TOWN OF
FEBRUARY 16, 2010
COUNCIL MEETING
CALL TO ORDER Mayor George Wehrfritz
The regular council meeting for
the Town of
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE -
ROLL CALL Clerk/Treasurer Tina Schubert
Present: Council Members Bob Rendler, Walter Wright, David Goodroe, Ruth Doumit, Steve McNicholas and Mayor George Wehrfritz.
Absent: 0
Also present were Town Attorney Thomas Doumit, Clerk/Treasurer Tina Schubert, Wahkiakum Eagle reporter Rick Nelson, Gray & Osborne, Inc. engineer Ken Alexander, Planning Commission representatives Jim Reed, Chris Doumit and Fred Johnson and members of the public.
ADDITIONS, CORRECTIONS, DELETIONS TO THE AGENDA -
none
VOUCHER REVIEW COMMITTEE -
1. Voucher Review Committee Report Steve McNicholas and Bob Rendler reported no errors and accepted the vouchers.
2. The Voucher Review Committee for the March 15, 2010 meeting consists of David Goodroe and Wally Wright. Ruth Doumit will be the alternate.
CONSENT AGENDA -
Motion to approve the Consent Agenda was made by Bob Rendler, and seconded
by David Goodroe. The consent agenda
consists of the Minutes of January 19, 2010 Regular Meeting, Special Meeting
Minutes of January 29, 2010, Payroll for January in the amount of $15,064.91 and Vouchers for February in the amount of
$207,021.80 and EMS stipends for January in the amount of $2,214.44 . With no changes to the consent agenda the
motion carried 5 Yes, 0 No, 0 Abstentions.
MAYOR'S REPORT -
Mayor Wehrfritz announced that
the Library had been re-opened that afternoon and apologized for any
inconvenience for the emergency closure.
The Mayor reported that upon the advice of Kramer Gehlen engineer Rick Jones,
he had closed the library for about three weeks after a significant crack in
the corner of the Town Hall building was noticed and the door to the office was
sticking, and was advised to close the Library until the repairs were
completed. The Mayor commended Public
Works Superintendent David Vik and the Public Works crew for the project
management and thanked them for their good job.
Mayor Wehrfritz told the Council that he had met with Congressman Brian
Baird on Feb. 5th to discuss possible funding for the WWTP and the Library/Town
Hall restoration. The Congressman
indicated that he would do what he can to help the town, but that we should not
plan our next budget to include the funding.
Mayor Wehrfritz said that he also spoke with Congressman Baird regarding
the Bradwood Landing LNG plant and asked him if he could help him obtain a copy
of the emergency response plan which he had requested in mid-January but had
not yet received. The Mayor said that he
told the Congressman that he wished to create an impact statement and needs
assessment for the Town and asked Congressman Baird to help facilitate that
process. Mayor Wehrfritz said that at
the request of the Council, he had contacted PUD Manager David Tramblie
regarding a possible collaboration on a wind farm development. The Mayor said that Mr. Tramblie had
responded that commercial options in this region are few and very risky. The Mayor
noted that his written response is in the packet. Mayor Wehrfritz said that he had hoped to
announce a list of advisors to work with him informally on how to fill
vacancies in the storefronts on
CITIZENS PARTICIPATION
In response to a letter to the
editor written by Mayor George Wehrfritz that appeared in the Wahkiakum Eagle
on 2/4/10, Wahkiakum Chamber of Commerce employee Lynda Gerlach read a letter
written by Chamber President Jennifer Hanigan representing the Board of the
Wahkiakum Chamber of Commerce regarding the Bradwood Landing LNG terminal. The letter stated that the Chamber Board has
maintained a position of neutrality on the LNG issue but that they do support
the fair consideration of the economic benefits to the county that the terminal
could bring. Mrs. Hanigan, whose family owns the local title company, noted
that we cannot make the assumption that the location of the terminal will
result in reduced land values, impact tourism and prevent people from moving to
this area. Mrs. Hanigan's letter went on to state that the Chamber does not
feel that the LCEDC is an "agenda driven organization" that sneaks
through development plans without public disclosure and spirited debate and
that they would continue to examine all aspects of the LNG issue without
"resorting to character attacks and name calling". Former LCEDC Director Richard Erickson
commented that he did not want to debate through letters to the Editor, but
that he felt he needed to defend his character and his job when he was the LCEDC
Director after letters were printed that stated that he had failed to disclose
the critical role that he played in the Bradwood Landing project. Mr. Erickson said that his Board of Directors
had directed him to support the Bradwood Landing and encouraged him to go to
the meetings and do all that he could do to ensure that the county would
receive as much economic development potential that he could get. Mr. Erickson
also objected to references in the Mayor's letter to the editor in which he
suggested that he worked behind the scenes to bring the LNG plant in. Mr. Erickson said that every economic
development director is responsible for trying to bring as much economic
development into their community as possible and that some dealings must be
done behind closed doors because developers don't want to discuss their
projects in a public forum. Mayor
Wehrfritz responded by saying that the Town has a contract with the LCEDC for
them to advise them on possible economic development opportunities, but that
the letter Mr. Erickson wrote in 2007 to Clatsop County Planning Commission
contains more information about the plan that he had for the TOC as it relates
to LNG that had ever been in public record of the Town Council. Mr. Wehrfritz said that it troubles him that
this had not been included in the public record giving the public and council
opportunity for discussion, which is what he was relating to in his references
to secretive behavior. Mr. Erickson
responded that he was publicly involved in promoting the Bradwood Landing
project for several years. The Mayor said that he feels that the Council should
be informed when there is interest in companies coming to Cathlamet. Mr. Erickson brought up the fact that there
have been development plans for the waterfront for quite some time and that he
had been trying to get Bradwood Landing to support a business incubator as
well. The Mayor responded that Mr.
