BINGEN CITY COUNCIL MINUTES
December 6, 2005
The meeting was called to order by Mayor Prigel at 7:00 p.m. Council members present: Terry Trantow, Betty Barnes, Randy Anderson, Tim Hearn and Laura Mann. Clerk Jan Brending and City Attorney Tad Connors were present. Audience: Jesse Burkhardt, Dean Nygaard, Barbara Hylton, Treasha and Tom Reser, Jay Phillips.
Oath of Office – Tim Hearn
Mayor Brian Prigel administered the oath of office for Tim Hearn. Tim Hearn was elected in November to fill an unexpired term previously held by Barbara Hylton.
Public Comment
Barbara Hylton – Bingen
Barbara Hylton asked if the sidewalks had been sprayed to control weeds.
Brian Prigel said that he will discuss the issue with the public works department. He said that it is probably something that will need to be done in the spring when the weather is dryer and warmer.
Betty Barnes
Betty Barnes asked if the fire hydrant on Walnut has been replaced.
Brian Prigel said the public works department has the necessary materials for the replacement. He said he had directed Brandon Walter to get the fire hydrant installed.
Approval of Minutes – November 15, 2005
Corrections to the draft minutes of the November 15 council meeting minutes were noted as follows:
Page 2, last paragraph, last sentence should read: “Reser said he will have to have two exits on the back side of the building due to its size.”
Page 3, 4th paragraph, change word “also” to “as long”.
Page 3, last paragraph, first sentence, change word “stuff” to “things”.
Public Hearing – Proposed 2006 Budget
Jan Brending presented the proposed 2006 budget. She noted that the amounts
for benefits have increased slightly due to news from AWC that the legislature
will be considering additional increases in retirement benefits that will become
effective July 1.
Betty Barnes asked why Bingen’s portion of the 2006 police departments budget is lower than 2005.
Jan Brending said that the two cities share of the police budget is based on assessed valuations in the two cities. She noted that with the reassessment that recently took place Bingen’s proportional share of the budget has decreased.
Betty Barnes asked if Bingen’s payment for pool funding for 2005 will take place prior to the end of the year.
Jan Brending said the payment was made in November.
Betty Barnes said she thought the Klickitat County EDA grant for park improvements was $20,000 instead of $25,000.
Jan Brending said the 2005 grant for the park improvements was $25,000 and the 2004 grant for Depot Street was $20,000.
Betty Barnes moved to approve the proposed 2006 budget, adopting ordinance 05-11-519. Terry Trantow seconded the motion and it was unanimously passed.
Sign Application – Second Hand Rose (WA Gorge Action
Programs)
Jan Brending said Washington Gorge Action Programs is opening up a small
clothing store located at 223 W. Steuben. She said the proposed signage meets
the City’s sign ordinance requirements.
Terry Trantow moved to approve the sign application submitted by Washington Gorge Action Programs. Randy Anderson seconded the motion and it was unanimously passed.
Winery Building Proposal
Brian Prigel said the city has received a revised proposal from Tom Reser
for both the entryway and the back exits. He said the city has also received
information from Washington Department of Transportation that the proposed
entryway would meet WSDOT requirements, including ADA accessibility.
Betty Barnes said that the front of the Winery Building is dark because of the design the sidewalks. She asked if lighting will be installed particularly in the area of the stairs down from the upper level to the lower sidewalk.
Tom Reser said lighting will be provided along the front of the building.
Dean Nygaard stated that building codes require lighting on stairways.
Laura Mann said that believes Reser has met the city’s requirements in revising the front entryway.
Laura Mann moved to approve the revision of the front entryway as it long it meets building codes and minimum ADA requirements. Terry Trantow seconded the motion and it was unanimously passed.
Betty Barnes asked when construction will take place. Tom Reser said sometime in the spring.
Dean Nygaard, Building Official, said there will need to be three exits from the largest room in the Winery Building. It was noted that the largest room is designated as the “east bay”. He said there is currently an exit from the upper floor through the lower floor that qualifies as one exit. Nygaard said it might be possible to have 2 on the front entrance of the building as long as they are more than 43 feet apart.
Brian Prigel said that allowing the back exits with staircases to protrude into Depot Street will have some future impacts on how Depot Street is used.
Jan Brending noted that she has provided information on where the existing utility vaults are located. She said that sidewalks and landscaping could be designed even with the vaults in their current location. Brending said that existing utility vaults and any new protrusions could have some impacts but would not prevent the use of Depot Street in the manner envisioned by the city.
