CITY OF SHORELINE
SHORELINE CITY COUNCIL
SUMMARY MINUTES OF BUSINESS MEETING
Monday, July 9, 2007 - 7:30 PM
Shoreline Conference Center
Mt. Rainier
Room
PRESENT: Mayor Ransom, Deputy Mayor Fimia, Councilmember Gustafson, Councilmember Hansen, Councilmember McGlashan, Councilmember Ryu, and Councilmember Way.
ABSENT: None.
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At 7:37 p.m., the meeting was called to order by Mayor Ransom, who presided.
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Mayor Ransom led the flag salute. Upon roll call by the City Clerk, all Councilmembers were present.
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Bob Olander, City Manager, announced that Bill Clements has been selected as the Grand Marshall for the 2007 Celebrate Shoreline Parade. He invited everyone to enjoy the events at the Celebrate Shoreline festival, which will be held on Saturday, August 18. He also congratulated the Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services Department for receiving a $5,000 grant from 4 Culture for its Creative Arts for Life Program. He noted that the City Council will hold a public hearing on Monday, July 16, at 7:00 pm. regarding the Preferred Alternative for the Aurora Corridor Project, N 165th Street – N 205th Street. The Council will discuss and select a preferred alternative on Monday, July 23. He concluded his remarks with reminders of various scheduled meetings and events.
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Councilmember Ryu said she attended the state auditor standards meeting and she appreciates the staff for all their work to comply with state audit requirements. Responding to Mayor Ransom regarding Enterprise Seattle, she reported that Enterprise Seattle is continuing its work and trying its best to make as many private partners as possible.
Councilmember Hansen noted that he attended a Flood Control Zone meeting.
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(a) Bob Lohmeyer, Executive Director of the Shoreline-Lake Forest Park Senior Center, thanked the Council and staff for finding the funding to allow the Senior Center to continue its programs at full staffing. He presented the Council and City Manager with greeting cards and bouquets of flowers.
(b) Virginia Paulsen, Shoreline, said that the Finance Director responded to her concerns about the Capital Improvement Program (CIP), and she is relieved to know that the City will not build projects until it acquires all the necessary funding. She said she asked that the costs incurred by Shoreline residents and businesses be specified. She said while she doesn’t think that the City will bankrupt itself, she is still concerned about increasing costs to businesses and residents. She expressed doubt that the property tax increase would be limited to 1% for all Shoreline taxpayers.
(c) Eddie Zanidache, Mountlake Terrace, announced that the schedule for "Private Wars," a play performed at the New Space Theater in North City, will be extended; it will play July 12-14 and July 19-21.
Mr. Olander clarified that a
voter-approved measure limits the increase in property tax revenues to 1%
overall over the prior year. However, the tax will be slightly
higher because voters also approved the parks bond issue, which is an
additional levy on property tax.
Councilmember Hansen said that anyone can take their property tax bill
and chart the City’s portion to determine how much it is increasing; the
City’s portion is around 12%.
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Councilmember Way requested that item 7(e) be pulled from the Consent Calendar and made Action Item 8(b).
Councilmember Hansen moved approval of the agenda as amended. Councilmember Gustafson seconded the motion, which carried unanimously.
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Deputy Mayor Fimia moved approval of the Consent Calendar. Councilmember Way seconded the motion, which carried unanimously, and the following items were approved:
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(a) Approval of expenses and payroll as of June 21, 2007 in the amount of $1,742,089.42 |
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(b) Ordinance No. 473 Authorizing the 2008-2013 Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) for the City of Shoreline |
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(c) Resolution No. 262 Authorizing the 2008-2013 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) for the City of Shoreline |
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(d) Ordinance No. 475 Creating an Economic Development Advisory Committee |
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8. |
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(a) Motion to Authorize the City Manager to enter into a Pre-Development Agreement with OPUS Northwest, LLC, for the Design and Development of the Civic Center Project |
Mr. Olander provided a brief history of the efforts made to acquire a site to build a new City Hall. He noted that the Council selected a site last year and considered several different delivery methods, including design-bid and design-build. The Council authorized staff to proceed with the design-build method. He introduced PJ Santos and Walt Nehoff, of the consulting firm OPUS/LMN Architects.
Jesus Sanchez, Public Works Operations Manager, said the purpose of this item is to request approval of a predevelopment agreement, which allows OPUS to initiate pre-development activities. The agreement will result in a guaranteed maximum price, and 30% design documents will be completed by the end of the contract period. He stated that OPUS, along with others, engaged in a very competitive bid process for this project, and staff is pleased to recommend OPUS as the winning firm. Mr. Sanchez also introduced William Angle, Vice President of Consultant Services, Collier's International, who has provided consultation on the Civic Center project.
