Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout2016-07-19; City Council; Minutesof CAN CITYCITY COUNCIL Council Chamber SA1a 1200 Carlsbad Village Drive( •- 1 Minutes Carlsbad, CA 92008 c'oRyo July 19, 2016, 9 a.m. CALL TO ORDER:9:00 a.m. ROLL CALL:Hall, Blackburn, Packard, Schumacher, Wood PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE:Council Member Packard led the Pledge of Allegiance. APPROVAL OF MINUTES:None. PRESENTATIONS:None. PUBLIC REPORT OF ANY ACTION TAKEN IN CLOSED SESSION:None. ORDINANCE FOR INTRODUCTION:None. ORDINANCES FOR ADOPTION:None. PUBLIC COMMENT: Ms. Belinda Rachman,Esq.spoke in support of community choice energy. PUBLIC HEARINGS:None. DEPARTMENTAL AND EXECUTIVE MANAGER REPORT: 1.AB #22,352 -Report and presentation on the FY 2016-17 City Council Strategic Policy Goals. City Manager Kevin Crawford introduced the topic and a power point presentation was provided (copy on file in the Office of the City Clerk), by Jason Haber, Assistant to the City Manager. Consultant Trudy Sopp moderated the question and answer portion of the presentation for the Council Members and staff. Goals reviewed: •Become a leader in multimodal transportation. •Plan for a new city hall. •Develop lifelong learners through education. •Enhance Carlsbad's coastline. •Trench the railroad tracks. •Build vitality in the Village of Carlsbad and Barrio neighborhood. Ms. Sopp invited the Council to pose questions to staff. July 19, 2016 Carlsbad City Council Regular Meeting Page 2 TRANSPORTATION Council Member Blackburn asked when the City will move from the test phase to the implementation phase for traffic relief.Craig Williams, Senior Engineer, responded that there are currently 60 Bluetooth signal devices installed and twenty more will be added in April.That installation should complete the signal communication portion of the transportation goal. Council Member Schumacher congratulated staff on the award of a $300,000 CalTrans grant and asked; what opportunities do the residents have to participate in transportation improvements within the City of Carlsbad and what is being done to communicate to the residents all of the great strides the City is taking to make improvements.Mr. Williams responded that staff is also working with "Waze" to provide better information so that the people moving around the City can look up conditions and can also report conditions.City Manager Kevin Crawford confirmed that Council Member Schumacher's concern is specifically that residents be informed about all of the effort being dedicated to improving traffic congestion and multimodal transportation in the City —getting that message out. Council Member Packard asked if staff is doing any tracking of pedestrians, bicycles, vehicles to prioritize transportation goals and Mr. Williams reported that the CalTrans grant will be used to study the mobility plan —focusing on the areas where there is a lot of activity.For instance, over the Fourth of July holiday weekend, staff tracked high volume intersections and cross-walks and will use that type of information to prioritize projects.Council Member Packard noted that NCTD has very few bus routes in Carlsbad because studies showed too few riders were participating within the city.Carlsbad has two train stations, however recent studies show the Poinsettia utilization is low, and NCTD is considering moving that station up to the Palomar Airport area. Prioritization should include utilization information to help the Council in making their decisions to provide the best service to the greatest number of people.The concern about communicating to the citizens of Carlsbad what efforts are underway to address transportation issues arose again. Mayor Hall noted that partnering with other organizations,such as CalTrans,our neighboring cities,and with SANDAG be part of the effort.Mayor Hall also emphasized that with the expansion of bicycle riding, safety needs to be a primary concern.Mr. Williams responded that staff is working with neighboring cities all utilizing Bluetooth technology. CITY HALL Council Member Wood suggested that staff visit/talk to other cities who are in the process of designing a new city hall.Curtis Jackson, Real Estate Manager, responded that he has reached out to numerous other cities and architectural firms engaged in design and build of city halls to develop the RFP (Request for Proposal). Council Member Packard noted that fifteen or sixteen years ago a location was identified for a new city hall, but citizens later balked at that location and the entire project was shelved.It would be prudent to engage citizens early in the process before we acquire a site so that this experience is not repeated.Mr. Jackson responded that once staff has the funding analysis complete, more citizen engagement will be employed. July 19, 2016 Carlsbad City Council Regular Meeting Page 3 Council Member Schumacher stated that location will follow design and functionality