HomeMy WebLinkAboutPublic Works Dec 5 2023Whatcom County
Council Public Works & Health Committee
COUNTY COURTHOUSE
311 Grand Avenue, Ste #105
Bellingham, WA 98225-4038
(360) 778-5010
Committee Minutes - Final
Tuesday, December 5, 2023
1:30 PM
Hybrid Meeting
HYBRID MEETING - ADJOURNS BY 1:50 P.M. (PARTICIPATE IN -PERSON, SEE
REMOTE JOIN INSTRUCTIONS AT www.whatcomcounty.us/joinvirtualcouncil, OR
CALL 360.778.5010), AGENDA REVISED 12.5.2023
COUNCILMEMBERS
Carol Frazey
Kaylee Galloway
Kathy Kershner
CLERK OF THE COUNCIL
Dana Brown -Davis, C.M.C.
Council Public Works & Health Committee Minutes - Final December 5, 2023
Committee
Call To Order
Roll Call
Committee Chair Kathy Kershner called the meeting to order at 1:30 p.m.
in a hybrid meeting.
Present: 3 - Carol Frazey, Kaylee Galloway, and Kathy Kershner
Also Present: Barry Buchanan, Tyler Byrd, Todd Donovan, and Ben Elenbaas
Announcements
Special Presentation
1. AB2023-779 Report from the Public Works Department
Elizabeth Kosa, Public Works Department Director, reported and answered
why there was only one bid for the North Lake Samish Bridge project last
year (before the second round of bids this year), how long Mt. Baker
Highway will be closed for Washington State Department of Transportation
(WSDOT) work in 2024, whether the constant status of recruitment in the
engineering division for going on 4 years is an issue of pay or of the labor
market, and whether the design of the new ferry is considered complete or
whether it is still in progress.
Kershner spoke about making sure they do not put urban growth areas
(UGAs) in flood plains when they consider flood preparedness and
Comprehensive Plan updates.
Galloway asked whether Council staff could share Public Works Facebook
posts on the Council Office's Facebook page.
This agenda item was REPORTED.
Items Added by Revision
1. AB2023-839 Discussion regarding the Severe Weather Shelter
Galloway introduced the discussion.
Ann Beck, Health and Community Services, briefed the Councilmembers
and answered a question about an overdose in the ongoing nightly shelter
which did not have a good outcome, what the temperature threshold is for
the overnight severe weather shelter and what happens in the daytime,
whether there will be a daytime alternative, what it would take to bump the
threshold up to 32 degrees and whether we are going to need more capacity
Whatcone County Page 1
Council Public Works & Health Committee Minutes - Final December 5, 2023
Committee
Other Business
Adjournment
in the nightly shelter, and whether the stakeholder workgroup who decided
on the 28 degree threshold could take a look at it again and see if there is
capacity for raising it.
Erika Lautenbach, Health and Community Services Director, stated this is a
heavy lift for one department, and emergency management has not helped
with this. She thinks that long term, that should be a strategy we consider as
a policy. The County staff who signed up to help at the severe weather
shelter are the same ones who would be called if there was flooding or
some other type of emergency.
Kershner suggested that all the partners come together and look at this
holistically, including the City of Bellingham.
Kayla Schott-Bresler, Strategic Initiatives Special Programs Manager,
answered whether we have done a call -out for staffing to the other
departments in the County and to the City of Bellingham staff.
Councilmembers and staff discussed building staffing capacity and why
people are allowed to not accept medical treatment as happened at the
nightly shelter.
This agenda item was DISCUSSED.
There was no other business.
The meeting adjourned at 2:16 a.m.
ATTEST``;
G; 00 !V C`' " :.
wxATCOM COUNTY COUNCIL
WHATCOM COUNTY, WA
Q s
6
Kathy Kershner-via email 12/11/2023
1
Dana.Brown-D1dClerk
Kathy Kershner, Committee Chair
Kristi Felbinger, Minutes Transcription
Whalcone County Page 2