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2018, 07-20 Special MINUTES Special Meeting Spokane Valley City Council Friday, July 20,2018 9:15 a.m.— 10:00 a.m. Spokane Valley Council Chambers 10210 E. Sprague Avenue, Spokane Valley, Wa. 99216 Attendance: City of Spokane Valley Staff Rob Higgins,Mayor [arrived 9:37 a.m.] Mark Calhoun, City Manager Pam Haley,Deputy Mayor Chelsie Taylor, Finance Director Brandi Peetz, Councilmember Erik Lamb, Deputy City Attorney Linda Thompson, Councilmember Gloria Mantz,Engineering Manager Ben Wick, Councilmember [arrived 9:17 a.in.] Erica Amsden, Senior Engineer Project Mgr. Sam Wood, Councihnernber Christine Bainbridge, City Clerk Absent: Others in Attendance: Arne Woodard, Councilmember Senator Mike Padden Mike Huffman,valley News Herald Honored Guests: Approximately 50 private citizens Representative Cathy McMorris-Rodgers Ms. Traci Couture, District Director for Rep. McMorris-Rodgers Deputy Mayor Haley called the meeting to order at 9:15 a.m. ROLL CALL: City Clerk Bainbridge called the roll. All Councilmembers were present except Mayor Higgins, and Councilmembers Wick and Woodard. It was moved by Deputy Mayor Haley, seconded and unanimously agreed to excuse Mayor Higgins, and Councilmembers Wick and Woodard. WELCOME: Deputy Mayor Haley welcomed Cathy McMorris-Rodgers, serving since 2005 as the U.S. Representative for Washington's 5th congressional district, which is based in Spokane and includes most of the eastern third of the state. Deputy Mayor Haley thanked Representative McMorris Rodgers for her help with our City receiving the TIGER grant funds, and for everything she does for our community. 1. Representative McMorris-Rodgers Continents: Representative McMorris-Rodgers said that it is great to be here and she thanked Council for the opportunity to meet and hear about Council's priorities for the community; said she was proud to be part of the TIGER grant funding and that she looks forward to touring our building after today's meeting. 2. Bridging the Valley City Manager Calhoun stated that we have a variety of capital projects that are under way, but what we hope to do this morning is focus largely on the Bridging The Valley projects;he explained that the Bridging The Valley was part of a study conducted in the early 2000's that focused on the 42 mile stretch of rail line between Spokane and Athol,Idaho, and that stretch that includes 75 rail crossings, including four along the BNSF route that runs through Spokane Valley and also several others along the UP routes; said on the BN routes we have Barker, Sullivan, Pines and Park Road. Mr. Calhoun said that for Spokane Valley, freight traffic continues to increase and we currently have 56 trains a day that pass through the valley which results in approximately 160 minutes of traffic delays at each crossing each day,and we anticipate that as the train traffic grows so will the delays; all of which will exacerbate such problems as traffic congestion,train noise, Special Meeting Minutes 07-20-2018 Page 1 of 6 Approved by Council: 08-14-2018 and safety issues with trains and cars sharing the same physical space at each crossing, and said there is also the potential damage to the aquifer if an oil train were involved in a mishap. Mr. Calhoun said that on the Barker BNSF crossing, it is noteworthy, as Representative McMorris-Rodgers is aware, that it is fully funded including $6 million in City funds, and the $9 million in TIGER grant funds, and he too extended thanks on behalf of the City of Spokane Valley for her assistance. Councilmember Wick said the Bridging The Valley is almost more of a dream coming back to the original project, where we had so many crossings between the BNSF and UP, but it started out with another phase of the project which was to combine them into a single corridor, where the UP line would go away and merge into the BN line; so we made progress with Barker and Pines, but the big cost savings would be if we could get the railroads to combine into a single corridor; he said this is more of a vision at this point as he realizes that railroads do not want to get along; said when we started this in the 2000's, they had an agreement to move forward with that, but now they have fallen apart and they don't want to combine that corridor; said it would mean so much to our community to have the corridor combined; he said there are many grade separation projects on the BN line and there are 59 grade separation projects on the UP just on that corridor; that we can't afford to do that many projects so we really need some assistance; he said unfortunately the railroads don't like to deal with local municipalities; regarding their double track project, he said the railroads think they don't even need to get a permit to do their construction, and he stressed that the railroads don't want to deal with government at our level but rather on the federal level. Councilmember Thompson said this also is a great deal about safety; she said Council previously heard