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HomeMy WebLinkAbout08/31/94TAPE #1231 UNAPPROVED DRAFT CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES COUNCIL APPROVED SEP 14 199 AUGUST 31, 1994 #0077 The regular meeting of the City Council of the City of Bremerton was called to order in the City Council Chambers, 239 4th Street, Bremerton, Washington, Wednesday, August 31, 1994, at 5:30 P.M., with Council President Sherril Huff-Menees presiding. Council members present were Morris Dawkins, Bob Winters, John Law, David Farr, A1 Colvin, and Lon Overson. Council member Richard Neville was absent. Also present were City Attorney Ian Sievers and Deputy City Clerk Gil Johnson. The meeting opened with the Pledge of Allegiance led by Council President Huff-Menees and Invocation given by Reverend Richard Axmann of First Baptist Church of Bremerton. CONSENT AGENDA None CLAIMS/CHECK REGISTERS Vouchers audited and certified by the auditing officer as required by RCW 42.24.080, and those expense reimbursement claims certified as required by RCW 42.24.090, have been recorded on a listing that had been made available to the Council. M/S/C/U(Colvin/Dawkins) on August 31, 1994, the Council does approve for payment those vouchers included and further described as follows: 178102, 178115 through 178238 in the total amount of $149,735.12; and Retirees Payroll for the period ending 8-31-94 in the amount of $86,458.08 President Huff-Menees make the following announcements: (1) Applications for the Council District #8 position have been accepted through the month of August. If anyone is holding an application and would like to turn it in, it will be accepted on September 1 in the City Council office. Following this meeting, Council will hold a Study Session to set the date and time for interviewing applicants for the Council position. (2) Council will hold a Study Session on September 12, 6:00 - 9:00 P.M. in the Council Conference Room, and the public is invited to attend. (3) In the past, a request was made for monthly reports on the City's grant writing efforts. There has not been a report- recently, however, one will be provided to update the public. COUNCIL MEMBER REPORTS TAPE #1231 City Council Reg. Mtg. Minutes August 31, 1994 Page 2 of 10 Mr. Winters stated it was good to be back after vacationing in 109 degree weather in Nevada. Before he left on vacation, he failed to thank Mayor Horton for asking him to serve as Mayor Protem at the Turner Joy volunteers 2-year anniversary celebration. He hoped many citizens will take advantage of the opportunity to tour the Turner Joy. He did attend the Kitsap Lake Neighborhood Association meeting and wanted to thank all of the residents in that area for attending and voicing their opinions, concerns and solutions. Mr. Colvim stated he was saddened by the passing of David Lewis, a good friend and good citizen. He extended his sympathy to the Lewis family in their loss. The District #1 Coalition meeting will be held September 15, 7:00 P.M., at the Sheridan Park Recreation Center. The program for that meeting will include incumbents and candidates for elected offices. He extended an open invitation to all residents to attend this meeting and to submit questions they would like the candidates to answer. Mr. Dawkins reminded everyone of the upcoming Labor Day holiday and cautioned that everyone "Drive Safety". Mr. Law announced the District #3 Neighborhood meeting will be held September 20, 7:00 P.M., at the Senior Center. A very interesting program is planned, which he will disclose a little later. He welcomed residents of Council Districts 1, 2 and 4 to his District #3 meeting. Also, at that meeting there will be a report from the Kitsap County Auditor's Office on the election vote at 8:30 P.M. Mr. Farr stated there was an unfortunate occurrence in his neighborhood on Friday evening, August 26, where someone loaded up a uhaul truck, drove it to the old Hadden School site and dumped the trash in the vacant lot. The good news on that situation is that some citizen made an anonymous call to the Police and the offenders were caught and charged with a violation for unlawful dumping and related traffic citation. It concerned him that the "mountain" of trash that was dumped has not been cleared away. He did talk with Mayor Horton and enforcement people and late this afternoon he got assurance that something will be done to get the garbage removed. He was alarmed to see children playing in and around the dumped trash, and since the contents are unknown, the possibility of hazardous or harmful articles could be a danger to the children. He asked parents in that area to please keep their children away from the dumped trash and urged the City's administration to do whatever it took to get the area cleaned up. He announced in the near future he will hold a District #6 Neighborhood meeting. Earlier this summer, Mary Sump held neighborhood meeting at her residents where they discussed some issues that affected her neighborhood. Ms. Sump agreed to assist Mr. Farr with his next meeting. TAPE #1231 City Council Reg. Mtg. Minutes August 31, 1994 Page 3 of 10 Mr. Overson commented on the number of "meetings" held this week and hoped this meeting moved right along. He complimented City staff for their