Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout2024-04-02 Council Mtg MINASHLAND CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Tuesday April 2, 2024 6 p.m. Regular Business Meeting* CALL TO ORDER Mayor Tonya Graham called the meeting to order at 6:00 pm. 1. Land Acknowledgement** Councilor Hansen read the land acknowledgement. II. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANC Mayor Graham led the pledge of allegiance. III. ROLL CALL Mayor Graham, Councilors Hyatt, Bloom, Dahle, Kaplan, DuQuenne and Hansen were present. IV. MAYOR'S/CHAIR OF THE COUNCIL ANNOUNCEMENTS/PROCLAMATIONS 1. Arbor Day Proclamation Mayor Graham read the proclamation into the record. V. APPROVAL OF MINUTES *** 1. Minutes of the March 18, 2024 - Study Session Meeting 2. Minutes of the March 19, 2024 - Business Meeting Councilor Hyatt made a small correction to the March 19, 2024, minutes on page 10. The change was a value from $99,000 to $990,000. Councilor Hyatt/Bloom m/s to approve the minutes with the change as presented. Roll Call Vote: Councilors Hyatt, Bloom, Kaplan, DuQuenne, Dahle and Hansen, YES. Motion passed. VI. SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS VII. CITY MANAGER REPORT Interim City Manager Sabrina Cotta provided an update to Council (see attached). She mentioned how Public Works and Finance were working on putting accurate information about the water treatment plant on the City's website. Work will soon begin on replacing the awnings around City Hall. The April 2024 newsletter had been released with the new City of Ashland website set to be unveiled at the end of May. She added that the City of Ashland has created accounts on Instagram and NextDoor to help with outreach. DuQuenne noted that manufactured part zoning was beginning to move forward. VIII. PUBLIC FORUM (15 minutes - Public input or comment on City business not included on the agenda) Page 1 of 11 �r Linda Adams/Ashland- Thanked Council and staff for their hard work. Sidney Brown - Thanked Council for their work on CEAP and CEAP goals and to continue with their work on the Electrification ordinance. Mark Brouillard/Ashland - Expressed frustration at the pushback on the Telecommunication Ordinance. Derek Franklin - Wanted to make sure people were able to keep their gas stoves. David Bekermeyer - Urged the City to complete the electrification ordinance. Flavia Franco/Ashland - Urged Council to vote on the Climate and Clean Air package. Cynthia Taylor - Urged Council to support the electrification ordinance. Maroun Agvero/Ashland - Urged Council to support the Climate and Clean Air package. Sam Inada/Ashland - Urged City Council to pass a resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. Sitka Moss - Read accounts from Palestinians regarding Israel's actions at the Al Shifa hospital. Urged Council to call for an immediate ceasefire. Amanda Morehouse - Read an account of the war by a Palestinian woman. Yvonne Ackison/Eagle Point - Urged Council to pass a resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. Spoke of the struggle of Palestinian children. Ancient Hatfield - Spoke to the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Palestine. Spoke to the United States continued support of Israel. Urged Council to call for an immediate ceasefire. Katherine Green/Ashland - Spoke about the danger of EMF radiation. Bren Weyside - Urged Council to pass a resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire. Spoke about Israel's targeted killing of a World Kitchen Foundation convoy. Judy Emmanual - Spoke about fire concerns & evacuation. Felt that the new trash cans were a waste of tax dollars. David McAlester - Voiced support of the electrification ordinance and the Climate and Clean air Package. John Maurer - Praised Council for their work. Sallie Mix - Spoke about illegal real estate sales of stolen Palestinian land by Israeli companies in the United States. Tony Foster/Ashland - Spoke about Israel's targeted killing of a World Kitchen Foundation convoy. Urged Council to pass a ceasefire resolution. Urged Council to not be complicit in the actions of Israel. Jamie Powell - Spoke about an event called CURA, Culture of Unity and Repair. Urged Council to support an immediate ceasefire. IX. CONSENT AGENDA 1. Historic Preservation Advisory Committee Appointment 2. Ad hoc Committee on Affordable Childcare & Early Learning Childhood Development Appointment 3. Liquor License Approval for Ashland Hills Hotel at 2525 Ashland Street Councilor DuQuenne/Dahle m/s to approve consent agenda. Discussion: No Discussion Page 2 of 11 Roll Call Councilors Hyatt, Bloom, Kaplan, DuQuenne, Dahle, and