Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout05.06.24 - Study Session NotesCITY OF WHEAT RIDGE, COLORADO STUDY SESSION NOTES Hybrid - Virtual Meeting May 6, 2024 1. Call to Order Mayor Starker called the Study Session to order at 6:30 p.m. 2. Attendance Council Members present: Scott Ohm, Jenny Snell, Korey Stites, Amanda Weaver, Dan Larson, Janeece Hoppe, and Rachel Hultin Absent: Leah Dozeman Also present: City Manager Patrick Goff; Director of Community Development Lauren Mikulak; Parks and Recreation Director Karen O’Donnell; Sr. Deputy City Clerk Margy Greer, Assistant City Manager Marianne Schilling; Management Analyst Cole Haselip, Recreation Manager Susan Anderson, other staff and interested residents. 3. Public’s Right to Speak Stew Stewart (via Zoom) – Resident – stated he was listening in for the first time and simply wanted to listen to the proceedings regarding the trash hauling in Wheat Ridge. There were no public comments from Wheat Ridge Speaks. 4. UC Denver GIS presentation Issue Councilmember Weaver has taught a project-based course in the spring for graduate students from CU Denver to tackle current geographical issues with geospatial tools such as GIS. Over the past few years, the course has partnered with City staff to create and address city-specific projects as part of the curriculum. The students will be presenting the outcomes of this semester’s projects to City Council. Staff Reports CM Weaver introduced the graduating students and stated that, with the help of Marianne Schilling and Lauren Mikulak, students looked at three areas regarding the decision-making process of the 2J Funding and connectivity. The three areas were: condition of infrastructure, demographical impacts around certain infrastructure, and how the City can look at trees in concert with infrastructure in Wheat Ridge. Students Meghan Thompson, Vaz Ganushchak, Pat Hall, Erika Jermé, Hannah Larsen, Haorui Guo each spoke to this Capstone Project stating their hopes of having it serve as a decision-making tool regarding infrastructure. Showing a PowerPoint presentation, students explained their Analysis Goals as a high-level assessment of infrastructure conditions related to pedestrian and cyclist access; helped identify problem areas for further study; focus areas were sidewalks, bike lane and pedestrian crossings. They stated that this was not an engineering study but provides information which supplements and complements the information already on hand. Students stated they used a 2020 DRCOG imagery study and drove the areas to ensure the imagery was still the same today. They showed examples of examples of infrastructure types highlighting bad sidewalks; good sidewalks; bad bicycle lanes; and good bicycle lanes. The students showed a map depicting the present sidewalks and quality of same. They also showed the condition of sidewalks along routes to school. They then showed the current bike lanes and the quality of same. The students’ PowerPoint and presentation included the following topics: 2J Major Accomplishments; Sidewalk Gaps and improvements; Tree Canopy; funding to continue to expand its tree canopy; They also shared their items from those project summaries which focused on demographic data; accessibility; and heat islands. In summary, they stated their goals were to provide baseline information for decision- making related to the 2J sales tax; show the existing condition of pedestrian and bike infrastructure; show demographic factors that may impact Infrastructure decision making; and show the current tree canopy in public space. City Council Comments CM Hoppe stated she appreciated the map and data. She asked if the data distinguished between one side of the street needing repair and the other side of the street being in good condition. Students stated that each side of the street was graded independently. CM Hultin thanked the students for their hard work. She stated that she was struck by how closely the information the students presented aligned with the data Council was previously looking at regarding prioritizing the work. She stated having the additional data to review including the demographics and tree canopy would be very helpful. CM Stites thanked students for their presentation. He asked if students had seen the previously work done by staff or if their analysis was completely independent. Students replied that it was completely independent. CM Larson commended the students as the evidence of their hard work was in the presentation. He asked about the data sources being the 2020 Census and how the raw data was used. Students stated that the data is only there to show and understand the patterns, not individual demographics of each area. Students agreed with his analysis of the demographics showing overall density, not individual townhomes. CM Larson then asked if there had been a tree count. Students stated there was not a tree count done. The tree survey was done on a larger scale to show how tree canopies can reduce the effect of damaged sidewalks. CM Weaver stated that the trees that need to be replaced are not replaced by age but rather by diameter and species. Hot spot mapping shows an overall map of trees in different areas of Wheat Ridge. CM Ohm thanked CM Weaver and the students for their presentation. He stated it is important information and Council can look at it as ways to improve the community. He asked if there was a tree per acre analysis done. Students explained they did not because one small acre does not show the overall bigger pictures of the tree population. CM Snell thanked the students for their presentation. Mayor Starker thanked the students for a great presentation and stated that it helped put things in context and he now has an overall feel for the value of the work. 5. Residential Waste Engagement Project Update Issue The purpose of this study session is to provide City Council with an update on the Residential Waste Engagement project, including public engagement results to-date and to discuss next steps for the second, final round of public engagement to ensure alignment with Council priorities. Staff Reports Presentation on the issue was provided by Sustainability Coordinator, Mary Hester and included the background of the issue where at the April 4, 2022, Study Session, staff returned to provide information on this topic, including potential waste management strategies such as enhanced licensing requirements, city-contracted hauling, a preferred hauler system, and municipal hauling. Mary Hester introduced representatives from the contractor, Representatives from HDR Engineering, Inc. presented a PowerPoint show which included: the project input; project overview and outcomes; stakeholder listening sessions; public engagement results to date; public survey; and additional discussion with next steps. They spoke to the previous project in 2020 as part of the “Let’s Talk” engagement program. Community surveys were conducted which showed an outcome of the need for additional community engagement. Several issues were brought forward from the community including the number of haulers on the streets, noise