City Council - Regular Meeting

Okay, good evening everybody. It's Thursday, May 28th, 2026, and I'm going to call this session of the Ridgefield City Council to order. Would you please rise and join me for the Pledge of Allegiance led by Councillor Fevella. We're trying to. Yeah. All right. Ms. Julie, would you please call the roll?

Council Member Davis.

Present.

Council Member Fevella. Here. Council Member Wells. Here. Council Member Burkhold.

Present.

Council Member Hamilton. Here. Mayor Pro Tem Shipman. Here. Mayor Cole.

Present. Okay. Thank you. Mr. Stewart, any late changes to the agenda tonight? No late changes, Mayor. Alright, sounds great. We have two proclamations tonight that we're excited to share with you all. The first one is Great Outdoors Month and for that we have Jane Tesner Kleiner here from the Lower Columbia Nature Network to receive it. I'm gonna read it and then we'll have Jane come up and we'll do a full photo opportunity and let Jane have a few words after that. With that, the proclamation reads, whereas Great Outdoors Month is a nationwide celebration that highlights the importance of spending time in nature, exploring parks, trails, rivers, and other natural landscapes, and promoting outdoor recreation for health and well-being. And whereas Great Outdoors Month also serves as an opportunity for families, educators, and communities to engage with nature and learn about ecosystems, wildlife, and environmental stewardship, And whereas, in its parks, recreation, and open space plan, the city of Ridgefield committed to the creation of, quote, an interconnected community with a park, trail, and greenway system that contributes to a small town character, provides a variety of recreation opportunities, and is an integral part of the community. And whereas, Great Outdoors Month begins with the National Trails Day on the first Sunday of June to recognize all the incredible benefits that federal, state, and local trails provide for healthy recreation, exposure to nature, and alternate transportation opportunities. And whereas Ridgefield is observing National Trails Day on June 6th with the 15th annual Big Paddle Festival, This community festival raises public awareness of our community's natural resources, interconnected trails, waterways, parks, and Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge and other outdoor recreation activities. Now, therefore, I, Matt Cole, Mayor of the City of Ridgefield, do hereby proclaim the month of June 2026 as Great Outdoors Month and encourage walkers, hikers, cyclists, equestrians, and paddlers to discover the natural resource and outdoor activities that Ridgefield has to offer and to take National Trails Day pledged to improve a trail by leaving it better than the way you found it. Dated this 28th day of May of 2026. Signed by myself, Matt Bridgefield. Thank you very much. I'll hand this over to you and then we'll make our way down there to snap a couple of photos. Thank you so much, Jane. Yes, yeah, absolutely. Yeah, we'll come down and join you for the photo, and then we'll let you have the microphone.

OK. Thank you, everybody. My name is Jane Tesner Kleiner. I'm the program manager for the Lower Columbia Nature Network, a regional coalition of partners, stakeholders, and agencies who work collectively to connect our communities to nature so that everybody, everybody can feel safe and welcome enjoying the outdoors in any means that matters to them. I have given our council members a flyer about Great Outdoors Day and Great Outdoors Month. And I want to highlight on the bottom is a QR code to our event calendar. We have literally packed about 250 amazing events of all diversity, including adaptive sports, hiking for families, and all sorts of great outdoor activities from the Columbia River all the way up to the Cascade Mountains at Mount St. Helens. So we encourage everybody to come join us. I thank people like Gail for getting people on dragon boats, and Misha from the US Fish and Wildlife Service, who is a huge supporter and my contact with the Fish and Wildlife Service. If you don't feel like joining an event, if you're not a program person, I'm also going to give our council members some zines about nature activities you and your family can do, or you and your friends can do, for simple hikes outside. Because even five minutes outdoors makes us all healthier. So thank you very much. Get outside, and we'll see you in those dragon boats. Thank you.

Thank you very much. Thank you again. We have a second proclamation tonight. I'm pleased to announce Pride Month and we have this evening for our Pride proclamation Jessica Cole from Evoke Cascadia as well as Melissa Morris from the Queer Youth Resource Center. So again, I'm gonna read the proclamation and then we'll have you guys come up and we'll do a photo. Okay, this one reads, whereas on June 28th, 1969, the NYPD raided Stonewall Inn, a bar where gays and lesbians were known to gather. When police officers aggressively dragged patrons and employees out of the bar, people fought back. By the time the Stonewall riots ended on July 2nd, the gay rights movement went from being a fringe issue largely ignored by politicians and the media to front page news worldwide. And whereas Pride Month 2026 is a powerful reminder of how far society has come and how much progress still needs to be made. It is a celebration of identity and resilience, as well as a call to action for continued advocacy and equality. And whereas Ridgefield is enriched by the diversity of our city, including LGBTQ plus residents who contribute to the city's cultural, social, and economic life and our leaders and our community. And whereas continued discrimination against people from the LGBTQ plus community makes it imperative for cities like Ridgefield to stand up and show support for the equity, dignity, and human rights for all residents, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, or expression. And whereas the city of Ridgefield supports LGBTQ plus rights at local, national, and global events, recognizes the importance of policies that promote inclusion, and emphasize the importance of fostering a culture of acceptance and respect within the community. Now, therefore, I, Matt Cole, Mayor of the City of Ridgefield, Washington, do hereby proclaim the month of June 2026 as Pride Month and encourage all residents to make Ridgefield a stronger community by promoting inclusiveness, celebrating diversity, supporting all fellow community members, preventing the spread of misinformation, and rejecting hate and bias. The date of this 20th day of May 2026 Signed by myself in the city of Ridgefield. Thank you very much. I'll have you come up. We'll do this to you. Right here. Thank you. Yeah. Yeah. And then.

