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HomeMy Public PortalAbout09 Sptember 21, 2011 Special MeetingTOWN OF YARROW POINT COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES September 21, 2011, Special Meeting 7:00 PM The following is a summary of the proceedings and is not a verbatim transcript. The meeting is recorded, and the audio files are public record. CALL TO ORDER: Mayor David Cooper called the special meeting to order at 7:08 p.m. PRESENT: Mayor: David Cooper Councilmembers: Carl Scandella Tim Dillon Bruce Jones Roger Myklebust Lisa Mushel Staff: Wayne Stewart — Town Attorney Sara McMillon — Clerk -Treasurer Guests: Yarrow Point Residents: John Molnar Nancy Valaas Mary Elmore Christian Kole Chuck Hirsch Tana Greenberg Kathy Smith REGULAR BUSINESS: AB 11-044 — Discussion of WSDOT Response to Resolution Concerning 92"`t Avenue Interchange Design Mayor David Cooper explained what materials were included in the Council packets and distributed at the meeting. He opened the floor to Council discussion. September 21, 2011 MOTION: Councilmember Roger Myklebust motioned to open the discussion about proposed Resolution No. 301. Councilmember Carl Scandella seconded the motion. Vote: 5 For, 0 Against, 0 Abstain. Motion carried. Councilmember Tim Dillon said he called the special meeting to discuss the Washington State Department of Transportation's (WSDOT) written response to Council Resolution No. 300. The letter from David Dye, WSDOT's deputy secretary of transportation, is detailed but doesn't address safety concerns, he said. No data concerning pedestrians and bikes or traffic is included. Mr. Dillon said in his opinion the letter doesn't address any of the Council's concerns. He said he would like work on the new interchange to cease immediately until the Yarrow Point Council receives the answers it requested. The design -build process is a failure because nobody understood the dimensions of the roundabout until this spring. Councilmember Dillon suggested that the Council send both Resolutions 300 and 301 to WSDOT with a letter explaining that the Council's concerns have not been adequately addressed. WSDOT responded with data from commercial roundabouts, not from residential roundabouts. Councilmember Scandella asked what a commercial roundabout is and why one will be built in a residential area. Mr. Dillon said the roundabout was not fully vetted. The Town has not received the information it requested. Councilmember Jones asked if the Town could just send Resolution 300 back to WSDOT. This first resolution addresses safety concerns, Mr. Dillon said, and the new resolution would oppose the roundabout from a character and context viewpoint. Yarrow Point needs to take a strong stand against WSDOT's design -build process. Modifying the design at this point shouldn't cost the $5 million Eastside Corridor Contructors (ECC) said it would. Mr. Jones said in all fairness, the Town is asking WSDOT to be very definitive in its responses. He asked what sources of information were used to support sections 4 and 5 in proposed Resolution 301. Mr. Dillon cited a Florida Department of Transportation study and the Federal Highway Administration Web site. Mr. Jones suggested that the sections containing unconfirmed data be struck. Additionally, he suggested that section 6 should read "500 concerned parties have signed an unofficial petition" rather than "500 residents of the Town of Yarrow Point." The Council does not know with certainty that the people who signed the petition were all Yarrow Point citizens. The Council doesn't support the proposed roundabout, and that policy statement was made in Resolution No. 300. The first resolution is based on safety concerns and the new resolution concerns the character of the Town, Mr. Dillon said. The roundabout is not needed because it is too big, Councilmember Dillon continued. Councilmember Jones said it does not appear that the proposed resolution goes far enough to make a clear statement about the character of the Town. Mr. Scandella agreed that the Council needs to sharpen its focus and make it very clear why Mr. Dye's response was not satisfactory. He asked for the Town Attorney's advice. Town Attorney Wayne Stewart responded that this is a policy issue only. Resolutions do not have the force of law. The Town cannot go back and change Resolution 300, Councilmember Myklebust said. Councilmember Myklebust said after the last Council meeting, Mr. Dillon worked hard to get voters to express their opinion about what they wanted. In this proposed resolution, the Council should support the voters' position. The factual material is not relevant. Councilmember Dillon September 21, 2011 2 asked Mayor Cooper if he supports the opinion of a majority of Yarrow Point's residents. He responded that he is looking for the truth, and he is here to listen and learn. The Mayor needs to be in line with the opposition so that the position is unified and strengthened, Mr. Dillon said. Mayor Cooper said he is supporting this democratic process. Mr. Dillon said the current proposed resolution states additional objection to the roundabout. Construction should cease until the Council's concerns about