Drafter
Clerk 03/06/2008
Title
A MOTION identifying the highest priority unfunded Capital Improvement Projects for King County.
Body
WHEREAS, King County, Washington, has a 2008 adopted budget of $4.9 billion, and
WHEREAS, the 2008 Capital Improvement Program within that budget totals $1.2 billion, and
WHEREAS, in preparing for the 2008 budget, the King County council conducted an extensive citizen engagement process to identify the highest priorities for the residents of King County, and
WHEREAS, the results of that citizen engagement process were approved by the council via Motion 12545, and
WHEREAS, the highest priorities for King County, known as "Priorities for People" were divided by major priorities including Earning Public Trust, Enhancing Quality of Life and Protecting Public Health and Safety, and
WHEREAS, Earning Public Trust includes implementing sound county financial oversight measures, managing the public's money prudently and wisely, increasing citizen engagement in oversight of county services, closely monitoring and reporting on county spending, furthering citizen involvement in setting budget priorities, guaranteeing the right to vote for all eligibly county residents by ensuring that voting systems are secure, reliable and private, establishing county local and regional performance measures and publicly reporting on them and increasing accountability and transparency on capital projects, and
WHEREAS, Enhancing Quality of Life includes managing growth wisely, providing quality local government services, improving transportation options and providing greater mobility for people, vehicles and freight, reducing carbon emissions, maintaining levees, enhancing cleanup of Puget Sound waterways and taking other measures for responsible environmental stewardship and creating and encouraging vibrant cultural and recreational opportunities, and
WHEREAS, Protecting Public Health and Safety includes enhancing the county's capability and flexibility to meet needs for public health protection, promotion and provision, promoting conditions for optimal physical and mental health and reduction in chemical dependency and obesity, partnering with organizations to ensure access to public health for the uninsured and the underinsured, pursuing programs to keep young citizens away from the criminal justice system, continuing to implement crime and gang activity reduction programs, reducing the cost of detention while increasing effective and safe alternatives to jail detention, preparing our citizens, neighborhoods an county government officials for natural disasters and public health emergencies and implementing measures for further oversight of the sheriff's office, and
WHEREAS, after careful consideration by the county council, it was determined that there was insufficient funding to pay for all the capital projects necessary to achieve these priorities, and
WHEREAS, many of the capital projects left unfunded are included in areas that have historically been funded, at least in part, through the availability of federal grant funding, and
WHEREAS, maintaining our transportation, natural areas and parks serve both the county interests as well as the interests of the federal government;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT MOVED by the Council of King County:
A. The county council calls on our federal congressional delegation and the president of the United States to approve and implement an economic stimulus package that addresses the growing infrastructure problem nationwide;
B. The county council calls on our congressional delegation to work to include the following projects in the following categories and amounts in any economic stimulus package:
1. Public transportation:
a. bus cameras: Installation of two hundred additional recording cameras and digital recorders in coaches. The original project was to install four hundred, but original equipment failed and funding was not available to install the remaining two hundred ($1,000,000); and
b. ticket vending machines: Project to install ten ticket vending machines at high-ridership locations throughout the Metro system. Would provide easy customer access to the new electronic fare media, which is Smart Card, which could be purchased and reloaded at these machines. If the pilot program is successful it could be expanded to additional locations. Funding would allow for expansion of the project to all transit centers and park and ride lots where an electronic vending machines makes business sense. This request is for sixty-six additional venting machines ($4,950,000);
2. Roads services projects:
