to present this information at a workshop in August.

Councilmember Ransom said he would like the information presented at a Council workshop.

Mayor Jepsen declared the meeting adjourned at 7:25 p.m.

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Joyce Nichols, Communications and Intergovernmental Relations Director