public testimony about children who are at the Park Road railroad crossing climbing through the railroad tracks to get to school; this of course when the trains are stopped and other pedestrians are trying to get through; and she stressed that safety is a critical part of this. Councilmember Wick added that the elementary school is right on the intersection of Pines and Trent and the track goes right on the edge of that school. Mr. Wick also stated that when the Argonne pass was built prior to our City's incorporation,West Valley School re-routed all their school buses to go through Argonne off the side streets so they wouldn't have to cross the tracks; and he added that access from emergency management and the fire districts is also of major importance. Councilmember Wood mentioned that another crossing not on this list is Park Road, and said he feels sure that will be coming forward at some point as well, and he also extended his thanks to Representative McMorris-Rodgers for her help with the funding. Representative McMorris Rodgers said that her mom and step-dad live off Pines and Trent,so she regularly experiences that crossing and its challenges; she said that several years ago she invited the chair of the transportation committee to come, and they did a "windshield tour" of the Bridging The Valley; and a helicopter tour of the North/South; said that there will be a new chairman in the House after this fall, so we should start thinking now about having that new chairman come take a tour; infrastructure will be a big issue;we know there are huge infrastructure needs across the country and it is a priority issue now; and we should plan to spend some time with the committee and the House so they are reminded of Bridging The Valley and these priorities. Councilmember Wick asked if there is someone she can suggest we meet with in that regard, or the someone from the FRA(Federal Railroad Association);he said they are the entity that does the CRISI (Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvement) Grant; he said we have a grant application in with them for 50% of the design for the Pines Grade Separation project; and he said we'd be very thankful for any support she can lend or insight into how we can be more successful with that application. Representative McMorris Rodgers said she would be happy to do that; that it is always good to meet with the Transportation Committee staff and members; so whenever you are planning to come to D.C., to let her know and her office can help schedule those meetings with the chair, the sub-committee chair, and the staff and also at the department. Councilmember Peetz also extended her thanks for meeting with her while in Washington, D.C. and that when in D.C.,she said that Representative McMorris-Rodgers arranged a meeting with the Department of Transportation,who was very generous in his time in meeting with her. Ms. McMorris-Rodgers said it always helps when Council can meet in D.C. and meet with the and bring the projects to the forefront;bringing pictures, and maps and other documentation and to remind Special Meeting Minutes 07-20-2018 Page 2 of 6 Approved by Council: 08-14-2018 them of the history, that all that helps as they consider projects across the country; she said she is willing to explore with BNSF and UP what Council thinks is the best path with them; if we want to try to bring them in; and said she would be happy to help coordinate a meeting with that if that is Council's desire. Councilmember Wick said that would be very much appreciated; that representatives at the Spokane level aren't high enough in their organization to make those kind of policy decisions. Ms. McMorris Rodgers said they will take on that task and work to determine who would be the best person to talk with. City Manager Calhoun then introduced City Engineering Manager Gloria Mantz and Senior Engineer/Project Manager Erica Armsden. Ms. Mantz said that today she would touch on two key transportation projects: Pines and Barker; she too extended thanks for Representative McMorris-Rodger's support of the projects and of awarding the$9 million TIGER grant, thereby fully funding the project; she said staff hopes to get right-of-way acquisition in 2019 and move the project to construction no later than 2020; that as noted earlier, this project as well as the Pines project fully supports the vision of Bridging The Valley;the City recognizes the importance of separating vehicle and train traffic at Pines Road and for that reason, has set aside enough funds to move the engineering design for the project, which has been in the works since late last fall; said we are evaluating some alternatives to determine the most cost effective solution for that crossing, and those efforts allow us to deliver a cost efficient solution at approximately half the cost of the original Bridging The Valley concept. Ms. Mantz said for the Pines Grade Separation Project, we have not acquired any outside funding yet, but will continue to pursue all grant