--- date: "2007-03-14" title: "Council Meeting Minutes 2007-03-14" source: "2007-03-14-minutes-council-monthly.pdf" --- CITY COUNCIL MEETING March 14, 2007 Attended: Stan Horrell, Mayor Frank Primozic, Councilor Tom McAuslan, Councilor Bill Harrington, Councilor Pam Woodworth, Councilor Don Strong, Councilor Jim Wood, Police Department Bob Titus, Public Works Brad Baird Dean Hicks Mona Lindsey Mayor Horrell called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. Roll call was called, Roger McKinley being absent. The pledge of allegiance was recited. The minutes of the February 28, 2007 meeting were considered MSP: To approve the February 28 minutes as written, Tom McAuslan, Frank Primozic. The Council recognized Brad Baird of Anderson Perry & Associates. Baird asked the City how they would like to proceed with the completion of the water project. It was generally recognized that the City still has a contract with Anderson Perry but has been proceeding with the project utilizing another engineer. Baird gave the Council some background on the project and said they had provided a water master plan to the City in the late 90’s. Improvements identified were the need for sand filtration to treat the water from the galleries and at least one additional well to augment the supply. The City sent out a request for proposals and chose Anderson Perry based on qualifications. After paying for the design and beginning advertisement for construction of the sand filtration project, the City decided to actively pursue well drilling as an alternative and put the sand filtration project on hold. There was major concern at that point from both the regulatory and funding agencies. Since the contract provided for Sisul Engineering to sub- contract with Anderson Perry to provide the well drilling portion of the project, that is who they worked with. For whatever reason, the two firms did not work out a sub-contract relationship. There was discussion of the contract and Baird said Anderson Perry was to do the sand filtration portion. Sisul was to do the well drilling and design the pipeline and Anderson Perry is responsible for designing the pump station. Now that the well drilling has been completed, Baird asked the Council which engineer they would like to continue with. He said that even though there is a contract, Anderson Perry does not want to make the City do something they don’t want to do. He was asked if Anderson Perry is still interested in the project. He stated they are, but because the City opted to pursue well drilling in lieu of installing the sand filtration system, Anderson Perry has been completely removed from the loop and does not have any information to move forward with. There was speculation as to why the City proceeded without contacting Anderson Perry throughout the project and it was noted that the City Recorder had reminded the Minutes March 14, 2007 prior Council a number of times that Anderson Perry was still a part of it. Baird cited the 30 years experience Anderson Perry has to offer and the added advantage of working with contractors who have a certain comfort level when bidding their work that equates to lower costs. There was also discussion of the potential problems with the funding agency due to not doing the project in a timely manner. The Recorder said the City’s contract with OECDD expired at the end of December and has not been amended. She said that Gary Viedorfer of OECDD has indicated that the City has materially changed the scope of the project and may have to re-apply for funding which would significantly affect the timeline in completing it. By not honoring the existing contact with Anderson Perry, the City would most likely be required to re-advertise and re-award the project, causing further delays and sending red flags to the funding agency and the Department of Human Services (Health Department.) With regard to the contract, Baird said the City could get out of it if they really want, but that Anderson Perry would require a release of responsibility from that point forward. Also, certain conditions regarding the designed sand filtration system would need to be met in the case the City eventually pursued it. There was discussion of the wells that have been drilled. Bob Titus said they are good wells but are not cased and that one had caved in. Baird said Anderson Perry does not design wells as open uncased holes because of the potential for cave in. He noted concerns in taking over the project because of the small size of the holes drilled and the lack of casing. The City may have saved some money by not casing them, but due to the small size of the holes the amount of water drawn will be limited. It was noted that the proposed landowner agreement limits the amount of water the city can take to 400 gpm. Tom McAuslan said it was news to him and others stated they were also not aware of the restriction. Baird also expressed concern that the City went ahead with well drilling before they had a landowner contract in place. It was also noted that access agreements have not yet been secured either. Baird said he would need to be brought up to speed on the condition of the wells and the status of the agreements. There was also discussion of the million gallon reservoir and that it should be circulating water (state regulation) to keep it from getting stagnant. Bob Titus said they have been achieving that by dumping water out of the overflow. Baird said Anderson Perry has a plan to fix the circulation problem without