Hansen, YES. Motion passed. X. PUBLIC HEARINGS AND ORDINANCES 1. Second Reading - 3234 Ordinance & Resolution Telecommunications Updates for Small Wireless Facilities (5G) Acting City Attorney Doug McGeary presented the sole change to the ordinance since the first reading. At 16.12.080 Section B Part 3 (A), it now states that "A copy of the mailing list will be sent to the City and to properties within 300 feet of the proposed facility." Public Comment Ivy Ross - Felt the Ordinance needed to be revised around the issue of fire safety. Wanted Council to use Andrew Campanelli's ordinance. Kristi Chipowsky - Spoke to alleged health issues caused my EMF exposure. Wanted Ashland to be a safe haven from "dangerous and unnatural technology." Daniel Helgerman - Urged the City to return to the "culture of care" and to respect the wishes of the people speaking. Meredith Lowry - Wanted the City to utilize AFN as opposed to 5G ordinance. Paul Mozina - Spoke against comments made by Councilor Dahle at the previous council meeting. Urged Council to use the ordinance provided by Andrew Campanelli. Andre Branford - Spoke to the potential dangers of EMF radiation as well as the "smart city agenda." Russell Witte - Appeared via Zoom - Spoke to his experience working with microwave radiation for over 20 years. He mentioned how thousands upon thousands of scientific, peer reviewed studies had been conducted all over the world that showed that 4G and 5G EMF bandwidth had generated zero health problems. Rola Masri - Appeared via Zoom - Spoke about a ruling against the FCC about the harms of environmental radiation. Mentioned how the FCC had failed to follow up on that lawsuit. Suggested Ashland consider looking into liability issues around health effects of 5G. Shady Rose- Voiced her disapproval of the 5G ordinance. Felt that the City was ignoring the people of Ashland. Sent a cease -and -desist notice to the City. Sonia Nouick - Sent notice demanding a cease -and -desist notice against the City. Larry Graves - Was concerned that the ordinance was being rushed through. Derek Franklin - Demanded the City to do the right thing. Wanted a complete ban on 5G. Vicki Simpson - Raised concerns about the potential number of 5G small cell facilities. Worried that 5G would affect pollinators. Alan Rathsam - Wanted the City to hold another study session about the ordinance. Rivers Brown -Suggested the City check its liability policies if it passes the ordinance. Implied he was willing to sue the City if the ordinance passes. Page 3 of 11 �r Odette Wilkens - Spoke as chair of the National Policy on Technology. Felt that the ordinance did not have enough evidence regarding where a tower should be placed as well as a lack of a proper review process. Felt that the draft ordinance did not have enough fire protection. Karen Maleski - Spoke about denatured proteins caused by EMF radiation. Tanya Simmons - Spoke about recent findings regarding cell phone usage being unsafe. Thought that Council had been bribed by the telecommunication industries to let the ordinance pass "as is." Scott Floss - Spoke about his experience with EMF radiation and the health issues it can cause. Urged the Council to use Campanelli's ordinance. Pamala Joy - Mentioned that she may be forced to leave her home because of her EMF sensitivity. Nancy Ashmead - Praised the work of Andrew Campanelli. Cynthia Zee- Raised concerns about possible liability issues over the ordinance being passed. Francesca Robinson - Praised the passion of the other public commentors. Bob Jackson Miner - Voiced his disapproval via song. Felt that the Council was being arrogant by listening to scientists. Teresa Demarie - Raised concerns about health issues caused by 5G towers. Offered a prayer through song. Gwendolyn Tera - Urged the Council to not allow for any 5G installations within Ashland. DuQuenne asked how much the City was paying Nancy Warner for her services to help shape the ordinance. Cotta responded that an email was sent to Council by the finance director. DuQuenne clarified that she wanted the value to be presented at the meeting for the public to be aware of. Cotta responded that as of right now, the City had paid about $11,000 for Warner's services. Graham asked about the five issues with the draft ordinance brought by Campanelli and how the current ordinance addresses the questions he had brought up. Dahle laid out the five issues, which were. 1. The draft ordinance does not provide fact finding guidance to authorize City decision makers to inform of them of what factful determinations under federal law if any of the City decision makers may make a decision to deny an application/request for approval. It requires that their decision be in writing and such decision much be based on substantial evidence. Warner went over the difference between substantial evidence and probative evidence. She noted that putting probative evidence would give the City the power regarding the application process as opposed to substantial evidence, which would give the applicant the power. 