a. Novelty Hill Road: Funding for this project could go towards additional design work and the beginning of construction. The project is underfunded by tens of millions of dollars ($30,000,000);
b. South Park bridge replacement: Funding to replace a drawbridge in unincorporated King County ($150,000,000);
c. short-span bridges 2008:
(1) Patterson Creek bridge #344A ($527,000);
(2) Patterson Creek bridge #5024A ($527,000);
(3) West Snoqualmie River Rd NE bridge #228D ($554,000);
(4) 308th Ave SE bridge #344B ($554,000); and
d. short-span bridges for 2009:
(1) SE 277th St bridge #3126 ($1,107,000);
(2) Soos Creek bridge #3106 ($733,000);
(3) Soos Creek bridge #3205 ($733,000); and
(4) Newaukum Creek bridge #3043 ($733,000);
3. Parks and open space:
a. Burke Gilman Trail redevelopment ($5,000,000);
b. East Lake Sammamish Trail design ($3,400,000);
c. Marymoor Connector Trail (Sammamish River Trail to East Lake Sammamish Trail) ($1,300,000);
d. Marymoor Field synthetic turf ballfield complex ($3,500,000);
e. Cougar Mountain/Sunset quarry acquisition ($1,800,000);
f. Duthie Hill regional park acquisition ($800,000);
g. Rainbow Bend mobile home park, Cedar river ($2,000,000);
h. Bass/Beaver/Dandy/Icy creek complex ($6,500,000);
i. Snoqualmie Agricultural Production District ($6,500,000); and
j. Vashon Nearshore initiative ($15,000,000);
4. Homeland security and criminal justice:
a. air support unit: Needs new hangar space for a new helicopter that will be delivered in July 2008; there is insufficient space in the current hangar. This helicopter will be added to the existing fleet of five helicopters. Current space allows for hangaring only two of the helicopters, office space, storage and some maintenance space. The unit has a fuel truck also ($XXXXX);
b. special operations: The special operations division houses specialized vehicles at the airport including those supporting bomb disposal, incident command, special weapons and tactics, marine unit and search and rescue. The division also has offices and other storage space at the airport, separate from the air unit. These units could be centralized and storage found for all vehicles, aircraft and vessels ($XXX,XXX);
c. aircraft rescue fire fighting ("ARFF"), law enforcement and airport safety and inspections. The team includes sixteen deputies and sergeants, and a captain who serves as the police chief. This duty requires specialized equipment and significant on-going fire rescue training for all personnel. The airport police function is the responsibility for all law enforcement activities on airport property. To carry out this duty, all police and ARFF members have attended the Washington State Criminal Justice Academy and have limited police commissions through the King County sheriff's office ($XXX,XXX); and
d. IRIS and TESS replacement: The sheriff's primary records management systems are near the end of useful life. IRIS is the standard records system for storing and sharing all data from deputies. TESS is the system for tracking all evidence. The 2008 budget has funding for a study of the need to replace the systems, but they are further along than that suggests ($XXX,XXX);
5. Salmon recovery and habitat:
a. Lower Bear creek restoration: Provide an enhanced channel alternative to the ditched and levied lower three thousand feet of Bear creek, including a new refuge confluence with the Sammamish river. Add large woody debris, restore riparian conditions. This is one of the highest priority projects for Bear creek. This reach of Bear creek is currently threatened by a Washington state Department of Transportation proposal to widen SR-520 to within fifty feet in some places of Bear creek. Redmond has a design for remeandering the lower three thousand feet of Bear creek. Redmond estimates the cost at $10,000,000. Redmond has $2,500,000 ($7,500,000);
b. Tolt San Souci acquisition and restoration: Approximately twenty percent of the Snoqualmie Chinook stock spawns within the lower six miles of the Tolt river. The San Souci neighborhood is located within the severe channel migration area of the Tolt river at RM 4.5, which is targeted for buyout. The shoreline at the upstream extent of the neighborhood has been armored, restricting fish migration and reducing the connectivity of two floodplain side channels in the neighborhood. The funds requested would match an existing conservation futures tax grant to begin purchasing the remaining fifteen properties ($1,300,000);
