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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2003-1007 Council MIN ASHLAND CITY COUNCIL MEETING October 7, 2003 Civic Center Council Chambers, 1175 E. Main Street Mayor DeBoer anoounced Conncil had held an Executivc Session according to ORS 192.660(1 )(1) for evaluation of City Admiuistrator Gino Grimaldi. CALL TO ORDER Mayor DeBoer called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. ill the Civic Center Couucil Chambers. ROLL CALL Councilor Laws, Amarotico, l lartzell, Jackson, Morrison and Heam were present. APPROVAL OF MINUTES The Regular Council Meeting Minutes of September 16, Study Session of Scptcmber 22, and Public luput Session of September 30, 2003 were approved as read. SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS & AWARDS Mayor's Proclamation of October 5 - 11,2003 as "National Fire Prevention Week" and Proclamation of October 8, 2003 as "Walk our Children to School Day" were read aloud. CONSENT AGENDA 1. Minutes of Boards, Commissions and Committees. 2. Liquor License Application from John Edwards dba Los Gordos at 33 Third Street, No. 3. 3. Liquor License Application from McCall, McLaughlin, dba McCall House at 153 Oak Street. Councilor Morrison/,Iackson m/s to approve Consent Agenda. Voice Vote: all AYES. Motion Passed. PUBLIC HEARINGS Noue PUBLIC FORUM Councilor Hartzell suggested that Council allow public input duriug the 15 minntes allocated for thc Public Forum. She stated there may be citizens who were unable to attend the Public Input Session and does not want to prohibit anyoue from having tbcir chance to speak. Councilor l learn voiced his concern for the number of speakers that may come forward. 1 lartzell clarified that it would only be for the already allowed 15 minotes, and only fbr those that have not previously spoken. Amarotico supports holding to thc time already allowed fbr public input. Laws does not agree with Hartzcll's suggestion and feels that it could create a difficult situation determining who can and cannot speak. Laws clarified that it bas been Couucil's policy not to allow public testimony after a public bearing bas been closed. Councilor 1 lartzell asked to put on the record that she was not aware that procedure bad been set up to not allow any more public input ou tbc Mt. Ashland DEIS, and spoke against thc policy ofuot letting citizens speak during the Public Forum. Councilor Hartzell/Morrison m/s to allow public input during the 15 minutes allotted, including the Mt. Ashland · Expansion, but only for those who have not had the chance to address the Council. Voice Vote: Hartzell, Jackson, Morrison and Hearn, YES; Laws, Amarotico NO. Motion passed 4-2. Eric Navickas/711 Faith Street/Stated it has always been city policy to alloxv citizens five minutes to speak on any agenda item. He also noted that at the last council meeting, Rnss Dale was allowed to speak on a dosed Public Hcariug, which was previously restricted, and swayed the Council's position. He firmly stated that citizens have the right to speak on any agenda item, and feels thc limitation to 15 minutes is ridiculous. He asked if any council member would admit to the inlYaction of policy, which allowed public inpnt on a closed hearing at the last council meeting. Councilor Hartzell noted she and the other council members are always open to phone calls, and also stated that they held the special pnblic input session specifically so that people would have their time to speak and not bc limited to the 10:30 cut offti~ne. Navickas read aloud tbe 1973 statement from the DEQ which stated significant land disturbances as a resnlt of thc work completed at thc Mt. Ashland Ski Area, and also stated thc City of Ashland will receive fnrther insnlt to their water supply if watershed activities arc increased or expanded. Shannon Clery/92 Emericld Stated that onr watershed is more important than onr wants and desires of a Ski Area Expansion. She stated our watershed is an incredible resource and feels it is the Conncil's responsibility as representatives to look out for that interest. She stated that the Mt. Ashland Association is not looking out l'or onr resonrces, bnt rather in the interest of the skiers and snowboarders. She stated the Mt. Ashland Association has no accountabilityto this community, and wants the Conncil to step forward and look toward the long term and put this issue to rest. Emma Kurtz~/831 Liberty Street/Stated that she is a member of the Ashland High School ski team, aud stated that she, along with many of her teammates, do not favor of expansion of Mt. Ashland. She feels that the expansion will put mucb of the old growth fi3rest in jeopardy and does uot feel that it is worth it. Stewart NlcCollum/819 Elkader/Voiced his appreciation of thc council for all that they do. McCollum stated he was familiar with the original Mt. Ashland expansion and noted the McGraw report, which stated there was no relationship between thc siltation in Reeder Reservoir and the construction on Mt. Ashland, and also stated the soil was called the "greatest filter system that