City Council - Regular Meeting

Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat.

To the flag of the United States of America to the republic for it stands one nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Wendy, could you take a roll call, please? Thank you. Mayor Heather Watland here. Rob Toyer here. Ivon Guyod Van Orornum here. Michelle Bllythe here. Nathan SM here. Tim Abrahamson present. Alicia Novak here. Mayor Vany, I move for approval of the agenda. Second. Question. All those in favor? I.

Any opposed? Unheard. Motion carries. Okay. I'd like to start off our meeting tonight with presentation of the mayor's volunteer award presented to Linda Jacobson. On behalf of the city of Arlington, thank you, Linda, for your outstanding volunteer service and the consistent care you show our community. Your volunteer work helping to manage the city's community garden strengthens Arlington's Arlington in a hands-on lasting way, bringing neighbors together, growing healthy food, and creating a welcome public space. As a community garden manager, you serve as a point of contact between the city and our garden bed holders, communicating needs, questions, and concerns so issues can be addressed and the garden can run smoothly. You also monitor the garden beds for the upkeep and maintenance needs to and help track the overall health of the beds throughout the growing season. You also your service also extends well beyond the garden through your lunch on us program held at your church. You help provide meals for people experiencing homelessness and for neighbors who are simply having a hard time. Each Tuesday, you and a dedicated team of volunteers serve a full lunch from noon to 1:00 p.m. Guests arrive in a variety of ways, including by bus, on foot, and through word of mouth. And when the weather is cold or rainy, you make sure people can come inside early so they can warm up and feel welcome. Linda, your commitment reflects the very best of Arlington. Community-minded, dependable, and compassionate. Thank you for the time, heart, and leadership you bring to this work, and we are very grateful for you. If you could come up over by the flags here, and I'll present you

Thank you. Okay. Next on our agenda is a proclamation for Arbor Day. Tim,

thank you, mayor. Proclamation for Arbor Day. Whereas in 1872, the Nebraska Board of Agriculture established a special day to be set aside for the planting of trees. And whereas this holiday called Arbor Day was first observed with the planting of more than a million trees in Nebraska. And whereas Arbor Day is now observed throughout the nation and the world. And whereas trees can be a solution for combating climate change by reducing the erosion of our precious top soil by wind and water, cutting heat and cooling costs, moderating the temperature, cleaning the air, producing lifegiving oxygen, and providing habitat for wildlife. And whereas trees are renewable resource, giving us paper, wood for our homes, fuel for our fires, and countless other wood products. And whereas trees in our city increase property values, enhance the economic vitality of business areas, and beautify our community. And whereas trees, whenever they are planted, are a source of joy and spiritual renewal. Now therefore, Don Vany, Mayor of Arlington, does hereby proclaim March 14, 2026 as Arbor Day in the city of Arlington and urge all citizens to celebrate Arbor Day and to support efforts to protect our trees and woodlands. And further, all citizens are urged to plant trees to gladden the heart and promote the well-being of this and future generations. Signed, Don Vany, Mayor. Thank you, Tim. Okay, at this time I would like to move on to our public comment period. For the members of the public who wish to speak to the council about any matter, uh please limit your remarks to three minutes and step up to the podium as I call your name and state your name and address. Uh we'll start with it looks like Neil Harmon.

This this is your time for talking on it is now. My name is Neil Carman. I'm a pilot and I've been a pilot all my life. Are you hearing me? Monroe, is the mic on? Okay. Can you hear me now? Yeah, it's there.

All right. My name is Neil Carman and I'm a pilot and I've been a pilot all my life and I've been I've owned an FBO. I was a flight instructor. I'm a mechanic and I also was a designated pilot examiner for aviation. I wanted to speak today about the uh proposal of uh easement for the airport. The point is is that the airport and the city should already have taken the trees down. The trees are an obstruction to any of the aviation. So that should be the responsibility of the city and the airport. The easement that is going to be come up uh as a new subject today is that they want to replace the trees with 85 foot power poles. It's as an airplane lands on trees, it hurts, but airplanes that land on power uh poles and lines die. The whole interest that there is many alternatives for the power line patrol power lines uh to be put away from the airport. So any vote of this council that shows that they want the power

lines is a vote against safety. I emphasize that any vote that is for the easement is a vote against safety for pilots. And this the airport is an avenue for both business and pleasure to this air to this town. It also brings in a whole bunch of revenue to this town. and I want to protect it. So that's it. Thank you.

