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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - City Council - unsigned - 1991-04-30 - Adjourned Regular Meeting1 4/30/91 City Council, Adjourned Regular Meeting United Way Conference Room 2280 Benton Drive Redding, California April 30, 1991 5:19 p.m. The meeting was called to order by Mayor Buffum with the following Council Members present: Arness, Dahl, Moss, and Buffum. Council Member Fulton arrived at 5:25 p.m. Also present were City Manager Christofferson, Assistant City Manager McMurry, Director of Public Works Galusha, Director of Planning and Community Development Perry, Chief of Police Blankenship, Electric Utility Operations Manager Ryan, Electric Utility Engineering Manager Russell, Assistant City Attorney Calkins, Director of General Services Masingale, Senior Planner Keaney, Personnel Director Bristow, Traffic Engineer/Planner Will, Assistant Director of Finance Sundin-Gruber, Transportation Coordinator Duryee, Management Analyst Anderson, Assistant City Clerk Strohmayer, and Secretary to the City Council Moscatello. Also present were Redding Planning Commissioners Bosetti, Combs, Gelonek, and Burrell; and Traffic and Parking Commissioners Felch, Knepp, Lynch, McLaughlin, and Perdue. Also present were Public Works Director Dick Curry, Tom Hayward, and Bill Ramsdell from Shasta County Department of Public Works; and Rich Kelsey, Bert Corford, and Burt Brockett from Caltrans. Karen Scholes from the Shasta County Planning Commission, Jon Pecaut from the Chamber of Commerce Transportation Committee were present, Erwin Fust and Dick Reiss were also present. CONSENT CALENDAR The following matters were considered inclusively under the Consent Calendar: Award of Bid - Bid Schedule No. 2457, 15kV URD Cable #2 and #4/0 Aluminum (B-050-100) It is the recommendation of the Electric Utility Director that Bid Schedule No. 2457, 15kV URD Cable #2 and #4/0 Aluminum, be awarded to the low bidder, Pirelli Cable Corporation, in the amount of $120,938.58. Funds for this purchase are included in the 1990/91 budget. Award of Bid - Bid Schedule No. 2458, 15kV URD Cable 750 MCM Aluminum (B-050-100) It is the recommendation of the Electric Utility Director that Bid Schedule No. 2458, 15kV URD Cable 750 MCM Aluminum, be awarded to the low bidder, Pirelli Cable Corporation, in the amount of $80,613. Funds for this purchase are included in the 1990/91 budget. Management/Supervisor Workshop Contract - Marin Consulting Associates (A-050-270) It is the recommendation of the Chief of Police to expend $6,500 of Narcotic Asset Forfeiture funds to retain Marin Consulting Associates to conduct a Management/Supervisory Team Building Workshop for Police Department staff. Resolution - Purchase of Tub Grinder Magnet (B-050-100 & S-020-550) It is the recommendation of the General Services Director that Resolution No. 91-170 be adopted, a resolution of the City Council of the City of Redding authorizing the purchase of a tub grinder magnet from Fuel Harvesters Equipment, Inc., in the amount of $5,431.00, pursuant to Redding Municipal Code Section 4.20.120(H)(2), and authorizing the City Manager to sign the necessary documentation. MOTION: Made by Council Member Arness, seconded by Council Member Dahl, that all the foregoing items on the Consent Calendar be approved and adopted as recommended. Voting was as follows: Ayes: Council Members - Arness, Dahl, Moss, and Buffum Noes: Council Members - None Absent: Council Members - Fulton Resolution No. 91-170 is on file in the office of the City Clerk. 2 4/30/91 REDDING RODEO PARADE - Request for City Sponsorship (P-010-100) City Manager Christofferson conveyed that the Asphalt Cowboys requested that the City of Redding co-sponsor the Redding Rodeo Parade and apply for the encroachment permit with the Department of Transportation. Mr. Christofferson explained that co-sponsoring the parade will eliminate the payment of the $180 encroachment fee by the Asphalt Cowboys. The appropriate insurance for the parade is on file. MOTION: Made by Council Member Dahl, seconded by Council Member Moss, to approve City sponsorship of the 1991 Rodeo Parade to be held Saturday, May 18, 1991. The Vote: Unanimous Ayes with Council Member Fulton absent. RODEO WEEK STREET DANCE - Permission to Permit Consumption of Alcoholic Beverages (A-110) City Manager Christofferson noted that during Rodeo Week, the Asphalt Cowboys will hold an open air street dance at the intersection of Market and Sacramento Streets on Wednesday, May 15. The street dance has been a