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City Council Minutes - 12/21/2010 City ofI'igard Tigard Workshop Meeting — Minutes TIGARD CITY COUNCIL MEETING DATE AND TIME: December 21, 2010 - 6:30 p.m. MEETING LOCATION: City of Tigard - Town Hall - 13125 SW Hall Blvd., Tigard, OR 97223 1. WORKSHOP MEETING 1. Mayor Dirksen called the Workshop Meeting to Order at -0 6:33 p.m. 2. Deputy Recorder Krager called the roll. Name Present Absent Council President Wilson ✓ Councilor Buehner ✓ Mayor Dirksen ✓ Councilor Henderson ✓ Councilor Webb ✓ 3. Pledge of Allegiance 4. Council Communications &Liaison Reports None 5. Call to Council and Staff for Non-Agenda Items -None 2. JOINT MEETING WITH PARK AND RECREATION ADVISORY BOARD Public Works Director Koellermeier introduced this item. He updated PRAB and the Council on staff activity since the successful park bond election,including preparation for the bond sale and the work,which will be required to deliver the program and projects. He said Council and PRAB recently received a document called the Project Charter,which is a tool staff uses to avoid "mission creep" and other distractions from the project goal. He said the goal of this living document is to set roles and responsibilities. He pointed out a draft schedule posted on the wall in Town Hall,which showed what is required to deliver$17 million worth of projects. He distributed to Council a summary and noted that the PRAB is working on additional concepts. Mayor Dirksen asked PRAB members to introduce themselves. Members present were: Jason Rogers,Holly Polivka,Troy Mears and Margaret Faber. He asked the PRAB members for comments. TIGARD CITY COUNCIL WORKSHOP MEETING City of Tigard 1 13125 SW Hall Blvd.,Tigard,OR 97223 1 www.ugard-ongov I Page 1 of8 J PRAB Member Rogers said many good ideas were received from citizens in e-mails and at a well-attended meeting last night. He said the question is what to do with all those ideas and how to rate them. Mayor Dirksen asked if the park inventory completed in August was still valid. PRAB Member Rogers said it was, although some ideas are new and in the interest of transparency, everything will be evaluated. Mayor Dirksen said the bond measure laid out some criteria regarding purchases yet Council was hearing that PRAB came up with some new criteria last night. PRAB Member Rogers replied that the four criteria are the same but were defined a little more. Councilor Buehner said the City is very park deficient around 135`" and Walnut. She said there is a reservoir there and some extra water department property,which she felt was enough land on which to place a few play structures. She said because it is owned by the water department, the City owns 70%. She also noted there was a stair easement and space in the right of way to parallel park a few cars. She also commented on another project,which is the six acres below Hillshire and attached to a bridge and open spaces. She said that area abuts the three-acre triangle and it would be easy to develop a circular path by linking these areas together. PRAB Member Rogers said a large contingent of dog park users were at the PRAB meeting last night. Support was expressed for the City to purchase Potso Dog Park. PRAB Member Mears said the City is applying for a grant to purchase property to connect Fanno Creek Trail segments. He said this project was already on the list so PRAB is referring it to Council but with one contingency—the City must receive the grant. He reported a unanimous vote from PRAB in support of this purchase. Mayor Dirksen agreed that completing the Fanno Creek Trail is a major goal and this piece of property is important to completing the link. Councilor Henderson said he wants to make sure money is available for this project. City Manager Prosser said staff required Council permission to apply for the grant and under City procedures this item could be placed on a consent agenda. He said the scheduling is tight but could be resolved. Councilor Henderson complimented the PRAB for the great job they have done seeking public input. Council President Wilson commented that he liked the list of criteria, but urged the PRAB not to make decisions entirely by formula. He said they may find properties they think would rank high might not meet the formula's criteria. He said, "You need to use judgment, too." He encouraged PRAB to look for connectivity beyond Tigard's boundaries such as greenway connections with neighboring cities. He said it was important to spend some money to provide access to new unimproved greenspaces and parks, such as trails and parking. PRAB Member Rogers said the top four projects: Summer Creek, Sunrise, an unnamed parcel and Potso Dog Park are supported by the data but meet the "gut-check", too. TIGARD CITY COUNCIL WORKSHOP MEETING Ciry of Tigard 1 13125 SW Hall Blvd.,Tigard,OR 97223 1 www.tigard-or.gov I Page 2 of8 Mayor Dirksen asked if professional park architects would be involved in the master