Thank you, Neil. Okay, next one would be Kevin Duncan. Thank you, Mayor and Council. This never gets easy for me. And I first would like to say two things before talking about the subject. Thank you all for coming and helping me celebrate my 72nd birthday today. Thank you. But more important than that, if we could just pray for the servicemen that are putting themselves, the men and women that are putting themselves in harm's way, we we won't know for a long time what the effect is. But I think about them every day. I never got to serve, but I think about those that did serve. I think most of you know me. Um, some of you don't. I'm uniquely qualified to provide detailed discussions on this from many different hats. I worked for Snowomish County PUB from 1979 until just after 911. From that point on, I took to serve my country, serving the US Department of State in American embassies all over the world. 149 countries so far one left at Snomish County PUD I moved through the tools up into management middle management under my direction I either built or managed the building of over 100 substations and that is interconnecting with the transmission lines it makes me uniquely qualified additionally I'm a pilot I'm multi-rated multiplane owner and I own Arlington Arlington flight services at the Arlington airport. I have to go to my notes. I only wrote these a few minutes ago. Uh Arlington Flight Service is the only

FBO at the field fixed based operator. For those of you that are on the council, I don't know if any of you are pilots or not or have flown as pilot in command, but Arlington airport is the most unique airport in the country. I believe it's the busiest general aviation airport in the state. I also believe it is or could be the busiest general aviation airport in the country. Currently, I'm sitting on the master plan um development. Um Marty asked me to participate in that. I take it very seriously. I'm also vice president of Washington Pilots Association's Arlington chapter. It gives me a little bit more interest in this. I care like what Neil said about safety. When I first became familiar with the airport, I asked airport management to take down those darn trees. The trees grow four to six feet a year, I'm told. 20 years ago when I started flying out here, they were much shorter, but nothing's happened. They keep growing. transmission lines. Although the Eastman says it's a distribution, you could twist those words any way you wanted to, but it's a transmission line going to the Crosswind substation from Portage substation. Both I'm intimately familiar with.

I have a six pictures on this drive. If someone could put it into machine Yeah, that's the three minute mark. Sorry, Kevin. That's the three minutes. The the minutes say that we get to talk on things that are not on the agenda and this obviously is coming up. There's no way that three minutes can do this justice for such a safety major safety concern when there's a simple slip. Well, every Kevin, everybody is limited to the three minutes. Sorry. Okay. Our next speaker would be Dan Tervich there. Sorry, probably butchered that one. Everybody does.

Hi. Uh my name is Dan Tarvich. Uh I own a small business on the airport. Uh we make emergency parachutes to save pilots lives. Um and we are reasonably well known throughout the world. Uh, I'm totally against having these power lines go go down uh 67th or excuse me, 59th Drive. Uh, they're going to be extremely dangerous. I've got some photographs I'd like or a photograph I'd like to share with everybody here. um these these power lines uh should an aircraft get in touch with them like what happened at Boeing field back in 1989 it could be disastrous especially with the power that Kevin has mentioned goes goes through those uh those lines. So, I just want to say that uh we are totally against most of the pilots I know in the airport uh just hate the idea of these things being so close to the airport and could be extremely dangerous. Thank you.