It was noted that the stairways might cause the loss of some parking on Depot Street.
Brian Prigel said he is concerned with setting a precedent, impacts on future plans for Depot Street, and the use of public space by a private enterprise.
Betty Barnes asked Dean Nygaard if it was possible to have a stairway inside the building that would provide an exit through the downstairs. Nygaard said it can be structurally but it might not be financially feasible. Dean Nygaard also noted that the owner wishes to install an HVAC system underneath the stairways. He said the roof cannot hold the HVAC system without substantial modifications.
Tom Reser said he has hired an engineer for developing the HVAC system for building. He said he has looked at what can be affordable and have the least impact. Reser said his preference is a closed loop system with an outdoor cooling tower.
Brian Prigel asked Dean Nygaard if he thought there would be any problem in locating the cooling tower underneath the stairwell.
Dean Nygaard said he is not sure without seeing the plans and proposal,
Tim Hearn asked what the staircases will be constructed out of. Reser said they will be galvanized steel with powder coating. Reser said they will be constructed with non-slip treads and railings.
Tim Hearn said he does not see any problems with the proposal.
Terry Trantow said the city will never have sidewalks on both sides of Depot Street. He said snow removal might be a problem. Trantow said Depot Street is already impact with utility vaults and the sewer easement. He said there might be the loss of a parking space.
Tom Reser said he hopes that the city is not overly concerned about setting a precedent.
Tad Connors said the city can establish an easement or a license for handling the intrusion into public space.
Betty Barnes noted that the utility vaults located on Depot are a public service while the proposal by Reser is for private business. She said she feels that the proposal before the council is about saving a private business money.
Brian Prigel noted that if the city votes to approve the stairways the legal issues of providing for that is fairly easy.
Randy Anderson said he feels that Reser has to deal with some safety issues and therefore is not setting a precedent.
Terry Trantow said he feels that the structure of the building is different that the structure of other buildings located on Depot Street.
Dean Nygaard said the construction of the buildings is different.
Tim Hearn moved to accept the proposal for the stairways not to include the cooling tower.
Tim Hearn withdrew his motion.
Randy Anderson moved to accept the proposal for the stairways and cooling tower as long as the proposal meets building codes. Terry Trantow seconded the motion. The motion carried 3 to 2 with the following vote: Anderson – Aye, Barnes – Nay, Hearn – Aye, Mann – Nay, Trantow – Aye.
Building Official Services
Tom Reser said that no one besides himself but Dean Nygaard has more
information about the old Winery Building. He said that he wants to have a safe
building. Reser said he would like to see Dean Nygaard stay as the building
official.
Laura Mann asked if Dean Nygaard is an engineer and if Hood River County has an engineer that reviews all building plans. Dean Nygaard said he is not an engineer and that the county does not use an engineer for reviewing building plans.
City council members and Dean Nygaard discussed the use of engineers in a building Department. Laura Mann noted that Klickitat County has an engineer that reviews building plans.
Terry Trantow said that in considering a pro and con list that he feels the city would be better off staying with Hood River County.
Tim Hearn asked Dean Nygaard what happens if the building official is late for an inspection and a concrete pour is scheduled. Hearn asked if the pour could move forward.
Dean Nygaard said he is available by phone and that communication is always important. He said that he hoped a contractor would call him and let him know that a pour is impending. Nygaard said there have been times when inspections have not happened and pours were allowed.
Tim Hearn asked if the appeals board would handle all issues that come up in construction. Nygaard said yes.
Brian Prigel said the city has worked with Hood River County for a number of years. He said the county and Dean Nygaard have been good to work with. Prigel said that the city has had the best building official services since he has been around. He said he feels Hood River County is very professional and responsive. Brian Prigel said he understands why some would prefer to contract with Klickitat County and the idea of keeping Klickitat County money in the county. He said he has some concerns with Klickitat County’s proposal and feels the city would lose control of its building department. Prigel said he feels that if the city goes with Hood River County it will be easier to achieve the option of eventually hiring a building official that would be funded jointly by the two cities. Prigel said he is concerned with how commercial inspections and occupancies of existing commercial buildings would be handled by Klickitat County.
Tim Hearn said he came into the meeting thinking that he would prefer to use Klickitat County. He said there is not a representative from Klickitat County at the meeting. Hearn said he likes what he has been hearing from Dean Nygaard. He said he also agrees with keeping the money in our own community but feels the Hood River County proposal is better than the Klickitat County proposal.