opportunities, such as CRISI and BUILD. She mentioned that with the Pines Road grade separation project, we are experiencing some challenges that have prevented us moving the project design as far as we would have liked to;and those challenges come from the BNSF second mainline track project; the project installs 4.4 miles of mainline track parallel to the existing and is scheduled to be designed and permitted in 2018, and constructed in 2019; the project impacts the Sullivan Road Grade Separated crossing and the at-grade crossings at Barker,Flora, Evergreen,and Pines Road; she said the location of the new main track at Pines Road and Sullivan Road has not yet been determined;she explained that not having the location of the main track determined, is what is slowing down our project at Pines Road; she said we had several phone calls and four coordinating meetings since the beginning of the year,we have offered solutions to BN that would allow them to put in the second location of the main track and also for the future expansion, but we have not received any direction yet,and without that direction,we cannot move the project forward,so we would appreciate any support in getting some direction. Councilmember Wick added that it would be amazing if you could design that much of a project, which includes the bridge over the water, and that many intersections in one year,and build it the following year;and if they could do that,that would be impressive. Ms. McMorris Rodgers said the average federal project takes seven years just to get it permitted and planned. Ms. Mantz added that some of the concerns we have with the BN is that it hasn't yet been determined what the impacts of that second crossing will have to those at-grade crossings; it has to have an impact to the level of service, and that emergency access hasn't been addressed by the project either; she said staff will continue to coordinate and work with BNSF to determine the final design at this location and said staff looks forward to Ms. McMorris Rodgers' assistance. Representative McMorris Rodgers thanked staff for the information; said it sounds like they are doing good work, and thinks we need to reach out to BNSF and get that meeting going to try to get some answers. Mr. Calhoun added that as Mr. Wick stated, we are striking out at the local level and would appreciate any assistance. Councilmember Wick added that when we first became engaged with them regarding their double track, their first proposal was to shut down Sullivan for at least six months, so the idea was then to work together to figure out a better solution. Councilmember Wick said for Pines,we have the money but we are trying to do a matching program through the CRISI, and hope to get 50% and we have put in a dedicated 50% match for that; that we have also applied and it looks favorable, for funding from our regional transportation council's call for project,where we asked for funding for the right-of-way phase for that; so we are hoping to move Pines fairly quickly.Mr. Calhoun added that he thinks Pines is a very strong project and there are several compelling reasons to get that done, and our City has set aside$2.4 million in Special Meeting Minutes 07-20-2018 Page 3 of 6 Approved by Council: 08-14-2018 that effort;that each year when we reach the end of the year, we evaluate our general fund and continue to try to set money aside recognizing this is a very important regional project. Councilmember Wick added that moving forward with the Bridging The Valley has been in the City Council's top five goals for the last four or five years. Ms. McMorris Rodgers said it would be helpful in her reaching out to BNSF and UP for staff to give her an overview she could share with them, and include what the request is as well as the timeline, and Mr. Calhoun replied we would be happy to do that;and there will be an effort with our Council to make periodic trips to D.C.to visit Ms. McMorris-Rodgers as well as other federal legislators and others she might be able to line up for us to help pitch this project; and she replied she would be happy to think through what would be the best meetings to line up; and certainly so far it would be the transportation committee, for members, chair, sub-committee chair and staff, and said we would also want to do that in the Senate, and then meet with the leaders at the Department of Transportation. Ms. McMorris Rodgers also mentioned our participation with GSI Greater Region and meeting with them in the spring as they do their DC fly-in usually in April; and Mr. Calhoun noted that we had Mayor Higgins and Councilmember Peetz attend the last one. It was noted that Mayor Higgins just arrived and he too, extended thanks to Representative McMonis Rodgers for her assistance in our City receiving the TIGER grant. Councilmember Wick asked what Ms. McMorris Rodgers sees as potentially future funding opportunities at the federal level, or how does she see the environment moving forward for transportation. Ms. McMorris Rodgers