Thank you. Okay, our next speaker is Tim Nichols. If you can just give them to Wendy over here, she'd hand them out for you. Just give them to Wendy the far end. Good evening, folks. Um, my name is Tim Nichols. I I'm the uh VP of the West region for the Washington Pilots Association and here to represent pilots uh as it relates to that to the same matter. Um, first I'd like to commend the city of Arlington for building such a thriving airport. It's amazing. It's really it I think Kevin pointed out that it's the busiest GA airport in the Northwest. It may be one of the busiest in the in the country. Um, and that means you have a lot of uh revenue and vitality associated with your city that's connected to it. Um, pilots are focused on safety. Washington pilots are focused on safety all throughout the Northwest who come here. They're focused on safety. Pilots love to come to Arlington, but they worry about the safety of the airport because it is so busy and it's uncontrolled. Um, keeping the airport thriving and growing is in the best interest of the city of Arlington. Um, these power lines are an encroachment on the airspace and they're a permanent encroachment. The the trees can come down in the future or now, but the power lines will not be able to and that means that you can't grow the airport and you can't change make changes that might affect your future opportunity for revenue that comes from visitation. Um, many pilots are going to look at the this as an encroachment on the space and they're going to they're going to amp up what they consider to be a safe operation to to where they want to fly and that means fewer pilots uh from around the state and the Northwest will be interested in coming to Arlington and I think that will affect your revenue.

That's it. Okay. Thank you. Do we have any other members of the public that would like to speak? Okay, none seen. We'll move on to the consent agenda. Mayor Vany, I move for approval of the consent agenda as noted. Second. Discussion. All those in favor? I. Any oppose? None heard. Motion carries. Okay. Thank you. Okay. We'll move on to new business. The contract for indigent defense services with Fieldman and Leaf. PS. Paul,

thank you, Mayor. Yes, this is a contract with Feldman and Lee. They provide our incident defense uh services. This is a one-year contract. It starts in started in January, goes through the end of December. We're a little late bringing this forward. Um there's been some changes in how um these services are rendered, which has affected the cost of this contract. And so we were spending some time kind of trying to figure out what the the new laws meant and what this contract was going to be. Um so it is coming to you a little bit late. Uh it is a one-year contract because that seems to be a forever changing thing right now is determining the scope of work for our services and so it's hard to uh calculate what next year will bring us. So anyway, I'm happy to answer any questions.

Do we have any questions? Okay. None seen. Do I have a motion? I move to approve the contract for indigent defense services with Feldman and Lee and authorize the mayor to sign the contract. Second discussion. All those in favor? I. Any opposed? None heard. Motion carries. Okay, we'll move on to item two, appointments to the park, Arts, and Recreation Commission. Sarah,

good evening, mayor, and members of city council. um currently have a vacancy on our parks, arts, and recreation commission. Um the interview committee is recommending Chris Feliciano to fill this vacant position left by Heather Watland. Um the position expires April 1st, 2028. And we are also recommending the reappoint of Jan Bower and Randy Novach for their second terms uh beginning April 1st, 2026. Great. Thank you. Any questions, Heather?

Um, I just wanted to say we had a lot of really great applicants and it was disappointing that we could only pick one, but I'm really excited with who we picked. Thank you. Any others? I think Chris, would you like to stand so we can recognize you? I appreciate all your volunteering and appreciate it. Thank you. Okay, with that, do we have a motion? I move to confirm the appointment of Chris Feliciano to fill the vacant terms in the parks and arts and recreation commission that expires April 1st, 2028. And I confirm the appointments of Jan Bower and Randy Novak for the term beginning April 1st, 2026. Second.

Discussion. All those in favor? I.

Any oppose? Motion carries. Congratulations, Chris. Welcome. Okay, we'll move on to our next item, the compensation proposal and easement approval for the PUD transmission lines. Marty, good evening, mayor and council members. Um, this u this agenda bill is for the uh approval of PUD is proposing a transmission line and a distribution line uh that will require approximately 237,633 square ft of easement area belonging to the airport. FAA grant assurances require any easement to be compensated at current market value. Uh locations are on 59th Street to the east of the airport on the west side of the street. The FAA has conducted obstruction surveys of the locations and deemed a determination of no significance. The plan will include tree removal and compensation is cons is considered at current market value as well. And you can see the attachment for the details. Happy to answer any questions.

Have any questions Tim? No, go ahead. No, go ahead. Go ahead. Um um what is the deadline? I guess I have two, but one the first one is um if to what is the deadline to have this signed by and moved forward with? Deadline for what? To have this signed and approved and moved forward with. Um there is no deadline that Okay. Yeah. Okay. Tim, no. I was gonna just just ask uh so we've determined this is the only route that these power lines could go at this time.