God conld perfect". Rob Sweeney/92 Emerick/Stated that he had been drawn to the community dne to its small town atmosphere and values. Sweeney stated he is concerned with thc Mt. Ashland expansion due to many issues, one of which is that the ski expansion will serve ouly a minority of the commnnity, and feels the council shonld take a position of safegnarding the watershed for all of the citizens. [le stated staying out of middle tbrk, improving on the current facility, and implementing a fire plan are just some of the ways the Council could take a more conservative approach. Marshall Kinkead/747 Butler Creek Road/Stated the community deserves a ski aud sno~vboard area that serves the people of all abilities better. He stated the Mt. Ashland Association's expansion plan is a result of years of work by ski area professionals and environmental consultants, with the main goal being to provide more easy terrain f()r an area that is sorely lacking it. He noted too many skies aud snowboarders choose to go to Mt. Shasta or Mt. Bachelor rather thau out local area because they have more beginner and intermediate runs, which and adds up to a lot of lost business. Reclaiming this business would assure even more finaucial stability as well as bring more business to local restanrants and lodging. He also noted Mt. Ashland is a huge winter employer, and a survey of SOU stndcnts showed a major l~actor in their choice to attend SOU was the Ski Area. Kinkead stated stndies have shown that the expansion will not affect the water supply, and urges the Council to support the expansion. Katie Holden/107 Alida/Voiccd her opposition to the expansion and sited the Valdez Principals, which encourage bio- diversity and making decisions based on thc good of the land. As a tax paying citizen, she is concerned logging will start before it is clear where the money will come from to complete the expansion, and is also concerned her money will go toward somethiug she does not support, l Iolden stressed that as a commuuity we need to be making decisions that are holistic. UNFINISHED BUSINESS (None) NEW AND MISCELLANEOUS BUSINESS 1. Decision and Recommendations regarding Mt. Ashland Draft Environmental Impact Statement. City Administrator Gino Grimaldi noted if the Council required additional information staffwas present, and reminded the Conncil that tile deadline for submitting comments is October 23'd. Councilor Jackson explained part of the rcason she supported not taking public comment duriag this meeting is because they held a long meeting last wcck to take input, as well as received ualnerous emails on tile issue. She stated this is the first time thc Council has had thc opportunity to discnss tbis as a group. Jackson stated it seems they have received numerous comments that are business oriented, and feels there may be alternatives other than Alternative 2 that address this issue. She expressed her concern in regards to the Middle Fork and asked that the Council talk about this issue tonight. She also stated she wants to make sure whatever they decide on that it is attainable, and not only ~vants to see the complction of the ski rnns, bnt also tile re~nodeling of the lodge and the entrance to the facilities. Jacksou asked that the Council look at the commnnity values and sustainable resonrce conservation. Councilor Morrison commented that the stall's report was primarily lbcused on water snpply, water quality, aod fire. There is so,ne mention of financial risk, bnt it tends to focus on how they would bail out if the ski area were to fail. His concern is not whether they will be able to bail themselves out, but rather to see tbat the ski area continues to run. He feels there is a high level of risk, especially in Alternatives 2 & 6 ~vhich go into the Middle Fork area. Morrisou noted that Mt. Ashland has been operating tbr some time, bnt with an investment of this sort there is significant financial risk. Morrisou stated the money that is necessary for the improvement will carry with it a debt bnrden if the fnnds are borrowed, and tbat this may be more than the ski areas' annnal operating costs. On the other hand, he does feel that they need to improve the ski area, and that some expansion is vital. He stated it may not be possible to responsibly come np with a plan that allows the long easy runs, but feels they call certainly come up with improved runs lbr safety and lbr intermediate skiers, and do it al a reduced cost. He ~vould like to see something of this affect subm itted in thc comments to the Forest Service. Morrison also noted be has received a substantial amount of cmnments from concerned citizens, and clarified that they do not necessarily have to come to a decision tonight, as that this is a decision that needs to be made with the highest level of consideration. Morrison explained his position is to find the middle ground, and stressed keeping the cost of the expansion loxv. Councilor Hearn stated this is the most difficult issue be bas faced as a council member, and bas spent a good deal of time reviewing the emails and materials, as well as meeting with