and he appreciates staff's manner of taking the process slowly and deliberately. EDUCATION Mayor Hall asked Ms. Debbie Fountain, Housing and Neighborhood Services Director, to describe the partners in education staff has garnered to identify and promote leadership within the Carlsbad high school aged population.Ms. Fountain explained the "You School" and its strategy to help students' self-awareness and to think about the world at large and the "Serve School" program that teaches youth how to deal with real life issues and community problems. Interested high school students who are residents of Carlsbad can apply to the program at www.carlsbadstudentleaderacademy.com. COASTLINE Mayor Hall stated his concern about using a round -about at the Terramar coastal intersection. There are many residents whose driveways enter/exit on the coast road that need to be considered. Council Member Packard stated his concern about increased access to the beach north of Pine Street means increased use and there is not a lifeguard presence there.Chris Hazeltine, Director of Parks and Recreation,responded that staff is continuing to work with state parks and recreation to devise a solution and while the process has not progressed as quickly as staff would like, he is diligently pursuing a common resolution. Mayor Hall queried that with competing values between Carlsbad residents and visitors to the city for the city's assets, specifically the beaches, which are being used more than ever, it may be prudent to focus energy and resources designed to draw people to the coast toward the areas with lower residential density,such as Ponto.The Mayor noted that, "the City has a wonderful coastline with numerous areas we'd like to see improvements made to,so in what order should we go and that probably takes us back to negotiations with the State of California."Ms. Sopp asked if there is something Council can do to help staff advance efforts with the State.Director Hazeltine stated staff was going down a path and then the State balked and in essence retreated back to having staff deal with local state officials,so a good six months of negotiations was lost. Mr. Hazeltine stated that the Council's continued support is appreciated and if the time comes that political outreach is in order, he will let Council know. BREAK:Mayor Hall announced a break at 10:44 a.m. RECONVENE:Mayor Pro Tern Wood announced the continuation of the City of Carlsbad Regular Meeting at 10:54 a.m. with Mayor Hall recusing himself and all other Council Members present. Assistant City Manager Gary Barbario resumed the discussion about coastline projects.A grant of $1.3 million was awarded to the City for roadway improvements at Ocean Street, Tarramar and Tamarack Avenue at Carlsbad Blvd.This project is on schedule to begin at the end of summer 2017 with completion planned for summer 2018. July 19, 2016 Carlsbad City Council Regular Meeting Page 4 Assistant to the City Manager, Jason Haber and Community and Economic Development Director Glen Van Peski presented the power point (copy on file in the Office of the City Clerk) on the final two goals. RAILROAD TRENCHING Council Member Schumacher asked if the financial analysis includes both aspects of proceeding with the trenching and not proceeding with the trenching.Mr. Haber reported that it does take both actions into consideration.Council Member Schumacher noted that everybody probably assumes there will be a considerable cost for the grade separation,but there may also be a considerable cost for not doing it, emphasizing safety concerns. VILLAGE AND BARRIO Mayor Pro Tern Wood stated her concern about signs of homelessness around Beech Avenue at Carlsbad Blvd.and south toward State Street and the Village train station.Mr.Van Peski responded that proactive efforts are being taken to assist the homeless in Carlsbad. City Manager Kevin Crawford requested Mr.Van Peski summarize the outcome of the last workshop held on the Village and Barrio master plan.Mr.Van Peski stated 150 residents participated and about 50 residents spoke about their vision for these neighborhoods.Mr. Van Peski is compiling a report that will be presented to the Council in the near future. Mayor Hall returned to the dais at 11:16 a.m. and Mr. Haber proceeded to present a "dashboard" staff is developing which will display the progress being made on each goal.This application will be available to Council,as well as to residents through the City's website. There was discussion about having a Council Member associated with each of the goals.City Manager Kevin Crawford suggested that Council Members meet directly with him regarding any special interest in any or all of the goals so that he can evaluate how Council Member's time and expertise can best be applied to accomplishing the goals. ACTION:Report received. DEPARTMENTAL AND CITY MANAGER REPORTS:None. ADJOURNMENT:Meeting was adjourned at 11:32 a.m. .1MI Barbar.ngleson City Clerk