COMMITTEE AND COMMISSION APPOINTMENTS
The City Council has approved the appointment of Barbara Dodrill to fill a vacancy on the Committee for Citizen Involvement (CCI), for a term which will expire on June30, 2011. This particular vacancy was for one of the positions which must be filled by a member of another standing committee, and Barbara qualifies since she also sits on the Budget Committee. A sincere thanks to Barbara for all of her hard work and service as a member of the Budget Committee, and congratulations on being appointed to the CCI.
CITY COUNCIL REMOVES FROM THE AGENDA A RESOLUTION CALLING FOR THE WITHDRAWAL OF TROOPS FROM IRAQ
At their August 6th meeting, the City Council considered a resolution which had been placed on the agenda by Councilor Claassen, calling for the withdrawal of United States troops from Iraq. A motion was made by Councilor Briscoe, and seconded by Councilor Powell, to remove this item from the agenda. That motion passed with Councilors Briscoe, Powell, and Tiffany voting in favor, Councilors Claassen, Drew, and Procetto voting against, and Mayor Schamehorn breaking the tie. Although several Councilors expressed their strong opposition to the war in Iraq, the consensus of the majority was that this subject was not appropriate for consideration by the City Council.
During "Public Comment," which provides an opportunity for input and questions on items not on the agenda, several of the approximately 60 people in attendance spoke in favor of the proposed resolution, while several others spoke in support of the City Council action to remove it from the agenda. At one point in the deliberations, there was an effort to bring the item back up for Council consideration. There was opposition to a phrase in the proposed resolution which indicated that it was on behalf of the "citizens" of Bandon as well as the City Council. A motion was made by Councilor Claassen, and seconded by Councilor Drew, to eliminate the reference to "citizens," and to place the revised resolution back on the agenda. That motion was defeated 4 to 2, with Councilors Briscoe, Powell, Procetto, and Tiffany voting in opposition, and Councilors Claassen and Drew voting in favor.
POTENTIAL PAVING OF 18TH STREET SE FROM HIGHWAY 101 TO THE RECYCLING CENTER
When the City-wide street paving project was undertaken several years ago, 18th Street SE, east of Highway 101, was not paved, since it is located outside the City limits. The City limits runs along the north side of the 18th Street SE right-of-way. The portion of this street immediately east of Highway 101 provides primary access to the Greenscapes Nursery and the Bandon Disposal Recycling Center.
Since the subject portion of 18th Street SE primarily serves inside-City residents and businesses, the City Council expressed their interest in possibly using the Local Option Street Tax funds to pave that segment of street. The City Attorney reviewed the legality of doing so, but determined that City funds could not be used to pave streets outside the City. Therefore, since the City Council feels this paving project would be in the best interest of Bandon’s citizens, staff was directed to proceed with annexing the portion of 18th Street SE from Highway 101 to the Bandon Disposal Recycling Center. The City is just beginning the process of annexing some other street segments which were inadvertently omitted from a previous eastside annexation, so the 18th Street SE annexation will be considered at the same time. Hopefully, we can complete the annexation, and get the street paved within the next few months. It is estimated that the cost for paving that segment of 18th Street SE would be in the range of $12,000.00.
CITY COUNCIL DECIDES NOT TO PROHIBIT TRUCK TRAFFIC ON 11TH STREET THROUGH CITY PARK AT THIS TIME
At their August 6th meeting, the City Council discussed the possibility of prohibiting truck traffic on 11th Street through City Park, in response to occasional complaints. Over the past several months, the major Beach Loop developers and trucking haulers for projects such as Bandon Commons and the Colony were asked to utilize alternate routes, and appear to have complied for the most part. The primary alternate route was Seabird Drive, since other than 11th Street, there are no other direct collector street connections between Highway 101 and Beach Loop Drive.
On July 30th, to help determine the exact nature and extent of traffic problems in City Park, the Police Department spent a significant part of the day undertaking increased traffic enforcement at and around City Park. Officers were also directed to stop any commercial trucks and ask them where they are going to/coming from, to find out if the problem was being caused by any of the developers we have asked to stay out of City Park. As a result of the increased traffic patrol in this area, Officers issued two speeding warnings, one warning for failure to stop at a stop sign, nine citations for failure to stop at a stop sign, and one possession of marijuana less than 1 oz. All of the infractions involved passenger vehicles and pickup trucks, but no commercial trucks.
