01/27/1987 City CouncilTHESE MINUTES SUBJECT TO
FEBRUARY 3, 1987 APPROVAL
EDMONDS CITY COUNCIL MINUTES.
SPECIAL MEETING - JANUARY 27, 1987
A special meeting of the Edmonds City Council was called to order at 9:00 p.m., following the
Council Committee meetings, by Mayor Larry Naughten, in the Plaza Meeting Room of the Edmonds
Library. Mayor Naughten explained that the meeting had been called to review and make a final
selection of a design firm for the secondary treatment plant project. Mayor Naughten then
turned the conduct of the meeting over to Council President Jack Wilson.
PRESENT STAFF PRESENT
Larry Naughten, Mayor Peter Hahn, Community Svs. Dir.
Jack Wilson, Council President Bob Alberts, City Engineer
Steve Dwyer Bobby Mills, Public Works Supt.
Laura Hall Jackie Parrett, City Clerk
JoAnne Jaech
Bill Kasper
John Nordquist
Lloyd Ostrom
Tony Russell, Student Rep.
In order to settle a question previously brought up, COUNCILMEMBER KASPER MOVED, SECONDED BY
COUNCILMEMBER DWYER, TO ELIMINATE THE NEED FOR A VOTE BY THE "CONSULTANT SELECTION COMMITTEE"
AND TO EMPOWER THE DECISION MAKING PROCESS ON THIS EVENING'S SUBJECT SOLELY WITH THE COUNCIL
AS A WHOLE. MOTION CARRIED.
Council President Wilson asked for further discussion or a motion from the Council. COUNCII_-
MEMBER OSTROM MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER NORDQUIST, TO APPOINT CULP (CWC/HDR, INC.) AS
THE CONSULTANT FOR THE PROJECT. Councilmember Kasper said he felt that as part of the selec-
tion process he would only support a party if he could say they would do a further analysis of
another site during the process period. He felt it should be, explored because there is ample
evidence that they should look at it further. Councilmember Hall agreed with him, but she
felt the Council had that maneuverability and that was not the issue for this meeting. Coun-
cilmember Kasper stated he would continue to pursue this, regardless of who is selected.
Councilmember .Ostrom stated the site issue had nothing to do with what they were discussing at
this meeting --that they had made that decision and he was not interested in bringing it up
again. Councilmember Hall reminded him that one Councilmember had been absent the night they
took the vote, and she said she was appalled that they had taken a vote on such an important
issue with one Councilmember absent. She added that the vote was based on a survey that she
did not think was objective, and she thought the public did not have all the facts when they
participated in the survey. She said she chooses to be a leader, rather than a follower, and
*making that decision would make the Council followers. She said she is not ready to put a
$4,000,000 plant at the existing site.
Council President Wilson stated he appreciates the position of leaving the plant where it is,
but he personally thought that constructing it there would be the worst possible legacy they
could leave the citizens of Edmonds. He added that if it is left there, the people who now
say they are not even aware of its being there are going to be the ones blaming the Council
for leaving it there. He thought another site, away from t;ie center of the City, could be
found at reasonable cost. He then read a suggested motion which he had prepared, and asked
the Council's thoughts on it:
"I move to select as the City's design consultant to provide predesign, design,
construction engineering, and start-up services.
"Incumbent in the design consultant selection decision is the requirement that the consultant,
with input from the City staff, provide as quickly as possible and as complete as circumstanc-
es permit, and prior to submission of pre -design plans, a cost estimate of additional site
possibilities. The additional site location is to include the so-called Union Oil site and
the site beyond the Union Oil plant south along the railroad tracks, plus any other logical
site that appears functional.
�I
"In addition, to direct the staff, through the City Attorney or a suitable legal consultant,
to prepare a contract for these services and present the contract to the City Council at its
meeting of March 3."
* See Council Minutes of February 3, 1987
Councilmember Ostrom responded that'h has not heard ariy complaint from people living in that
area about the current plant or objections to putting the new one there. He noted that if the
property is sold, the person who bought it would be thinking in terms of building something
there and would probably make it as big as possible. He presumed that the people who live
there think building something large there would do more to take away their views than the
sewage treatment plant which is a low-rise structure. He also added that it appears to him
that possibly some of the Councilmembe'rs taking this stand are associated with the real estate
business. He said he does not see any public interest in moving it and, in his opinion, there
is more to it than meets the eye. He suggested they must want to sell it and have some sort
of building development there. .
Council President Wilson responded that he is concerned with the sewage disposal site in the
center of the City. He said he would not care if the City wanted to put in a park there. He
said he would vote against Councilmember Ostrom's motion because he wants to give it one last
look. Councilmember Hall stated that she certainly has no real estate interests there, and
she pointed out that when they put the new plant there it will be lot line to lot line, and it
will be only a sewage plant with no public walkways in invitation to the public to walk down
there. She said she was thinking about the citizens.