support of all the meetings they are required to attend. Mrs. Huff-Menees reminded the public of the opportunity to make Public Service Announcements from 5:10 - 5:30 P.M. prior to City Council meetings. As Mr. Overson pointed out, there have been lots of meetings this week. On Monday, Councilman Dawkins, Law, Neville and she participated in a Charrett workshop that was a sort of visioning type process for the City's waterfront property. That meeting was well attended by members from business, service and community groups. She is hopeful that some good results will come out of that effort and some promising things for development of our waterfront. Following the Transportation Planning meeting that took place on Tuesday evening, she received a call from a gentlemen who had attended the meeting from out-of-town, complimenting City staff members on a "job well done" at that meeting MAYOR'S REPORT Mayor Pro Tem Bob Winters read a Proclamation that proclaimed SEPTEMBER 1994 as STOP THE VIOLENCE AND SAVE OUR KIDS MONTH. PUBLIC RECOGNITION Ruth Davie referenced a August 24 newspaper article in The Sun that reported about Westinghouse locating a business to the West Hills area, which is outside of the City Limits. She questioned when Westinghouse was considering locating in the old J.C. Penneys building (later being rejected by Westinghouse), which City officials adamantly insisted that outer portions of the that building be used for retail space? President Huff-Menees responded she believed the people from Westinghouse Corporation had been talking with staff from the Department of Community Development. Ms. Davie stated her opinion: "who cares whether or not there is retail space on the ground level of the Pennys building". She cited the City spending $50,000 on a consultant contract to study developing the waterfront and didn't do what ever was possible to locate a ready made business within the City. She pointed out the City welcomed other offices and businesses into the downtown area that did not have store front space, such as the State and Navy offices. She asked that responses to her questions be provided in writing. She did not like the statement that the City is willing to front sewer development costs for the Westinghouse project, which is out in the County, and the City would not get a dime off of them in return except an annexation agreement. She also asked if Gordon Walgren was still being paid by the City as a lobbyist with the State? And, if so, how much is Mr. Walgren getting paid and what services did he perform for the fee? On the matter of only putting announcements for Council District meetings on the Character Generator, it is not truly fair or equitable. Many TAPE #1231 City Council Reg. Mtg. Minutes August 31, 1994 Page 4 of 10 people do not have Cable T.V., and because of that the City Council's weekly AGENDA should be published in the local newspaper. She asked that she be given the number of City employees and contract personnel who live within City Limits and how many live outside the City. Sherril Atkinson, Co-Chair Bremerton Blackberry Festival, extended an invitation to everyone to attend the Blackberry Festival on Saturday and Sunday, September 3 and 4. Through the courtesy of Kitsap Transit and the City of Bremerton, Shuttle service will be provided between three park-n-ride lots located at the Bremerton Junior High School on Wheaton, Olympic College and Lions Field on an hourly basis. Festival activities include over 140 vendor booths, lots of blackberry products, the Great Moscow Circus will promote their performance in Tacoma at the festival. She expressed the Festival organization'sappreciation for the City's wonderful cooperation on everything that has been done and will be done to put on the festival. Mr. Colvin stated he was pleased to hear the Moscow Circus was coming to Bremerton. He had the pleasure of seeing them perform in Russia when he visited Moscow five years ago. Debra Chard questioned if construction had started on the Pendergast Sport Complex or the expansion of Gold Mountain Golf Course? Her response was "yes they have". She questioned if any work had begun on City sewer and water piping? Her response "no". She was not pleased about Don Pratt's quote in the newspaper article on the Westinghouse Company moving to Kitsap County, saying the City would front the cost for sewer and water services to that business, which is in an area outside of Bremerton. From what she has been hearing, it has been over i 1/2 years since promises were made that construction, new pipes and separation of sewage and stormwater would be started. She felt strongly the City does not need a second golf course nor is there any need for the Pendergast Sport Complex. She also felt strongly that attention to the sewer situation was critical to the health of Bremerton citizens. Gordv Byrd stated he was upset when someone came up to him and told him no one wants to hear him speak his mind at City Council meetings and if he had questions about what is going on in the City of Bremerton to keep his mouth shut. His response to that person is he is not going to keep his mouth shut when it comes to asking for information. He wished a Mr. Lee "Happy Birthday". His absence from the previous Council meeting was due to his attending the Kitsap County Fair. He wanted everyone to know that he is becoming more active in seeking donations for his shelter for the. homeless. It pleased him to be asked to speak before a group of kids from Magnuson Alternative School. TAPE #1231 City Council Reg. Mtg. Minutes August 31, 1994 Page 5 of 10 Shannon Cook reported the recent Blood Drive at the Harrison Hospital Annex on August 26 resulted in 30+ donors. 