traditional part of Rodeo Week activities, and participants have historically brought their own alcoholic beverages for consumption. It is the request of the Asphalt Cowboys to permit the consumption or possession of alcoholic beverages in the area bounded on Market Street by the southerly boundary of Placer Street and the northerly boundary of South Street and on Sacramento Street by the westerly boundary of Pine Street and the easterly boundary of California Street. Council Member Fulton arrived at 5:25 p.m. Mr. Christofferson conveyed that the Police Department will provide an appropriate level of enforcement activity in the downtown area during the dance. Chief of Police Blankenship stated that the Police Department is working closely with the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board to ensure the absence of any problems relating to alcohol and the dance. Mayor Buffum noted that the Asphalt Cowboys will also make a concerted effort to "police" the dance. Council Member Arness asked if someone other than the Asphalt Cowboys asked for the same type of permit, would auxiliary security be requested as a condition of the permit. Mayor Buffum noted that Council considers these requests on a case-by-case basis, this is not a blanket approval. She pointed out that the Asphalt Cowboys contribute a lot to the community. MOTION: Made by Council Member Fulton, seconded by Council Member Moss, to permit the consumption and possession of alcohol in the area of the Rodeo Week street dance to be held May 15, 1991. The Vote: Unanimous Ayes Council Member Dahl suggested that the dance be monitored this year and let the Asphalt Cowboys know that if there are problems, conditions can be made next year. Council concurred. LOCAL AGENCY FORMATION COMMISSION (B-080-650-375) Mayor Buffum recommended that Council Member Moss' term to represent the City of Redding on the Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) be extended to April, 1992. She noted that it is the City's turn to appoint an Alternate Representative to the Board; and, therefore, Mayor Buffum recommended that Council Member Fulton be appointed Alternate Representative to LAFCO. MOTION: Made by Council Member Dahl, seconded by Council Member Arness, to reappoint Council Member Moss as representative to the Local Agency Formation Commission and appoint Council Member Fulton as alternate for terms expiring April, 1992. The Vote: Unanimous Ayes 3 4/30/91 4 4/30/91 BENTON LANDFILL CLOSURE PLAN (S-020-300) City Manager Christofferson conveyed that staff has been working on the closure of the Benton Landfill, there is still much to be done, and the cost of the work is substantial and escalating. Funds in the amount of $350,000 have been set aside for closure of the landfill; however, based on relatively new State regulations, the cost has been driven up to approximately $4.5 million. Mr. Christofferson said the question is whether the City shall contest or not contest the proceedings of the Regional Water Quality Control Board. He conveyed that up until this time, he would have recommended to Council to contest the findings of the Board; however, because of discussions with Lawrence and Associates, his recommendation has changed. Mr. Christofferson explained that staff tried to reduce the cost of closing the landfill by not capping the landfill. The cost to place a non-permeable bentonite-base cap over the landfill is approximately $2 million. Since the landfill was originally built over a natural spring and water is already entering the landfill, structures were erected to drain the leachate out and into the sewage treatment system. The State, however, does not show any inclination to accept this alternative solution. He added that if the landfill is capped, a gas collection system must also be installed to mitigate the gas. Mr. Christofferson said another significant cost is the requirement to compact the soil to the 90% level, which is the level of compaction needed for projects involving significant structural integrity. Staff does not want to pass this cost on to the ratepayer and they have tried to avoid this. The League of California Cities did not give much hope in successfully contesting the Board's findings either. Mr. Christofferson explained that the cost of contesting this matter before the Board could be $50,000, and the likelihood of success is very low. In the alternative, if the findings are not contested, the cost of closing the landfill will have to be passed on to the ratepayer as a temporary surcharge. Dave Lawrence, Lawrence and