Minutes of the Manchester Community Council meeting of 10/26/04Action Items: 1) Invite adjoining neighbors to the Haida park property to attend and participate in our November meeting. B. Ballard/John Winslow 2) Debbie Trudeau will investigate EPA and Fisheries as possible grant sources for sewer LID’s. 3) Executive Committee to discuss whether to form a new sub-committee specifically directed at Parks issues, or include in Public Facilities group. 4) JB Bartel letterhead development. 5) Bob Ballard to call an executive board meeting for Thursday 11/18 to specifically address dues collection and other appropriate issues. 6) At December meeting, discuss meeting days/dates for 2005. Ballard/Winslow. 7) Dave Kimble to contact Bill Zupancic to speak to our group on 11/23.(Completed) 8) Sub-Committee chairs Lamb, Larsen, and Rada will be prepared to present latest developments within their groups at the 11/23 meeting.
Minutes: The meeting was called to order by President, Bob Ballard at 6:30PM in the Manchester Library. Bob welcomed the 24 people in attendance and then introduced our special speakers for the evening, Michael McCarthy, Dave Tucker, and Michael Michael of SWWM’s. Michael and Dave then gave a short presentation on the upcoming changes to the Main Street stormwater out-fall and trunk line which are resulting from the Stormwater Plan which was developed in 1999. Several proposals were developed for the out-fall arrangement and option “C2” was chosen. This option will relocate the out-fall to just north of the Port docking facilities with the out-fall exposed at the surface near the zero foot tideline (mean lower low water). They then took questions from the floor. Question 1: Will there be any separation of oil and other pollutants from the storm-water? Answer: There will be catch basins throughout the system, but they do not trap oil, only solids like sand. Eventually there could be some treatment upstream, but the cost is high. Question 2: If there will be unmonitored discharge, where are the cost savings by discharging out further, why not monitor the discharge? Answer: We are not proposing to go out into the tidelands. Question 3: What is the cost of this project? Answer: This project is affecting a storm-water basin of approximately 126 acres. There will be a new out-fall plus piping up to Spring Street with a leg off along Denniston Lane. This portion of the project will come in at just under $1.0 Million. Question 4: Why don’t you run this discharge to the sewer system? Answer: The cost to treat sewage is approximately $0.13 per gallon. During heavy storms, there would be an overflow situation at the treatment facility, which would create a potentially worse problem. The Board of County Commissioners was the body that decided not to pursue a “deep discharge” system. Question 5: Aren’t the pollutants going into the ground now instead? Answer: Yes, monitoring shows low levels of pollution and SWWM’s is trying to reduce the number of out-fall locations. SWWM’s has been monitoring all major outfalls as part of our annual practices, at least monthly. Question 6: When reporting to the Commissioners, what information is provided? Answer: If the results of our monitoring are negative (problems found), we pursue the source of the problem. This is frequently a fecal contamination issue.
Question 7: Where will the out-fall be exactly? Answer: It will be right near the end of the floating dock at the Mean Lower Low tideline. Some of the 36” or 42” outside diameter pipe will be exposed at that point. Question 8: What is the timeline for the project? Answer: We are currently in the design phase. Early in 2005 we will move into the permit phase and expect to go out to bid in 6-12 months. Question 9: What is the funding situation for the project? Answer: This is part of the six-year plan and funds have been allocated. Question 10: Have you considered running sewer pipe alongside of the stormwater pipe for future use? Answer: Most areas in the first phase already have sewers. This is something that could be done for other areas. Question 11: Would the changes in cost between proposals (deep versus shallow discharge) possibly make up the difference in cost of monitoring (the shallow discharge)? Answer: The Fisheries Department wanted us to go out to a –10’ tide line. Final decisions will be made in the permitting process. Question 12: What factors lead to the final choice of out-fall design? Answer: We wanted to minimize the impact on boat traffic and simplify the project. Also, if we went deeper, we would go onto Dept. of Natural Resources property and have to execute a lease for that property. This could lead to potential liability issue on DNR property and the County didn’t want to assume that burden. Question 13: What is the current level of pollution due to the stormwater discharge? Answer: It is currently on the low end. No solids are being measured. Question 14: Will we be able to do anything about the pollution anyway? Answer: There is no good mechanism to remove the pollutants. The best money spent is to correct the problems at the source; this applies to fecal pollution particularly. Pet waste is another significant source. A list of all pollutants tested in stormwater is available from SWWM’s. Question 15: In 1998 problems were identified in Rickey Court and along California. Could the Alaska St. retention pond help those issues? Answer: Unfortunately, the water drains the wrong direction for the pond to help in those areas. The Rickey Court area was built up such that it created a natural dam. Now an 8” drain exists to resolve that problem. Question 16: What more can we do? Answer: The County has an educational outreach program. Staff continues to work with the community so they can help themselves. Literature and other information are available from SWWM’s. The SWWM’s representatives were then asked to address the issue that has come to light regarding the County’s intent for the property below Haida. This property was turned into a stormwater drainage “swale” in 1986; it had been in the Parks domain or owned privately in the 40 years prior to that. A recent decision was made to trade the land between Parks and SWWM’s. The ability to use the property as a passive park remains intact. The mechanism to accommodate any changes starts with Bill Zupancic (who will be our guest speaker in November addressing the Mosquito Fleet Trail system). Any improvements greater than $5000 would require permitting, and must stay within the definition of a passive park. The property is about 120’ wide at Colchester and 200’ deep, including tidelands. If the sewer system were to be extended south to that area, this would also be a likely place to install a pump station. If the Manchester Community Council has any interest in developing this passive park, an agreement should be drawn up with the County Commissioners. A formal notice of these discussions should be made to the neighbors in the adjoining properties. Chairman Ballard then thanked the speakers for their efforts in presenting the information and answering questions.