2. The ordinance has no provision for public notification or public hearing prior to an administrative view for wireless facility permit in the public right of way. This becomes problematic when a permit application is approved, and a wireless facility appears Page 4 of 11 unexpectedly on property with no prior opportunity for the property owner to raise objections or describe adverse effects on the property. Werner responded that it is true that there is no public notice for administrative review, although there is one present for discretionary review. She noted that there was a limited amount of time for the City to decide on applications and that the administrative review process was geared towards areas where a small cell installation would not be near someone's home. She also noted that those specific small cell installations would have an additional set of design guidelines that they must comply with. If a small cell facility was placed near a property owner, there would be a notice to surrounding properties under the blanket of discretionary review. She also noted that the City could not put a moratorium on small cell deployments and would open up the potential of a lawsuit. McGeary added that the City had created a process in order to give notice for meetings regarding discretionary review. 3. The inclusion of sidewalks and utility easements in the public right of way definitions is an issue because these features are found on or near most homes and dwellings. It's obvious that a wireless facility installation near a sidewalk is often near a home. Utility easements traditionally for electric/sewer/water lines present a more serious situation. A site developer also claims to be a public utility with authority to place a small wireless facility close to a home. Warner responded that the reason for including sidewalks and public utility easements was because of pre-existing authority. If the City did not include those parts, it would mean that the design requirements would not be included within public utility easements, meaning an applicant could place small wireless facilities with very little oversight. 4. "Where as" statements in the draft ordinance are worded well to express the intent of the ordinance. An especially important additional statement needed to address the rollout of numerous small cell and 5g wireless facilities would be "intent of the City to limit of the number of these facilities by requiring strategic wireless facility placement and preventing redundant infrastructure." Warner noted that the preamble really isn't part of the enforceable section of the ordinance. As such, it wasn't necessary to put language in there. She also highlighted how Federal law states that each provider has the opportunity to deploy facilities as needed. The City can't dictate the placement due to Federal laws. She noted that the least intrusive means and gap test was created for large towers and does not apply to small cell facilities. 5. The City's draft ordinance does not yet include provisions for Ashland Fire Safety. Legal ordinance text has been offered to Ashland by a lawyer named Susan Foster. The text is taken from what Carmel -By -The -Sea, CA has used and approved with their ordinance. Specifies professional engineering certifications to ensure small wireless facilities for fire safety. Cities have no legal restrictions on the extent of ordinance provisions to minimize fire risks from small wireless facilities, especially in a high -risk environment for fire. Warner noted that all applicants must be able to demonstrate that their devices are safe. She also pointed out that the City's fire chief can hire consultants to review applications for fire safety at the applicant's cost. It also has the provisions that the applicant must maintain the Page 5 of 11 W,7r facilities at their cost, as well as the inclusion of an emergency shut-off switch that can be accessed quickly and safely. Dahle asked if all Campanelli's comments, as well as his draft ordinance, were discussed by Warner, her team and City staff, which Warner confirmed. Kaplan asked if the current ordinance would stay in affect if the Council does not approve the new ordinance. McGeary responded that