pollution, greenhouse gas emissions; wear and tear on the roads; and unsafe traffic in neighborhoods. Through the community engagement process, Interest was expressed in wanting a unified and more organized trash collection service and that the City should investigate a single source provider or having a city-regulated waste management system like other surrounding cities. The project’s outcome is to empower City Council to feel confident to provide further direction on waste management decisions and approaches. The presenter stated that the importance of looking at the solutions from an unbiased viewpoint. Next steps are to continue robust public engagements and develop a set of recommendations to City Council. Through the Stakeholder Listening Sessions, the key take-aways were that participation was well above average for most City surveys. Results showed a close split of opinions of how well the current system works. Engagement results showed that some residents don’t like the cost, lack of large item pick-ups, lack of composting options, customer service and more. It also showed that residents want, regardless of the type of system: low cost, reliability, recycling options, good customer service, ability for large item haul. Choice and cost were the top two factors. The representative finished by summarizing that the goal of the report is to give City Council an informed overview of the public sentiment towards the current and alternative residential waste management systems. To date, the public feedback on the waste management systems has been mixed, with support and opposition expressed for each of the waste management methods and fee structures presented. Currently, there does not appear to be a clear consensus from residents on any one method. Therefore, continued community engagement with more specific questions is needed. City Council Comments CM engaged in a discussion and exchange of questions and proposals with the staff and among themselves, addressing the issue. CM Hultin stated she would support one more round of surveys if it would help her better understand the issues and offer options. CM Larson stated the entire study was looking at residential waste, not commercial or small businesses. He stated there was a previous vote of the people and the City should consider that vote along with other comments. Voters did not want to change the current system. He stated the City may be wasting time and money on doing another survey. He asked how the survey would dig deeper into the issue. CM Hoppe stated that she believes it should go to a vote of the people and they should be made aware of exactly what specifics they are voting on. The survey language should be specific as to what changes the residents want to see. It will help craft policy. CM Stites stated the survey needs to show what changes the residents are excited about. Minor changes can be voted on by the Council, but major changes should go to a vote of the people. CM Ohm stated the former ballot question was overly simplistic. Residents seem split right now ad we need know more information about the details regarding change. CM Hultin stated she doesn’t think this idea would go on the ballot any time soon. People feel strongly on both sides. If we do this right, we can keep improving the survey and get the detailed results we need to make decisions. It’s just not ready to visit right now. Mayor Starker stated that this is a divisive issue for the community. We need to be able to create more options and find a middle ground. The presenter stated that next steps are to complete Phase 3 of the Public Engagement process, wrap up the project and they will provide a final report to Council in the Fall. 6. 2023 Boards and Commissions Annual Report Issue Staff has completed the first Boards and Commissions Annual Report. This report details the achievements of each public body included in the report through the 2023 calendar year, anticipated activities in 2024, and provides information regarding the members of each public body. Staff liaisons and commission members from the Election Commission, Parks and Recreation Commission, and Cultural Commission will present an update on each Commission at the May 6th study session. Staff Reports Presentation on the issue was provided by Management Analyst, Cole Haselip and included the background of the issue where this development of the first Boards and Commissions Annual Report was a collaborative, cross-department effort, involving the staff liaison to each board, commission, committee, and authority included within. A testament to the community’s willingness to contribute toward the next chapter of Wheat Ridge, these public bodies are comprised of approximately 70 volunteers from across the City. Mr. Haselip described the three public bodies that would be presenting along with their appointed Liaisons. Those being: Election Commission – Liaison Margy Greer; Parks and Recreation Commission – Karen O’Donnell; and Cultural Commission – Liaison Susan Anderson. He stated that these groups are enhanced by the diversity of their focus areas and roles within City processes, the value of these bodies, their dedicated volunteers, and the staff that support them are indispensable to the City’s success. He finished by saying that these presentations are designed to complement the report by addressing potential questions and facilitating conversation. Election Commission Sr. Deputy City Clerk Margy Greer stated that the Election Commission had not met in 2023 and therefore the report would be short. She stated the Commission was mandated by the Home Rule Charter, which also states that the City Clerk is the Chair of the Commission. The commission helps resolve disputes during an election and consists of the chair and two resident electors. Cultural Commission Recreation Manager Susan Anderson spoke to the internal work done by the Commission in 2023, creating a 3 Pillar structure for the Commission which is giving them an organized way to move forward. Vice Chair Celia Daly spoke to the new structure and shared her enthusiasm with the direction they were headed. Another member spoke to the programs and projects completed by the Commission. Parks and Recreation Commission Cambria Rollo, Chair of the Commission, spoke about their 2023 achievements, their purpose, 2024 upcoming events and projects and spoke to how rewarding it was to serve on the Commission. CM had comments and questions. CM Hultin spoke about the great work the Cultural Commission had done regarding reinventing themselves and being involved in the community in such a positive way. CM Hoppe thanked everyone who presented and thanked the 70+ volunteers who help the City through their volunteerism. 7. Staff Report(s) None. 8. Officials’ Report(s) Mayor and Council Members reported on their various activities including ribbon cutting ceremonies, their attendance at other agency meetings, and items of personal interest. 9. Adjournment Mayor Starker adjourned the meeting at 8:22 pm. ______________________________ Margy Greer, Sr. Deputy City Clerk ______________________________ Korey Stites, Mayor Pro Tem