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HomeMy WebLinkAbout05/23/68 ~ay 23, 2968 A regular meeting of the City Council of the City o£ Bremerton was held in the Council Chambers of the City Hall at 7:50 P.M., D.S.T., on Thursday, Nay 25, 1968, with Mayor Jarstad presiding. Also ~esent were the following:: Commissioner Schoneman, City Attorney Walgren, City Cle~ McGowan, Acting City Engineer Humble, Assistant City Engineer H~ley, Victor Lucas from the Engineering Department, Howard N. Godat, Consulting Engineer, residents of the ~roposed Almlra D~ive sewer Local Improvement Distriot, proponents of an open housing ordinance, and representatives of the Press and Radio. Nr. Clark was still recovering £rom his operation~ and was unable to attend. The meeting was called to order by Mayor Jarstad and the invocation was given by Rev. Melvin Unruhof the S~m~it Avenue Presbyterian Church. The minutes of the last meeting which was held on Nay 22, 1968 were not completed and will be read at the next Council meeting. The City Clerk arauounced that it was the time ma dplace set for (1) a Public He,ring on the Local Improvement District for Almira Drive, and (2) the Amendment to the Six-Year Street Plan. Motion by Mr. Jarstad and Nr. Schoneman that they be heard, carried ~animously. The City Clerk announced that he had just received written protests from residents of Bradley Cou~t and Bradley Street. AFter n~ucL ~Jscusslon, and explanation by Howard N. Godat, Consulting Engineer, and Commissioner Schoneman concerning the improvement o£ the A3mzira Drive area by the construction of sanitary sewers and necessary appurtenances, City Clerk NcGowan recommended that the letters of protest be turne~ over to the Engineering Department for study. He explained that citizens can make oral protests b~t the only protests that can be considered must be in writing. Nr. Godat then explained, with the aid of a drawing, what was to be accomplished by the L.I.D. He was questioned by both proponents and opponents with reference to the location of sewer mains and the restoration of property in the event that easements were obtained across private property. Acting City Engineer, Everett Humble, gave a report of the May 25, 1968 - Con~t findings of the Engineers office relative to the v~itten protests and it was determined that they represented 10.$6% of the total valuation of the proposed L.I.D. When asked what guarantee the residents have that a job such as this will be completed, the Mayor explained that every contract has a performance bond which guarantees 100~ completion of the job. Mayor Jarstad made a strong statement concerning the need for awareness of the citizens if the City of Bremerton is to be created and maintained as a good city. He criticized those who do not want to join the City but want to use its facilities - streets, stores, parks. He stated that somewhere along the line there has to be a strong unit of government working for the people and that is what the City Employees are trying to do. He extended an invitation to all of those in ~e audience to come down on Monday evening to the Elks Temple to a meeting sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce and the City at which time plans will be formulated for ~he future improvements to the City of Bremerton will be discussed. Howard Godat stated that the written petitions that have been submitted total 10.$8% of the entire L.I.D. and the majority of these petitions are concentrated on Bradley and Bra~ley Court. questioned if this area could be left out of the L.I.D., ~. Godat state~ that it could from a functional standpoint. Commissioner Schoneman informed the citizens protesting that they would have to form their own L.I.D. if it ever Became necessary for them to put in sanitary sewers and that it is much better to work together now. Mayor Jarstad suggested that possibly the Health Deps~tment should dye these septic ta~(s to be sure that they are not polluting the area dov~ below. ~.~otion by Mr. Schoneman and Mr. Jarstad that the Local Improve- ment District~ on Almira Drive be formed to delete those portions that have been protested, carried unanimously. City Clerk NcGowan did not read the proposed Ordinance for Almira Drive since it will have to be rewritten to include new proper legal descriptions. Motion by ~. Schoneman a~d ~. Jarstad to authorize Howard N. C~dat to prepare plans an~speciftcation for t he Almira Drive sewer project, carried unanimously. City Clerk MeGowan stated that a hearing was set for an amendment to the Comprehensive Street Program for the ensuing six years. The City Clerk read the Resolution amending the Street Program by adding thereto the construction of Park Avenue from Fourth Street.to Burwell Street. ~otion by ~. Jarstad and ~. Schoneman that the Resolution be adopted, carried unanimously. The City Clerk presented RESOLUTION #1574 authorizing the execution and delivery of a contract with Puget Sound Power & Light Company for furnishing municipal street lighting services for a period of ten years. Motion by Mr. Jarstad and ~. Schoneman that RESOLUTION be adopted, carried unanimously. The City Clerk annuunced that the cormnittee to whom bids for back-hoe were referred recommend that the award be made to Fray Equipment Company on a Heins Werener Backhoe, being the lowest bidder and meeting the specifications. The net price to the City was $~8,~71.80. Notion by Mr. Schoneman and Mm. Jarstad to authorize the purchase of the backhoe from Fray Equipment Company, carried unanimously. Co.