The uh um there were several routes proposed and this was submitted as the most as the best route. Okay. Any other questions? Nathan.

So, I've been on planning commission and I know this I know you can't see me, but um this has been a topic as well from planning. I believe it came to us as well a couple times. So, I've seen the different routes. I know one was proposed to go through private property. That's why this is the easiest route for them. Um, and then I also, I believe, talked to one of the Arlington pilots um at MATA about their their situation as well. And if I remember right, it's been a long time. Um, when this was first proposed, he said that it wasn't going to be as much of an issue cuz there has to be hangers that you'd have to go through in order and you have to fly over those and it would it's enough airspace for you to fly in and out of the airport. So that's just what I can recall from planning standpoint like a year ago and asking a pilot as well because I'm not a pilot. So I would ask I asked um a few different pilots from the airport commission when they presented this originally. So I'm just making that clear for some of you who may think that we don't necessarily know what we're talking about, but it's been proposed a few times um and photos for us. We've even taken time as a council or from what council members here have to look and we were confused on what routes. So, I'm just putting it out there that um it looks like it's the best route for you um and for the PUD, but I understand your thoughts and concerns. Um but that was another question is do we have to vote on it right tonight or do we have time to have one more look at it?

That's up to you. Okay. Thank you. Um I know we've talked about this many times and opposition comes up and speaks each time and every time you come up it's so heartfelt and you're so passionate about it's not the right thing to do. So I can't ignore really um the speakers that have talked about it. Um, so I would uh be inclined to wonder like how long we have to maybe look again and really look at it and yeah, I don't I'm not the expert. So

I know the PUD is is is kind of under the gun. There's they have some some some mile markers that they have to to meet, you know, along the way. I don't I'm not privy to what those are specifically. Our our purpose here is just for the the easements of the poles. You know, I don't know. I'm don't technically know about electricity and how it's transferred. So, uh we can talk about the obstruction. The FAA uh did an obstruction survey and found a determination of no determination as far as uh an obstruction problem. So,

all right. Well, thank you. I'm not a pilot nor am I electrician, so I'm stuck out wondering. Um but um you know there do seem to be very credible people that have taken the time to come and really oppose it. So I'm not I yeah not sure. Ivon, did you have another question? I did. Um can you remind I think we talked about before, but can you remind us again? Have there been any accidents along with the trees there right now? Like have you do you have a recollection of Not since I've been what's the danger? Where are we looking at with safety right now? specific trees we're talking about have not had a collision or an accident because of them since I've been here since 2017.

And just down 59th in general, anything major that where these lines would be?

Yeah, in general, I have not seen any recorded accidents there. Somebody who's been around here longer than me could could do that, but I I I'd look at history and where accidents happen. The trees are are have in some spots increase their height. They have a slope that that's allowed a 7 to one off of the the taxi way and the runway. Um that's what they measure for for clearance and obstruction clearance. The taxi way the trees actually uh increased inside that about 4 feet something like that. Against the runway there there's there's they're not a problem. But we recognize that obstruction studies need to be done as part of our master plan. and and we we the trees inevitably will be coming down. So whether through this project or whether we take them down, that's that's they need to come down for that purpose for obstruction.

Okay. Have any other questions? Okay, Heather. Um I do have a question. I it might seem silly, but do have you guys or the PUB done like um a survey of the area for safety specifically with the planes coming down in that area? I know you said you haven't had um any crashes historically in that area, but has there been something like that done?

Yeah, there I'm unaware of any crashes pertaining to the those trees in that area specifically since I've been here. Again, I've gone through and looked at the history. We've have a log of of inc. We keep a log of incidents that crashes are involved in that. Nothing there in that specific area. Uh studywise, uh we don't really do a study per specific area on, you know, runway. You can look at data and say, well, runway 34 gets more crashes than runway 2 niner. Well, 34 gets used more. There's quite often there's reasons for it far as specific locations that have there's been no study done on that. Like I said, the FAA has done an obstruction study. It's a where they determine how far are these obstructions from the runway and how high are they. So on the sides it's 7:1 ratio and on the ends it's 20 to1. So um yeah, they they deem no obstruction issues with it.