clnbs and representatives. Hearn appreciates the differing view points received, and feels it is the Conncil's responsibility to represent their constituents. Unfortunately their is no clear consensus on this issue, and therefore he is not not going to vote in favor of any of the alternatives. I learn noted the lease needs to be reviewed, and that thc management operations of the ski area goes to the Mt. Ashland Board. He also stated the Council needs to be mindful of guarding the water supply and making sure there is lie fire danger, as well as making sure the tax payer liability is protected. Hearn stated his motion will be to accept Attachment I (staffrecommendations) as they stand today, direct tbe city attorncy to look at the lease, and to not cndorse any of thc 6 alternatives. Councilor Hearn/Amarotico m/s to accept the DEIS comments (Attachment 1) as they stand. Discussion: Councilor Hartzell stated she feels that the DEIS comments assembled is a start, but it is not where she is williag to stop, and expressed her disappointment that a motion was made before the discussion xvas complete. She noted the QA/QC is a good idea, however it is very vagne, and details need to be negotiated between the Forest Service, Mt. Ashland. aud the City. Hartzcll noted the financial concerns, and how they are using the equip~nent as security. She, however, is not convinced that a ski lift xvill be worth a substantial amount in the next 20-25 years. Hartzell asks that the determination be made as to what their liability is with the Forest Service at the end of the use of the special permit, and also for a bond or real money (something that docs not depend on snoxv levels or nsc or apprcciation), l lartzell questioned il'she voted in favor of this motion, if the Council wonld allow her to come back at the next meeting, after she bas bad more time to digest the inaterial, to discuss the finer details. Councilor Laws stated the major decision needs to be made tonight for practical reasons. After the decision has been made, there will still be an opportunity to make small ad. justments duriug the final writing stage. Laws stated, however, he does not feel it would be practical to re-write the entire document at the next Council meeting. He noted if this is uot decided on until tbe next meeting, there will not be enough time to assemble the comments into it's final version and have time to discuss it. Laws stated he feels they have a very wide community consensus on protecting the watershed and their financial liability under any of the alternatives. Most agree that iftbere is any constrnction on the mountain at all, we need to protect our water quality, water qnantity, fire risk, aud financial protection. Laws feels the staff has presented creative and sounds ways of achieving this. Laws explained now is the time to add any comments tbat would further strengthen what the staff has already come up with. Unt0rtuuately there is no consensus as to which alternative is best. He noted Council can have the strongest impact iftbey make comments tbat represent a large consensns of the community, and suggests in order to make the comments as strong as possible, that they limit themselves to those that they do have a consensus on. lie also noted that although he bad seconded the motion, bc and Councilor Hearn are still open to bearing suggestions that would strengthen the *vays they can protect the community. Councilor Hartzell commented that she has spent many hours going over information and comments, especially in regards to water quality, and stated it was important to keep water on the land as long as possible. Hartzell stated she bad participated in tbe Water Master Plan Study, and asked wbat informatiou exists about the the wetlands located at the bottom of the Middle Branch. What Junction is this wetland playing in the water system, and bow many other acres are storing water in the same way? Public Works Director Paula Brown clarified she is not a wetlands expert, and stated that wetlands do play a part, but a very small one if you look at the overall acreage of the watershed. What site specific intOrmation staff has, gives tbem assurance that the water volume is not going to damage to ability of the sponge. Brown stated the wetlands is only 45 acres of thc watersheds 15,000. She commented if they look at thc amount of surface watcr, which is what gets into the reservoir, the sponge will and has gone dry, and they have bad as little as less than 100 gallons of water coming into the reservoir. It has gone less than that and will continue to go less, wetlands or not. Brown stated she feels that the Council is focusing on something that is very minor when looking at the eutire watershed. Hartzcll stated it may not be appropriate to measure acreagc in tbat system, and perhaps because there is less wetland acres, it makes those acres more significant because they store more water longer. She bas yet to get an answer to bcr questions, or the iuiOrmation that would help to answer these questions, and does understand how tbey can say there will be no effect when thcy do not