Associates, explained that there is more to contesting this issue than accumulating more data. It means changing the law, and the law is very explicit and clear in these matters. Staff would have to prove that the law is inappropriate and wrong for the closure of the landfill, and that would bring in precedents. It is not his recommendation to contest the Board's findings. He cautioned Council to close the landfill before it becomes more expensive. Council Member Arness noted that after the engineered cap is placed on the landfill, tests will determine how close the cap is to the 90% compaction level. He opined that if the compaction level is close to 90%, the Water Quality Board will recognize that effort and probably accept that. He conveyed that he has reversed his prior position to contest this matter before the Board. Mr. Perry noted that the River and Waterways Commission support closing the landfill with the cap. Mayor Buffum asked how many landfills are closing in California. Mr. Lawrence said there are some landfills closing ahead of the City, and all landfills being closed in Shasta County are going through the closure process in accordance with the Water Quality Board. Nobody is contesting the closure requirements. In response to Mayor Buffum's question, Mr. Lawrence noted that the natural spring under the landfill creates a unique situation, but it does not disqualify the landfill from the cap requirement. The purpose of the cap is to stop the amount of leachate; and it will reduce the amount of rainfall into the landfill. This will reduce the amount of leachate to process at the sewage treatment plant, and, therefore, a savings will be realized. Mayor Buffum said it looks like the law does not allow for individual consideration. Mr. Lawrence said there is very little leeway applied to individual sites, and sometimes the requirements are more stringent. There will be $1 million or more in monitoring costs and closure costs outside of the cap. The gas extraction system must be put in, gas and groundwater 5 4/30/91 monitoring for 15 years, drainage facilities to install, and the construction of facilities as part of the closure plan. The cap is a small cost item compared to the total project cost. In response to Council Member Moss's question, Mr. Lawrence said the cap consists of two feet of foundation layer compacted to 90% of maximum density. On top of that is a one-foot thick permeable layer, and on top of that is a one-foot vegetation layer. The current cap already approaches the 90% compaction level. Council Member Moss asked if the West Central Landfill is in good shape. Shasta County Public Works Director Curry conveyed that regulations require that funds be put aside now for the eventual closure of the West Central Landfill. Council Member Fulton stated that Council should not contest the finding of the Water Quality Control Board. MOTION: Made by Council Member Fulton, seconded by Council Member Dahl, to not contest the proceedings and findings of the Regional Water Control Board pertaining to the closure of the Benton Landfill. The Vote: Unanimous Ayes Mr. Christofferson added that staff will do its utmost to keep the costs of closing the landfill down. INTERSTATE 5 TRAFFIC CORRIDOR STUDY (T-080-500) Director of Public Works Galusha introduced Peter Martin of Wilbur Smith and Associates, the firm that prepared the Study of Interstate 5/State Route 299 and State Route 44 through Redding. The I-5 Corridor Study is incorporated herein by reference. Mr. Martin said the principal objective of the study was to assess interchange improvements needed to address existing conditions and to forecast future conditions. He emphasized the importance of identifying right-of-way for future acquisition, and the benefit of acquiring right-of-way before it is developed. Mr. Martin explained that the improvement concepts described in the Study are planning concepts rather than precise engineering designs, and the designs will be refined and further reviewed in the development of individual project study reports. Mr. Martin reviewed the following interchanges in detail: the Knighton Road Interchange, South Bonnyview Interchange, and the Cypress Avenue Interchange. Council Member Moss noted that it would cost a tremendous amount of money to improve the Cypress Avenue Interchange and the result would only be a 25% increase in service. Mr. Smith noted that City staff and Caltrans have done a great job in squeezing as much traffic as possible into the present interchange. However, he noted that although there would