P.J. Santos, principle with OPUS/LMN Architects, provided background on his company and outlined various projects in the Puget Sound region completed by OPUS/LMN, including McCaw Hall, Benaroya Hall, UW Tacoma, and Bremerton downtown. He explained that OPUS was founded in 1953 and has teamed with one of the leading design firms in the northwest, LMN; the pairing has won numerous awards for their design/build projects. Other members of the team include Bill Beaver, Bernie O’Donnell, Mark Rowe, Walt Nehoff, and Randall Bennett. He outlined the team's extensive experience in the industry and affirmed they have a good understanding of how to deliver a public project.
Mr. Nehoff spoke to issues of LEED certification and sustainability. He said since the City Hall will really be an office building, heating/cooling is the major energy load for such a facility. Therefore, minimizing the heating/cooling load through sunshade, reflected light, water features, heat recovery, natural cooling, and mechanical systems will be a primary focus. Mr. Santos commented on their philosophy of an integrated design approach and emphasized that public participation will lead and guide the process. He noted the very aggressive schedule, and listening is absolutely critical. It was noted that guiding principles should be established early on, and they would like to test their ideas on building orientation, architectural massing, materiality, LEED, sustainability strategies, functionality, front-of-house, etc., in public workshops.
Mr. Olander pointed out that tonight's discussion is to simply introduce OPUS, not to get into design details. He commented on the competitive process used to narrow down the list of firms and said OPUS is a very well-recognized firm with an outstanding reputation in the northwest. He said OPUS is vertically-integrated and can do all the work in-house. He reminded the Council that the pre-development agreements will get the City to the 30% design level. He said he is comfortable that when we reach the end of 30% design, we will have something we can work with.
Mr. Sanchez said that OPUS is committed to building City Hall and they feel they can do it within the proposed budget. He noted that OPUS has already invested time and money in the project. He added that the construction market has changed, and it is difficult for subcontractors to give accurate costs.
Mr. Angle commented favorably on OPUS' experience, reputation, and disciplined approach, noting that he was very pleased when the committee selected them. He pointed out that they are not the winner until they deliver what the City wants within budget. He said the project will "come to life" quickly in concept through the public process, and then on paper. He assured the Council that the entire process leads to logical outcomes.
Mayor Ransom called for public comment. There was no one wishing to provide public comment on this item.
Councilmember Gustafson moved to authorize the City Manager to enter into a Predevelopment Agreement with OPUS Northwest, LLC for the design and development of the Civic Center Project in an amount not to exceed $494,590. Councilmember Hansen seconded the motion.
Councilmember Gustafson commented that the City Hall project has been long time vision, and after reviewing the information he is truly excited. He said he would like to see unanimously support for the motion and to move forward quickly.
Mr. Olander advised that the project has a tight time schedule, and staff might ask the Council to make some decisions quickly which might require special meetings.
Councilmember Way referred to page 35 of the Council packet
and expressed concern that many people might not be aware of the
project timeline.
Mr. Olander said the City held a public meeting and received excellent
input. He noted that the basic strategic points came out at that
meeting, and he was surprised at the unanimity of what public wants out of the
project; namely, affordability, sustainability, and a public landmark. He
said he didn’t hear any out-of-sync comments and felt the process could be
done fairly quickly.
Councilmember Way suggested advertising the project at the Renewable
Energy Fair on July 21. She suggested proceeding cautiously and not to be
too impatient because once a decision is made it cannot be reversed.
Staff emphasized the need for the Council and the public to feel comfortable
about the project and provided assurances that they will make every effort to adjust
the timeline within a reasonable range, provide adequate notification, and
involve the public.
Councilmember Ryu said she
looks forward to the process, noting that there was very vigorous
participation on the Aurora Avenue project. She emphasized the need to do it right
the first time. She asked how noise control could possibly be
incorporated on the site, and if the insurance coverage could possibly be
increased to perhaps $1 million.
Mr. Santos said the Council can choose whatever guiding principles it chooses
for the design. Mr. Olander added that good design examples were observed
during the tours of other city halls. Regarding insurance, Mr.
Santos said the proposed amount is the aggregate limit that’s possible without
costing vendors. Mr. Olander said this amount is the WCIA recommendation,
although a higher amount is usually recommended after the pre-development
phase.
Councilmember Hansen said although the proposed site is not his favorite location, it represents a good compromise. He said he has been aware of OPUS for some time and know them for their good reputation. He expressed support for the proposal and the project said he is anxious to see where it goes.
Councilmember McGlashan expressed support for the location of City Hall, as it is a fairly centralized location and includes connections to the Interurban Trail and park across the street. He expressed support for the motion and cautioned against delaying the project. He said we can always find reasons to delay, but City business can't be run around people's schedules to the point that it postpones the project. He said there are comment forms, public workshops, and the City web site to provide information so nobody will be "left in the dark."
Deputy Mayor Fimia expressed
support for the proposal and the location and asked OPUS staff how they
propose the City decides on the guiding principles.
Mr. Nehoff suggested bringing all the "groundwork" out to the
Council, staff, and public and distilling the principles down from a large
number to perhaps a list of less than 10. A staff recommendation to
the Council based on this work would then follow.