replied that in the approved budget for this fiscal year, October 2017 through October 2018, there is a significant increase to the commitment of transportation and infrastructure, but not to the large transportation items; that this was more of a commitment within their annual federal budget to put more money into infrastructure,which included the BUILD grants,and that there is a significant increase in the number of BUILD grants available and she encouraged the City to submit applications for those funds; she noted that was part of the appropriation process, and they are working on the budget now, and between the House and the Senate, it would take effect October l'; concerning the authorization process, she said that is where there will be another major transportation authorization package, and said she anticipates that will be one of the major priorities in the next Congress; said they are doing parts of that now and have moved forward with FAA re-authorization;they have moved the water resources and development package, which is another subset of transportation; and again said she anticipates major transportation priorities with the next Congress so anything our City can do now to prepare and get our projects on the priority list; and to do that at the state level as well; that when it comes to the BUILD grants, the state department of transportation will also prioritize what they believe to be the state priorities, said it is usually three, and that they are always trying to get more funds for eastern Washington, but the work our City can do to advocate with the Governor and State Transportation Department is also really important. Councilmember Wick explained that there was a railroad conflict study done at the state level which has now gone through the Freight Mobility Strategic Investment Board,and they prioritized the unfunded grade separation projects throughout the state, and our Pines Grade Separation Project was rated #1; and Ms. MeMorris Rodgers suggested Council keep reminding people of that. Mayor Higgins added that our Park project is also on that list but hasn't quite risen to the level of necessity as the Pines project. Mr. Wick said Council has often heard that when Barker and Pines are being discussed at the same time that people get confused as to our priorities; lie said we tried to focus on Barker and dropped back a bit with Pines; so now we are bringing Pines more forward; but we find ourselves in the dilemma of do we share Pines and Park, or just focus on Pines to get that funded; that when we shared too much at the state level, the state asked why we would talk to them about it since we are going after federal dollars. Representative McMorris Rodgers said from her perspective, she would keep a full court press on all fronts. Councilmember Wick mentioned Felts Field and that their tower is just on the edge of our city but has a big impact on our city and community; he said we are going through a masterplan process for that for the entire airport; and said he is sure we will be having discussions in the future as that strategic plan moves Special Meeting Minutes 07-20-2018 Page 4 of 6 Approved by Council: 08-14-2018 forward. Representative McMorris Rodgers said it is great to see what is happening at Felts Field; in the FAA re-authorization which passed last spring, she worked to get language that would protect the contract towers; and to make sure it is in place. Representative McMorris Rodgers, in speaking to the Mayor, said we talked about getting the chair of transportation committee to come out again, it has been several years since the last visit, but with infrastructure coming to the forefront again, said she thinks it would be very timely to have the transportation committee come out and take a tour of Bridging The Valley; and said she is going to work to get a meeting with BNSF and UP to talk about some of the challenges we are facing and some of Spokane Valley's requests; and extended her appreciation to Mayor Higgins for making the trip to D.C. and meeting with the Department of Transportation,and said it makes a big difference when he is there and able to meet with some of those big decision makers. Ona different topic, Councilmember Thompson thanked Representative McMorris Rodgers for visiting the Methadone Clinic at the Regional Health District; said that she had asked about marijuana and its impact; said that she was in Burien last Monday with the Washington Traffic Safety Commission with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Deputy Director, and they talked about the impact nationwide of drug-impaired drivers; said she told Ms. Couture that it is hard to see the silos that D.C. seems to have with the Highway Traffic Safety Administration not reaching out until now to the office of Drug Control Policy and education, because this is affecting our youth and our economy; she said that Waste Management reported they can't get enough drivers because they can't pass a drug test; said that when we look at the