Do you want to do the pictures with that group?

Yeah. I was just going to head into them. Oh, we're. Yeah. Yes. Yes. Come on up more. We'll do. Yeah. And then we'll do pictures one at a time. Yeah. But it's easier for me to do it from over here. Thank you so much. Yes. Thank you for all you do. Okay. We're going to go down for a quick. Okay.

Thank you.

You want to get on my side?

I think we did it.

Hello, Mayor and Council. My name is Jessica Cole. Thank you so much for recognizing Pride Month and for continuing the tradition. This is now the sixth year in a row that the City of Richfield has issued a pride proclamation, and I appreciate the consistency and leadership that it represents. As someone who helps organize Battleground Pride, it means more than you know or more than you might think, to see a city in North Clark County recognized and celebrate the LGBTQ residents. Visibility matters. Recognition matters. For LGBTQ youth, families, and adults alike, it sends a message that they are seen, valued, and that they belong in their community. It also helps create a safer community by making it clear that LGBTQ people are welcome here and that their local government recognizes them as part of the community. I also want to acknowledge that this year, your neighboring city of Battleground declined to issue a pride proclamation this year, although they have given one in the past. It makes Ridgefield's actions today especially meaningful. At a time when some communities are stepping back from recognition, you, are continuing to show up for your residents. I appreciate Ridgefield's example that local government can recognize and celebrate all residents, even when people may hold different personal beliefs or perspectives. Pride Month is both a celebration and a reminder that everyone deserves to feel welcome, valued, and that they belong. It means a lot to know that LGBTQ residents don't have to leave their home in Ridgefield to find support and recognition from their local government. I'm also encouraged to see other communities in North Clark County embrace inclusion, including the growing Rainbow Walk and Festival in Le Center, which is happening on Sunday, June 7th. It's wonderful to see opportunities for LGBTQ people and allies together to gather, celebrate, and build community throughout our region. Finally, I'd like to extend an invitation to all of you to attend Battleground Pride on Saturday, August 1st. We would be honored to have you join us as we celebrate community, connection, and belonging. Thank you so much, Mayor Cole, for your leadership and for recognizing that LGBTQ residents are part of the fabric of this community. I really, really appreciate all of your continued support. Thank you.

Thank you again. Melissa, please feel free to come up now.

Thank you, Mayor. Good evening, Mayor Cole and city council members. My name is Melissa Morris. My pronouns are she, they. And I am a queer resident of Richfield and the treasurer of the Queer Youth Resource Center. At Quirk, we work to empower queer futures by building community, promoting inclusion, and fostering growth here in Southwest Washington. Over the past year, we participated in the Ridgefield Multicultural Festival and the Get Involved Ridgefield Day. And at both events, I talked to queer neighbors and parents, youth and young adults, and allies who were moved and somewhat pleasantly surprised to see us. Representation and visibility really matters in our community. especially to our young people. I want to thank you for this proclamation and for reaffirming our commitment to being a community that actively celebrates, uplifts, and stands in solidarity with our LGBTQ neighbors. This year's proclamation, as Jessica said, is essentially vital. At a time when national headlines and our neighboring jurisdictions are actively targeting and excluding queer individuals, Richfield is choosing a different path. Your leadership sends a clear message to everyone in Ridgefield and the surrounding towns that Ridgefield has a community-centered culture of care and acceptance, where individuals are cherished and invited to live their true, authentic selves. I encourage you and all of us to remain visual, vocal, and unwavering in sharing those values. Thank you, and happy Pride.

Thank you again both for being here and we're thrilled to be able to celebrate Pride Month with you. Thank you again. Okay, it is now time for a public comment. Anybody wishing to address the City Council regarding items not subject to a specific public hearing may come forward at this time to the podium or use the raise hand feature located at the toolbar at the bottom of your Zoom screen. For controls over the phone, press star nine for raise hand and press star six to mute or unmute and please state your name and limit your comments to three minutes. Is there anybody in the room this evening who is wishing to give public comment? Please come forward at this time now, sir.