Chairman Ballard then suggested that we may want to create a new sub-committee to investigate whether any development of this property is desirable. Volunteers for this committee were David Kimble and Carol Kowalski. Subsequent to the meeting, several other volunteers were solicited by Dave and Carol. There is a lingering question as to whether this group should be organized within the existing Public Facilities sub-committee or whether a separate group should be formed; Bob Ballard and the Executive Committee will discuss this issue at the 11/18 meeting. Further discussion on potential development of the property was then postponed to a future meeting. John Winslow then raised a question on whether officer elections were in order per our Bylaws. Normally elections will be held at our November meeting, but since this is our first year of operation, the Bylaws do say that an exception to the November elections is allowed in our first year. The plan to continue with the existing officers was put to a vote of those in attendance and was passed unanimously. Chairman Ballard announced that prior to the meeting, Bob Lamb had offered to chair the Public Facilities sub-committee. This group is planning to meet in the near future. Anyone else interested in participating can contact Bob Lamb or John Winslow. Ron Rada, Chair of the Sewers sub-committee reported that the group met last Wednesday. The proposed LID for sewer extension southward along Miracle Mile has received a 51% affirmative support and there are more individuals to contact. Ron is hoping to get 60% approval. The County has suggested that the project construction phase could be completed in as little as 9-12 months. He also reported that they have been unable to find any grant monies to supplement the project. An audience member suggested that Ron pursue grants from Fisheries and someone else said that the EPA apparently provided some funding for a project in Gig Harbor approximately four years ago. Debbie Trudeau will investigate this further. Ron reiterated that the sub-committee wants to help other areas that are interested in LID’s for sewer extension. A member of the audience asked whether full extension of the sewers along Colchester could hold down the cost for all areas interested in hooking up. Ron offered that separate LID’s might help to pay off the bond for the individual areas sooner, but it is very difficult to get all parties involved in a short time span. The current projected cost for each of the landowners in the proposed LID is approximately $18,000 (includes $46/ft of road repair). The Public Facilities sub-committee reported that they have not held a meeting yet, due to the difficulty in contacting the property owner of the vacant lot at Colchester and Main. Bud Larsen, the chair of the Crime Prevention sub-committee was unavailable for the meeting, but asked that a summary of their activities be included in the minutes. This group meets weekly for coffee on Thursdays at 6:45AM at the Manchester Inn. Frequently the group has guest speakers who have included Sheriff Boyer, Fuel Depot manager, and Deputies from the Sheriff’s office. All interested individuals are welcome to attend future meetings. Issues that have been discussed include: Blockwatch expansion in Manchester, potential for opening a Sheriff’s way-station in Manchester, 911 response times, Port security and regulation enforcement, Pomeroy Park security and clean-up during major events such as Independence Day, Fuel Depot truck traffic, Sheriff’s Water Patrol, crime prevention education, and enhancing the positive role modeling of our Deputies. JB Bartel was out of town and unable to report on the status of MCC letterhead. Carol Kowalski presented the Treasurer’s report. We currently have a balance of $50 in our treasury. By year’s end, the balance will be down to $20 after paying room rental for the next two meetings. Known expenses for 2005 are $180 room rent, $28 PO Box rental, and unknown amounts for letterhead, postage, and printing. A motion was made to hold an executive board meeting prior to our November meeting to specifically address the issue of dues for funding our treasury. It was suggested that Thursday 11/18 would be a good time for that meeting.
There was a suggestion from the floor to change our meeting night to Thursdays. It was decided that we would discuss this issue at our December meeting. There was no mail from our Post Office box 173 for review at the meeting. John Winslow reminded all, particularly those without access to email, that the MCC minutes are now posted on the bulletin board in the Library meeting room. Dates for November and December meetings were discussed. It was decided to keep the November meeting date on 11/23 and the December meeting was moved ahead one week to December 21. David Kimble has arranged for Bill Zupancic to be our guest speaker in November. The date arranged will need to be changed to 11/23. John Winslow then asked if there was any other discussion from the floor. There being none, Chairman Ballard adjourned the meeting at 8:10PM Our next meeting will be Tuesday November 23rdh at 6:30-8:30PM in the Manchester Library. Bob Ballard and John Winslow will jointly develop an agenda for our next meeting for distribution with the reminder, several days before the meeting. At this point the tentative agenda includes a presentation by Bill Zupancic of SWWM’s regarding the Mosquito Fleet Trail, Bike & Trail plans for Colchester, and the connection between those plans and the potential park property near Haida. Also we will have reports from the Sewers, Public Facilities, and Crime Prevention sub-committees. If you have any additional items for the agenda, contact John Winslow prior to November 18th.
Respectfully submitted, John Winslow, Secretary-Manchester Community Council
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