The City Council discussed the situation, and considered what specific actions, if any, would be appropriate, what type of trucks should be restricted, and whether they have to be completely prevented from driving on 11th Street and can only use Seabird Drive and Ocean Drive, or whether we want them to use 11th Street until they get to the Park and then turn onto Jackson, and use 9th, Ocean Drive, Newport, etc. In deciding the issue, the City Council considered several factors. All of the alternative routes are narrower than 11th Street, don't have sidewalks, were built to much lower weight standards than 11th Street, and could result in longer truck runs along Beach Loop Drive. If trucks are prohibited in City Park or along 11th Street, it was felt that even more dangerous conditions could be created, and the City could end up with even more complaints from the residents in the neighborhoods through which the increased truck traffic passes. Therefore, the City Council decided to not take any specific actions regarding prohibiting truck traffic on 11th Street at this time, although the Police Department will continue to remain vigilant regarding speeding and other traffic infractions in and around City Park.
FINAL LOAN AGREEMENT APPROVED FOR THE WATER PLANT CLARIFIER AND ULTRA-VIOLET SYSTEM
The City and State of Oregon have approved the final loan agreement for financing the water plant clarifier and ultra-violet disinfection system. The total current cost estimate for the project, based on the bid award, is $1,089,259.00. Of that amount, $1,010,000.00 will be financed by the State loan. $590,000.00 of the loan payments will be made from property taxes through a bond measure approved by the voters at the May 16, 2006 election, and $420,000.00 of the loan will be repaid from water system development charges (SDCs). The remaining $79,259.00 will contributed up front from water SDCs. The loan term for the permanent financing is 15 years at 3.56% annual interest. Construction on the clarifier and ultra-violet disinfection system is currently scheduled to begin on or around August 15, 2007, and will be completed by January 3, 2008.
TEMPORARY LOCATION NEEDED FOR SENIOR CENTER AND MEALS PROGRAMS DURING COMMUNITY CENTER RENOVATION
Construction activity on the Community Center Renovation project is scheduled to begin around October 1, 2007, and should be completed within about six months. The project will include replacing the roof over part of the building, removing and rebuilding walls, constructing a whole new kitchen south of the existing Senior Center, renovating and moving the Senior Center to the site of the existing kitchen, renovating the East-West rooms, and installing a new heating system.
Due to the extent of work which will be undertaken, it will not be practical to phase the work in a manner which would allow the Senior Center, Senior Meals program, or project EAT to continue functioning at the Community Center during the construction period. The City has discussed this situation with Senior Center officials and project EAT, and we are looking for a church, vacant building, or other facility which could house these activities from October 1, 2007 through approximately March 31, 2008. The Senior Center is open Monday through Friday, from 9 AM to 4 PM, and is approximately 40' x 50' in size. The Senior Meals Program requires cooking facilities, and provides hot meals from 11:30 AM to 1:00 PM on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. It is normally attended by 25-30 people. Project EAT serves a hot meal every Tuesday evening from 5:30 PM to 8:00 PM, and us usually attended by 55 to 70 people. There is also a need for a small temporary Senior Center office which would also house the Dial-A-Ride office, although this facility could be located at a separate location. It is also possible that the EAT meals program could be housed at a separate location from the Senior Center.
The City will pay all out-of-pocket expenses for such items as utilities. If anyone has or knows of any facilities which could be used for these purposes, or has any ideas in this regard, please contact me at City Hall, telephone 347-2437, ext. 229, or e-mail citymanager@ci.bandon.or.us. Thank you very much for any assistance you can provide.
HARRISON AVENUE SW LOCAL IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT
At the request of the adjoining property owners, the City Council has approved a petition to form a local improvement district (LID) for the construction of a street and sidewalk, and the installation of water, sewer, and storm drainage infrastructure along the extended Harrison Avenue SW right-of-way, between Seabird Drive and the south end of Harrison Avenue in the Ocean Trails subdivision.