Good evening. We, as a family over the years, have had the same issue we just talked about.

So it's not an... Could you start by stating your name for the record? My name is John Dotson.

We live on the walkway from Hillhurst down to 8th Street. The reason I'm here is that we have an unusual case where There's something called electric bicycles. And these electric bicycles ram down that thing as fast as they can go. And we've had several kids hurt. A young gal crashed, cracked her shoulder, and that sort of thing. So we went down to Public Works and have spoken with them about putting some signage for speed. Helmets need to be on. These people are nuts coming down there, because someday they're going to fall over the wrong side. It's also got a bad intersection when you get to the base. When you come down from up above, you get down to where it intersects with 8th Street. I have to really look to drive a car out of it, because it's a sharp. to the left. Any car coming around there, we've seen them barely miss some of these people. Then we went over to the police department and explained the same thing to them. And they said to bring it up to the city council. There's some things you should be able to do, but there's something about being pedals on a thing. It doesn't require whatever. But somebody's got to take a real hard look at this, because at one point, it's going to have somebody dead on the streets. Thank you.

Thank you. Lynn, I'm inspired.

Oh, yeah.

I just thought I'm not going to get . Well, if you're going to speak, then you need to use the podium. Would you like to come up? OK. Yeah. Yeah, thank you. Come on up, ma'am.

I'm Nancy Fagan. I'm a citizen here. All the way here, I kept saying to my husband, I am not going to stand up there and talk. However, the Great Outdoors Month Proclamation is the perfect lead in to discussions about the development of the waterfront. The waterfront is a prime area for getting outside and enjoying nature. And the current proposal contradicts that with high density apartments, buildings, and the hotel. And in fact, on the drawing that's being circulated, the hotel is sitting right where Osprey Nest is, and we have a pair of osprey right now tending to two adorable chicks. Thank you for the port camera, by the way. I understand that the waterfront development is a port project and not a city project. However, I'm counting on you all to exercise your authority when you can to protect this beautiful area for future generations of both osprey and us. Thank you.

Thank you.

Good afternoon. My name is Walt Gordon. I'm a resident of Ridgefield, and I'm going to be piggybacking on the statements that my predecessor had, and I want to say, go Raptors. That way you'll be enthusiastic for what I'm saying. On May the 19th, I sent an email to the port, and I also sent it to each one of you asking some questions, because I didn't have all the The questions answered, I didn't know really all of the details and that's the reason why I've sent them to you to answer them. They talk about access. One of the biggest things is I drive over that one lane bridge to get to the other side of the railroad tracks where Burlington Northern speeds by. I just think to myself, this is crazy. It really is. Why would you have a huge hotel there, five stories from what I believe in? Again, that's why I'm asking questions. And then also a housing project when you have a one-lane road going over the top of it. And then I started asking myself, OK, so they're going to put another overpass. And my question is, who's going to be paying for that? Is it going to be Washington state? because it is at an end of a state highway, or is it going to be the city of Ridgefield, or is it going to be the port? It's those questions that I have. And one of the things that really came up for me is the whole aspect of transparency. I have four different points that I ask questions about because I don't have the answers, and I hope that you will get back to me about those and publish those so that everybody is aware of it But the transparency of the process doesn't feel genuine. I'm not putting that at your feet. To be honest with you, I'll put it directly at the feet of the Port of Ridgefield. And I know you have no authority over them, but you do have a degree of influence, let's face it. And so the last question I had was, what's the timeline? Is there going to be a specific referendum? so that the people of Ridgefield could weigh in on what their port of Ridgefield is going to be doing? That's my question. Thank you for your time, and go Raptors. See, I'm buttering you up already.

Thank you. Come on up there.

My name's John Cole. I live here in Ridgefield. I have for almost 30 years. I was on my virtually daily walk yesterday just around town and encountered really what makes this place special. Just as I was coming down Pioneer, there was a pair of deer just in the park, just right there. And they figured it out, jumped over the fence, and navigated their way down here. They were basically, now I've done it. They were at the top of the hill just in the bushes at 5th and Pioneer. It was busy. Pioneer was already busy, and school was letting out, so it was pretty much a madhouse there. I stood there and tried to calm them down. I don't speak deer, so they weren't listening to me. Otherwise, I would have stopped traffic on Pioneer because I'm pretty sure they were trying to get to the other side of Pioneer and head over down the hill and over to the refuge. So I just really hope that, I mean, Ridgefield has been a wildlife corridor forever, forever. The connection between the creek and the lake and the wetlands out here. So as we do develop town, obviously developments are going to happen. Let's really and truly not do irreparable damage to what makes Ridgefield Ridgefield. So thanks for your time. I appreciate being able to speak.

Thank you. Sir, come on up.

