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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1999-0112.JOINT.MIN City of Ashland, Oregon City Council and Parks and Recreation Commission JOINT STUDY SESSION TUESDAY, JANUARY 12, 1999 TOPIC Attendance : Absent : Mayor Cathy Shaw, Councillors Don Laws, Carole Wheeldon, Steve Hauck, David Fine, Cameron Hanson. Commissioners Laurie MacGraw, Rick Landt, Teri Coppedge, Sally Jones, JoAnne Eggers. Councilor Susan Reid Mayor Shaw facilitated the meeting calling it to order at 7:00 p.m. at the Senior Program Building at Hunter Park. Indicating that the first item to be discussed were the areas of responsibility between the Council and Commission, she asked Mike Freeman, City Administrator, to outline the issues. Areas of Responsibility Referring to a joint memorandum from City and Parks staff, Mr. Freeman said that, although the Calle area was park property, because the area was such an integral part of the downtown area and would serve as a conduit for flood waters, it had been decided early after the 1997 New Year' s Day flood that the Council and Commission would work cooperatively on the long-term restoration plan for the area. Based upon that decision, he said that staff had outlined possible areas of responsibility. Following brief discussion, it was determined that the general outline for responsibilities as stated in the joint staff memorandum dated January 12, 1999 would be followed; that park design would pretty much be left up to the Commission but that the Council would have final say on flood control issues. Discussion related to whether or not the area could handle a 100-year flood was briefly addressed. Consensus among Councillors was that a design should attempt to meet the capacity to carry a 100-year flood but that, in practical terms, that level might not be attainable. Budgetary concerns would be primarily addressed related to the areas of responsibility determined by "park design" or "flood control". Discussion of Proposed Process for Calle Redevelopment Referring to the written Proposed Project Purpose in the memorandum, Mr. Freeman said that it had been drafted in a sub-committee of the Council and Commission with input from staff. Outlining the discussion which lead to the statement, he said that the intent was to take into consideration the information which has been gathered over the past couple of years and thereby adopt an accelerated process for planning the final design of the area. Commission Chair Laurie MacGraw said that one of the primary elements necessary to accelerate the design process so that a final plan could be adopted by the end of March 1999 would be to continue to utilize the services of Brian McCarthy, landscape architect, who has been working on conceptual drawings for the project. Originally, the Commission had decided to request a waiver from the RFP process in order to continue with Mr. McCarthy's services thereby shortening the planning process for a design by several weeks. However, having heard that an exemption to the RFP process under the these particular circumstances may not fit the Council 's rules pertaining to exemptions, and, that going through an RFP process could possibly enable a better end product, the Commission decided that it would not put forward Joint Study Session - January 12, 1999 Ashland City Council and Ashland Parks and Recreation Comnussion Page 2 of 3 Calle Guanajuato Restoration Project o Discussion of Proposed Process - continued a request for exemption prior to the meeting tonight. She said that Commissioners would like to know whether or not Councillors would choose to consider a request for a waiver from the RFP process in order to move the planning process along more quickly. After discussion in which differing opinions were stated, a majority of Councillors stated that they did not believe that granting an exemption for the purpose of accelerating this planning process would meet the criteria outlined in the current ordinance. Following comments from Councillors, Chair MacGraw indicated that since it did not appear that the Council would support an exemption, and therefore, the Commission would move forward with an RFP process. Mayor Shaw suggested that the process begin quickly. Although no specific date was set for a final design to be completed, Councillor Fine said that he felt it would be appropriate for the Commission to give updates to the Council approximately every 60 days outlining the progress toward a final design. Presentation of Overview of 1997 Flood Issues and Concept Drawings Landscape Architect Brian McCarthy briefly outlined the work done by engineers related to flood conveyance at the Winburn Way crossing indicating that it had been designed to carry a 100-year flood under the bridge. Based on that concept and taking into consideration information gathered from public input and criteria adopted by the Commission in late 1997, he said that he had been asked to develop design concepts which would reflect that information. The hand-out entitled Preliminary Program Statement summarized the overall criteria utilized in developing the conceptual drawings. He then walked through the details of two design concepts: the Open Greenway Option and the Enhanced Terrace Option. Essentially, the Open Greenway Option would significantly widen the stream channel to allow for flood waters but would eliminate urban activity in the area except for a pedestrian path on each side of the creek. The Enhanced Terrace Option illustrated how urban activity could be preserved to a large degree while increasing the possibility of carrying up to a 100-year flood. Regarding this option, several contingencies such as the carrying capacity of the N. Main bridge and creative management of flood waters were briefly discussed. Public Input Following Mr. McCarthy' s presentation and a brief question and answer period, Mayor Shaw asked for public comment. The following items were mentioned: · that members of the public be included in the process to select a consultant on the project. · that it is important to remember that the area was originally owned by city merchants who donated the land to the City and were promised access to the area for deliveries and fire safety. · that fish habitat and healthy stream ecology need to be addressed. · that the recycling area needs to be addressed. · that the need for an adequate public restroom, perhaps in conjunction with the Hillah Temple, needs to be addressed. · that it would be advisable to monitor the trade-ofl~ related to compromises made among flood conveyance, urban usage, and park area. · that the current consultant be seriously considered for the balance of the project because he has already undertaken a lot of study on the area and understands the importance of the area to the community. · that the plan address the possibility of using innovative concepts such as "inflatable walls" to supplement flood conveyance. · that a time line for process be set to assure it be kept active and moving forward to conclusion. Joint Study Session - January 12, 1999 Ashland City Council and Ashland Parks and Recreation Commission Page 3 of 3 Calle Guanajuato Restoration Project Evaluation of Conceptual Drawings Consensus among Commissioners and Councillors was that the Open Greenway Option as presented by Brian McCarthy would not be acceptable because it eliminated too much of the urban usage desired in the area. Discussion ensued among Councillors and Commissioners whether or not it would be appropriate to choose to move forward with the Enhanced Terrace Option as the concept which would be the basis of a final plan. Although, there was some support for moving forward with the Enhanced Terrace Option, there was also strong opposition to choosing from only "one" viable option without having a wider range of options explored. Resolution of Issues and Wrap Up Reviewing discussion earlier in the meeting, consensus was to move forward with the project following these guidelines: a. The Proposed Project Purpose as stated in the staff memorandum of January 12th is acceptable to both Council and Commission except for the date which the final plan would be adopted. b. That the Council would be responsible for decisions and financial matters related to flood conveyance. 1 ) the design would attempt to meet conveyance of 100-year flood waters without significantly altering the historic urban uses of the area. 2) the design would be predicated on the Council 's prior decision that flood waters would be carried in the stream channel; that "split flow" would only be considered from a management perspective, not incorporated into a design. c. That the Commission would be responsible for park design and financial matters related to the design. d. That the Commission would take the lead in the planning process bringing significant design questions back to the Council if needed. e. That the Commission would move forward in a timely manner in selecting a consulting finn for the project through an RFP and would make progress reports to the Council approximately every 60 days. f. That the final plan would be approved by both Council and Commission. With no further business, Mayor Shaw adjourned the meeting. Respectfully submitted, Ann Benedict, Business Manager Ashland Parks and Recreation Commission