7A - PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AGREEMENT - SAFE STREETS COORDINATOR HENRY MINCEY, #AB94-185 This professional services contract with Henry Mincey will continue his ongoing Safe Streets program through December 31, 1994. The current contract expires August 31, 1994. All other terms and conditions are the same as those of the original contract. Compensation for the additional contract period will total $13,040. Adequate funding is contained in the current Police Department budget to meet this need. Henry MinceV, Safe Streets Coordinator, stated when he first came to the City he met with then Mayor Mentor, who asked that reports from Mr. Mincey be submitted to him and he in turn would see that they were forwarded to the City Council. Apparently there was some misunderstanding since the City Council did not receive his reports as submitted. He hoped that the information he provided to them prior to this meeting would be helpful in their understanding of the Safe Streets Program being carried out in the City of Bremerton. One year has passed since he came to Bremerton and if he had to address what has transpired from that time to today, he would have to say he sees a community no longer willing to sit back and blame someone else, but to try and get involved. He has met many people and been involved in many discussions and he hoped he has influenced some policies addressing issues of youth gangs and illegal drugs/prevention in the City. Fortunately, his services have also spread out into the Kitsap County area. What he hopes to accomplish in the next four months is to continue the work he started this past 'year. One thing that he feels still must be built upon and increased is the involvement at the neighborhood level. Involvement at that level is easily talked about, but prior experience has shown it takes awhile to sink in and people have to see others take the first step. He also hopes to instill people with the skill how to access appropriate law enforcement response and how to be more effective citizens. He is working with schools to instill in young people a sense of community hoping that parents will also be brought into this particular process. \ Gordv Byrd asked Mr. Mincey how someone could get involved with the Safe Street Program? Mr. MinceV stated he conducts a monthly meeting at the Safe Street Office, Suite 310, 245 4th Street Building, and in that particular setting citizens, youth service' providers, police, prosecutors, and other resources within the community are brought together to help citizens get a good grasp of what can be done and what is happening in other neighborhoods TAPE #1231 City Council Reg. Mtg. Minutes August 31, 1994 Page 6 of 10 and communities around existing gang/illegal drug traffic. Mr. Farr stated he was not on the Council when Mr. Mincey first came to the City, however, in the short time he has served in that position he has heard nothing but good reports about the Safe Street Program. He questioned why this proposal was for a 4-month period? Mr. Mincey explained he believed it had to do with the calendar year. There has been some slippage of activity within the program this summer due to vacations and in speaking to the Mayor there are some things she wants done involving the Police Department. A search for a new Police Chief is underway and Mayor Horton's intention is for the Safe Street and Police Department to be a more cohesive partnership and he assumes the Mayor wants him to be part of that process once the new Police Chief comes on board. He has made suggestions to Mayor Horton on how he sees the City institutionalizing the process of Safe Streets and that may or may not include his involvement. He is willing to participate in whatever way he can if that develops as he has recommended. Mr. Colvin stated he is aware of some of the goodwill Mr. Mincey has created within the community and supports his efforts. He asked Mr. Mincey if he takes advantage of the Cable Access Channel to advertise his meetings? Mr. Mincey stated yes he has utilized that opportunity on several occasions, as well as The Sun. Mr. Colvln suggested that notices of his meetings be run on a weekly basis. He questioned how he interfaced with the local law enforcement and how much help does he receive from them? Mr. Mincey stated being a former Police Officer he understands the dynamics of Police Departments. He will not say that he and the Police Department became "cousins" and it was difficult. There is a trust issue especially around an issue as sensitive as gang intelligence. About four months into his program, he began to see an opening up and the policy makers of the department had more contact with him than most. He would have liked to seen more rank and file street officer interaction with the Safe Streets program, which is starting to take place now. The