Good evening. My name is Jeff Fagan, and I wanted to talk about the waterfront development as well. So the planned economic development has been ongoing for many years, but quality of life issues have also been a concern from the very beginning. I'd like to read you a quote from the Columbia Tribune, so you know it's old. It's from May 5, 2010, so 16 years ago. They were talking about the development, and they were interviewing then city manager Justin Clary. And this is what he said, quote, from the city's perspective, it's viewed as a means of marrying the port's plans of redevelopment of the waterfront with the downtown and our plans to maintain the Main Street Norman Rockwell feel with all the growth." So I encourage you to have that same perspective and consider preserving and maintaining quality of life along with economic development. Thank you. Thank you.

Hi, guys. My name is Robin Knight, as you know, and I am a resident of Ridgefield. Tonight, I want to talk about what our waterfront means to me. Several years ago, I went through some of the most difficult experiences of my life. I came to this community to start over and heal. Like a lot of working people, I didn't and still don't have the time or the resources to travel far for peace and stillness. But the waterfront was easily available to me, close, free, restorative. What moved me most was that this place was healing, too. For decades, Pacific wood treating poisoned the land with contamination that seeped into the soil, the lake, the river. It took decades to undo that damage, and the cleanup is still ongoing. in the surrounding residential yards today. It was and is slowly finding its way back to health. There was something quietly profound about recovering alongside a place that was doing the same thing. What made it healing is difficult to put into words, but I can tell you that you can't put a price tag on it. It was the openness, the silence, the sense of space and sky, the room to breathe. Nine acres of parks surrounded by dense mixed-use development will not preserve that. The noise and the scale will consume the very thing that has made the waterfront a special place. A small park inside a development isn't open space. It's a courtyard. I am asking council to consider what kind of community Ridgefield wants to be. The plans allow buildings up to 75 feet tall on a waterfront that borders the National Wildlife Refuge. Whatever language you use to describe that, it is not nature compatible development. I'm asking for four things, more park acreage, a genuine buffer to protect the refuge from noise, light, and runoff, a development footprint that is lower in height and lower in density, and a commitment to a full environmental impact statement, now at the planning stage, not deferred until a development application is submitted. Washington SEPA guidance calls for environmental review as soon as possible. A master plan for 40 acres next to a National Wildlife Refuge should qualify. By the time an application is filed, decisions will already have been made. Our waterfront was restored with public money, millions of dollars from Washington state taxpayers. The public deserves a meaningful say in what we paid to bring back to life. Please protect our waterfront. Please protect what makes it special. Thank you.

Thank you.

I'm Gail Alexander. Thank you everybody who's spoken. I just want to say I moved here 24 years ago, and in my 24 years I've been an advocate for our outdoor space, for building healthy communities because that's been a mission of Ridgefield, a beautiful mission. Founding I was the founder of Ridgeville kayak I was grateful to be involved in those as a stakeholder for the water trail We're now celebrating big paddle for 15 years we we have a green space that has to be protected and We know that your it seems like maybe the city is somewhat hamstrung to to help us and with what's happening at the port. I don't quite understand all of it, but we need your help. We have a national wildlife refuge, we have a river, and we have a community that needs outdoor space. Please do everything you can to step forward. Thank you.

Is there anybody else in the room?

I wasn't going to speak, but no, just teasing. So you guys know me. My name is Shawna Fisher, Ridgefield resident. So I just was doing some research online, and I just wanted to share some stuff that I found. This was some stuff I found on Ridgefield Roundtable that I thought it was important to share so you guys could keep mine. The City and the Port of Ridgefield are working together to create a community-focused waterfront park. So I think that's important to remember. And it says here, outlines a vision for a park that serves as a hub for recreation, nature viewing, and community events. I think that's important. And then this is a quote from Bruce Wiseman. With this waterfront park, we're achieving both goals, honoring the community's needs and wants, while creating a vibrant space that drives recreation. And I think that's the most important part of the quote. The economic prosperity. I don't think you can put a price tag on that green space. So I think the green space is important. And this is like a unique waterfront Ridgefield. It's not like any others. I'm like, oh my gosh, I'm freezing here. So I think that just we need to focus on the vibrant community space. And I mean, look at the other things the port is working on right now, like the Wisdom Ridge Business Park, right? Why can't they put some of that stuff that they're thinking maybe down by the waterfront? Because I heard they're going to do some... industrial type stuff i'm not sure so there's that and then they have the oak ridge business park that they're working on right and it says here these projects support the port's mission to responsibly develop land and facilities that encourage private investment but i think it's investment in the community that's important with this right so and one of the things here on this interview with the port it says one of the things that appreciate the most about ridgefield is a strong sense of community and its dedicated network of partners who work together to make it better for everyone. And all local people giving their time and energy to make Refuge Hill the best community it can be. And this last thing, this is in an article that was written by Ethan from the port. Ports work closely with cities and counties and other public and private partners to ensure our efforts are coordinated, effective, and aligned with community goals. And this is another thing here, this quote from him, because at its heart, Ridge, the port's work is more than development. It's about building opportunity through patiently and with Ridge Shield's future in mind. And I think that's so important, right? It's Ridge Shield's future because this isn't the Vancouver waterfront, you know, it's a different space and it should definitely be preserved and treasured and people come to that for that peace and that open that open space and I think you know working with the community is so important you know and that's why I'd like took the time to look at this stuff online because I think it's important so there you go so there's that thank you thank you miss Fisher

Sure, she beat you to the punch again.