wasting the water by dumping it onto the ground. There was general discussion of the City’s responsibility to honor the contract and the continued delays in getting the project completed. MSP: To continue with the existing contract with Anderson Perry, exempting the portion already completed by Sisul Engineering with a release of responsibility, Bill Harrington/Pam Woodworth. In moving forward, it was determined that the first step will be to get the funding agency on board with the City’s plans and look at the remaining budget. Anderson Perry will get together with Sisul Engineering to establish a sub-contract relationship. The City must work out the property issues and get the landowner and access agreements finalized immediately in order to get the project completed by this fall. The City will need to consider casing the wells. It was agreed that Baird would communicate directly with the City Recorder with information intended for the Council. The Council recognized Assistant Fire Chief Dean Hicks who addressed them regarding the placement of a water tank. He explained that the Fire Department is required to pump test the Minutes March 14, 2007 trucks and in order to do so must have access to water at ground level. He said Prairie Wood Products has donated an 11,000 gallon tank to the department and asked the Council for permission to locate the tank on the industrial property. He also asked the Council to consider allowing the fire department to locate a fire training facility on the property. He said the building requires 1 acre and .2 acre for the drafting site and would be financed through grant funding. The facility would be built on the northern portion of the property leaving plenty of room for other development on the site. The training facility would be utilized by other fire departments and also available to law enforcement and ambulance for live situation training. Hicks stated that the City Recorder had agreed to help with the grant process. There was discussion of the advantages having the facility and if it should be reviewed by the Planning Commission. MSP: To approve the placement of the water tank subject to review by the Planning Commission, Bill Harrington/Frank Primozic. MSP: To approve placement of the fire training structure subject to review by the Planning Commission, Bill Harrington/Frank Primozic. Planning: no report Public Safety: Jim Wood recapped the fire and police log activity and said things had been fairly quiet. Landfill: Bob Titus turned in two written landfill reports. He suggested Clark’s haul solid waste to John Day in his absence (see below,) however, it was noted that the City loses revenue whenever that occurs. It was agreed the public works crew would be available to allow Clark’s access to the site. He also said that Marvin Rynearson had requested to dump ash and debris (from a burned out house) in the landfill. It was agreed that Titus should check the City’s permit and with the DEQ to see if it is allowed. If so, Rynearson will need to be advised he must weigh the loads and provide a weight slip. He will be charged $50 per ton to dispose of it. Public Works: Bob Titus gave the Council a written report and stated he would not be at the next two meetings because he was taking some vacation time, returning April 9. He said the City of John Day had performed backflow tests and found a few problems. It was noted that it is up to the affected business to have a plumber make the repairs. There was some discussion over the cost of gear lube. Well Drilling: Mayor Horrell said he and Roger McKinley had met with John Coombs regarding the landowner agreement and that Coombs was sending another draft to his attorney. Other Business: Mayor Horrell said that he, Officer Wood and the City Recorder had met with the City’s insurance risk management representative and two people from Public Safety Liability Management, Inc. to analyze the City’s current police services. He said the interviews were very comprehensive and hopes to receive a report from them in the next few weeks. Bill Harrington reminded the Council that they had committed to making a decision regarding the funding of the county’s Economic Development position by the end of March and asked to have it put on the next agenda. Minutes March 14, 2007 The City Recorder informed the Council that Judge Webb had contacted her and asked to schedule a public meeting in Prairie City on Wednesday, March 21. The meeting is to address the proposed vacation of 13th Street between Strawberry Road and Hall Street and will be held at 6:00 p.m. at the Strawberry Grange. Bill Harrington asked if the Council was going to consider hiring professional services to pack and move the museum contents during the building renovation. It was suggested that it would be a good time to take an inventory and establish values for ownership and insurance purposes. Frank Primozic was asked if he would be the main contact for museum matters, but he declined due to time constraints. He will still be involved, but noted that an additional person is needed. The City Recorder volunteered to make contact with the Kam Wa Chung Museum in John Day to see who they used to pack and move their items. It was noted that containers will also be needed. 8:15 p.m. It was moved and seconded to adjourn the meeting. Respectfully submitted: ___________________________ Diane Clingman, City Recorder Approved this Date: ________________ _________________________________ Stan Horrell, Mayor Minutes March 14, 2007