Erickson's stand on Bradwood Landing is well known but that the one square mile
of the Town of
CURRENT PROJECTS REPORT Ken Alexander
Mr. Alexander discussed his report
in which he outlined the potential use of STAG funds for the Waste Water
Treatment Plant relocation project. Mr.
Alexander also reported that the design is completed for the Water Treatment
Plant Pump replacement, and that the current water main replacement project on
UNFINISHED BUSINESS -
Chris Holmes told the Council
that the
Clerk/Treasurer Tina Schubert said that she had received confirmation that all documentation had been received regarding the Energy grant application for the Town Hall building and that they are now waiting for the funds. Ms. Schubert told the Council that the Fire Dept. will now be "piggybacking" with the Town so that they may be able to apply for contracts through the Town. Ms. Schubert said that she will keep the Council informed on the progress. The librarian said that she does not understand what it is because she was not present when the topic was originally discussed. Council Member David Goodroe explained it to her.
Motion to approve Change Order #4 was made by David Goodroe and
seconded by Bob Rendler. Motion carried
5 Yes, 0 No, 0 Abstentions.
Mayor Wehrfritz announced that the Architects Without Borders workshop on February 15th was attended by approximately sixty-five participants who gave their input on ways to better utilize the Town Hall building. Council Member McNicholas said that he thought it had been very well orchestrated. Council Member Bob Rendler agreed and said that he was impressed by the architect who accompanied him and the Clerk/Treasurer and Municipal Services Clerk to the Town Hall office. Mr. Rendler announced that the Dept. of Commerce is asking for grant applications for a broadband access to rural areas of the state and suggested that the Town consider applying for it to be used for a possible computer center. Mr. Rendler said that the Library had already applied for "round one" of the grant and that the current grant was "round two". The Librarian said that they had not heard back on the initial application yet.
Council Member David Goodroe asked for an update on the Town Hall seismic project. Mayor Wehrfritz said that the project is on time and should be completed by the end of March. Mr. Goodroe asked if that would include pouring the slab. The Clerk/Treasurer said that the slab was removed from the project at this time. Mr. Goodroe said that this was supposed to be done according to the contract. Mayor Wehrfritz said that it would reduce the cost of the project and that the contractor had stated that he had no problem with not pouring it. Council Member Ruth Doumit looked at the contract and noted that the original bid was based on no slab but had addendums for slabs if the Town wanted them. Mr. Goodroe said that he had added a four inch slab to the contract because the Council had voted on a slab and that they typically should be solicited before changes are made. Mayor Wehrfritz said that he had spoken to Public Works Superintendent David Vik who told him that it didn't have to be done and that if needed the Town could call someone locally to pour it. Clerk/Treasurer Schubert said that she would pull the contract and email copies of it and the Minutes of the meeting in which the slab was approved to the Council. Council Member Wally Wright said that it is his belief that if we're going to take advantage of the Architects Without Borders and give them an opportunity to plan that this is something that we've got alot of local contractors on the public works roster that could qualify to do this and that the difference between having a concrete floor and an empty area with toilets might be more expensive to try and correct the damage than to wait and put them where they are designed to go. The Mayor said that the engineer said that not having the slab floor poured would be o.k. Ms. Schubert said that the testing for the cement exceeds the specifications required with just the shear walls not including the slab.
The meeting recessed at 8:31 p.m. The meeting reconvened at 8:36 p.m.
Mayor Wehrfritz said that Council Member Bob Rendler wanted to make a motion. Motion for the Town of Cathlamet to engage with the Wahkiakum Community Network in cooperating with the Town in preparing and submitting a public computer center project grant under the broadband technology opportunities program sponsored by the Dept. of Commerce was made by Bob Rendler and seconded by Steve McNicholas. Council Member Goodroe asked what the scope of the project was and said that the application deadline was before the next Council meeting and expressed concern that there may not be enough time to complete the application in time. Council Member Rendler said that first we need to determine the amount to apply for to completely replace the computers, hardware and networking in the Town Hall building and also to provide for computers and computer support for a possible youth and senior computer center in the Town Hall. Motion carried 4 Yes, 1 No, 0 Abstentions. Council Member Goodroe cast the "No" vote.
