CITY OF SHORELINE
SHORELINE CITY COUNCIL
Monday, July 9, 2007 - 6:00 p.m.
Shoreline Conference Center
Highlander Room
PRESENT: Mayor Ransom, Deputy Mayor Fimia, and Councilmembers Gustafson, Hansen, McGlashan, Ryu, and Way
ABSENT: none
STAFF: Bob Olander, City Manager; Julie Modrzejewski, Assistant City Manager
GUESTS: Romesh Gautom, Ph.D., Director of the Washington Public Health Laboratory; Lain Knowles, Assistant Director; and Margaret Norton-Arnold, Consultant
Mayor Ransom called the meeting to order at 6:15 pm.
Deputy Mayor Fimia summarized the Fircrest master plan process as it stands and stated that the intent for putting this item on the list of Council goals is to ensure that the State knows the City wants a broader public process and wants it to be consistent with what is currently there. Councilmember Way said that it was her understanding that the master plan that was started in the past could be the basis for the new master plan.
Mr. Olander stated that the Fircrest master plan has received state funding and that the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) will be the lead agency.
Dr. Gautom stated that the timeline for DSHS to develop their plan is less than a year and the Washington Public Health Laboratory’s master plan is due to be complete by June 2009. Mr. Knowles stated that the Laboratory owns the land and they did receive funding of $250,000 from the legislature to develop their master plan. Mr. Knowles expressed that the Laboratory would like to involve as many as possible in the process.
Dr. Gautom stated that the mission of the Public Health Laboratory (PHL) is to protect and improve the health of people in Washington. He stated that every state has only one public health laboratory and this is it for the State of Washington. They operate from a 70,000 square foot facility on about five acres with 145 employees. They have state-of-the-art systems in place and if they cannot do the test, they work with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) for advice and guidance.
He stated that the Laboratory supports all 39 counties and that the Laboratory’s primary services fall into five categories: 1) Newborn Screening 2) Environmental Laboratory Sciences; 3) Communicable Diseases; 4) Training; and 5) Administration.
Their Newborn Screening section tests every newborn for 10 different conditions within two weeks of birth. This equals approximately 80,000 births: 2 samples per child: 2 million tests per year. Dr. Gautom said that timely information is very important in treating or preventing conditions.
Their Environmental Laboratory Sciences section processes environmental samples such as water, food, air, etc. They test for substances that could harm human health. For example, they regularly monitor beaches for marine toxins. For instance, bacteria found in shellfish can have a significant impact on the shellfish industry.
The Communicable Diseases section, which is their main section, includes scientists who process tests for tuberculosis, HIV, etc. The Laboratory has highly sophisticated systems and methods for testing. For example, the Laboratory developed a method to reduce the time to test for whooping cough from 6-10 days to four hours.
Dr. Gautom expressed the Laboratory’s preparedness for bio-terrorism threats. Their staff has had all of the necessary training and FBI background checks, and they have the proper equipment. Likewise, the Laboratory works closely with the FBI and Secret Service. Over the last five years they have upgraded their security. All areas have controlled access and cameras.
The fourth section is Training. The Laboratory provides one of the best training programs in the country to universities. Since 1985 students, local health jurisdictions, and first responders have been coming to them for training. The last section is Administration and its focus is to oversee maintenance and training.
Dr. Gautom continued by informing the Council about the Laboratory’s capital improvements and it includes: landscaping; upgrading their heating and ventilation system (their building is 22 years old); developing a master plan; and an addition of approximately 10,000 square feet, which they would like to complete by 2010. Since they are being required by the federal government to conduct additional tests, there is a need to expand the facility.
In Dr. Gautom’s final remarks, he invited the Council to take a tour of the facility.
The meeting adjourned at 7:25 pm.
/S/ Julie Modrzejewski, Assistant City Manager