c. Raging river Upper Preston reach acquisition and restoration: The project will protect fourteen acres of habitat along the Raging river upstream of Preston adjacent to the existing King County Nowak natural area. The project will restore habitat and natural processes to an important river reach for "threatened" Chinook salmon and Steelhead trout. The Raging river contributes roughly nineteen percent of the overall Snoqualmie watershed Chinook run and is identified in the Snohomish River Basin Salmon Conservation Plan as one of the highest priority subbasins for Chinook restoration ($1,100,000);
d. Lower Tolt floodplain reconnection project: The project will restore connectivity between the Tolt river and forty-eight acres of floodplain habitat on county-owned land. King County and the city of Seattle propose to remove the existing right bank levee that extends one-half mile from SR 203 to the confluence with the Snoqualmie river and construct a set back levee approximately eight hundred feet behind the existing levee. This will permanently restore the river's natural floodplain processes in this reach, allowing it to migrate and access its floodplain in high flows. The outcome will be greater and more complex habitat quantity and quality for Chinook salmon, Steelhead trout and other salmonids that utilize the Tolt river ($350,000);
e. Chinook Bend levee removal: The project will restore two thousand feet of edge habitat and one acre of off-channel habitat along a critical section of the mainstem shoreline by removing a levee that inhibits the river's ability to access the floodplain. The property was donated to King County in 2000 and has been designated a natural area by King County. Since that time King County has been revegetating the floodplain in anticipation of removing the levee. This funding request will complete the project's overall funding need ($700,128 secured to date) ($250,000);
f. Cedar Grove restoration. This project is also known as the Rainbow Bend floodplain acquisition and floodplain restoration. This is the number #1 project for the Cedar river. The project, to purchase mobile home property and relocate approximately fifty-five mobile homes; purchase and remove nine single-family homes and restore approximately forty acres of floodplain area is funded and underway. Once the acquisition is done, the full forty acres needs to be restored ($1,000,000);
g. Beaconsfield-on-the-Sound in Normandy Park. Acquisition of beach-feeding bluffs in Normandy Park. Acquisition will allow subsequent, in 2009 or 2010, removal of a huge seawall that cut off the high-quality bluffs from the beach. The project will ultimately restore nearshore habitat-forming processes ($500,000);
h. Duwamish gardens in Tukwila. Acquisition of a two-and-one-tenth-acre parcel for future restoration for shallow water habitat. This will improve "transition zone" habitat in the estuary. The additional funding will fully-funding the cost of acquisition, with closing scheduled for the third quarter of this year. Project proponent is Tukwila but WRIA 9 staff are equally involved ($350,000);
i. Bass/Beaver lake in unincorporated King County. Acquisition of high-quality habitat around a lake that drains to the Green river. This is not Chinook habitat per se but contributes to the ecological health of the Middle Green ($70,000);
j. marine riparian vegetation restoration on Vashon/Maury Island. Work will include removal of invasive plant species followed by planting of native trees and shrubs. Likely sites include Camp Burton saltwater marsh and Raab's lagoon in Quartermaster harbor and several other shoreline properties. All sites will be located in the Maury aquatic reserve ($80,000);
k. Point Heyer nearshore acquisitions on Vashon Island. Acquisition of high-quality nearshore habitat for conservation ($250,000); and
l. North Wind's weir in Tukwila. King County is lead on project with the corps. Construction of over two acres of shallow-water habitat in the Duwamish transition zone is planned for this year. This funding may or may not be needed; negotiations with the corps will influence the outcome ($700,000); and
6. Animal control: The advisory committee recommended new animal transport customized truck cabs for King County animal care and control. The current trucks are not insulated, do not have heat or air conditioning and in midsummer and midwinter can become an inhumane, unsafe environment for the animals in King County animal care and control's care. There are about ten trucks and the cost of customizing an animal transport cab is estimated at $20,000 each ($200,000); and
C. The clerk of the council is asked to forward a copy of this motion to:
1. The office of each United States Senator representing the state of Washington;
2. The office of each United States Congressional representative that represents any area of King County; and
3. The county's federal lobbying firm, the Ferguson Group.