planning for these areas. Public Works Director Koellermeier said this is initially suggested in the materials given to Council. Councilor Henderson asked about PRAB's 2011 goals. Member Rogers said their goals are: • Pursue a coordinated City activity calendar—citizens can find all the recreational events going on in the City by looking on the City's website • Continuously communicate PRAB status on the use of parks bond money and activities • Inventory and evaluate current park amenities and make recommendations • Evaluate interest and ability of the City of Tigard to create community gardens • Research and evaluate alternative funding sources from 2011 and beyond Mayor Dirksen said that community gardens attract the sort of enthusiastic volunteer base that dog park fans show. He said one of the concerns heard during the bond measure campaign was the future cost of operating and maintaining land purchased with the bonds. He said going forward with programs such as this one,which has an active volunteer base,would be helpful. Council President Wilson suggested they visit Mary Woodward Elementary School's Community Garden,noting that one of the leaders goes all over the country giving presentations on how to create community gardens. PRAB Member Rogers said PRAB forwarded a suggested goal relating to the bond measure to Council for their 2011 goal setting session as requested. 3. 2010 ANNUAL UPDATE ON THE TIGARD TRAIL SYSTEM N7:41 (This item was heard out of order) Project Planner Roberts presented a PowerPoint of the annual efforts and accomplishments of Tigard's Trail System. A copy of this presentation is available in the meeting packet. He said no new trails were created this year but there were two major accomplishments: • Obtaining Metro easements for the upper Fanno Creek Trail • The addition of the future Tigard Street Trail (a former active rail line). He presented a PowerPoint which is included in the meeting packet. Highlights include: • Portland and Western Railroad and ODOT have agreed to help Tigard get the former rail line between Main Street and Tiedeman. Portland and Western Railroad has applied for abandonment of the freight easement. The next step is for ODOT to declare the property as surplus. • Two open houses are scheduled for January,including a bilingual one at Bonita Villa to get input on Tigard's trails. TIGARD CITY COUNCIL WORKSHOP MEETING City of Tigard 1 13125 SW Hall Blvd.,Tigard,OR 97223 1 www.tigard-or.gov I Page 3 of8 • In 2011 Metro will begin work on the Westside Trail Master Plan. The Westside trail extends mostly underneath the power line corridor between the Willamette and Tualatin rivers. About one mile of the trail is inside the Tigard city limits and Tigard staff will have a seat on the steering committee. • In 2013 the Tualatin Hills Park and Recreation District will fill in gaps in the Westside Trail segment leading to the THPRD Nature Center. This will be a great recreation amenity for Bull Mountain residents. • In April, staff conducted a morning bike tour of the Fanno Creek Trail for about 30 Metro staff. This provided Metro staff with a firsthand look at the Fanno Creek Trail as well as other improvement needs, some of which may be the subject of future funding requests. • Tigard has a seat on the advisory board of Metro's Intertwine parks, trails and natural areas in the Portland-Vancouver area. • Last year,Metro called for active transportation demonstration proposals. These are big scale projects,involving multiple partners that promote biking and walking for transportation. Tigard joined Durham,Beaverton and the Tualatin Hills Park and Recreation District on a joint project called the Crescent Connection (due to its shape on a map). Tigard's portion involves closing all the gaps in the Fanno Creek Trail as well as developing the Tigard Street Trail. It is not certain whether Metro will obtain federal funding,but at least Tigard has a foot in the door should Metro be successful in capturing federal dollars for active transportation projects. • The annual overall Trail Count was down from last year due to weather. He said overall, 70% of trail users are walking and 30% are riding their bikes. Transportation use is 20% - down from 25%last year. Projects Planner Roberts said the City is applying for an Oregon Parks and Recreation Department Recreational Trail grant to complete the Woodard Park to Grant Avenue portion of the Fanno Creek Trail. Councilor Buehner commented that parts of the trail are under water during the wettest times of the year and asked if there were plans to help with this issue. Project Planner Roberts said the short answer is no,because greenway trails are defined as trails within the flood plain. It is likely to flood periodically as these trails run along the creek. Mayor Dirksen said we try to site trails on higher elevations when possible, but there is a limit to what can be accomplished. Council President Wilson asked if it is realistic to expect