Thank you. Thank you. Do we have a motion? Um, well, I just can I say make one more comment? Um, sure. I definitely appreciate that the public's coming out and commenting on any issues and every issue. So, I really appreciate your time here and um I'm not quite sure how to word it. So, I might need some help here, but I would like to table this for another more discussion. So, I'm not sure exactly what the right wording would be, but I would move to um discuss this further before voting on it, but I don't know how to word that correctly. You could you could bring you could move to table it.

I just would move to table this this for further discussion. Second question. All those in favor? I.

Any oppose? Okay. None heard. Looks like we'll table it for further discussion. Okay. Our next item, correction to change order number two for 188th and Smoky Point Boulevard Roundabout Project. Jim Kelly. Uh thank you very much, Mayor Vanny and council members. Um I'm coming to you today with a council agenda bill and also with hat in hand for an engineer who made a mathematical error. On February 17th, the city council approved a change order for the 188th roundabout project for the sewer extension in the amount of $1,45,6965. And when we were finalizing the change order paperwork, um I noticed that I had used the wrong figures in calculating my uh increase in contract price. So uh uh to the tune of $54,27.34. The true uh change order for this sewer extension project is $1,99,93.39. Uh there is sufficient that we only budgeted $750,000 for this the sewer work on the 188th project. Uh there is sufficient funding in our capital improvement uh budget to pay for this increase.

Great. Thank you, Jim. Any questions? Okay, none seen. Do I have a motion? I move to approve the corrected contract change order number two to the 188th and Smoky Point Boulevard project. Second, question. All those in favor? I I.

Any opposed? None heard. Motion carries. Thank you. Thank you. At this moment time, do we have any comments from council members or reports? Nathan. So this week I got to go uh last Tuesday actually to the Arlington Boys and Girls Club for their first community auction committee meeting and um uh Ivon and I are uh helping with that. But the first meeting talked about uh sponsorships and uh those that support and help support our uh community, especially the children in our community who we do a ton for and continue for. even those with families that um may need some assistance. So, a lot of this money goes towards helping the Boys and Girls Club get different scholarships or different uh things for the different groups or clubs around the region. So, um they were asking for different sponsors. If there's any questions, you can ask me or email me, but um they were looking for uh sponsors and different ways to get baskets together for their silent and live auctions. Um but it's supposed to be more of a hoown type theme. So, there's a lot of boots and buckles and uh a little more of the line dancing type style uh idea. So, uh that's coming out uh in April. So there'll be more information as we go. And then I spent a majority of my week uh this last week in Olympia. I got to meet different leaders from across the state from Spokane to Mount Vernon down to King County. And we got to meet some of our legislators and talk to uh different lobbyist groups and see um what's happening in the state. and I got to take a tour of the legislative building, the temple of

justice, which is the Supreme Court of the Washington State Capital. And I got to see the state patrol offices, and the governor's mansion. So, it was a lot happening from Wednesday through Friday. Um, but it was good to get to talk to other leaders that are also younger. There was a 19-year-old young lady who is aspiring to be a political figure in the state in the future. So, it was fun to see that there's younger generations out there. Um, but that was my week. I did rep some Arlington Wear and got to meet some other leaders of different cities, so that was fun. Thank you. Any others? I liked hearing Nathan say ho down and boots and buckles. Heather,

um, I'm going to piggy back off of Nathan's a little bit. Um so the Stilly Youth Dynamics, they are also holding an auction on um March 28th and they are the ones who provide the fun Friday for our middle school and high schoolers. And if I recall right, I think they said it's $100 every Friday um to host this. So um a lot of the funding they'll make at that will go towards the fun Friday that all our kids are going to. And they also um have fun recreation things for the kids to do like they've held um a winter retreat before. Um so that's really important to support and I'll be there. I've been before. It's really great. Um my table is not good for the dessert auction. We did not get the best dessert, but it's a lot of fun. I also had the opportunity to go on a ride along um with a APD on Friday. It was really great um and really educational and I'm really happy that I went on it and if anybody um wants to know more about what our police officers do, I highly recommend going on a ride along with them.