Betty Barnes said Hearn has learned his first lesson as a council member in thinking that he would know how he would vote prior to coming to a meeting. Betty Barnes said she has been weighing the pros and cons of each proposal. She said she does not respect Klickitat County for being absent from the meetings. Barnes said that our country’s government is separated into city, county and state for a reason. She said she is concerned with the amount of control Klickitat County would have over the building department. Barnes said she feels that Hood River County has taken the city’s concerns into account.
Terry Trantow said he is concerned that if the city goes with Klickitat County would create a paper nightmare and would actually create duplicate paperwork.
Randy Anderson said he really doesn’t want the city to give up control of its building department or to have to change its ordinance. Anderson said he feels that Dean Nygaard has done a good job for the city.
Laura Mann asked why the three entities obtain the valuation of a project differently. Jan Brending and Dean Nygaard said that it depends on the entities building codes.
Laura Mann said the city will still have control over its requirements particularly the zoning and setbacks even if it goes with Klickitat County.
Barbara Hylton asked if White Salmon has made a decision.
Brian Prigel said no.
Terry Trantow moved to accept the Hood River County proposal. Tim Hearn seconded the motion. The motion carried with the following vote: Anderson – Aye, Barnes – Aye, Hearn – Aye, Mann – Abstain, Trantow – Aye.
Klickitat County EDA Grant Proposal
Jan Brending said the only proposal that she is currently aware of is the
proposal submitted by Gorge Heritage Museum for the repair of the north basement
wall. She said that she has increased the museum’s estimate of $22,000 to
$40,000. Brending said she is recommending the increase because the city will
need to hire an engineer and the project will require prevailing wages.
City council members and staff discussed the estimate. It was noted that it is better to be high on the estimate than low. It was suggested that it might be possible to begin work on making the museum accessible if the repair of the basement wall costs less.
Tim Hearn said he does not see a lot of people using the museum and would rather propose improvements to Daubenspeck Park.
Betty Barnes said she believes there are more visitors each year and that the city has identified protection of historic places as one of its goals.
It was noted that this is a city owned facility that does not meet ADA requirements.
Laura Mann said she would like to see the museum as the city’s first choice for EDA funding.
It was suggested that a couple of estimates be obtained to use for writing up the proposal.
Betty Barnes moved to make the museum the city’s first priority for Klickitat County EDA grant funding. Terry Trantow seconded the motion and it was passed unanimously.
Proposed Amendment No. 3 – Interlocal Agreement for
Operation and Maintenance of Dallesport Wastewater Facilities
Action on the proposed amendment was deferred to the December 20 meeting.
Proposal for Engineering Services – Upgrade of Biosolids Storage Area,
Bell Design Company
Action on the proposal for engineering services was deferred to the December
20 meeting.
Mayor’s Update
White Salmon Work Session – Master Water Plan
Brian Prigel said the City of White Salmon is holding a work session
regarding its draft master water plan on December 8. Jan Brending, Brian Prigel
and Randy Anderson will attend for the City of Bingen.
Tree Lights
Jan Brending said the city has purchased lights to go on the downtown trees.
She said the city public works crew and any volunteers will put up the lights on
Friday.
Community Acton Plan Meeting
Brian Prigel reminded the city council that the second public meeting will
be held Thursday, December 15 at Los Reyes.
TIB Grant – Maple Street
Brian Prigel said the city has received notice that it was awarded a
Transportation Improvement Board grant for the South Maple Street project.
Treasurer’s Report
Jan Brending presented the Treasurer’s report for October 2005.
Laura Mann moved to accept the Treasurer’s Report for October 2005. Randy Anderson seconded the motion and it was unanimously passed.
Vouchers
Vouchers audited and certified as required by RCW 42.24.080 and expense
reimbursement claims certified as required by RCW 42.24.090 as of this date
December 6, 2005. The council by unanimous vote does approve for payment the
following list: warrants 7126 through 7185 totaling $$76,785.53 and payroll
warrants 6447 through 6458 totaling $14,920.40 for a total of $91,705.93:
Current - $12,571.71; Street - $3,307.13; Street Construction and Maintenance -
$25,253.84; Water - $2,924.37; Sewer - $1,401.37; Treatment Plant - $7,322.21;
Dallesport Treatment Plant - $5,608.63; 1973/1995 Water/Sewer Bond Redemption -
$10,150.00; Water Construction and Maintenance - $23,166.67.
At 9:10 p.m. the Council adjourned.
Jan Brending
Brian Prigel
City Clerk
Mayor