completion of the Fanno Creek Trail from Scholls Ferry Road to Bonita within the life of the park bond. Senior Planner Roberts said it would be expensive,but is possible. He said the most difficult section is Durham Road downstream,connecting to Durham or the 85`h Avenue trail,which connects to Cook Park. Councilor Webb noted that Bonita Park was built with CDBG (Community Development Block Grant) funds and suggested the City try to obtain CDBG funds to help connect the trail there. Project Planner Roberts said the City would have to make a convincing argument that such trail improvements help low-income people. Mayor Dirksen said the demand trail in that area proves the need for this trail. TIGARD CITY COUNCIL WORKSHOP MEETING City of Tigard 1 13125 SW Hall Blvd.,Tigard,OR 97223 1 www.tigard-or.gov I Page 4 of8 Council President Wilson said the other significant trail is the Summer Creek Trail. Project Planner Roberts said consultants have proposed three alignments to consider. He said there are many wetlands and some strong opponents. Councilor Buehner said the Planning Commission required a set-aside of right of way near the Barrows and 135`" subdivision and asked if that was done. Project Planner Roberts said they did build the trail,which is in good condition but somewhat overgrown. Mayor Dirksen said getting the Fanno Creek Trail done is a priority and using on-street sections at least in the short term is a good compromise. Being able to add routes along quieter streets is a logical alternative to building expensive riparian segments that might damage the creek environment. Council President Wilson commented that the trail survey found 2/3 recreational users and 1/3 of users use trails for commuting. He suggested wider trails with fewer kinks would increase the rate of commuters. Projects Planner Roberts said it is generally true that improvements increase use of trails. Councilor Henderson related a comment from a speed walker at PRAB's meeting who said they have need for a one kilometer,low gradient track within our system. He said there is a certified track in Eugene. He said there would be annual events that bring speed walkers in to our community from as far away as Canada. Projects Planner Roberts invited Councilor Henderson to join discussions on what would be involved in creating an Olympic trials prequalification speed walker training track. Councilor Buehner said there is a division for speed walkers in most marathons now. 4. ANNUAL JOINT MEETING WITH THE TREE BOARD This agenda Item was heard after Agenda Item 2. .9 Tree Board Member David Walsh said he was representing the Tree Board along with members Tony Tycer and Morton Ettelstein. He said the Tree Board has had a tremendous turnover in the past year. He said part of this was due to members moving out of the area, but he said there was also a loss of charge for the Tree Board as some items were reassigned to the CAC. He noted that the CAC brought in some new people and ideas, but at the same time,many of the items on their agenda were items that were very close to members on the Tree Board. Associate Planner/Arborist Prager distributed the Urban Forestry Master Plan Implementation Matrix. Tree Board Member Walsh said this will guide the Tree Board in following the Urban Forest Master Plan,which is a great resource. He recapped the Tree Board's 2010 goals: TIGARD CITY COUNCIL WORKSHOP MEETING City of Tigard 1 13125 SW Hall Blvd.,Tigard,OR 97223 1 www.tigard-or.gov I Page g of8 • Advise staff on comprehensive tree code revisions and tree grove protection program—This is really being handled by the CAC. • Provide oversight and implementation of Urban Forestry Master Plan (UFMP). • Establish a budget on urban forestry education outreach. He noted that of the $1,500 requested, $750 was granted. He said this wasn't spent this year,but the Tree Board did do some outreach work by creating a"Welcome to Tigard" brochure that talks about the Urban Forestry Master Plan and what the City can do with trees. He noted that this was paid for out of another budget. He said in the coming years the Tree Board will need a small amount of money for outreach. Mayor Dirksen agreed that communication was important as there is a lot of misinformation out about the tree code revisions and the tree grove protection plan. He said the issue of trees is an emotional one. • Develop an outreach plan. He said this was done in conjunction with the Committee for Citizen Involvement. He said this education is one of the most important products of the Tree Board. • Develop Tree Board Bylaws to be approved by Council. This was completed. Tree Board Member Walsh listed the 2011 goals for the Tree Board: • Continue providing oversight of the Urban Forestry Master Plan implementation. • Work with City staff and Council to develop a funding proposal for a sustainable tree and urban forestry inventory. • Work with City staff and Council to develop a new charge statement for the Tree Board