Crime Prevention Unit, headed by Detective Jon Johnson, was very instrumental in developing the neighborhood organizing piece that is part of Safe Streets strategy. His relationship with the Police Department was not as good as it should have been and more Collaboration should have taken place early on. He shared information with the Police Department, however, when he needed information from them it was very difficult to extract. He did not view that as a personal thing against him, but rather the nature of Police Departments. Mr. Colvin asked what recommendations did Mr. Mincey have and what could the City Council do to enhance his program? Mr. MinceV noted he did include that information in one of his reports, however, one thing he wanted to do early on was to get some kind of policy statement, collectively, from the City government on how they view TAPE #1231 City Council Reg. Mtg. Minutes August 31, 1994 Page 7 of 10 gangs and illegal drug activity and to have that be the tone setter for the rest of the community. If that happens, he believes it will get the point across that the City is serious about crime. Mr. Dawkins asked for Mr. Mincey's opinion as to "how it is really going". Mr. Mincey stated he is sincere about what he sees today and what he saw a year ago. There are days when he gets discouraged, but the thing that makes him feel the most positive is when young people adopt his program and want to be apart of it. He is very encouraged when young people come to his office, who have been involved in gang or illegal activity, and ask him to help them change. Unfortunately, in all cases he can't help everyone, however, he is aware of local resources that can be drawn upon for the benefit of a young person. The community/grass roots .involvement will come, but it does take time. Mr. Law stated the ease with which Mr. Mincey has to communicate with people in the community is appreciated and he is pleased that the program will be extended and hopes Mr. Mincey will continue to be part of that program. Mr. Winters asked Mr. Mincey how much input does he receive from concerned citizens and does he encourage such input? Mr. Mincey stated some times his office looks like Union Station and he set a policy that whoever comes in must be given time to address their concerns. He receives a lot of information, but most importantly, people feel they are listened to and the information they provided is follow up on, which gives people the incentive to get involved. Mr. Winters asked how many gangs are in the City of Bremerton? Mr. MinceV stated the information he hears off the street at the community level is maybe two or three gangs. He did not have a number to give out identifying the number of true gang members. He was part of a National Gang Information Center Survey and gang participation goes from one extreme to another - highly organized to the occasional delinquent behavior and to lump all that activity into a "gang" is dangerous. If he said there were 400 gang type individuals in Bremerton, that would be alarming, but there are probably 400 young people who closely associate with gang activity. If he said there are 50 hardcore gang members that the Police can document, that makes it a little more realistic. He felt he could say it ranged from 50 to the higher number. Mr. Winters asked if individuals can come to Mr. Mincey for help to get out of a gang safely? Mr. Mincey stated most of the times he is asked if he can help them find a job and the first thing he looks at is their age and background. He then questions them why they need a job considering they may not be 17 years old and "what's wrong with- school"? Their response is that they are so use to the money aspect of their activities that when they realize it is not what it is cranked up to be, they start looking for alternatives. That is TAPE #1231 City Council Reg. Mtg. Minutes August 31, 1994 Page 8 of 10 why he works closely with the local organizations that have the ability to provide for training or job opportunities. Even though there were some bad feelings between the P.O.W.E.R. organization and his program early on, they found they complimented each other. In his opinion, what he does best is to utilize local resources and occasionally he find something that he can do personally. He worked with a Department of Juvenile Rehabilitation group home in Bremerton where he met a young man that had an extensive juvenile record and had been in and out of juvenile institutions most of his life. The young people at that home asked him why was he organizing the community around gangs since all the youth are doing is "kicking around with their friends and not doing anything wrong". That gave him the opportunity to talk about how gangs impact neighborhoods, schools, and families. Following that discussion, he received a call from one of the youth who said "I heard what you are saying, I want to get involved and want to work for you". Through the efforts of the group home and Juvenile system, that youth was allowed to work with the Safe Streets program. Mr. Overson expressed his appreciation to Mr. Mincey for the information provided and also has heard very positive reports about the Safe Street program. He referenced Mr. Mincey's earlier comment about the City