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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPublic Works September 16 20141r?] 20 30 40 5P1 60 7P1 8M 9r?] 10M 11m 12P] 13M 14M 150 161M 17P] 180 19M 20M 210 22P] 23M 241] 25M 26M 271] 28P] 29M 301] 31M 321] 330 34M 351] 36M 37M 381] 391] 40M 411] 420 43M 44M 450 460 47M 48M 490 50P] 51M 520 WHATCOM COUNTY COUNCIL Public Works, Health, and Safety Committee September 16, 2014 CALL TO ORDER Committee Chair Barbara Brenner called the meeting to order at 1:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers, 311 Grand Avenue, Bellingham, Washington. ROLL CALL (1 :33:00 PM) Present: Barbara Brenner, Ken Mann and Pete Kremen. Absent: None. Also Present: Sam Crawford, Carl Weimer, Barry Buchanan and Rud Browne. COMMITTEE DISCUSSION 1. DISCUSSION OF PROPOSED RESOLUTION APPROVING THE WHATCOM COUNTY SIX -YEAR TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM FOR THE YEARS 2015 THROUGH 2020 (AB2014 -294) Joe Rutan, Public Works Department, gave a staff report. He explained the process for updating the improvement program and described the projects listed on resolution attachment A beginning on Council packet page 249. Kremen asked for the source of the local funding for project two regarding the Birch Bay Drive and pedestrian facility. Every effort should be made to include a bike lane, in spite of right -of -way constraints. Rutan stated real estate excise tax (REET) funds can go toward this project. The design can include a designated bike route. Including a pervious shoulder makes the road safer. Rutan continued a staff report on Slater Road projects, including signs and roundabouts. Brenner asked about installing stop signs on Slater Road and Northwest Road. Rutan stated they are considering a solar flashing light stop sign, flags, and rumble strips in the design. He stated the County has been working with partners on the connectors in the Slater Road area. They are modeling options and future scenarios. The Slater Road and Northwest Road intersection is part of this analysis. They don't know yet if Slater Road will be an arterial connector that creates new intersections on the Guide Meridian or a local collector street. Mann asked the proposed route for the Slater Road connector. Make sure they model the two options as part of the entire sub - regional package. P1 Public Works, Health, and Safety Committee, 9/16/2014, Page 1 1E Kremen stated the Council of Governments (COG) only discussed the Horton Road 20 connector to the Guide Meridian. There needs to be more interface with the COG. 30 41M Brenner asked if one of the options will be putting Slater Road through to the Guide. 5M Rutan stated it is. The model they developed creates more intersections so they can 60 analyze the various options for Slater Road connectors. The Slater connector and Horton 7(] connector are two different things. 8F?1 91a Kremen stated the COG Executive Board unanimously supported Slater Road as the 101M top priority. There was also support for the Horton connector, but it didn't receive their 11M highest priority, like the Slater connector did. 12F?] 131M Rutan continued to describe projects on the list. 140 151M Brenner asked for a description of roadway frost depth detectors. She referenced 16M bridge projects and how they can have a lease on a public road. 170 18M Mann asked about the plans for bike lanes. Rutan stated current standards require 19M shoulders. He prefers the shoulders to be pervious pavement. Rather than bike lanes, they 200 are called shared use shoulders, which are four to eight feet wide. 21F?1 22M Kremen asked if shoulders are limited in certain areas because the rock cut would 230 make them prohibitive. Rutan stated it is something they must consider, because it could 24M be an issue. 25(] 260 Brenner asked the cost for the scenic loop signs in Point Roberts. Rutan stated the 27M signs are up. He'll provide that information. 28(] 290 Brenner referenced project 18 and asked the number of miles. Rutan stated the 30M mileage is approximately two miles. 311] 32M He referenced and gave a staff report on projects 27 through 29. 33F?1 34M Kremen stated people automatically slow down on state highways that are reduced 35M in size from 12 feet to ten feet. Also, a lot of people don't understand that cautionary 36M yellow speed signs are advisory, not required. It would be nice to have some kind of 370 educational sign or other process for informing people what the signs mean. 38F?1 39M Rutan continued the staff report regarding the bridge program. 400 41M James Lee, Public Works Department, gave a staff report on the Roberts Road and 42M the Massey Road bridges, projects 40 and 41. 430 44M Browne asked for information on the rating system. The materials should be clear to 45M anyone who reads them. The project sheets should provide information on the rating 460 criteria. 47F?1 481] Brenner asked if the stormwater quality improvement item is for flooding projects. 490 Rutan stated it could be. That item is intended for projects that address water quality. 50M 511] Brenner asked if the plan to negotiate with the railroad company regarding the 52M railroad crossing improvements is a wish. Rutan stated staff works okay with the railroad 53M company most of the time. Public Works, Health, and Safety Committee, 9/16/2014, Page 2 ❑.r 1r?] 20 Brenner stated a recent situation occurred in which the railroad didn't work with staff 30 on a project. That has happened a number of times. She's called the railroad in the past, 41M but has never received a return call. Rutan stated this item is for the County staff to 5M respond when citizens call about issues. 