Bellingham City Council

Compiled by Boris Schleinkofer

Action Taken at April 11, 2016 Meeting

Shall the council:
53. Authorize the mayor to award the low bid of $1,771,431 to Ram Construction of Bellingham for the water main replacement program? This annual program targets water mains needing replacements due to age or other factors. The 2014-2015 program involves the replacement of approximately 4,500 linear feet of water main piping at three project sites; the project also includes pedestrian, bicycle, channelization improvements and street overlay along E. Champion St. The three sites to be replaced will be at Sunset Drive between Ellis and James Streets, Nevada Street between Alabama and Virginia Streets, and E. Champion between Cornwall and Gladstone. The engineer’s estimate was $2,102,842. The city received seven bids; the highest bid was $2,198,794. (AB21190) Approved 7-0

54. Approve the mayor’s reappointment of Garrett O’Brien to the Planning and Development Commission? Mr. O’Brien is a general contractor who has lived in Bellingham all his life. He is the owner of Volonta Corporation, a company established in 2009. It is a tenant improvement, residential and commercial construction firm. He was confirmed at the 4/16/2012 meeting, vote #65, to fill a vacancy left by Sharon Robinson. This will be his final term, which will expire on 4/16/2020. (AB21201) Approved 7-0

55. Approve the mayor’s appointments of Abe Lloyd and Allan Richardson to the Lake Whatcom Watershed Advisory Board? The board advises the city on the purchase, management, maintenance and use of properties within the Lake Whatcom watershed. Abe Lloyd is an instructor at WWU and WCC, with a Master’s degree in Environmental Studies and a Bachelor of Science in Natural Resource Management, who has lived in Bellingham for 26 years; Allan Richardson is a retired WCC faculty member who has lived in Bellingham 44 years and is active in the Washington Native Plant Society and the Whatcom County Historical Society. This will be first terms for both, ending 4/11/2019. (AB21202) Approved 7-0

56. Appropriate $3,195,486 for payroll checks issued from March 11 through March 25, 2016? (AB21204) Approved 7-0

57. Appropriate $3,621,416 for goods and services checks issued from March 12 through April 1, 2016? (AB21205/21206/21207) Approved 7-0

58. Docket a Comprehensive Plan amendment and zoning request from Lydia Place? (Public hearing held) Lydia Place, a local non-profit housing and social service provider for women and young children, proposes an amendment to the text of Area 6 in the Puget Neighborhood Plan and the zoning table to allow construction of an additional eight to 10 studio apartments for their property at 1701 Gladstone Street. AB21189 (Resolution 2016-07) Approved 7-0

59. Establish the Bellingham Waterfront Redevelopment Opportunity Zone? The state, through the Model Toxics Control Act, has created a new tool to promote cleanup and redevelopment of brownfields, lands unavailable for use due to environmental toxicity hazards, by designating them as redevelopment opportunity zones. A higher priority may be placed on city and port Model Toxics Control Act funding requests as a result of establishing a redevelopment opportunity zone, so the city wants to establish a redevelopment opportunity zones for city- and port-owned brownfield properties in the central waterfront, at Georgia Pacific West, the Holly St. and Cornwall Avenue landfills, I & J Waterway and the S. State St. manufactured gas plant areas. AB21194 (Resolution 2016-08) Approved 7-0

60. Adopt a Satement of Incarceration Prevention, Criminal Justice, and Jail Planning Principles? At the Whatcom County Council meeting on 3/8/2016, vote #45, the council adopted a Statement of Incarceration Prevention, Criminal Justice, and Jail Planning Principles for Whatcom County’s criminal justice and behavioral health systems. The County Council called on other legislative authorities that have a stake in our shared criminal justice system to adopt the same or similar statements as soon as possible. Subcommittees of the task force are focusing their efforts on creation of a crisis triage facility, behavioral health programs, and criminal justice system procedure and process reforms. The statement supports funding for community-based preventive services and post-release support to maximize successful re-entry and minimize recidivism, which will hold down recurring criminal justice costs in the future; it also supports construction and operation of an enlarged triage facility, implementation of criminal justice process reforms, and creation of relevant behavioral health programs regardless of the outcome of jail proposals. It also encourages general inter-agency cooperation and suggests hiring a professional criminal justice planner to evaluate additional aspects of our system and jail needs. AB21196 (Resolution 2016-09) Approved 7-0

Action Taken at April 18, 2016 Meeting

Shall the council:
61. Appropriate $2,168,777 for goods and services checks issued from April 2 through April 8, 2016? (AB21219) Approved 7-0

62. Authorize the mayor to sign a development agreement with Larrabee Springs, Inc. (aka Caitac USA) regarding a 429-unit preliminary plat? (Public hearing held) The property (aka Larrabee Springs South) located generally at the northern end of Cordata Parkway in the Cordata PUD and Area 1 of the Cordata Neighborhood, presents three key issues: resolving the potential moratorium, the east/west traffic connect (Kline Road), and the change in building phasing. The agreement addresses the designation of Horton Road as the east-west connector for the Cordata PUD; Larrabee Springs’ financial contribution ($1.5 million, $500,000 of which will go to the city and $1,000,000 will go to Whatcom County) for the construction of Horton Road; Larrabee Springs’ phasing of construction of the E8-E9 preliminary plat and financial contribution to the construction of Horton Road; and Larrabee Springs’ responsibility for off-site transportation improvements to Kline Road and Aldrich Road. AB21209 (Resolution #2016-10) Approved 7-0

63. Set 5/18/2016 at 6:00 p.m for a public hearing before the Bellingham Hearing Examiner to consider a petition to vacate an alley between Kentucky and Iowa Streets? The Bellingham School District has petitioned the city of Bellingham to vacate an unnamed alley west of Franklin Street centered between Kentucky and Iowa Streets, and ten feet of Franklin Street between Kentucky and Iowa Streets. AB21220 (Resolution 2016-11) Approved 7-0

64. Reclassify one dispatch position at What-Comm Dispatch Center from technical support/applications specialist to a systems analyst 1? One additional tech specialist was added by ordinance during 2015 to assist with work related to a new CAD System, telephone system and radio console for the Bellingham Police Department What-Comm Dispatch Center. The department will absorb the resulting estimated $4,500 additional cost for 2016 within their existing budget. AB21203 (Ordinance 2016-04-013) Approved 7-0

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