~issioner Schoneman stated t~at the award of the bid on the B~well Street Project will be announced at the next Council meeting. He noted that the lowest bidder was Butle~ Construction & Engineering Company with a bid of $236~722.50. /'~ The City Clerk announced a proposed ordinance relating to the licensing of dogs and eats and repealing ordinance nos. 1925, 1933, and 2551, and stated that it would be read at the next meeting with an emergency clause. The City Clerk read a memo from Ervin Heath, City Forrester, requesting Council approval to harvest approximately 180~000 B.F. of ove~nature hardwoods. Motion by ~. Schonemma and Mr. Jarstad this May 25, 1988 - Cont'd. be approved, carried unanimously. ~e City Clerk read a letter from the Kitsap Square Dance Association petitioning the City Council for an appropriate parcel of land that is not use~ by the City, where a lease agreement could b e a greed upon by both parties. Mayor Jarstad stated he thought the City Coucil would be able to help this organization in their search for land for the Square Dance Center. The City Clerk read a letter from pUget Sound Power & Light Company with a check in the amount of $283.00 attached. The check was sent because of savings on a recent Job of installing two transformer support poles--one at reservoir #12 and the other at reservoir #14. The contract price was $1,015.74, but ~hen all the charges on the job were assembled, they totaled only $731.84 nd the difference was returned to the City. The City Clerk read a letter addressed to the City Council from Bremers, Inc., requgstlng permission to lease the Craven Center Pa~king Lot for a two-week ps riod beginning on May 23, 1968 and ending on June 5, 1968 with a payment of $500.00 for the two week period. They have agreed to accept the lot in'its present condition and will assume responsibility for its. operation and liability that might be incurred in operation of the lot. Motion by Mr. Jarstad and Mr. Schoneman the request be granted, carried unanimously. The City Clerk read a letter from the official board of the First United Methodist Church addressed to the Council regarding an "open housing ordinance~...which stated that such an ordinance, they believe, will give evidence of our City's concern and good faith that discrimination in housing on the basis of aperson's skin color is morally reprehensible. The letter stated further that our federal government has passed open housing legislation and many ~ities throughout the Country including Seattle, Tacoma, and Olympia, have followed suit by adopting, locally, open occupancy ordinances with emergency clauses putting them into immediate effect. The letter closed by stating that they were well aware that such an ordinance would not alleviate all of the problems of discrimination, but it is believed that it is an impbrtant--if not a major--step in affirming the rights and the dignity of the minority peoples of our City. There were ap~r oximately 45 to 50 people in the Council Chambers~ who were in apparent accord with the sentiments expressed in the letter presented by Reverend Peterson. Among these were representatives from the League of Women Voters, The N.A.A.C.P., the Mayor's HLm~an Relations Committee~ the Negro Community, and several churches. ~ost of those who spoke indicated that~ they wanted the immediate adoption of an Open Housing Ordinance and it was sugges~ted by one speaker that since the Council pa~sed the so-called Riot Ordinance with an emergency clause, there was no reason for a delay in passing an Open Housing Ordinance. City Attorney Walgren, when asked to comment on the Ordinance covering Civil Disorders, stated that the Ordinance was designed to protect the City from liability in the event injuries should occu~ during civil distumbances. Mayor JarStad stated that he had asked a member of the Human Relations Committee to obtain copies of Ordinances enacted in Seattle, Tacoma, and Olympia in o~der that the Co~ittee could study them. Mm. Schoneman was asked by a member of the audience to express his views on an Open Housing Ordinance. r~. Schoneman Said that he had learned a great deal from this meeting and expressed sumprise that there was discrimination to the degree indicated by the ~ eakers. 5t~. Schoneman then moved that the Council direct the City Attorney to draft an Ordinance for passage. Mayor Jarstad said he vould second the motion if 5t~. Schoneman would amend the motion to state that the Human Relations Committee wo~d have the opportunity to study it first. This was agreed to by ~ir. Schoneman aa d the motion was seconded by ~.~ayor Jarstad and ~assed unanimously. 5~ee ting adjourned. CJ.T~i CLERK' '