pedestrians and bicyclists are satisfied. He stated that children on bicycles and skateboards will not be safe in a commercially sized roundabout. He said WSDOT has not provided him with anything that gives him confidence that a roundabout is the right thing to do. Mayor Cooper opened the floor to public comment. Tana Greenberg, a Yarrow Point resident, said the Town will be severely impacted by the roundabout. With all the motorists coming off the highway at the 92"d Avenue exit, the egress for Yarrow Point residents will be congested and they will have to wait. She said if the current intersection isn't broke, it shouldn't be fixed. Councilmember Jones said he agrees with proposed Resolution No. 301 in concept. He said he agrees with the points Mr. Dillon raised about the roundabout not matching the character of the town and other aspects. A couple of sections in the resolution could be supported more completely, but other than that, Mr. Jones said he is generally in favor. Mr. Dillon said he is agreeable to removing any section that doesn't relate to town character. At the end of the day if nobody wants the roundabout, it shouldn't be constructed. Parties on either side can present data supporting their positions. Mr. Dillon said the town needs to contact Governor Christine Gregoire and tell her that the State needs to stop digging. Councilmember Myklebust said the State will not stop digging. So much money is invested in the project and the cost of stopping work on a daily basis would be great. A bond of millions of dollars would need to be posted. Mr. Dillon expressed his determination to have the roundabout removed from plans. Yarrow Point resident Nancy Valaas addressed the Council. She said she has lived in Yarrow Point for 37 years. She was co-author of a Yarrow Point history book called A Point in Tinie, and her husband Andy Valaas served on the Town Council for 16 years. Mrs. Valaas said she has enjoyed the community's charm. In the past, neighbors have helped her when she was sick. People get together for community events like the Fourth of July celebration. Yarrow Point is considered a safe place for children. Neighbors know each other and engage in civil discourse. Mrs. Valaas said she is attending the meeting to express her support for the roundabout. Stop signs may be in order. She said she respects the planning process that has occurred since 2006 and over 70 meetings that were held concerning the intersection design. It is not the State's responsibility to make sure Yarrow Point citizens attend meetings, she said. Mrs. Valaas said she does not think the State has been trying to put something over on Yarrow Point. She said she has traveled in Europe where roundabouts are common. Roundabouts force motorists to slow down and pay attention. People may long for the time when a simple country road was adequate, but the reality is that the population on the eastside is growing and traffic along the SR520 corridor has increased. A single road on and off isn't going to work anymore. Mrs. Valaas said it is unreasonable for the Town to request a redesign at this point. It would be better to spend taxpayer money on schools, mental health care and other beneficial public September 21, 2011 3 services. Right now people in the region are hurting and Yarrow Point is arguing about an intersection, Mrs. Valaas said. Councilmember Dillon said WSDOT told him that stop signs will not be necessary if a roundabout is built. Yarrow Point resident John Molnar spoke. He said the roundabout will be a safety hazard. A high volume of traffic goes through the intersection including cars, trucks and moving vans. Mr. Molnar said he agrees with Mr. Dillon that the Mayor should back the opinion expressed by a majority of people. Mayor Cooper said he is listening and learning. He said he would back citizenry. Councilmember Dillon further reinforced Mr. Molnar's opinion that the Mayor should represent the Council's policy position. Nobody understood how large the roundabout would be, Mr. Dillon said. Councilmember Mushel related information provided by Park Board member Carolyn Whittlesey. Mrs. Whittlesey has worked with WSDOT on the lid's landscaping plan. At no time during the meetings did Mrs. Whittlesey realize that the roundabout would be four times larger and would not be landscaped due to line of sight considerations. Mrs. Mushel said conceptually the lid looks good, but if it is not the size of a Hunts Point circle, it doesn't seem like it will work. The Town did not receive the final details until recently. Councilmember Myklebust said he is skeptical that it will cost millions to redesign the lid by taking out the roundabout. WSDOT has said that all the plans have been completed and released for construction. The agency's main point is that the change will cost money, but in relation to the rest of the project the amount seems negligible, Mr. Myklebust said. He said he agrees that the Town should adopt the resolution that supports the vote of the town's citizens. The Town should submit public records requests for the data that the Council requested but has not yet received. WSDOT has provided money to the Town for professional staff