The City’s role in LIDs is to oversee the proper formation of the district, prepare or review the engineering plans, secure project financing, solicit construction bids, and oversee construction. To encourage public improvements through LIDs, the City also contributes $2,750 towards the up-front cost of the preliminary engineering report. This money is essentially a short-term loan to the LID property owners, since it is included in the permanent bank financing, and is repaid to the City. In the past, the City has utilized Sterling Bank for financing, since they offer tax-exempt rates, and are the only local financial institution which has offered 30 year financing. Sterling Bank has again committed to providing financing for this project. Repayment of the loan is made by the property owners within the LID through assessments which are secured by liens against those properties.
CITY COUNCIL APPROVES ZONING COMPLIANCE EXTENSION AT 750 BEACH LOOP DRIVE
At the August 6th meeting, the City Council reviewed and approved a request from M.C. Ball for a nine month extension of the zoning compliance for construction of a new residence at 750 Beach Loop Drive (west side of Beach Loop Drive at the intersection with 7th Street SW. The Bandon Municipal Code limits the validity of zoning compliance to one year, with the possibility of one 6-month administrative extension. The subject zoning compliance originally expired on January 20, 2007, and was granted the six month extension until July 20, 2007. The code also allows the City Council to "grant zoning compliance extensions beyond 18 months for extraordinary circumstances such as medical injuries or emergencies beyond the control of the applicant." Inclement weather and high winds, as well as complexity of design and construction, were cited by Ms. Ball and her contractor as the reasons the house could not be completed within the initial 18 month time frame.
PROPOSED STANDARD STREET LIGHTING FIXTURE
The City has continued its efforts to locate a manufacturer who would supply a standard street lighting fixture that could be used throughout the community, for new street installations as well as retrofitting existing poles. We previously installed samples on Lincoln Avenue, south of Seabird Drive, although none of them met with universal approval. The goal is to find a light fixture which is attractive, can be used either on its own pole or attached to an existing wood power pole, and is low maintenance. We have installed another sample for the City Council and the public to consider. It is also located on Lincoln Avenue, south of Seabird Drive, and consists of a concrete pole with a cobra head fixture. The sample pole is hexagon shaped, and is 18 ft. tall. Due to the shape, it does not allow 360 degree orientation for aligning the head with curving streets. Therefore, if the overall design is acceptable, the final pole would be approximately 2 ft. taller, and would be octagon shaped. The City Council and the public is invited to examine the sample pole, and provide comments regarding whether it would be acceptable as the standard type of street lighting pole and fixture for Bandon. If you have any comments, please e-mail me at citymanager@ci.bandon.or.us.
RARE PROGRAM MAY STATION INTERN IN BANDON FOR HAZARD MITIGATION PLANNING
The University of Oregon has secured grant funding to locate RARE worker in various locations throughout the State, to work with local communities in developing hazard mitigation plans. (RARE stands for Resource Assistance for Rural Environments, and is a program through which university planning students are able to do internship work by providing planning assistance in rural communities.) The program will last approximately one year, with the local RARE worker working with the coastal communities in southern Oregon.
The City of Bandon has been selected as one of the possible home bases, and has agreed to provide office space in the former Community Development Director’s office. Although Bandon has already prepared a hazard mitigation plan, we could utilize this individual to assist with updating that plan, as well as helping with an upcoming Planning Department project to expand our inventory of hazard areas beyond the ocean bluff to also include other steep slope areas throughout the community which are susceptible to slides and erosion. Other than the office space, all costs for the RARE worker will be provided by the University of Oregon. The interviews took place in various communities during the week of August 6th, and also involve the students interviewing and investigating the City, to determine whether this is somewhere they would like to be stationed, and whether they can find housing.
BID AWARDED FOR THREE STREET OVERLAY PROJECTS
The City received two bids for three upcoming street projects. These projects include overlaying Beach Loop Drive from the Windermere Motel to the curve south of Caryll Court, Strawberry Drive east of Beach Loop Drive including a short portion of Beach Loop Drive at that intersection, and 9th Street SW from Harrison Avenue west to and including the cul-de-sac. These street projects primarily involve overlaying, but will also include some base work and installation of paving fabric in several locations. This is part of the City’s overall effort to maintain and preserve our existing streets. These particular street segments were selected because some of the existing pavement and surfacing is beginning to fail in various locations. Correcting these problems now will prevent the streets from further failure, and will be much less expensive that waiting until they would have to be reconstructed at approximately four times the cost.