Deputy Mayor Fimia was comfortable with the schedule and agreed with the
suggestion of having a booth at the Shoreline Solar Fair. She noted that
some people from the city hall tours downplayed the importance of the LEED
ratings (gold, platinum), suggesting they might not be cost-effective.
She wondered how important the LEED ratings are versus some other energy
efficiency standard.
Mr. Santos said in other projects the LEED silver level has cost 1% of the
total project costs, and generally the LEED standard is reasonable.
However, there are costs associated with the silver/gold/platinum ratings, and
some clients view them more as a "measuring stick" against other
buildings. Mr. Olander noted that some project budgets have
been stretched just to get those LEED certifications, yet the key
focus should be on the sustainability elements, and the Council
will achieve those goals anyway.
Responding to Deputy Mayor Fimia, OPUS staff confirmed that the City would:
1) retain ownership control of the property; 2) that Mr. Angle would see the
process through; and 3) that staff will have input into the design.
Deputy Mayor Fimia emphasized the principles she would like to see in the
new City Hall, including making it a "people's place," having
form following function, openness, warmth, utilizing local art, modesty,
quality, and acknowledging the past but looking to the future. She
noted that the Council and staff work for the people, but the building has to
work for the Council and staff.
Mayor Ransom noted the possibility of acquiring federal funding in order to incorporate solar power/hot water in the new City Hall. He emphasized the need to build a structure of adequate size to allow for future expansion. He pointed out that 60,000 square feet of space was originally planned, but perhaps extra space could be built and rented out. He expressed hope that some of the sustainable features could be incorporated into the design, noting that most of the buildings on the tour were silver or gold LEED certified buildings. He also hoped the new civic center could include some design feature, such as a waterfall, that would really make the building stand out.
Councilmember Way expressed concern that terms such as "green
building" or "sustainability" are not specifically called out in
the pre-development agreement.
OPUS staff and City staff acknowledged that LEED principles have been discussed
all along the way, and it will be an integrated process that will eventually
recommend certain sustainability features based on budget. Mr. Olander
pointed out that the design charrettes dealt heavily with
sustainability. He assured the Council that sustainability will be a part
of the guiding principles, adding that OPUS has 42 LEED-certified
consultants.
Councilmember Way noted that the orientation of the building can have a
dramatic affect on heating, so building orientation should be a key
consideration. She also felt key design characteristics should include:
humility, appreciation of history, art, and sustainability. She also
hoped the design would reflect more public open space and things like pervious
pavement.
Mr. Olander suggested that the agreement could be amended on page 32 under
scope of work, to add "and building sustainability elements," if
this would provide more assurance.
Councilmember Ryu expressed support for the change. She said she is optimistic about the process and she appreciates openness to good suggestions. She supported starting off with some basic design principles, such as those given by Deputy Mayor Fimia. She agreed that LEED is a good goal, but other substantive benchmarks might be more applicable. She said the options log provided by staff will help the Council weigh the alternatives. She suggested getting information about the civic center at the Shoreline Solar Fair (July 21), Swingin' Summer's Eve (July 25), and Celebrate Shoreline (August 18).
Councilmember Way suggested taking the designs to the schools in September, noting that students could help design the new city hall.
A vote was taken on the motion to authorize the City Manager to enter into a Predevelopment Agreement with OPUS Northwest, LLC for the design and development of the Civic Center Project in an amount not to exceed $494,590, which carried 7-0.
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(b) Motion to Authorize the City Manager to Execute the Services Contract with AHBL for development of the Environmental Sustainability Strategy |
Councilmember Way moved to authorize the City Manager to Execute the Services Contract with AHBL for development of the Environmental Sustainability Strategy for an amount not to exceed $75,000. Councilmember Ryu seconded the motion.
Councilmember Way said that with the near completion of the
Interurban Trail bridges and an emphasis on bike-friendly planning for our
roadways, she'd like to request that the staff work with the consultant on
Goal #6 to explore the possibility of implementing a bike share/bike loan
program. She explained that similar programs have been implemented
in many cities with varying results, including Olympia, Portland, Denver, New York, Copenhagen, and many
others. She said it seems like a logical and relatively low-cost option
to explore and would be consistent with our goals in the Comprehensive
Plan and Transportation Master Plan.
Mr. Olander said that staff can look at examples to see how the program has
been implemented elsewhere to determine if it would work for Shoreline.
Joe Tovar, Planning and Development Services Director, concurred.
Councilmember McGlashan added
that a bike/share program was recently recommended by someone at the
City-sponsored Bike-to-Work station.
Mr. Tovar commented that this idea can also be flagged for the City's
Sustainability Team.
Mayor Ransom called for public comment. There was no one in the audience wishing to provide public comment on this item.
A vote was taken on the motion to authorize the City Manager to Execute the Services Contract with AHBL for development of the Environmental Sustainability Strategy for an amount not to exceed $75,000, which carried 7-0.
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At 9:35 p.m., Mayor Ransom declared the meeting adjourned.
/S/ Scott Passey, City Clerk, CMC