have the specific data that proves so. Hartzell wants to know ~vhat those acres contribute to water supply at different times of the year, and uutil she gets those answers, it does not quantify the risk. Mayor DeBoer noted that a motion had been made, and he was obligated to limit discussion to the Council, and not involve staff. He stated his goal was to move the Council to a vote on the motion. Councilor Jackson stated she was ;vanting to have thc opportunity to talk xvith staff and make suggestions to their recommendations. Jackson would like to talk specifically about the QA/QC team, and define what their term and scope would be. City Administrator Gino Grimaldi commented that questions are being asked where the staff does not have the information, and feels it might be worth discussing whether or not they can get the infurmatiou, and bow long it will take. He stated tbere might be information that staff will not be able to get back to the Council prior to the 21 st. Councilor Laws stated in matters of public issues, there is rarely completed information wbcn it is time to act, and sometimesyou havetomakedecisionsbasedon partialinfonnation. Laws believesthe Forest Service is going to make a decision regardless of whether or not thc City asks for more time. At this point he does uot feel tbe Forest Service will slow thiugs dowu. His advice is if they feel that they ~vill not be able to get more iuformation, they should act on the information they do have, as best they can. Councilor Morrison stated he is ii1 favor of~noving this ahead, but does not like the idea of doing so when there are still unanswered qnestions. He would like to take what tbey have boca givea and add to it as much as they can so that the staffcau come back ill two ~veeks, and they will be able to move ahead. Morrison noted there are some areas where nearly everyone agrees, examples: wanting a better ski area, a finaucially viable ski area, safer, environmentally sensitive, and providing iutermediate skiing. Morrison asked Financial Director Lee Tuneberg if they can provide comments to the Forest Service tbat stress choosing au alternative that has greatest potential fbr economic success at the lowest possible risk. Finance Director Lee Tuneberg stated a busincss plan could be constructed, but at this point the City has not done so. and bas left that responsibilityto Mt. Ashland. The recommeudationsthat have beeu made are tbose that protect thc city iu the contract they have, and they have stopped at that poiut, other than recommending certaiu check points to ensure that the City is covered. Mayor DeBoer asked in their current agreement, does Ski Ashland bave to come to Council before they could borrow money in lien? Tuneberg stated their is some gray area regarding the assets tbat exist in the City's name and versus what is in their name, but docs not believe they cai1 borrow money against tile assets that were originally part of Ski Ashland. It bas been stafl's recommendation to ensnre that nothing be pledged that was being considered fbr reclamation. Councilor Jackson stated she would like to see the Conncil reflect tile concern of the community that tile expansion is viable for thc long term and that tile project can be completed in a term so that they are able to see the improvement sooner than later. Jackson suggests modifying tile financial risk recommendation'B', to request that the City help define xvhat restoration is. She suggested the following statemeut: "The City wonld like to define restoratiou as including, but not limited to, stable landscape vegetative cover and structural components after removal of tile assets necessitated by closure of the ski area." Councilor Amarotico agreed with Conncilor Morrison's comments and that he shared this same sentiment, and feels the Forest Service does as well. lqe does not believe the Forest Service would choose the biggest risk and the least successful plan. Councilor Jackson stated the reclamation program does not have to be financed until tile area actually closes, and it can then be established what the costs are going to be. Lee Tuneberg commented that the recommendations to the lease include looking at the costs today and any approved expansions from the Forest Service's perspective of ~vhat the cost would be. They have also asked what those steps are, and asked that there is a reconciling process to ensure if their is a change in thc standards, they are addressed as they go along. Councilor tlartzell suggests that the City meet with the Forest Service to determine tile standards that go into the determinatiou of what constitutes a closure. Hartzell asked if the appropriateness of reviewing tile lease has bcea discussed, as well as looking at the options for making sure there is security to pay for the closure; not in equipment, but in money. Finance Director Lee Tuneberg stated the current lease agreement addresses reclamation costs, and noted they caa test the assets that are available to cover those costs, and if they do not measnre up, cash can be put aside iuto a trust fund. Councilor Hartzell wanted to