the current ordinance does not cover small cell facilities, meaning that telecommunication companies could install with no oversight. McGeary asked if the current ordinance had any sections covering small cell installations. Warner noted that there would be generic protections but beyond that, there would be no design and deployment requirements as well as a lack of ability to negotiate. DuQuenne asked if Mr. Campanelli, staff, and Council have gone over this list of questions. Dahle responded that Mr. Campanili's draft was reviewed in full. DuQuenne asked why the people of Ashland weren't involved with the conversation. McGeary noted that he had met with many folks during the creation of many of the previous ordinances and took into consideration every single comment. Councilor Dahle/Bloom m/s approve Second Reading of ORDINANCE NO.3234: AN ORDINANCE AMENDING AMC TITLE 16 TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND ESTABLISHING STANDARDS FOR TELECOMMUNICATIONS FACILITIES IN THE CITY OF ASHLAND with the following language included. AMC 16.12.080 Section B 3, The Public Works Director shall not issue a permit subject to discretionary review unless the applicant has held at least one local community meeting, attended by at least one representative of the applicant, to inform members of the surrounding area of the proposed telecommunication facility. Meeting documentation shall be provided to the Public Works Director not later than 45 days after the date the applicant submitted the application, unless the applicant and the Public Works Director agree in writing to a longer period of time and to toll any appliable shot clock to act on the application and shall include the following. a- A copy of the mailing list will be sent to the City and to properties within 300 feet of the proposed facility. b- A copy of the notice of community meeting, mailed one week prior to the meeting. c- A copy of the newspaper ad placed in a local paper one week prior to the meeting. d- A summary of issues raised during the meeting. e- The name(s) of the applicant representative(s) in attendance Discussion: Dahle thanked everyone for their discussion and involvement within the creation of the ordinance. He reaffirmed that every testimony and conversation had been seen, considered, and taken in good faith. Bloom had nothing to add. Hansen spoke about personally meeting with Kelly Marcotulli and Alan Rathsam and was saddened by the threats and theatrics. He urged those gathered to respect the process. He voiced support for the ordinance and thanked Council for their work. DuQuenne thanked everyone gathered for their resilience. She noted that 5G would happen regardless of the Page 6of11 ordinance, but the importance was how the City reacts to this new form of telecommunication. She stated that she would not be supporting the ordinance because of the issues raised by the community. Kaplan thanked those who submitted public comments and acknowledged that the new ordinance is a major improvement over the current one. He saw no reason to stop forward progress. Hyatt recognized that 5G was a complex item and that she had been discussing this issue for almost four years. She appreciated the information sent in by the community. She saw the new ordinance as a way to offer a degree of protection for the City and its residents, as opposed to having no protection under the old ordinance. Roll Call: Hansen, Dahle, Bloom, Kaplan, and Hyatt. YES. DuQuenne NO. Motion passed. Graham voiced her disapproval of the FCC's delay in responding to Federal court rulings and that she would be in contact with the State's congressional delegation to find out the reason for the delay. Councilor Dahle/Bloom m/s to approve RESOLUTUION NO.2024-07: A RESOLUTION TO ESTABLISH DESIGN STANDARDS FOR SMALL WIRELESS FACILITIES IN THE RIGHTS -OF -WAY IN THE CITY OF ASHLAND Discussion: No Discussion. Roll Call: Hyatt, Bloom, Kaplan, Hansen, and Dahle YES. DuQuenne, NO. Motion passed. Council took a recess from 8:24 to 8:30 1. Second Reading- Ordinance 3236 Establishing Human Resources Department McGeary mentioned that there were no changes between the first and second reading of the ordinance. Councilor Bloom/Hansen m/s to adopt ordinance #3236 Creating a Human Resources Department for the City of Ashland. Discussion: Hansen said that establishing a human resource department was critical for an organization the size of the City. He wanted to ensure that the City would be a good employer of choice. Hyatt asked to verify the ordinance number, which McGeary responded was #3236. Roll Call: Hansen, Hyatt, Bloom, Kaplan, DuQuenne, and Dahle YES. Motion passed. 