In an effort to bring the discussion back to the purpose of the meeting, Councilmember Dwyer
observed that it would be most unfortunate for anyone to vote either in favor or against a
motion that evening to hire a particular consulting firm based on the site to be in a particu-
lar place. He noted that such was not a criterion for selection, and that this was a contract
of major import, and it was important for the Council's collective credibility to vote on this
question based on the factors to be considered --the quality of the two firms, the quality of
their presentations, their credibility, the Council's analysis of their proposals based on the
criteria given them, and all other relevant considerations.
Councilmember Kasper said he felt just the opposite --that this is such a major project that
they shold take whatever time they can get to open a few doors to go into it. He wanted to
pursue the site issue as long as they could within the time schedule. lie said he wanted the
minutes of this meeting to show that they based this important decision on what is important
and not anything else.
Council President Wilson agreed that they owed it to the two finalist firms to come to a deci-
sion. He said he had been hopeful that the motion he had prepared was such a motion, and he
had added the portion about giving one last loot: to give the Council a window in which to take
a look. He did not see it as being not consistent with what they were to do at this meeting
as it would get the ball rolling but would give them an.opportun ty to look at another site.
Councilmember Hall thought the blueprints the firms had provided could be used at another
site. She said she would select at this meeting and then insist that they get more input
before going with a site.
Councilmember Jaech observed that the only issue before them at this time was the selection of
an engineering firm that would devise a design for them, dependent upon the contract they
agree upon, which will be brought back to them later. She observed that all of the things
being discussed were issues that would be brought up in the contract, and they were not dis-
cussing those things at this time. She felt they were getting ahead of themselves to hold up
the selection process to define what they want in the contract.. She stressed that all that
was before them at this time was the selection of the design firm, and that was all she was
willing to vote on at this time. She called for the question.
Council President Wilson wished to ask a question before the vote. lie asked Community Servic-
es Director Peter Hahn what could be done expeditiously, if they selected the consultant this
evening, to look at some other site locations, and he asked how badly locked in they were to
the existing location. Mr. Hahn responded that they did not have a contract with anybody to
do anything, and the question they were asking (analysis of the site selection) could be added
to the scope of work. He said there currently is no work that can go on because they do not
have funds allocated, and he added that when they go. into final design there will be many
opportunities for refining. He said the size and site are generally part of the engineering
report but they do not bind the Council. He noted that the biggest unknown about the Union
Oil site has been the cost of damages which would have to be paid Union Oil, and that was the
biggest cost factor because they would be taking a facility that is unique and will have to
. pay damages on that. He indicated they could obtain the figures in three or four weeks as to
those costs.
EDMONDS CITY COUNCIL MINUTES
January 27, 1987 - Page 2
COUNCIL PRESIDENT WILSON MOVED TO AMEND THE MOTION TO INCLUDE 1HE FINAL PARAGRAPH OF HIS SUG-
GESTED MOTION (BEGINNING WITH "IN ADDITION..."). COUNCILMEMBER DWYER SECONDED THE MOTION TO
AMEND. There was a question as to what "these services" entailed. Mr. Hahn explained what
would be brought back in the contract, and Councilmember Dwyer said the import of the amend-
ment is to authorize expenditure of funds for someone other than the City's legal firm to
prepare the contract, because writing the contract would entail specific expertise. Council -
member Jaech requested more detail about the contract, and Mr. Hahn explained that the idea of
the contract is to implement the engineering report. Councilmember Jaech asked if this motion
would make them accept the design that the Culp firm had shown them. Mr. Hahn responded no,
and he said that would be very unusual. 000NCILMEMBER DWYER THEN WITHDREW HIS SECOND TO THE
MOTION TO AMEND, saying he did not want the motion complicated. THE MOTION TO AMEND WAS THEN
WITHDRAWN.
A ROLL GALL VOTE WAS TAKEN ON THE MOTION ON THE FLOOR, WITH COUNCILMEMBE.RS NORDQUIST, JAECH,
OSTROM, HALL, WILSON, AND DWYER VOTING YES, AND COUNCILMEMBER KASPER VOTING NO. MOTION CAR-
RIED.
Mr. Hahn added, in answer to a question from Councilmember Jaech, that his understanding was
that they will look at a second attorney and have authorization for funds for such.
The meeting then adjourned at 9;4.0 P.M.
These minutes are subject to February 3, 1987 approval.
AC ELINE G. PARRETT,.City Clerk LIARRY S. NAUGHTEN, ayor
EDMONDS CITY COUNCIL MINUTES
January 27, 1987 - Page 3