Hi, Jane again, a friend of Richfield. As people are talking about the waterfront development, I'd like to highlight an opportunity with any redevelopment or additional improvements. We have a huge gap. in Southwest Washington for accessible and adaptive waterfront access. People with various abilities. I live with disabilities myself. I have trouble getting in and out of a kayak without my family members helping me get in and out. There are many great examples of adaptable boat launches for a variety of different kind of boats for personal water sport. So I highly encourage the city to be an advocate for people with disabilities. any waterfront improvements to include not just one but maybe two launches because this will become a destination because you have to go way down into the city of Portland to get to an adaptable boat lunch and we don't have any any like Vancouver Lake doesn't even have any so I highly encourage you to look at models around the country and around the community because you will become a destination spot and we love visitors here and your taco trucks etc so please consider people with disabilities and if you need a Some experts, Access Recreation is based in Portland, but Georgina Moran has been a friend of the Ridgefield Wildlife Refuge, helping design the new nature center, and you can see the input from people who live with disabilities in that new nature center. We would love to have that for adaptive water sports too. Thank you.

Thank you. Yeah.

Good evening, council members. I'm sorry if I'm repetitive at all, but this is my first time being able to share my story. My family moved here in 2018. Can you start with your name? Oh, sorry. My name is Wendy McIntyre. Like I said, I've never done this before, so thank you. At the time, so we moved here in 2018 for a nearby job opportunity. At the time, we hadn't known anything about Ridgefield, so we were looking in Vancouver area, and we were just not able to find that thing that felt right for our family. And when we found out about Ridgefield, we decided to go drive and check it out. And what we found that day immediately sold us on this town. The first thing we did was drive to the waterfront. And what we found were families everywhere, wide open green space full of people gathered together, children running around, kayaks and boats filled the water. We later realized we had stumbled upon the big paddle event. But in that moment, we saw something special. a community deeply connected to this place and to one another. Since then, the waterfront has become part of our family's life story. When we first moved here, I just had two small children. So the waterfront was where I felt like, and we lived in dense community housing, and we didn't have a good backyard. So this is where my kids roamed free. My toddler, who's now nine years old, she just owned that place. And I had a baby in a stroller. Then through COVID, it was our place of respite. And then even when I homeschooled my kids for a while, that was where we did nature school. We learned so much just having that outdoor space. So now I have four kids. And being pregnant and then newly postpartum, that is a place that I go to reconnect with nature, recover, breathe, and just have have that place. And so the community, it's already serving this community every single day, whether or not we build on it. It's such a big part of our community. At a time when Ridgefield is rapidly growing and becoming more crowded, why would we remove this, one of the few open, natural gathering spaces that brings people together? We have so many events out there. And we need more than just a nine-acre memorial of what once was. We can compare our port to many other ports and try and mimic them in our own ways. And it kind of seems like that's what's being done. But we have to know, and I think we all realize that what we have is very unique and special, especially as it's connected to the refuge. And we can build retail houses, apartments especially. They can be built anywhere. We only have one waterfront. And I know the port needs to drive economic growth. We've heard this. And developing this land might be a part of that. But our community is begging for it to be done thoughtfully and truly making it what the community wants and not just what makes sense for a developer. And while development plans may include buffers, I think it's simply unrealistic to believe that dense multi-story development directly adjacent to the refuge will not permanently change the ecosystem, the wildlife behavior, and the natural experience residents currently enjoy. That is why I'm asking the city tonight to do three things. And I understand we've been told, you know, your hands are tied on a lot of things, but there are some things that I... Oh, no.

Yeah. I'm sorry. Could you email your comments to us? We would be happy to read them.

Hello. Hi. My name is Troy McKay. I'm a 20-year, basically 20-year resident here in Ridgefield. We live on... as close as you can get to Cartley Lake. We watch the geese out our glass sliding door. What you guys are proposing has changed in Ridgefield in many ways. People here, many of them are my neighbors. You can see the cry in the community. We're asking you for help. It's not like we're, you know, Angry yet, but you can see the signage in town. You can see the people here, right? I usually don't come to your council meetings. I know exactly who you are. I watch your weekly videos and stuff. We're asking you all for help. And I see a lot of heads shaking, but we're going to keep coming here until you guys can help us out until we get some answers about what's going to go on down there. I have kayaks. I have little kids. Me and my wife moved here to raise our kids here in Ridgefield. I have very few elderly neighbors left. When I walk through the streets of Ridgefield, I get the growth. We understand new people coming into the community, the new stuff, the growth that happens. It's great. The library looks great. All that stuff looks great. But keep Ridgefield Ridgefield, is all I ask. And think about what you're doing to the town for the next 50 years. Thank you.