epidemic around opioids and the legalization of marijuana, that we invest in prevention, treatment and education;and supporting clinics and recovery and school with prevention intervention specialists;she said she appreciates Ms. McMorris Rodgers watching the legislation and that we want the system to work but there are not enough rules and regulations to protect the community from the impact of impaired driving and use by the youth.Ms. McMorris Rodgers commended Councilmember Thompson for being an amazing leader on that front;said she appreciates that commitment as combatting the opioid crisis has been a priority of this Congress; said they passed several bills in that regard, there has been an additional $4 billion approved in funding to go to states and local entities to help with prevention and treatment; so we should be looking at what we can get for this community; said they are looking at doing a roundtable discussion in August about addiction and to look at what is available now in the community concerning support and treatment;and said she will be in touch regarding that. Councilmember Thompson extended her thanks and said that although there is a lot of money coming,a lot stays at the state level and our schools are not getting the funding, as schools everywhere need that support of having a prevention intervention specialist. Councilmember Wood said that he heard an earlier discussion she was having about government regulations; said we work hard here to go through and continually revise our code and regulations to make them more friendly and flexible; said he appreciates the work she has done to reduce government regulations at the highest level and we do our best to that locally, which spurs economic development and encourages businesses to come into our area and therefore creates jobs and revenues so we can do these projects. Representative McMorris Rodgers said something is wrong when it takes seven years to work through the planning permitting process for a transportation project;said she believes we have created a lot of paperwork requirements,and there is more focus on subm itting forms instead of on outcomes and results; said we must have standards, but it is about giving flexibility so we can stay focused on the results and not so caught up in having to do things a certain way; or some agency doing something that another agency doesn't recognize; and all that keeps projects from moving forward; said when government talks about lifting the regulatory burden, it is to make it easier to comply while giving the needed flexibility; she noted the federal Department of Transportation's goal is to do the permitting and planning within a year; which saves an enormous amount of time and money and enables putting more money into the project rather than the process; said this Congress is focusing on work force development and expanding apprentice programs and vocational education so more will get the education and training to get the job. Councilmember Wood Special Meeting Minutes 07-20-2018 Page 5 of 6 Approved by Council: 08-14-2018 replied that we have streamlined our permitting process and we are able to issue a permit within a day;that we have speeded up the process of reviewing plans and specs and all that makes for happy contractors and citizens. Engineering Manager Mantz also extended thanks to Representative McMorris Rodgers for her efforts to streamline those regulations in the planning stage, and urged her to also look at that for the construction phase,which is time intensive and costly. Councihnember Wick added that just we completed our Sullivan Bridge over the river, so we have gone through all the required documentation,and now going through this with the Barker, said we will be able to give Ms. MeMorris Rodgers some good feedback on the regulations that could be streamlined, because we have some comparisons between state funded and locally funded projects versus the federal funded projects; and she replied that would be very helpful. Mayor Higgins said he wanted to share an observation from the GSI trip to D.C. earlier this year; said he was in the Eisenhower Executive office building speaking with executive branch people, the people who actually do the work; said he was taken aback because they usually don't comment, but this time they did and they expressed their pleasure and compliments to Ms. McMorris Rodgers and her staff in working with the executive branch to get things done on our behalf; and he again extended his thanks. Ms. MeMorris Rodgers extended her thanks to Spokane Valley and its citizens; said her goal is to help us accomplish our goals; that it is important to be involved, she wants to listen, learn and help get things done; and she said today was very helpful and she asked that Council keep her posted on these issues. Deputy Mayor Haley adjourned the meeting at 10:00 a.m. ATTESAlp L.R. Higgins, r Lc it-vvArl pristine Bainbridge, City Clerk Special Meeting Minutes 07-20-2018 Page 6 of 6 Approved by Council: 08-14-2018