Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout2012-0305 Documents Submitted at Meeting Zimbra http://council.ashland.or.us/zimbra/h/printmessage?id=60950 &k6r-4ek Fw 3.5.1. ss Zi m bra john @council.ashland.orms + Font Size- Fwd: COA Special Use Permits From : Dennis Slattery Mon, Mar 05, 2012 01:48 PM <dennis @council.ashland.or.us> Subject : Fwd: COA Special Use Permits To :John Stromberg <john @council.ashland.or.us> ----- Forwarded Message ----- From: "Rob Cain" <robrcain @yahoo.com> To: "Dennis Slattery" <dennis @council.ashland.or.us> Sent: Saturday, March 3, 2012 11:40:35 AM Subject: Re: COA Special Use Permits Thanks for your efforts Dennis. Here would be the highlighted sections we'd call your attention to. 1. In the objectives of the policy, we take note that there is no mention of promoting events. From a race directors standpoint, they have stayed true to their objectives. Seems like the City should be supporting events due to all sorts of reasons, quality of life, healthy lifestyle, interesting place, promotion of visitors, etc. 2. It is very difficult to tell what the personnel requirements are for each pre-approved race. Taking the Mt. Ashland Hillclimb, (which is directed by Torsten Heycke, not me as indicated on another spreadsheet) if you assume a 1 of 5 3/5/12 4:33 PM Zimbra http://council.ashland.or.us/zimbra/h/printmessage?id=60950 total of 12 is needed, again it could be more, where are they located? Last year we had the City supply the necessary safety crew. There was a total of five people. Why, a year later is it now 12 or more? Which are required to be ODOT certified? When we asked in an early meeting with the Chief of Police, none of these questions were answered. I can let you know that if most of the folks are required to be ODOT certified, the 34th running of the Hillclimb will be a very changed race. The total traffic on Granite Street the morning of the race was four cars in 30 minutes, between 7 and 7:30. The race is through Granite Street in ten minutes. 3. What are the requirements for current races that aren't one of the four prescribed routes. a. Mt. Ashland Hillclimb Bike race--over thirty years of history b. Tar and Trail run--fifth year c. Siskiyou Challenge I'm sure there are others. What is the procedure for these and why weren't they included in this policy? The devil is in the details. The proposal doesn't answer where the personnel are used and what type are needed. These are very important to having a workable policy. Rob From: Dennis Slattery <dennis @council.ashland.or.us> To: Rob Cain <robrcain @yahoo.com> Sent: Saturday, March 3, 2012 7:45 AM 2 of 5 3/5/12 4:33 PM Zimbra http://council.asWand.or.us/zimbmth/printmessage?id=60950 Subject: Re: COA Special Use Permits Rob, I've pushed as hard on staff as I reasonably can - they tell me they have involved a number of people and have buy-off on what they are moving forward. In this type of thing that's about as much as I can ask for since they don't really work directly for me and there are rules of engagement when it comes to council/staff relations - most of it for good reason. They are in the process of bringing this forward now - on Monday we will have a study session to discuss what they are proposing. These meetings are open to the public while we do not take public testimony (that is reserved for council meetings) they are a time to educate council on the issues, etc. While this, of course, ends up as a vote there are opportunities for adjustments both council directed and as a result of public input. The documents for the study session are on the city website for Monday's study session. It would be most helpful for you to take that document and highlight the areas you have a concern with, I am willing at the study session to ask the questions. My reading is it will be difficult to bring a majority of council with me to challenge staff simply on the safety issue. In a world where the city can be sued by people who build houses around an existing gun club I'm afraid city staff's have taken to a very conservative position when it comes to possible litigation issues down-line. While I have a high regard for you I'd have a hard time arguing the unknown person that comes next - which is what such policies are intended. That said I think your view should be heard - this is not an agenda item for Tuesday's council meeting, probably will be on the next council agenda. Let me know your thoughts. D ----- Original Message ----- From: "Rob Cain" < robrcain @yahoo.com > To: "Dennis Slattery" < dennis@council.ashland.or.us > Sent: Thursday, March 1, 2012 9:08:35 AM Subject: COA Special Use Permits Hi Dennis, Looks like you are going to have a meeting on Monday and this is on the 3 of 5 3/5/12 4:33 PM Zimbra http://council.ashland.or.us/zimbra/h/printmessage?id=60950 agenda. We've had further conversations with the City administrators on the requirements required of race directors. They have come up with a good idea to have pre-approved routes for various activities. In our opinion they continue to overreach when it comes to safety personnel. It isn't that race directors are looking to