know tile appropriateness of recommending that tile Forest Service hire ail independent QA/QC Team, versus the Conncil requireing tbis as part of the lease. Does tile Forest Service have lbe authority to require this of the Mt. Ashland Association? Mayor DeBoer stated this was almost txvo separate issues, one being the ElS and the other the lease agreement with Mt. Ashland Association. DeBoer also noted that Ski Ashland Ilas $300,000 set aside in liquid security in the event ora closure. Conncilor 1 lartzell stated tbcy are simply sending out a rccommendation for the QA/QC Team, and does not feel tbat this is snfficient. Hartzell stated it appears that they arc doing this in a xvay that gives them Ilo control or authority over whether this team ever comes to bear, and would like to set the authority structure, as well as the budgeted costs in the proposal to the Forest Service and MAA. City Attorney Gino Grimaldi addressed Hartzell's concern that tile QA/QC Team and BMP's is an empty assurance, stating it is not empty if the Forest Service adopts it as part of their plan. Councilor Laws commented that they can not demand that the lease bc changed at this point, lie feels that they will not have any problem implementing several of the Finauce Director's suggestions, and feels the Forest Service would be very foolish to release the City as the lease holder from the responsibility of restoring the area and allowing the City to turn it over to the MAA. Laws also feels it is not possible to get a cmnmitment f¥om the Forest Service stating exactly what it would cost, but noted that the Forest Service has indicated that an estimate will be provided and updated periodically. La~vs stated that they are asking for certaintythat they just can't have, and that life is not certain and risks will always exist. [le also expressed that authority was given to the MAA, and it is not the City's job to question what is financially viable for the MAA, or to make sure that skiing stays on Mt. Ashland. It is the City's responsibility to make sure that they do not do anything that would hm~t the City of Ashland. Councilor Jackson stated it is difficult to keep tile suggestions on modifying the lcase out of their discnssion, and expressed it is more important to get the comments finished thau refining ~vhat needs to be done to tile lease. Jackson stated she agreed with Councilor Laws statement that they need to make decisions based on the information they have, but ['eels they need to have a thorough discussion. Jackson would like to further discuss the QA/QC Team, as well as water quantity and impacts on the late succession reserve old growth forest. Jackson noted the DEIS did not look at thc forest impact ill the same way as they are looking at forest impact in tile watershed fur [hels reduction and encouraging lbrest health. Jackson stated she would like to continue to collect information and make necessary adjustments as they go along. Councilor Hartzell asked Councilor Hearn if he would be willing to change or table his motion that so that staffcould come back with some of the requested changes. Councilor Hcarn declined, and re-stated he is moving to approve Attachment 1 as is stands. Adding that under thc circumstances, it creates the appropriate saf'eguards. Councilor Jackson stated she disagrees with tile motion oil the basis it does not take into consideration any of the input heard. She also disagrees that they have not reached a consensus, stating the community wants a viable alternative, and wants to voice her support for a cautious approach in the middle branch and a viable ski area. Councilor Hartzell feels it is clear that the community is divided on this issue and the Council has begun to mirror that division. Hartzell proposed waiting another two weeks in order to get their questions answered and possibly include additional language, so that this meeting does not result in a split council. Councilor Amarotico stated he is not confident that two more weeks would produce any furthcr informatiou that would make their decisions any diff'ercnt. Councilor Jackson stated she is expecting the staff to return with additional text pertaining to thc water quality recommendations, and is not ready to close this discussion tonight. Jackson also stated she would like the opportunity to speak with staffand council about how they approach the mouitoring of what goes on. Councilor Laws noted that this is part of what Paula Brown has already recommended, and feels it is perfectly legitimate to speak on this particular aspect tonight. Councilor Hcarn agreed. Councilor Hartzell stated she would like to add language stating if real numbers indicate that there is any risk of damage or change to the water supply and water quality, that nothing happen in the middle branch. Hartzell also asked fbr percentage points with some infurmation, aud stated tile model is based on assumptions. Councilor Morrison stated they have time to come back at tile next couucil meeting and still make their deadliue. Morrison stated he would like to avoid going back and forth, and hopes in two weeks