NEW BUSINESS -
Elochoman Marina Manager Jackie Lea asked the Council for permission for salmon fishermen to park in Town parking areas near the Public Works building and the new Fire Station during the upcoming salmon season. Ms. Lea asked for permission to stripe the area and/or block it off for exclusive parking during the two week salmon season. Ms. Lea also asked if the Town would issue warning tickets rather than parking tickets for the trucks and trailers. Ms. Lea said that last year, many of the out-of-town fishermen received parking tickets. Sheriff Dan Bardsley explained that the tickets were issued to persons who had parked in driveways, safety zones and more than one parking space at a time, and that they could ignore some violations but that when homeowners called they had to respond. The Sheriff said that the way that some parked was just disrespectful. Mayor Wehrfritz asked the Town Attorney Thomas Doumit for his opinion on potential liability issues if we allowed people to park in Town parking areas. Mr. Doumit said that he did not think it would be a problem but would check into it. Council Member Wally Wright said that he would want to be sure that no one parked in such a way as to block the path of emergency vehicles. Motion to approve allowing sports fishermen to park in town owned parking areas was made by David Goodroe and seconded by Ruth Doumit. Motion carried 5 Yes, 0 No, 0 Abstentions.
Sheriff Bardsley gave copies of complaints that the Sheriff Department had responded to within the Town limits since the year 2008, to members of the Council. Mr. Bardsley said that his office is open and that he will make himself available to anyone who has questions about the reports. In response to a question about how the department would respond to animal control within the town, Mr. Bardsley responded that the Sheriff Dept. is only contracted with the town to provide services for dangerous dogs. The Sheriff described the definition of a dangerous dog as opposed to a "potentially dangerous" dog. Addressing the question of how a potential LNG plant security agreement could impact the Town, the sheriff said that they go back into negotiations the next day and had no idea how an agreement could impact the town at this point. Sheriff Bardsley said that he has chosen to remain neutral on the LNG issue so that he is able to have conversations with both sides and that he has no control over whether the LNG plant goes in or not.
Mayor Wehrfritz asked Sheriff Bardsley if he thought that the S.D. would be able to get back on track and begin attending the Council meetings on a quarterly basis as is specified in the contract with the Town. The Sheriff agreed to do this but asked if the Mayor could send him a letter to remind him two weeks in advance of the meetings.
Item #11c was put over to the March meeting.
Motion to allow Mayor Wehrfritz to re-engage the
Council Member Wright said that he has heard from constituents who believed that a letter from the Mayor that had been published in the Wahkiakum Eagle had been perceived as town policy. The Mayor asked Mr. Wright to point out the portion of his letter, which he had given to each Council Member, where it was that he felt that the Mayor was making policy? Mr. Wright was unable to identify the portion of the letter. Council Member David Goodroe said that he had also heard from constituents that they felt the Mayor's letter was making policy. Mr. Goodroe said that he felt that it was improper for the Mayor to use his title in a letter to the Editor in which he expressed his personal opinion on the LNG issue. Mr. Goodroe said that the Town Council had elected to stay neutral on the LNG issue and felt that the Mayor's letter implied that the Town was against the LNG project. Mayor Wehrfritz said that he had openly proclaimed his opposition to the LNG plant prior to his election. Citizen Jim Reed noted that the former mayor had written letters to the editor that had not been taken as policy. Council Member McNicholas asked the Council if this was the time to take a position on the LNG plant. Wahkiakum County Commissioner Dan Cothren said that he felt that the Mayor's letter was speaking for the Town. Mr. Cothren noted that the County gives money to the Town and that the LNG project could mean money to the County. Mr. Cothren said that if the Town wants money from the County in the future, do not come to him. Mr. Cothren said that he doesn't know what the other two Commissioners will do, but don't come to him for money. Council Member David Goodroe said that he thought it was "bad manners" for the Mayor to put a letter to the editor in the local paper expressing his opinion on the LNG issue and that he felt it was making policy. Council Member Wally Wright said that he feels that "neutral" is not a bad policy, and does not object to the Mayor stating his personal opinions, but does object to him "going on a biased thing" when the Council has gone out its way to remain neutral.
ORDINANCES -
none
Motion to approve Resolution No. 278-10 was made by David Goodroe and
seconded by Wally Wright. Motion carried
5 Yes, 0 No, 0 Abstentions.
SIGNING OF ORDINANCES AND RESOLUTIONS
GENERAL DISCUSSION & ANNOUNCEMENTS
EXECUTIVE SESSION (IF CALLED)
There was an Executive Session
regarding a real estate issue that started at 10:40 p.m. The Executive Session adjourned at
10:50. Motion to authorize Mayor George Wehrfritz to engage with the Pioneer
Community Association in a discussion involving real estate issues was made by
David Goodroe and seconded by Bob Rendler.
Motion carried 5 Yes, 0 No, 0 Abstentions.
ADJOURNMENT 10:53 p.m.
__________________________________ ______________________________
George Wehrfritz, Mayor Tina Schubert, Clerk/Treasurer