setting policy and it-is his view that the City Council has given the Police Department requirements priority and have gone many directions, length and ways to assist the effort that Mr. Mincey is working with in addition to what the Police are doing. If there is a question as to what Council's policy is, he asked that Mr. Mincey put it in writing to the City Council with a copy to Mayor Horton. ME. Colvin asked if Mr. Mincey he is aware of "crack houses" in Bremerton? Mr. MinceV stated based upon his knowledge, what appalls him are not the numbers but how long they have been there. Some of this stuff is almost like an institution within itself in some neighborhoods and he does not understand it. One of the things he asked the Mayor was to include him on the Abatement Task Force. He felt a better effort needed to be made to eliminate some of those situations. A neighborhood group met about two weeks ago and as a Police Officer when he was given information of that nature, he would have run to the Prosecutor shouting "I've got a case". He does not know why this is not happening around some of these particular locations. He also knows that some of the property owners need nudging in how they contribute to this activity. And, he thinks sometime, whether it is political correctness or business, but we need to make some examples and say- "this is not going to be tolerated", which goes back to the policy issue. Mr. Colvin stated he did not know if citizens are actually reporting locations of such houses? Mr. Overson stated he #2034 TAPE #1231 City Council Reg. Mtg. Minutes Aug~/st 31, 1994 Page 9 of 10 recognized this was information, but wanted to redirect Council attention to the business items before them. Mr. Mincey stated any community that has the elements 'of illegal drug houses/crack houses, gang activity will create some division and controversy. He believes that the City and Police Department have demonstrated that when you get up in front of the community and they take their best shots at you and they see you are trying to do something and then you reach out to them saying we need your help, sooner or later they will get the message that it is time to stop fighting and get down to solving the problem. He truly believes that can take place. One thing he likes about Bremerton is that there is not a lot of denial and people will speak what is on their mind about what they perceive as a problem. M/S/C/U(Overson/Colvin) to authorize the Mayor to execute the contract with Henry Mincey for Safe Streets Coordinator as presented. 8A - ORDINANCE (FIRST READING) AMENDING THE OFFICIAL ZONING MAP; AMENDING THE ZONING FOR PROPERTY AT 25TH AND SNYDER FROM SF-2 TO SF-3, #AB94-186 On August 3, 1994, the City Council approved the rezone of a 2.51 acre parcel located at 25th and Snyder from SF-2 to SF-3.. The applicant is Charles Haselwood, and the property is the former Unocal fuel facility. Council approval was conditioned upon an approved plat being submitted for the subject property. Council directed the City Attorney to prepare an ordinance amending the zoning map. Ian Sievers, City Attorney, re-emphasized this ordinance implements Council's decision at the prior hearing. Public comment - none. Mr. Overson questioned for clarification if Council's primary function at this time is to determine if this ordinance implements what they passed at the rezone hearing? Mr. Sievers stated that was correct. He added that the one point of possible ambiguity in Council's decision at the prior hearing was the Findings Of Fact. Usually, Council incorporates the Planning Commissions' findings. He referenced Section 3 of the proposed ordinance and pointed out a change was made to one of the conclusions in support of the decision to rezone. It is his opinion that the finding of the Planning Commission is certainly less defensible than the finding they included for the Council's approval under this section. Mr. Law stated when Council acted this item they included platting would be presented to Council, however, he did not see that #2266 TAPE #1231 City Council Reg. Mtg. Minutes August 31, 1994 Page 10 of 10 stipulation in the ordinance. Mr. Sievers explained this rezone is available provided a plat is submitted at some point and approved. If that is not done, this rezone is not available for use and would remain at SF-2. Mr. Law questioned if the approval of the plat would be by the Director Of Community Development? Also, he questioned if the platting is not as presented at the hearing, would the neighborhood have the option of reviewing that and presenting their protest to the City Council? Mr. Sievers explained approval of a plat is not done administratively and State law requires that plats be approved by the City Council. Additional wording is not required in the ordinance because it is a matter'of State law. M/S/C/(Overson/Law) to approve ordinance on first reading, amending the Official Zoning Map of the City of Bremerton for property located in the 2500 Block of Snyder Avenue. Vote on motion: Motion carried. In Favor: Overson, Farr, Law, Huff-Menees, Colvin, Winters Abstain: Dawkins With no further business meeting adjourned at 6:45 P.M. KATHLEEN L. Mc~ity Clerk ~~M~nES, ~/o~uncil President KLM/SH-M/me cc: Normal Distribution File/Vault