2. Second Reading - 3233 Ordinance Amend Fire Prevention Code Fire Marshall Mark Shay said that there were no changes between readings of the ordinance. Hansen asked if Shay could foresee how these changes would affect Ashland business owners? Shay responded that it would initially affect owners by way of time commitments for inspections as well as potential fees for code violations. He noted that the process would be both financially stable and maintain safety. Dahle noted that the City was open to risk and liability if the changes are not approved. Page 7of11 �r Councilor Hyatt/Kaplan m/s approve the second reading of Ordinance No. 3233 Titled an ordinance amending the Ashland Fire Prevention Code, repealing and replacing Ashland Municipal Code Chapter 15.28. Discussion: Hyatt thanked Shay for his work. Roll Call: DuQuenne, Hansen, Dahle, Bloom, Kaplan, and Hyatt. YES. Motion passed. XI. UNFINISHED BUSINESS 1. Timberline Contract Ashland Fire forestry officer Chris Chambers went over the option the City had chosen regarding the contract (see presentation). Chambers noted that work had begun at Siskiyou Park and the bulk of the park had been trimmed and thinned. Trail closures would begin on Friday April 5th, 2024. A biomass utilization option for non -merchantable logs was now available in White City, which would decrease emissions and generate a small amount of revenue. Chambers reviewed option one with the Council in response to questions that had been raised at the previous Council meeting. Chambers explained the cost differences between logging with trucks and crews on the ground versus logging via helicopter. He also reviewed option three which has personnel on the ground cutting the logs, removing the limbs and putting the limbs in a burn pile. He noted that labor costs for option three were very high and would provide no return on expenses. DuQuenne asked what the better cost would be. Chambers responded that the cost between the helicopter and crews on the ground would be relatively the same. The main difference would be the decrease in fire danger by using the helicopters as opposed to leaving the wood onsite and causing a potential risk of wildfires. Kaplan clarified that the Council was now looking at the smaller areas that are farther away from the City. He asked what the tradeoff would be if the City left the trees there to ensure soil health. Chambers presented data on tree density addressing the tradeoff as well as on Fire Management Priority Areas. He also discussed soil health and how best to balance reducing fire damage while keeping the soil healthy. Finally, he addressed issues around carbon storage. Public Comment Eric Navickas/Ashland - Urged Council to go with option three. Cited past Council studies about removing trees and the effects within the greater Ashland Watershed. Urged the Council to be skeptical but agreed that the Council did have to address the dead trees regardless of what method they chose. Mentioned how the unique soil conditions would allow for felled trees to help reinforce the soil. Wanted Council to return to earlier methods of fuel management. Hansen asked about the additional cost of option one and where the additional $188,260 would come from. Finance Director Mariane Berry said that the City had unearned interest income of about $500,000 that could be applied to the project. Cotta added that it would be prudent to utilize the money to address the concerns of the citizens of Ashland. Graham Page 8 of 11 LFIM WAlk Irm asked about the5-to-10 tons per acre and if it considers microclimates. Chambers responded that the 5-to-10 acre number was a broad number and that the microclimates had already been accounted for via Lomakatsi's tree marking endeavor. He also noted that any trees that would be left would mostly be small, although certain large trees would remain within marked areas in order to help maintain soil health. Graham asked if it was possible to mark the trees differently with the focus on coarse wood. Chambers responded that it would be extremely difficult, expensive, and time-consuming. He added that the City had a large amount of coarse wood that would be present over the next few years because of predicted tree die -off. Graham asked if water quality issues via runoff after logging would be monitored. Chambers responded that there would be no change since all the logging would happen below the Reeder Reservoir. Chambers also noted that most of the soil concerns raised by Navickas happened during mass events such as landslides, while surface erosion only happened around roads and road cuts. He specified