Great. Thank you. Any other Yvon?

Um I just wanted to also I'm going to piggyback a little bit on two. Um I'm really excited about the the Boys and Girls Club auction committee. I think it's my third maybe fourth one. Um, I remember it when we used to be at the Boys and Girls Club and so to now see it at at the casino is really cool to see how much it's grown and all of that money they're going to help benefit our local kids is really exciting. Um, and then thinking about kids, shout out to the high school for their Guys and Dolls performance. I heard it was really good. Um, there was as Rotary we had like a prekun meeting and so I got to hear about it a little bit at the meeting that I just came from earlier. Um, so thank you to everybody who was involved with that production. Um, I heard really good things about it. Um, and then Interact is a proud Rotarian. I also help support Interact. And, uh, we're going to start a new committee or Arlington community event, um, the Spring Splash. So, any nonprofits listening out there, um, that are local, please send me some information. We're trying to figure out which nonprofit to donate those donate the that money to. Um, and then Michelle and I had some a break last month with Connections with Purpose and it's starting to kick back up. So tomorrow I'm really excited that um we'll be starting that back up again. And so um going out there into the community and learning more about what you need, what what we're doing right, what we can do to help um is really exciting to have that back up and going again. And I forgot to mention a couple of weeks and weekends ago um I was really excited uh Senator Mal and State Representative Paul hosted a town hall meeting out in Oak Harbor. Um they both live up there so it's easy for them to host it up there. I did complain that they didn't come to Arlington.

Put a plug in for us. Um and of course it's session so it's really hard for them. Bless you. It's really hard for them to um be able to take time off. Luckily we got them for the weekend. So they took time off on their kind of their off day and uh gave a brief well it was like an hour and a half um hour hour and a half um town hall and it was really exciting. So if you ever see that you know if you haven't joined their newsletter or haven't had an opportunity to go to one it was it was worth the drive. I know it's a hike to go to Okar, but it was really worth the drive and just to be able to hear from them, specifically hearing why they're voting certain ways, why they're voting on certain things certain ways. Um, to be able to hear those questions directly from the audience and seeing their interaction. Um, and they fumbled a little bit on a couple of things and that was, you know, it makes them human, too. So, it was really nice to see that they're not perfect. Um, and so I really enjoyed that. But again, if anybody else ever gets an opportunity to do that, it's it's really worth going out there for at any town hall meeting. It's worth to attend.

Thank you. Any other comments? Okay. None seen. Paul, do you have any reports or any comments? Nothing else this evening. Thank you. That's it.

Okay. I just got a couple real quick. It was last Thursday was my first uh for this year the presented to the Rotary the state of the city to the Rotary meet club that last week but then here next week on the 10th I'll be presenting it again at the chamber of commerce for any of those that would like to attend. It's open to the public and so forth. So on the 10th I'll be presenting the state of the city there. Um, also last week I did get my chance my quarterly, we've been doing this quarterly at Field Senior Living. We've had what we call it the fireside chat with the mayor with all the the residents that live there. And it's pretty good because they they like to ask the questions of what's new, what are some of the projects in town, but they're some of them are in a captured audience, so they don't get to go out to some of the meetings to hear what's happening around the community. So, it gives them the chance. And it's always funny because I always know there's a couple of them that always ask there's a vacant lot right in front of Field Senior Living out by Smoking Point Boulevard and it's when is Denny's coming there? They keep asking me that question. But no, it was it's a really good conversation to have with them and it's it's eye openening for them and they they do comment back how good it is to know what the city is doing and the projects and how we're coming along with the projects. Other than that, that's all I have. Do are we ready for adjournment?

Motion to adjurnn. Second discussion. All those in favor? I. Any oppose? We are journ. Thank you. Heat. Heat. N.