60 71M Kremen referenced the request of the Parkstone residents on Lakeway Road. Rutan 8M stated there are two options that including traffic calming measures. They can fund it 91a through the budget process and the annual construction program. If the Council moves 101M forward with the citizen request, they are able to include the project in the annual 11M improvement program. 12P] 131M Weimer asked the Public Works Department decision regarding mitigation 140 requirements on a conditional use permit on Axling Road. To fix that problem, the County 15M would have to pay for it. He asked how much it would cost and how to address the 16M situation. Rutan stated that once the annual program is approved, altering the annual 17M improvement program requires a unanimous vote. They are looking into the cost of 18M correcting that mitigation requirement and can make a presentation to the Council. 19r?] 200 Brenner stated she doesn't like that someone can go through the Hearing Examiner 21M process, and then the Public Works Department staff overturns the Hearing Examiner 22M conditions. Prohibit that authority. Rutan stated the staff very rarely uses that authority. 230 It's part of the development code, not the improvement program. He can talk about that 24M during the presentation. 25(] 260 2. DISCUSSION REGARDING THE COUNCIL'S DESIRE FOR ADDITIONAL 27M INFORMATION RELATED TO THE COUNTY'S HERBICIDE SPRAY PROGRAM 28M (AB2014 -221) (2:44:59 PM) 290 30M Brenner stated she wants to know what other jurisdictions are doing. 310 32M Weimer stated staff wants a discussion today about what information the Council 33M wants to receive. 341] 35M Brenner stated she wants to know what other counties with similar budgets do. She 36M wants more specific information. 370 38M Weimer stated they had talked about whether they need to use these chemicals and 39M what the spray rates have been in the past ten years. 400 41M Brenner stated she also wants to know how much it costs other counties to go spray - 42M free and how well it's working. 43(] 44M Weimer stated he wants to know if spray protocols are being followed. 451] 460 Frank Abart, Public Works Department Director, stated there are three action items. 47M First is the current protocols and operation plan about which he will bring forward a review 481] and discussion before next season. The other two action items are vague. The second is to 490 compile all the questions about what other counties are doing and email those questions to 50M him. The third is to discuss whether the Board of Health will become involved. 511] 52M Weimer stated he wants to know if the Public Health Advisory Board (PHAB) can look 53M at this issue in terms of whether these herbicides affect human health. Public Works, Health, and Safety Committee, 9/16/2014, Page 3 P1 1 P 20 Brenner moved to recommend to the Council that the PHAB discuss this issue. 30 41M Greg Stern, Health Department, stated Health Department staff also needs 5M clarification about what information the councilmembers are looking for. The Public Health 60 Advisory Board has expertise with policy, not toxicology. The Council is asking for work that 7M the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has done. This was a request for technical 8M information, so staff spoke to a toxicologist who works on pesticide toxicity. He submitted 91] that information (on file). 10r?] 11(] Browne stated they haven't talked about surfactants. There is a concern about the 121a total destruction of all plant material in logging practices and about agricultural use. 13F?] 140 Stern summarized the information he submitted. The guidelines and literature 151] review have led to restrictions on how much is applied and how and where it's applied, to 16M minimize human contact and reduce health effects. Recent literature is questioning its 17M safety. The challenge is deciding if they make policy based on new research that hasn't yet 18M been properly peer- reviewed. 19F?I 200 Brenner stated look into whether other counties have already done this research. 21M They can ask other public works departments in the state. Abart stated he can make 22M contact if they know specifically what information they are looking for. He doesn't know of 230 any counties that are doing any research. 24F?I 251] Mann stated many of the studies they're receiving from people may not be credible 26M because no one else is corroborating them. He hopes for a review on the status of the 27M scientific literature by the PHAB, who can review that information. Stern stated the PHAB 280 doesn't have the technical capacity to do the review they're asking for. That's what the 290 Department of Health, Environmental Health, and toxicologists do. 30F?] 310 Mann stated the new up -to -date research from the EPA and World Health 32M Organization (WHO) will be helpful. He doesn't want to make any decisions until those 33M reports are finalized. He would like to know what other no -spray counties are doing. 340 Stern stated also look at counties that minimize spray. 35F?I 36M Kremen asked if there is any new pending toxicity information coming forward from 370 the EPA or another organization. Stern stated he's not aware of any. 38F?I 39M Kremen stated get some updated information on herbicides and chemicals in general 400 from an organization such as the EPA so the County can make decisions that are based on 41M scientific evidence. 421?1 430 Brenner stated councilmembers should email their questions to Mr. Abart and Dr. 44M Stern. 451] 460 47M OTHER BUSINESS 481] 490 There was no other business. 50M 510 52M Public Works, Health, and Safety Committee, 9/16/2014, Page 4 (] 11M 20 30 40 5F?1 60 7F?1 8F?l 9F?l 10F?1 11r?] 121a 13F?1 140 15r?] 16F?1 170 18M ADJOURN The meeting adjourned at 3:01 p.m. ATTEST: Dana Brown - Davis, Council Clerk Jill Nixon, Minutes TranscriptionM p WHATCOM COUNTY COUNCIL WHATCOM COUNTY, WASHINGTON Barbara Brenner, Committee Chair Public Works, Health, and Safety Committee, 9/16/2014, Page 5