following adoption of the Urban Forestry Code Revisions. I Mayor Dirksen said when it was created, the Tree Board was seen as a standing committee. He said that while work implementing the Urban Forestry Master Plan will never end, other projects will have a completion date, so the Tree Board's charge needs to be periodically reviewed and adjusted. Tree Board Member Walsh said the Tree Board developed a set of Guiding Principles and these were part of Council's meeting packet. He said the Tree Board wants to work with staff to develop a new charge statement and brought up the idea of the Tree Board tackling all natural resource issues (wetlands, other natural resources). He said new members coming on the Board have great backgrounds that could be useful expertise in the natural resources area. Associate Planner/Arborist Prager said a priority of the Tree Board is to look at existing sources of funding to see if they could be reallocated to better support a sustainable program. He said determining how the tree replacement fund can be used is a top priority. Tree Board Member Walsh said this has been part of a lively debate with the CAC. Tree Board and CAC Member Tycer spoke regarding turnover Le and suggested conducting exit interviews when members leave. He said the view from the trenches was that much of the heavy lifting has been done now that the UFMP is finished and that the CAC co-opted much of the Tree Board's work. He said he advocated continued work on privatizing plantings. TIGARD CITY COUNCIL WORKSHOP MEETING City of Tigard 1 13125 SW Hall Blvd.,Tigard,OR 97223 1 www.6gard-or.gov I Page 6of8 There is so much City landscape available but he suggested tree funds taken from private property be available for use on private property. He said the legal requirements of funding sources stymie some tree growth preservation incentive ideas and conservation easements. He asked Council for help in resolving this. Mayor Dirksen said he endorsed the idea of making the funds available for planting on private property. Tree Board Member Ettelstein suggested that the Tree Board link with the community more like the PRAB does. The City could help stimulate tree planting through working directly with neighborhoods. Property owners would make the tree selection but the City could give advice on proper maintenance and care. He suggested increasing the time the Tree Board meets so that more could be accomplished. Mayor Dirksen said if the members of the Tree Board want to volunteer more time with the City he's sure it would be welcomed. He said he supported the tree care education suggestion. Tree Board Member Walsh said there has been tremendous assistance from the planning staff to help with the tree code revisions and he appreciated it. He also thanked John Frewing,who contributes greatly to Tree Board meetings. Councilor Buehner said the outreach ideas are great. She added that the matrix can be intimidating and may not be easily understood by citizens. She suggested board members attend neighborhood meetings and walk through the matrix to make it more user friendly. Tree Board Member Tyson referred to the canopy study and said there are things that aren't captured in overhead photos. He suggested that neighborhood walks and tapping into the resources of citizens whose families have been in Tigard for many generations would add to the knowledge of heritage trees in Tigard. Council President Wilson said there are a lot of trees that don't show up in overhead photos,yet they are experienced from the ground. He said he disagreed with the canopy goals because he likes sunlight to reach the ground. He commented on Tree Board Member Walsh's suggestion on increasing the scope of the Tree Board and said while he agreed that it's hard to consider trees without looking at the environment around them sometimes natural resource committees develop too narrow a focus. He said it is important to keep a broad view. Non-native trees are important too,as are aesthetics and human use. f Mayor Dirksen thanked them for their ideas on making the Tree Board work better for the City. Councilor Henderson asked how long the CAC will meet. Associate Planner/Arborist Prager said it was initially supposed to go until July but adjustments may be necessary as some members feel they don't want to rush through their deliberations. Mayor Dirksen agreed that it would be best for them to take the time they need to do a good job. TIGARD CITY COUNCIL WORKSHOP MEETING City of Tigard 1 13125 SW Hall Blvd.,Tigard,OR 97223 1 www.tigard-or.gov I Page 7of8 At 8:14 p.m. Councilor Webb moved for adjournment. Councilor Buehner seconded the motion and all voted in favor. Yes No Council President Wilson ✓ Councilor Buehner ✓ Mayor Dirksen ✓ Councilor Henderson ✓ Councilor Webb ✓ Carol A. Krager,Deputy City Recorifer Attest: ay , City of Tiga Date: l g/p'ZUl TIGARD CITY COUNCIL WORKSHOP MEETING City of Tigard 1 13125 SW Hall Blvd.,Tigard,OR 97223 1 www.tigard-or.gov I Page 8 of8