Minutes - Meeting of Monday, November 19^th, 2001

Topic

Agenda Item - Comment/Disposition

Call to Order/Roll Call

Morning Workshop Session – Monday, November 19, 2001

Chairman Don Struck called the meeting to order at 10:05 AM.

Commissioners Present: Don Struck and Ray Thayer.

Commissioner Joan Frey joined the meeting at 10:10 AM.

Workshop Session Agenda

10:05 AM – Road Department Update

Project Engineer Bjorn Hedges and Road Department Secretary Mary Clark briefed the Board on Road Department developments:

• Mr. Hedges noted changes in the six-year road plan, with some Public Works Trust Fund projects being moved back to 2003.
• Commissioner Frey noted plans for improvements to The Dalles Mountain Road and participants noted that there would have to be coordination with the Gorge Commission on all projects within the Scenic Area.
• Commissioner Thayer expressed thanks to Chuck Ruhsenberger, Area Engineer for the Washington State Department of Transportation’s Southwest Office for his assistance on the BZ-Glenwood, Trout Lake Highway and Alderdale projects.
• Ms. Clark said that a resolution would be prepared for next week’s meeting declaring a sole source provider and awarding a bid for upgrading the south entrance to the courthouse.
• Mr. Hedges noted a resolution prepared for Board consideration canceling warrants to M. L. Houck Construction and then re-issuing new warrants. The issue was that certain subcontractors had not yet supplied a "Statement of Intent to Pay Prevailing Wages". M. L. Houck wanted release of payments for work not performed by those contractors in non-compliance.
• Chairman Struck brought up the proposed removal of Condit Dam on the White Salmon River and its effect on the Northwestern Bridge. Mr. Hedges noted that the state Department of Ecology (DOE) has set aside $600,000 to replace or improve the bridge should the dam be removed, as removal would then mean that swift flowing water could undermine the bridge footings. The Board instructed Mr. Hedges to compose a letter to DOE voicing Klickitat County’s concerns.

10:50 AM – Renovation of Annex III

Juvenile Court Administrator Keith Anderson handed out sketches showing proposed changes to the layout of Annex III, noting that these supplant earlier proposals. The new plan is simpler and does not involve construction of full floor-to-ceiling walls, with Building & Grounds Manager John Ihrig adding that this proposal could be constructed in-house, using jail inmates, and would cost much less than the earlier proposal. The Board gave their concurrence to proceed using in-house personnel as much as possible.

11:15 AM – Fairgrounds Restroom/Shower Facility

Manager Ihrig stated that Cornerstone Concrete & Construction has yet to secure bonding on the restroom/shower facility at the fairgrounds, because they are not quite finished with renovation of the Rural 7 fire hall. However another bonding company has stated that they will approve a new bond once the earlier project is complete. Commissioner Thayer said that Cornerstone must be prepared to halt work if the county finds it necessary to enforce a winter shutdown.

11:20 AM – Public Works Director/County Engineer Position

The Board stated that they have offered the Public Works Director/County Engineer position to Larry Nicholas and are now awaiting his response.

Lunch Recess

The Board recessed for the Elected Officials Luncheon at 11:30 AM.

Call to Order/Roll Call

Regular Meeting for Monday, November 19, 2001

Chairman Don Struck reconvened the meeting at 1:06 PM.

Commissioners Present: Don Struck, Joan Frey and Ray Thayer.

Agenda

Business Agenda

Approved (M/Thayer, S/Frey. Passed unanimously) the Business Agenda with three additions under New Business: 1) Billing for equipment at Juniper Point from Rural #7 Fire District, 2) a budget issue with the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, and 3) a resolution canceling warrants to M. L. Houck Construction and then re-issuing new warrants. It was also noted that an executive session for an annual personnel evaluation scheduled for this afternoon would be rescheduled.

Citizen Comment

Jack Bostick – Asked why the Board meeting minutes are so far behind. Chairman Struck responded that the Board has addressed the issue by moving the Clerk of the Board function to the Commissioner’s Department and hiring Larry Gourley to fill the position. He added that there would now be more time to devote to preparation of the minutes. Mr. Bostick said that he would like to see a draft of the minutes for each Monday meeting available for view on the county’s website by the end of that week. Mr. Gourley replied that making available even a draft that quickly may not be possible and questioned whether it would be wise to disseminate an unapproved record of the meeting proceedings. Chairman Struck agreed that distributing unapproved meeting minutes was not a good idea and stated that Mr. Bostick would be pleased by the progress made in getting the minutes current.