Thank you. Is there anybody else in the room tonight who would like a public comment? Yes, ma'am.

My name is Sharon McLaughlin. I've lived in Clark County all my life and Ridgefield the last 35 years. I live in downtown Ridgefield. Troy is my neighbor. And I wasn't going to talk either because I hate this, even though I'm a retired teacher. But anyway, I'll get on with this. I'm worried about several things. The boat launch is like a real traditional. I walk my dog down there every day. There's so many. people that use that boat launch for their fishing. And I worry about them. I don't fish. My husband used to, but I don't. But I still respect that, and I respect that sport. And I wonder about that, and I wonder if anyone's speaking for them. I worry about the water infrastructure. We've got so much building now and so much tax on the water system. Are we prepared to support more? I don't think we are. I worry about the traffic and the parking in downtown Ridgefield already. What other people have said about the wildlife. I see the, oh, they remind me of dinosaurs. I never can think of their names with those big, huge birds. They're there all the time. Every day when I walk my dog, I see those guys. I love them so much. And I was wondering, we've been sent surveys, like I remember several years ago getting surveys. How do you want this to look? What's your input? And I've never seen the results of those surveys. I filled it out, and I said what I wanted, and it certainly isn't, and I know I'm only one voice, but not really. A lot of people feel like that. I've never seen the results of who wants that. And my husband is no longer with us, but he worked for Pacific Wood Treatment. For a lot of years, when I first met him, that's what he was doing. And I can tell you stories about what happened there. And I'm sure what's still there and what's contaminated there. It was a huge, huge event in Clark County. And I don't think it can possibly still be cleaned up the way it should be. And I wonder about building on top of it what that's going to do. But thank you.

Anybody else this evening?

Good evening. My name is Rick Grenz, 37-year resident of Richfield, lifetime resident of Southwest Washington, going on 71 years. Anyway, yesterday I spent a couple hours in a community right here in Richfield. Prior to that, I went to a short port meeting. What I thought I would do is circulate this preserve Richfield waterfront petition that I'm sure all of you are familiar with. And I wanted to talk to the business owners, which I pretty much hit all of them. And the ones I didn't hit had already heard about that. Most of them had heard of this petition. A lot of them have signed it. And there were a few that were reluctant to get involved with the politics. But for the most part, all the businesses that I approached yesterday wanted that waterfront to have more community input as to what the future of it is. So basically what I'm requesting is a survey that both the city and the port are involved with, with an independent source to take the survey and see what the community really wants. I think that's probably the least that can be done when the taxpayers throughout the state and this town and so forth have spent $9,200 million for that port cleanup, for that property, that waterfront property cleanup. And it's still not clean. But there's a lot of precautions that will have to be taken in order to build on it. And then also the $18 million overpass. There's a lot of taxpayer money there. And I think the least that can occur is to have the courtesy to offer the taxpayers here in Richfield, the town of Richfield especially, the opportunity to be heard and feel that their requests are being met. A very important matter here that I think is not getting enough attention, and that is the flood threat down there on the waterfront. That area has been seeing three significant floods in 48, the Vanport flood, the 64 Christmas Day flood, and the 96 flood. The Corps of Engineers put a lot of time into this flood hazard inquiry. It's dated July 14th of 2023. What they did is they graphed those three flood events, the crests of them, down there on the port's waterfront property with a fill that's presently in place. It's pretty impressive how much those three floods would impact that area down there. And it's not a question of if it's going to happen again. It is going to happen again. All the locals tell you that. Even the Corps of Engineers says they have restrictions on how much flow they can hold back on those dams because when they reach capacity, It's going to be released and the Columbia River is going to back up and flood that area. We get the right climate events, heavy snowpack, rapid snow melt, Pineapple Express, the right events will flood that area.

Thank you, Mr. Grenz.

You're welcome.

Is there anybody else wishing to give comment in the room? Ms. Julie, anybody online?

No one online, Mayor.

Okay, with that, we're gonna close public comment for the evening and move on to our agenda. Thank you all for coming tonight. Thank you for your comments. We do appreciate them. We hear them. Council, we'll move on to the consent agenda, and I would accept a motion to approve the consent agenda.

I move to approve the consent agenda as presented. Second.

Okay, it's been moved by Buerkle, seconded by Davis. Any discussions, council? Hearing none, all those in favor say aye. Aye. All opposed, thank you. Passes. Okay. And we're going to move on to our business portion of the evening tonight. Our item of business tonight is the contract award for the construction management contract for the Ridgefield Community and Recreation Center. And for that, we'll go to Ms. Lang. All you.