time they will be able to fi'ame up the wording and consult with staff, and come back with a document that seems to meet their needs better. He also noted that in doing so, the council will be able to achieve a greater degree of comfort aud send a better statemeut from tile community. Councilor Amarotico proposes calling for the question, and then iu two weeks if staff has additional information, they can add an addendum at that time. Councilor Amarotico called for the question. No second to the request. Councilor Laws proposes thc councilors put their questions in writing, ask the appropriate staff member if it is realistic to find an answer in two weeks, and would like to go ahead with the questions and suggestions to see if the council xvould like to add them to thc motion. Councilor Hartzell suggests taking it upon themselves to meet with staffand come back at the next council meeting with the specific language they would need to approve the motion, which would free up time tonight to complete the agenda. Councilor Hearn stated he would be willing to go along with this request, and does not want to stifle anyones input or decision ~naking ability. Councilor Laws expressed his concern with the possibility of rewriting what has beeu done, and noted the difficulty of only having two days after the next meeting before the comments are submitted to the Forest Service. Laws stated he is also concerned with one on one readings with the staff, and likes the idea of asking their questions tonight. Councilor Jackson expressed she agreed with Councilor Laws in that she docs not want somcthing brand new coming to the next council meeting. She stated she would like the opportunitytonight to have Paula Brown answer some of her questions regarding the water quality and quantity proposals she has made, as well as ~nake suggestions ou how thc development can move forward. Mayor DeBoer stressed that he would like clear direction from the Couucil regarding public input, and ho~v they should proceed with the next council meeting. Councilor Jackson proposed a phasing process of gathering more site specific information, taking a closer look at the impacts on the forest in the middle branch, and developing the information as they move along in order to tailor their actions. Councilor Laws stated he does not believe this is a practical approach, asking how Would the MAA know how much money to raise without knowing what they intend to build. Councilor Hearn motions to withdraw his motion so that this issue can be discussed further. Councilor Amarotico declined as second to the motion. Councilor Hartzell/Jackson m/s to table the current motion. Roll Call Vote: Laws, Amarotico and Hearn, NO; Hartzell, Jackson and Morrison, YES; Mayor, NO. Motion failed 3-4. Voice Vote on original motion to accept staff recommendation Attachment 1: Laws, Amarotico and Hearn, YES; Hartzell, Jackson and Morrison, NO; Mayor, YES. Motion passed 4-3. 2. Request for Authorization to Participate in Downtown Planning Charrette - Copeland Lumber Block. Community Development Director John McLaughlin explained Russ Dale and Evan Archerd are proposing to sponsor a public charrette process to look at the Copeland Lumber block, and noted the City has ownership of thc parking lot. Staff is askiug for authorization to participate, both as a property owners and as a governing body to oversee the regnlations. McLaughlin stated the 1 lonsing Commissiou has recommended that the city participate in this process. Councilor Hartzell expressed her couccrn that this charrette may propose something to the couucil that would go against the Big Box Ordinance, and asked if participation in this charrctte could jeopardize the Couucil's legal ability to make a ruling on an eventual appeal. McLaughliu stated in his opinion, No. 1 le clarified the study area would involve several property owners, and therefore would not result in a conflict. Councilor Hartzell asked how much stafftime would be involved in the process. McLaughlin clarified I or 2 staff members would be iuvolvcd, and because this is not City lead, there would not be as much staff commitment. Councilor Hartzell stated she would like to have a discussion at the Council level, before the charrette, in order to discuss potential criteria, idcas, and policics so the City would have some idea of what they would like done with this property. Hartzell/Amarotico m/s to extend meeting until 10:30 p.m. Voice Vote: all AYES. Motion passed. Councilor Jackson stated she is supportive of the staffs participation in the charrette, and noted that the result of this would not tie the city to a decision il/ any particular project. Councilor Hartzell asked if the outcome of this process would exceed the standards that were receatly adopted in the Big Box Ordinance. McLaughlin stated the intent of the charrctte is to determine the best way to develop dowutown, and would show what can and cannot be done cinder the ordinance. However, it may briog out amendmeuts to the ordinance that had not been previously considered. Evan Archerd/120 N 2ha/Explained that he is one of