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Sandra Bostick – Presented correspondence from Howard and Elaine Kubler to the state Department of Ecology (DOE), expressing opposition to the removal of the Condit Dam. They stated that this seems a precursor to removal of larger dams on the Snake River and the decision to remove Condit Dam was done without adequate notification or input from those most affected. The Kublers suggested there could be detrimental effects on wells and the water table level of adjoining land and also said there would be harmful environmental effects from the sudden release of silt and other debris into the White Salmon and Columbia Rivers. They also expressed unhappiness with "circumstances of secrecy in closed meetings and closed mindedness of those who have arrived at this decision". Ms. Bostick submitted the letter for inclusion into the record. Chairman Struck expressed thanks, noting that the Husum-BZ Community Council has notified DOE of their opposition to the removal of the dam. He added that Klickitat and Skamania Counties have filed for intervenor status they will have their day in court.

Rick Millerin, Cornerstone Concrete & Construction – Said that circumstances beyond his control have prevented him from getting bonding on the fairgrounds bathroom/shower facility project. (This in turn prevented execution of the contract and delayed the start of construction.) Chairman Struck replied that the Board was informed of the situation during previous discussions, noting that they have no problem extending the length of the contract, but are concerned with the late start now that ground conditions are not good. Mr. Millerin said that he hoped to get bonding this week and expected to be able to pour concrete before the end of this month. Responding to Board inquiries, Building & Grounds Manager John Ihrig said that the ground is graveled to within 45 feet of the site and bedrock is probably only about 18 inches from the surface. The Board agreed to a twenty day extension for acquisition of bonding.

Catherine Bell – Said she was moving out of state and expressed her regrets at having to resign from the Stakeholders Committee as well as the Water Resource Inventory Area (WRIA) 30 Planning Unit. Chairman Struck thanked her for her service to the county.

New Business

Billing from Rural #7 Fire District for County Equipment at Juniper Point

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Sheriff Chris Mace said that his office received a letter, dated November 13, from the Klickitat County Fire Protection District #7 informing that they would begin billing the county $50 per month for communications equipment housed at their facility at Juniper Point. This is to cover their costs for electricity and road maintenance. Sheriff Mace said that he had discussed this issue with Rural 7 about six months ago where he pointed out that Rural 7 receives free dispatch service from the county. He thought that this had settled the issue, so he was surprised at receipt of the November 13 letter. Sheriff Mace said that this would be an unexpected expenditure and that it has not been budgeted for in 2002. The Board of Commissioners Executive Secretary Cris McEwen volunteered to assist in composition of a response letter.

Prosecuting Attorney Budget Issues

Prosecuting Attorney Tim O’Neill briefed the Board on several budget issues:

• He intends to utilize the services of Special Prosecutor David Trefry to complete some criminal cases.
• He informed the Board that only two applications have been received for the Chief Deputy Prosecutor position. He will meet with one applicant tomorrow.
• By next March his office will have responsibility for prosecution of two criminal cases. He hopes to get help from the State Attorney General’s Office, as these are capital cases.
• He recommended subscribing to the West Law Computer System, stating that it is an excellent research database. He said that up to five lawyers could log onto the website at a cost of $435 per month. The Board stated their approval to proceed.

Miscellaneous Reports/Comments

Building Inspection Department Update

Building & Compliance Director Skip Grimes briefed the Board on several department issues:

• Director Grimes discussed time frames and other aspects of two nuisance abatement cases.
• He said it is unclear whether West End Services will be open this Wednesday, as his department is shorthanded.
• Chairman Struck stated that he had reviewed Director Grimes’ comments on the draft for the on-site sewage ordinance. Director Grimes said he does not understand why the Health Board wants certification of local septic system installers, saying county residents are fully protected by state statutes. The Board said many of these issues should be shelved until a new Public Health Director is chosen.

Consent Agenda

There were no items on the Consent Agenda.

Road Permits

Permit Approved: P11101

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P102901

Ira Brokaw, Goldendale, WA – Construct an approach to the west side of Pine Forest Road at M.P. 0.39.

Payment Approvals

Cancellation of Original Warrant and Reissue of Partial Pay Estimate to M. L. Houck Construction

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Approved (M/Thayer, S/Frey. Passed unanimously) Resolution #21101 canceling original warrant #107052 and reissuing partial pay estimate #3 to M. L. Houck Construction, Inc. in the amount of $1,686,647.14. As noted in the morning work session, the issue was that certain subcontractors had not yet supplied a "Statement of Intent to Pay Prevailing Wages". M. L. Houck wanted release of payments for work not performed by the non-complying contractors.

Road Department Contract Pay Estimate Payments

Authorized (M/Thayer, S/Frey. Passed unanimously) Progress Payment No. 1 to the James W. Fowler Company, in the amount of $91,800.00 for the Dallesport Wastewater Collection System project.

Voucher Certification and Approval

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Approved Warrants (M/Frey, S/Thayer. Passed unanimously):

Accounts Payable: (#107282 – 107470 and including cancelled warrants #107087 and 107470) for a net of $193,024.54

(There were no payroll/benefit warrants during this period.)

Adjournment

There being no further business before the Board, the meeting was adjourned at 4:05 PM.

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Reference Document on File