host an unsafe event. Quite the contrary. We want everyone safe and have done so, in some cases for over thirty years of history. What we hear when we approach reducing the proposed staffing requirements is basically, safety at all cost. That they may be unworkable to the race director isn't a factor. The problem is they think there is a bottomless bucket of volunteers. Not only is the level of volunteers way more than needed, but the requirement that all (most?) intersections be controlled by an ODOT certified flagger is difficult. The City is asking for our volunteers to sit through a 3-4 hour ODOT training session. This makes sense if you're controlling traffic at the intersection of Mountain and Siskiyou. It doesn't make sense for Granite and Winburn on a early Saturday morning. There simply isn't enough traffic. As near as we can tell, we will be required to come up with between 7-14 people to staff the Hillclimb run. At most before, we've had no more than 1-2 plus the City employees that show up. We've paid for a Public Works employee to sit in his truck at the corner of Winburn and Granite. I guess they want us to do the same, but with a ODOT certified flagger. We have never been asked what we think an appropriate level of staffing is, nor how we would approach it. We're the ones that have the most experience but yet we're not part of the conversation. Should the City requirements get to onerous, some of the race directors will simply choose to alter (move) or cancel their event. What the City is proposing is well above what Bend, Eugene, and Corvallis require. Rob 4 of 5 3/5/12 4:33 PM Zimbra http://council.ashland.or.us/zimbra/h/printmessage?id=60951 �l✓m1'}-eel ��✓ 7J 's'I,L SS Zi m bra john @council.ashland.or.us + Font Size- Fwd: Specific Questions for Special From : Dennis Slattery <dennis @council.ashland.or.us> Mon, Mar 05, 2012 01:48 PM Subject : Fwd: Specific Questions for Special To :John Stromberg <john @council.ashland.or.us> ----- Forwarded Message ----- From: "Torsten Heycke" <torsten @mind.net> To: den nis @council.ashland.or.us Cc: "David Chapman" <david @council.ashland.or.us> Sent: Sunday, March 4, 2012 2:56:08 PM Subject: Specific Questions for Special Hi Dennis, David, Since I gather we will not be able to ask questions ourselves, I have some that I would like to see asked by someone. These are all in regard to the Mt Ashland Hill Climb Run . Jody Vizzini and Steve MacLennan weren't able to answer some of these questions so I'm hoping they will be answered tomorrow. 1. If I move the start location to the "STANDARD RACE START' (and the course continues along its normal route of Granite, Grandview, Ashland Loop Rd) how many personnel am I required to have? 2. If these personnel can be volunteers, do these volunteers need to be ODOT-trained? 3. Where are these personnel to be positioned? 4. How many "Street Closed" signs, barricades, and "Closed Delineators" (and what are those) do I need, where do I get them and where do they go? 5. If I choose not to provide personnel, I gather the City will provide them to me at 60% of actual cost. What is that cost? Some relevant info: 1 of 2 3/5/12 4:34 PM Zimbra http://counci[.ashiand.or.us/zimbra/h/printmessage?id=60951 • The Mt Ashland Hill Climb Run starts at 7:30 am on the first Saturday in August. • It is a rare vehicle that drives any part of the event course at 7:30 in the morning. • The course starts through the park and then spends most of the time on dirt roads (around the reservoir, up Ashland Loop Rd). Any cars at this hour don't tend to drive very fast on these roads. The entire distance on city roads is less than 3 miles, most of it in a relatively unpopulated area. • This will be the 34th annual event. Until a few years ago, this event used to be run under the auspices of City Parks and Recreation, i.e., promoted in the Parks and Rec catalog, registration, insurance, etc was done through the City. However, no city personnel have been part of the race day for the last 12 years (possibly ever, but that's the limit of my experience). • Until last year, there had never been more than 2 course marshals (and only at the start area). We've never had reports--from anyone--of problems. Last year, there was a police presence, but I'm not sure of the exact number. Other than one fellow at the start near Guanajuato Way, I'm not sure what they did and whether they saw any vehicles. • The event has carried "a Certificate of Insurance in the amount of no less than one million ($1,000,000) dollars to protect the City against claims for personal injury or property damage that could that could occur because of the event. " • Steve Maclellan stated in one the meetings that a drunk driver could careen into the runners. I don't think that whether we have two or twenty-two volunteers is going to prevent that from happening. I'm certainly not going to ask my volunteers to step in front of a careening vehicle. I am concerned about safety and am willing to do what is reasonable to assist in that. Thanks for any help in getting answers to my questions, Torsten Heycke Race Director, Mt Ashland Hill Climb Run 2 of 2 3/5/12 4:34 PM