At the August 6th meeting , the City Council awarded the bid to Laskey-Clifton Corporation, the low bidder, in the amount of $244,356.00. The fiscal year 2007-2008 Local Option Street Tax budget includes $275,000 for these three projects combined. The low construction bid, plus $25,979.00 remaining in engineering, with $4,665.00 for contingencies, falls within the budgeted amount. The cost for the match-up paving adjacent to the Colony will be paid by the project developers.
UTILITY "BAD DEBT" REPORT
During the six months from January 1 to July 30, 2007, the City had a total of $20,370.15 in utility bills which customers failed to pay. These represent customers who either leave their residence or business without paying their final bill, or have their service disconnected for failing to pay. Periodically, in order to apply any utility deposits which the City is holding, these unpaid amounts are written off as "bad debts." Then, if the City is able to determine a customer’s new address or workplace, the City pursues the bad debt through Small Claims Court, to obtain a wage garnishment order. In addition, the names of all customers with bad debts are turned over to all of the major credit reporting agencies. In difficult to collect cases, the debt is also turned over to the City’s collection agency. During the last six months, a total of $5,752.53 in deposits (with interest) were applied against the unpaid bills, for a net loss of $14,617.62. During that same period, a total of $5,422.36 was recommended for new Small Claims actions, and $3,839.53 was collected from previously written off bad debts. Any customer who has an unpaid bad debt, and wishes to re-establish utility service, must first pay all of that unpaid amount, in addition to a new utility deposit. The City pursues bad debts as vigorously as possible, since it is the good utility customers who are ultimately paying for those who do not pay their bills.
LIBRARY NEWS AND VIEWS FROM SUZ
Our records indicate that all you ever read is drivel. Only kidding, actually we have no idea what you’ve checked out in the past. Once you’ve returned an item, the trail is gone forever.
Patrons and tourists have commented on the library acoustics, which most resemble that of a concert hall not a study room. Architect alert! While this is indeed unfortunate it is also true that the Bandon Public Library was never a quiet academic atmosphere. Our library is a community center, a meeting place for everyone to chat up their Bandon University life stories and daily dramas. This is not a bad thing. If silence is what you need there are a couple of quiet study rooms available in the library, shut the door and heave a sigh of relief. You don’t need to listen to the constantly chuckling librarians entertaining themselves with the biblio fodder du jour.
Libraries have rushed forward into the new age (whichever one that is). Librarians are now Information Professionals. The library is a Media Resource Center. But a library is still a library and it remains a place where everyone is welcome and has the freedom to think.
The summer reading program sleep over was a raging success as at least one hour of sleep was had by all but Julie.
The library’s circulation is up more than 20K over last year. This is, well, astonishing. While you all have the commitment of the librarians to provide sweatshop hours for everyone’s benefit, it is Bandonians who make the library a success. Your donations are fabulous! Your volunteer time is welcome! Keep up the good work people and donate, donate, donate (especially music CDS and DVDS).
See you at www.cooslibraries.org, and in biblio-central.
LINDA’S CHURCH JOKE
I’m not sure what we’re going to do for jokes when Linda goes on maternity leave next month, but for now here’s her latest offering:
A blonde woman was having financial troubles so she decided to kidnap a child and demand a ransom.
She went to a local park, grabbed a little boy, took him behind a tree and wrote a note: "I have kidnaped your child. I am sorry to do this but I need the money. Leave $10,000 in a plain brown bag behind the big oak tree in the park at 7 A.M." Signed, "The Blonde."
She pinned the note inside the little boy's jacket and told him to go straight home. The next morning, she returned to the park to find the $10,000 in a brown bag behind the big oak tree, just as she had instructed. Inside the bag with the cash was the following note:
"Here is your money. I cannot believe that one blonde would do this to another."