not be much improvement in the level of service, it is a very important and busy interchange and central to the City's circulation. Mr. Martin reviewed the following interchanges in great detail: the State Route 44/State Route 299/Hilltop Drive Interchange, Lake Boulevard/State Route 299 Interchange, Oasis Road Interchange, Pine Grove Interchange, Auditorium Drive Interchange, Dana Drive/Hilltop Drive Interchange, Victor Avenue Interchange, Shasta View Drive Intersection/Interchange, and the Airport Road Interchange. Mr. Martin stated that the City has to plan well in advance because these type of projects take at least five years to develop. Mr. Galusha conveyed that the next step is to prepare the project study reports (PSR) for each interchange. The Redding City Council and the Shasta County Regional Transportation Planning have adopted the priority schedule for PSR development and a letter has been forwarded to Caltrans to proceed with the PSR process. In response to Council Member Dahl's question, Mr. Perry explained that both the City and the County will be updating their Circulation Elements to create the basis for the projects and capture right-of-way. 6 4/30/91 Mr. Galusha noted that the Federal government is looking to the State to contribute funds and the State is looking to local agencies to contribute more funds. The problem is finding the funds to do these projects. Planning Commissioner Bosetti noted that Caltrans conveyed that there will not be State money here for seven years. Mr. Galusha added that Redding will be competing with the entire State for Flexible Congestion Relief Funds, and our congestion level cannot compare to other regions. Council Member Moss noted that the City would like to keep traffic problems from happening. Planning Commissioner Bosetti pointed out that Caltrans will not give the City money to keep traffic problems from happening, they will give money to other areas to try to fix what is already broken. Shasta County Public Works Director Curry explained that Caltrans' policy on fixing interchanges is, if there is a safety problem, Caltrans will fix it; but if there is a growth or congestion problem, the local agency must fix it. Russ Weinham, overseeing local development coordination and local-funded projects for Caltrans, conveyed that Caltrans has appointed a full-time engineer to work on PSR's, corridor preservation issues, and interchange geometrics. He explained that the emphasis is to look to local agencies, who have mechanisms to collect additional money for these improvements, to take a more active role in doing that. Caltrans is aggressively pursuing the use of State and Federal monies, but it is unrealistic to think that State and Federal money will be able to come anywhere near funding these improvements. He is pleased to see the County moving forward with a traffic impact fee, and the City making progress through traffic impact fees, benefit zones, and Redevelopment Agency projects. Noting the importance of obtaining the necessary right-of-way for interchanges, Planning Commissioner Burrell asked if it is likely that Caltrans geometrics will change significantly from what is in the study. Mr. Weinham said to expect some significantly different alternatives in the final analysis. Mr. Galusha said the key is not to reserve right-of-way until the final analysis is complete. Council Member Moss asked if we can ask for expedited responses from the State on specific areas. Mr. Perry noted that the State has been doing just that. Burt Brockett, Caltrans Deputy District Director for Maintenance and Operations, said Caltrans' response is to the priority list staff prepared, and Caltrans wants to help with the City's land-use decision making. The Study gives an excellent springboard for evaluating those interchanges, and everyone has learned a lot. He emphasized that the realignment of frontage roads away from interchange locations is something that needs to be done. This was an information item, and no action was taken. CLOSED SESSION (P-100) Mayor Buffum stated that Council will adjourn to closed session pursuant to California Government Code Section 54957.6(a) to discuss personnel matters. At the hour of 7:30 p.m., Council adjourned to closed session. At the hour of 9:30 p.m., Council reconvened to regular session. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business, at the hour of 9:30 p.m., Mayor Buffum adjourned the meeting. APPROVED: ________________________________________ 7 4/30/91 Mayor ATTEST: ___________________________________ Assistant City Clerk