review. This money should be used for the Council's efforts to remove the roundabout, Mr. Myklebust said. The Town should request a copy of the original contract awarded so the Town can see what the design costs were. Then an alternate estimate could be prepared. Councilmember Jones said he is favor of Resolution No. 301 as long as sections 4, 5 and 7 are deleted. The facts presented in these sections have not been fully validated. MOTION: Councilmember Bruce Jones motioned to accept Resolution 301 with the deletion of sections 4, 5 and 7 and with an amendment to state approximately 500 citizens have signed an unofficial petition in opposition to the roundabout. Councilmember Roger Myklebust seconded the motion. Yarrow Point resident Mary Elmore spoke. She said she has lived in the town for 38 years. She said she hopes this will not turn into a witch hunt. It is important to respect all of the town's elected officials. The Mayor is an administrator and his job is to administrate. She said the character of a town is not made from a roundabout. It's made from the people and their connectedness to each other. Mrs. Elmore said plans for the roundabout have been in the process for six years and everyone has had a chance to provide an opinion. She said she would like the Town to work with the State on developing the roundabout in a safe way. The Town should cooperate with the process, not attempt to shut it down. Mrs. Elmore said she recently attended a party where a Medina resident said she had signed the petition. She questioned the validity of the claim that approximately 500 Yarrow Point residents have signed the petition. September 21, 2011 4 Chuck Hirsch, a Yarrow Point resident, said people in the community who are younger and have children have a different perspective about the danger the roundabout creates. People living in other communities signed the petition, Mr. Hirsch said. The roundabout affects them as well. Mr. Hirsch estimated that about 420 of the signatures are from Yarrow Point residents. Volunteers went from door to door in Yarrow Point to obtain signatures, but some people passing through the area at the Town entrance also signed. The State has designed something industrial that is not appropriate for a residential community, Mr. Hirsch said. He asked how the Town can stop construction at Yarrow Point from proceeding. The community does not want the roundabout and needs to speak with one voice. Mayor Cooper should support the rest of the community, he said. Yarrow Point resident Gordon Raine addressed the Council. He said he moved to Yarrow Point about 14 years ago. His children are grown, but he is also concerned about the roundabout. He and his wife do a lot of walking, and he will be afraid to walk through this intersection. The only way to stop the State from building the roundabout may be to stand in front of the bulldozers, Mr. Raine said. He advocated for civil disobedience. Kathy Smith of Yarrow Point said she did not sign the petition because she did not have enough information to understand what she would be signing. The person who approached her was not able to answer her questions. Mrs. Smith said she is unsure how many people really knew what they were signing. She said she has seen these drawings for at least a couple of years. She attended a Park Board meeting where the committee was talking about landscaping for the lid two years ago. The Council is questioning many things and the objections seem valid, but she hasn't received substantiated facts. As the intersection is today, there are no pedestrian crossings on the east side where motorists are exiting the highway. With the new design, bikes or pedestrians would be crossing where they currently do. Mrs. Smith asked if the new interchange design is really that much more unsafe? Councilmember Dillon said the Council does not know if the roundabout will be safe, because the Town hasn't received the data. Mrs. Smith said if Mr. Dillon can succinctly describe how the roundabout would be unsafe, it would be convincing. The roundabout needs to be commercially sized because commercial vehicles will be exiting at Yarrow Point. The roundabout does not suit the character of the town, Mr. Dillon said. However, it will still need to be big enough to handle the volume of traffic coming off the highway, Mrs. Smith said. She requested a detailed side by side comparison. There has to be substantiation from both sides for people who are interested in being informed prior to signing a petition. Councilmember Jones said Mrs. Smith has brought up an important consideration. He said he has been assuming the sidewalk on the west side is still going to remain the pathway. Councilmember Roger Myklebust called the question. Vote: 5 For, 0 Against, 0 Abstain. Motion carried. Councilmember Myklebust requested that the Town submit a public records request to WSDOT. Mr. Dillon agreed this should take place. September 21, 2011 5 ADJOURNMENT: MOTION. Councilmember Roger Myklebust motioned to adjourn at 8:05 p.m. Councilmember Bruce Jones seconded the motion. Vote: 3 For, 0 Against, 0 Abstain. Motion carried. APPROVED: Ma avi Co er ATTEST: Sa McMillon, Town Clerk September 21, 2011 6