the developers that is involved in the charrette. He stated that this will be a three step process. The first step would be to gather facts aud public input, those ideas would theu be iucorporated into a 3-4 day event iu December where the ideas xvill be put into modules, and after approximately a month, there will then be another chauce for thc pnblic to comment on what has been done. Archerd stated they do not have auy preconceived uotions to attempt to change what was set forth ill the Big Box Ordinance, and the idea of tile charrettc came up completely independent of the Big Box. Councilor Morrison asked who has beeu invited to participate in this charrette. Archerd stated the public has been iuvited, George Kramer has been invited as a consultant, GBD Architects will be doing tile sketching of the designs and building models, as well as local architects and landscape architects. Councilor Hartzell asked what the impact would be if the City decided not to participate. Archerd stated he felt that would be uufortunate, and that it would be short-sighted for the City to claim they did uot want to look at this. Eric Navickas/711 Faith/Stated that Russell Dale's intent is to combine thrcc tax lots and build ouc very large buildiug, and utilize the City's parking lot for their own profit. Navickas stated he is a snpporter of affordable housing, bnt feels that this cau be done withiu the 45,000 limit and stated the downtown area needs to be sub-divided as much as possible to maintain scale and character. He also stated that thc Big Box Ordinance was passed for this exact purpose of stopping a single developer from developing an entire city block. Navickas encourages the Council to reject this proposal to participate. He supports the development ot'the Pioneer Street lot, but does want thc tax lots combined, aud would like it developed separately for the use of allbrdable housing. Councilor Jackson / Morrison m/s to approve request for authorization to participate in Downtown Planning Charrette. Voice Vote: Laws, Amarotico, Jackson, Morrison and Hearn, YES; Hartzell, NO. Motion passed 5-1. 3. Police Chief Recruitment. City Administrator Gino Grimaldi explained staff has scheduled to bring tile police chief candidates iuto towu November 6th and 7th for the intervie~ving process. There will be three panels aud Staff' is scckiug two councilors to participate in the process. JoanieMcGowan/951 Clay Street/StatedMikc Bianca wouldmake a fabulouspolice chieL and wantedto voiceher suppo~. Mayor appointed Councilors Amarotico and Hartzell to participate in the Police Chief Recruitment. 4. Seventh Annual Report on implementation of the Valdez Principles. Electric & Telecommnnications Director Dick Wanderschied explained that at the reqnest of Councilor tlartzell they have added a description of thc new initiatives, and stated he would bc happy to ans~ver any of the Council's questious. Ryan Navickas/711 Faith Street/Stated thc Council's attempt to ramrod the decision iBr Ski Ashland development underminded the hnndreds of people who tried to make input to this process. Navickas stated the Valdez ?rinciples arc broad concepts that arc designed to send the City in the right direction, and thinks it is np to the city to mm this into a reality. Navicaks noted the need to safeguard the water supply and the old growth forests, and reminded the Council of the City's role as a cooperative management partner with the US Forest Service regarding decisions affecting the watershed. Navickas also stated it is up to the City to take a hands on approach to usiug this powerfid document to protect the watershed from logging and development interests, and feels City has failed by not giving this document the power it deserves. Councilor Hartzell thanked Wandersheid for including what xvas new. and reqnested that the next report indicate what was "dead". Councilor Jackson noted the first two principles include looking out for making a smaller footprint, and stated they have just acted in the watershed and did not consider the impacts on the wildlife habitat and the health of the watershed. Jackson stated she would like to see new and broad ideas come forth on how the City can become even more sustaiaablc than they currently are. 5. Update on Electric Rates. Electric & TelecommunicationsDirector Dick Wanderschicd explained thc rate increase will be 2%, xvhich will amount to $28,000. He also relayed the rates will not be discussed again nntil the next year's budget proccss. ORDINANCES, RESOLUTIONS AND CONTRACTS OTHER BUSINESS FROM COUNCIL MEMBERS Mayor DeBoer reminded the Conncil there is a Study Session tomorrow at noou. Councilor Morrison stated he appreciated the deliberations this evening, and explaiued the outbursts by Eric Navickas does not help the cause, dud it is unlbrtunate ~vhen such behavior begins to transcend the issues instead of allowing the conncil to deliberate and work together. Morrison stated that he hoped this behavior is not emnlated by others in the future. ADJOURNMENT Meeti?vas adjourned at 1~:25 p.m. Barbara Christeuscn, City Recorder Alan DeBoer, Mayor