that there had not been any issues of surface erosion that had been detected on any of the previous forestry operations. Councilor Hanse/Bloom m/s that the City Council, approve an additional $340,616.12 expenditure toward the Ashland Forestland Climate Adaptation Project, of which $188,260 will be allocated from existing City funds. Discussion: Hansen spoke about how the removal of dead and decaying trees was a high priority for fire management. He also wanted the people to respect trail closures to ensure safe working conditions for those involved. Bloom appreciated the work Chambers, Berry and Council had put in and was happy to see the results of their work. Kaplan felt it was a tough issue because of the risks. He wanted the City to have more time to discuss things but understood that it was an issue that needed to be resolved immediately. Roll Call: DuQuenne, Hansen, Dahle, Bloom, Kaplan, and Hyatt. YES. Motion passed. XII. RESOLUTIONS AND CONTRACTS 1. Parking Management Contract Council moved the item up due to time constraints. Cotta provided a short recap on the process for which the City selected its parking management company. Public Works director Scott Fleury provided a more detailed review on the parking RFP process, noted that Laz Parking already had a local presence and that the contract would be up to five years. Hyatt wanted to make sure that there was a set fee for the contract and there were no quotas or incentives for issuance of tickets. Fleury responded that the contract is solely to manage parking per the municipal code. Dahle spoke about revenue trends and asked why there had been a jump in revenue from parking enforcement. Fleury responded that during the early parts of the pandemic, enforcement was minimal. As things changed, their enforcement returned to normal levels, causing an uptick. Councilor Hyatt/ Kaplan m/s the local contracting board to find that the proper contracting procedure was followed in the procurement of this contract, and further move that the City enter into a goods and services contract with LAZ Parking Services. Page 9 of 11 i/l�x Discussion: Hyatt thanked Fleury and Berry for their work. Kaplan had nothing to add. Roll Call: DuQuenne, Kaplan, Dahle, Bloom, Hyatt and Hansen. YES. Motion passed. XIII. UNFINISHED BUSINESS (CONTINUED) 2. 2200 Ad Hoc Committee Graham spoke that she would like to create a committee to work with the Homeless Master Plan committee, to include residents, the unhoused, housing advocates and Council members. Her proposal would have her facilitate the committee alongside Kaplan, with the rest of the Council open to participate if inclined. DuQuenne appreciated the aim for inclusiveness in the proposal. She asked how the City would recruit the desired people for the committee? Graham suggested modifying the current application process to ensure the committee would be staffed by the various backgrounds Graham was interested in having join. Graham noted that there was no potential conflict of interest with her involvement and where she lives. Bloom asked about specifics on the composition on membership. He was interested in having a balance between the various groups. Graham responded that City staff would be there to provide information only. She was interested in having an equal side of unhoused and service providers with an equal side of neighborhood folks. Bloom suggested three members of the unhoused, three service members and six residents to balance things out. Graham did not want the committee to be large and unwieldy and instead wanted an equal number and will figure out total membership based on the number of those who've applied. Bloom asked about the discovery phase. He didn't want a duplicate process to what's going on with the Homeless Services Masterplan Subcommittee. Graham agreed with his train of thought. Hyatt/DuQuenne m/s move to accept the proposal of the 2200 Ashland Street Master Plan ad hoc committee as presented. Discussion: Bloom asked how the climate change mitigation goals would factor into a site plan for the location. Graham responded that it would be relevant to any infrastructure project the City has, as the goals of housing and climate are often pitted against each other. She wanted to make sure both goals were prioritized moving forward. Hansen noted that the first meeting would start in the middle of April. Graham responded that the first meeting date would be moved to sometime in May. Hansen asked what the expectations would be for participating as a community member. Graham said that meetings would be noticed, and the public would be invited. Hansen asked where the meetings will