Good evening, Mayor and Council. Thank you. So in summary, we are seeking approval for the construction management contract with Cumming Group for the Community and Recreation Center construction project. The construction management contract will help ensure adherence to approved engineering plans and specs while supporting timely and effective cost construction practices. The construction manager will also be responsible for overseeing inspections and ensuring all required reporting is properly completed throughout the project timeline.

Can I ask you to pause just for a second? Yeah, as we, I know that there's people kind of shuffling in and out. Okay, I think we're good. Yeah, thank you.

Okay, no problem.

Yeah.

The total contract amount for these services is proposed at $897,980. Funding for this project is supported through council appropriations and bonding designated for the Ridgefield Community and Recreation Center. Any questions?

All right, thank you for that. Council, to you, any questions for staff on this item? Councillor Davis.

Yeah, thank you, Mayor. I'm just curious, do we have even a short list of what some of the local projects or jurisdictions that they've worked with, so we can just reference?

Yeah, I apologize. I did not bring that with me. But we have a lengthy list, and I can get that over to you.

It's a local firm, though, right?

They do have an office in Portland.

OK, OK. Yeah, I'd be curious what type of local things they've been involved with.

We will get that for you.

Cool, thanks.

Councilor Hamilton.

Thank you. So I was reading through the packet and looking at the value engineering, and I was curious, how does council get informed if the proposed value engineering affects amenities or the user experience? Like, how does that get reported back to us?

So we can definitely report back on that and give you a presentation. Steve, did you want to?

Yeah, I mean, counselor, to your question on value engineering processes that we've done in the past, a lot of them, if they fit within the frame of what had already been approved by council, they didn't come back for formal review, but they came back through the briefing process that we employ. However, it is something that if we can set some parameters for if it's anything that affects the user experience, or I can certainly work with council and set expectations that are clear and consistent and so that if there are changes that are ones that you want to see before they're enacted upon, we can make sure that happens.

Thank you.

All right, other questions, council? Seeing none, just one real quick from me. So it looks like this one came in a little bit lower, at least lower than I was expecting, so that's good, all the way around. I noticed there is no contingency in this one. So we had this conversation, too, a couple of weeks ago when we were approving the construction contract, Do we, because it's just for professional services, for construction management services, are we expecting any level of scope change or is there any level of contingency we need to be aware of? Because again, like I was saying a couple weeks ago, it's really important that this project finishes on time and around budget just to maintain the cost considerations that will be ultimately passed on to our residents.

Yes, so we do not typically apply a contingency on our professional services contract. They typically have a little bit more, we know more of what's gonna happen on a professional services versus construction getting into the ground.

That's what I thought, okay, great, thank you. Okay, any remaining questions, council?

Mayor and Council, I think I do have an answer for Councillor Davis's question, if you'd like. I have the coming groups of middle and within that recent experience with similar projects, White Salmon Valley Pool and Metropolitan District. And that was in 2021 and to present and that had Recreation Center with Aquatics. I'm just looking through that a little bit. Sorry. And then next one. Anaheim High School Aquatic Center in Anaheim, City of North Glen New Recreation Center and Senior Center in North Glen, Colorado, City Center Insurance Services Collaboration Center in Wilsonville, the Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission's HQ in Canby, City of Oregon City's Public Works Operations Complex, Port of Portland's PDX Terminal Redevelopment. I'm looking. They have something from UO. Those are the ones that are most relevant. There's a few others that they list. And there's detail within all of those. But that's a short list of some of the projects that they cited in their package.

The last one gives me concern.

Probably a little bit. There's some beautiful green and yellow that they showed in the picture.

I appreciate the list.

OK, great. Other questions or comments at this point? Hearing none, council, for this one, I would accept a motion. Is it on?

Oh, sorry.

I'll make a motion that we award the contract for construction management for the Ritual Community and Recreation Center to, this name isn't here, I'm sorry. Oh, apologies, Cumming Group. The Cumming Group?

The Cumming Group.

To the Cumming Group. I'll say it right.

Okay, it has been moved by Chipman, seconded by Wells to award the contract for construction management services for the RCRC to the Cumming Group. Council, any discussion? Hearing none, all those in favor, say aye. Aye. All opposed? Opposed. One, okay, one opposed. Thank you very much, Councilor Fevella. And with that, motion carries. Appreciate it. Okay, that concludes our business for the evening. We're gonna move back into public comment. And so anybody wishing to address City Council regarding items not subject to a specific public hearing may come forward at this time to the podium or use the raise hand feature located at the toolbar at the bottom of your Zoom screen for controls of the phone. Press star nine for raise hand and press star six to unmute. Please state your name and limit your comments to three minutes. Is there anybody wishing to give public comment? Come on forward.