be held. Graham responded that she wasn't sure yet where the meetings would take place but foresaw site visits to 2200 Ashland Street as part of the course of the committee. Graham asked if visiting the site would count as a formal meeting, which McGeary confirmed. Dahle asked about the frequency of the meetings and if more councilors could attend. Graham foresaw the committee meeting every two weeks. The committee would also identify who would be considered permanent members and what the policy would be if a councilor wanted to attend as a community member. Roll Call Vote: Hyatt, Bloom, Dahle, Kaplan, DuQuenne and Hansen. YES. Motion passed. Page 10of11 16 -�k XIV. ADJOURNMENT OF BUSINESS MEETING Meeting adjourned at 9:35 pm. Respectfully Submitted by: City Recorder Alissa Kolodzinski Attest: 90,�r" 9��L- Mayor Tonya Graham Page 11 of 11 AL W* WAL City g p Mana er's Report 4.2.2024 CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE: • Staff are working with Finance and Public Works to provide accurate information on the potential financing of the water treatment plant. Fact/FAQ page at ashland.or.us/waterPlant. • Staff are working with a local vendor to get window awnings for City Hall. • The April 2024 City Newsletter is available at ashland.or.us/Communications. • The new website, including the new agenda management, the online form modules and See -Click -Fix component, continues to move forward. The trainings are scheduled throughout the month of April. The Design -Reveal with CivicPlus is scheduled for April 4, 2024. Staff will start building -out department pages once training is completed. • Social media updates: o As of March 21, 2024, the City now has an Instagram account, instagram.com/cityofashlandoregon. o Work is underway for a City Nextdoor account. o Staff are working on a draft social media policy. • The results of the Communication Survey will be shared with Council at the retreat on April 12, 2024. COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT: The Department has finished reviewing and issuing a building permit for the renovation of the Ashland High School Science building renovation project, valued at $6.2 million. This step paves the way for starting the seismic upgrade project, which was supported by the Ashland School Bond. Department has been notified by the Department of Land Conservation and Development (DLCD) Commission that our previously waitlisted grant application for consultant services to develop a Manufactured Home Park Zone is now funded and approved. The DLCD is set to draft a grant agreement for this initiative, aiding Ashland's Housing Production Strategy. FINANCE: • Finalizing RESP (Rural Energy Savings Program) USDA Loan Agreements with City Attorney's office; working with Conservation to organize the start-up of the program. • Helping to inform the public on the potential financing of the Water Treatment Plant through the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). • Phone lines are open at 541.488.6004 on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.; continued in -person service at The Grove (1195 East Main) on Fridays, also 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. • In April/May, Utility Billing will start delinquent processing, beginning with accounts over $10,000 that have been outstanding over 180 days. The City will make several attempts to contact individuals to bring their account up-to-date. Payment options are available. If left unresolved, services will be disconnected. Page 1 of 2 trial ••s City Manager's Report HUMAN RESOURCES: • HR will be at the Southern Oregon University Career Fair on April 10, 2024, along with the Fire Department. HR and multiple City departments will be at the Careers in Gear 2024 fair in Central Point. Careers in Gear is hosted by Rogue Workforce Partnership and will be happening on April 25 at the Jackson County Expo. This is a one -of -a -kind annual career expo and job fair for youth in the Rogue Valley with over 150 employers represented and over 2,000 high school students attending this year. We are highlighting some of our exciting careers with participation from GIS, Finance, Building, Public Works, Police and Fire! PARKS & RECREATION: • Oak Knoll Golf Course had a $10,000+ weekend this March. Staff has received consistent positive feedback on the state of the greens. • APRC is applying for two Oregon Parks and Recreation Department Grants, each for $1M. One is to rehabilitate the eight tennis courts at Hunter Park. The other is to build Phase One of the East Main Park, including the Pump Track and Skills Park. Both projects have received an outpouring of community support. • APRC has hired five new staff members in the last six months, including Parks Superintendent, Executive Assistant, Senior Administrative Analyst, Parks Tech I (two positions), and is currently interviewing for an Office Assistant II position to support the Recreation Division. • Express Employment Professionals have posted announcements for Lifeguard, Swim Instructor and Customer Service Specialist positions to staff the Daniel Meyer Memorial Pool. • The Ashland Rotary Centennial Ice Rink is officially closed for the 2023-2024 season. WHAT'S COMING UP? Free classes in March through Ashland Parks and Recreation - more at ashland.or.us/Register Arbor Day Tree Planting on Friday, April 26,10 a.m. at N MT Park Rogue Valley Bike Swap on Saturday, April 27 from 12 to 2:30 p.m. at The Grove - RTVT.org/bilkeswap Japanese Garden Tour... a guided walk for seniors and friends on Monday, April 29,1 to 3 p.m. Register by calling 541.488.5342. Page 2 of 2 Direct project cost comparison without fixed costs Per acre summary of direct project expenses Option 1 Option 2 Option 3 Helicopter and Cutting $ 1,295,946.00 $ 1,000,069.50 $ - Trucking $ 190,080.00 $ 146,520.00 $ - Pile and Burn Expenses $ 150,000.00 $ 150,000.00 $ 990,000.00 ** Timber Tax (2024) $ 5,147.45 $ 3,967.83 $ - Lomakatsi Contracted Help $ 75,000.00 $ 75,000.00 $ 50,000.00 Monitoring $ 20,000.00 $ 20,000.00 $ 20,000.00 TOTAL EXPENSE $ 1,736,173.45 $ 1,395,557.33 $ 1,060,000.00 BN Budget $ 406,374.00 $ 406,374.00 $ 406,374.00 Lomakatsi Grant $ 150,000.00 $ 150,000.00 $ 150,000.00 Log Value Return $ 686,127.00 $ 524,806.60 $ - TOTAL REVENUE $ 1,242,501.00 $ 1,081,180.60 $ 556,374.00 *NET EXPENSE $ 518,356.08 $ 330,095.57 $ 503,626.00 Cost Per Acre $ 1,047.18 $ 807.08 $ 1,017.43 *With 5% contingency **Includes all tree falling, log cutting, trail clearing, limbing, piling, and burning "Pile and Burn" Budget Explanation Scenario #1: Helicopter Tree Removal Sequence 1. A tree cutter cuts a marked tree along a trail. One cut is made and he moves on. One tree, one person, one "touch". 2. The tree is blocking the trail. The helicopter removes the entire tree to the landing where it's processed by machine, called whole tree yarding. Limbs and tops are dealt with by machine and either burned or chipped centrally. 3. This cost is all included in the helicopter pricing package. 4. In this scenario, nearly half the cost is recouped by selling the merchantable portion of each tree. 5. Minimal piling and burning of broken branches in the forest is covered by Lomakatsi grant. Whole tree yarding removes trunk, branches and top to a centralized landing. "Pile and Burn" Budget Explanation Scenario #2: No Helicopter Tree Removal Sequence • A tree cutter cuts a marked tree along a trail. • Tree is blocking the trail... • Cutter has to cut the tree off the trail which is time and gas consuming. If the log is big enough, it would require two people to move it safely without it rolling downhill. • Same worker has to cut a dozen or more limbs off the tree as well as the top, for fuel reduction. Many limbs require two cuts each. Second person collects all the limbs and top and puts them into a burn pile, or multiple piles. • This takes two people, significant time, dozens of touch points by hand ... a lot of time and cost. • Another crew returns the next fall/winter/spring to burn each burn pile, monitor the piles and patrol the area for at least two days after burning. • In this scenario, there is no financial return and the number of logs on the ground becomes a wildfire and logistical liability for decades to come, adding more real and hidden cost. *`r nC q � r � SIP r .. E... More Option #3 trade-offs ,r' • S f r l.W1. • Concentrated slash burning at the landing allows for efficient use of machinery and one efficient burn pile that will minimize smoke. It also leaves the option of chipping material if possible and affordable. • Distributed burn piles in the forest (over 1000 piles, Option #3) are small and inefficient, producing much more smoke with no option to chip any of it. • Larger machines handling large volumes of wood via Options #1 and #2 is more efficient than hundreds of chainsaw two-cycle engine hours. • More burn piles in the forest over the summer (Option #3) equals more fire risk to the community vs. removing the fuels and dealing with it before fire season this year (Options #1 and #2). Burn piles could stay for up to two years, depending on burn windows. • Smaller green trees still need to be thinned in Option #3 even if no helicopter was used in the project. • Trails are closed for a longer period in Option #3