hi wendy mcintyre here to just finish so this is why i'm asking for the city tonight for three things first require a current and comprehensive environmental impact statement before this project moves forward any further we know that we've been told to wait till the permitting stage but There are things that we can do now. Second, ensure that the environmental review happens early before permits are filed and before decisions become difficult to reverse and contracts are signed. And third, seriously reconsider the density and scale of what is being proposed at this unique location. If there is any authority to further define the specific zoning, then please consider what makes sense for our community and our refuge. Once the space is heavily developed, we cannot undo it. I beg you to please. Please protect the character, wildlife, open space, and community connection that make the waterfront so special in the first place. And again, we know that it's not the city who's coming up with these plans, but we're just asking to be a partnership with the community in any way that you can. And just speaking again with some other people outside, just finding a way where the community can help build the concept that we can then take to developers if it has to be developed instead of the other way around where it seems like a developer is telling us what our small town needs. And that's all. Thank you.

Thank you. Mr. Jennings.

My name is Michael Jennings. I have two subjects. The first, thanks again to all of you for your deeply caring and careful management of Richfield. Second subject, the recent tragedies of poison in the air in Orange County, California and in Longview, Washington were caused by poorly designed chemical tanks. How can we prevent insufficiently managed companies from having an influence on Richfield. Thanks.

Thank you. Anybody else in the room tonight? Come on up, sir.

I'm going to try to finish what I started saying here. My name is Rick Grins. As far as that survey goes, it was last summer, I believe, possibly last spring, but it was in that timeframe where I spoke with a port official and it was about the boat launch specifically. And what I was told was the port was probably going to do a survey community survey and see what the desires were from the public here. It never happened. Um, I think it's more important now that, especially after all the conversation about the waterfront development, to get this survey out from an independent source and have the city and the port both united in that desire to do that before anything else pursues the development part down there. I know that Palindrome's supposed to be moving into that building any time after June 1st, the second floor of the old port building down there, Division. Things are moving ahead, and the community wants input And hopefully they'll get it. The one thing that I found out yesterday in that port meeting, I put in a public records request. And I was requesting a copy of the application for the letter of map change that the port would need from FEMA in order to avoid the 100-year floodplain, prevent them from having to get flood insurance on the buildings if it were built in the 100-year floodplain. And what I found out, a little surprising how fast things have moved. They've already got the approval from FEMA to build outside of that 100-year floodplain because of the elevation numbers or whatever they gave to the FEMA. It's concerning because just because it's out of the 100-year floodplain, if it's in the 500-year floodplain, 1,000-year floodplain, it's not going to matter. There's still going to be a flood down there that's going to affect that area tremendously. And that's what the experts are saying, as well as the locals that have lived here for years. It was Vermont, the summer of July of 2023, when Vermont had a flood that was a 1,000-year flood. They didn't think they would ever see it, but it did significant damage. And then it was Camp Mystic, July 4 of last year, 2025, when that flooded. Young girls died in that. Two counselors and the camp director, 28 people died. And people must not have, and what the camp did, the owners back in 2000 of 23, no, I take that back, 2013, they were successful at asking FEMA to remove their waterfront property from the 100-year floodplain, which is in Kerr County, Texas. That removal was allowing them to be no longer classified as a high-risk flood hazard zone. Thank you, Commissioner Grimes. One more, one point.

We have to move on, I'm sorry.

That's exactly what the Port of Richfield is classified as. Okay, is there anybody else wishing to give a public comment?

I'm done, thank you. Thank you.

No different than the Port of Richfield.

All right. This time I'm just going to speak from here. So, um, Shauna Fisher. So I just wanted to share a little bit about where I came from before moving to Ridgefield. So, um, and why the waterfront and just the quaint downtown is so important to me and feeds my soul. So before I moved to Ridgefield, I lived in the Salmon Creek slash Hazel Dell area. and I lived in a lower kind of income housing apartment complex. And, you know, when I first moved there, it was great, and then it started to really go downhill, and it was like, okay, you know, Clark County Sheriff there, like, all the time, right? That's when you know you've got to move, right? You know, when you see Clark County Sheriff there a lot. So anyway, so that's what I worry about with them doing something, you know, like on a – down by the waterfront you know because then there wouldn't be any accessible stuff for people anyway down with that so anyway so i just want to talk about my pool to ridgefield so i had a friend visit from california and we went to the ridgefield wildlife refuge and just to the downtown area and the waterfront and just something just calms my soul right because you don't get that anywhere else right it's just really the heart of ridgefield and just a um a space a space to breathe right or it's clean air and it's clean there's no litter down there and you look at up where you know the new stuff by the freeway like in and out chipotle all that area there's so much more garbage there i don't know if you guys have noticed that but there's so much more garbage so i feel like with that higher density stuff down there it would create more more garbage and there's so much other stuff that could be created down there for community and preserve that, preserve the nature down there. I feel like there's so much more that could be looked at and I think it would be good to do a you know it's good you guys are listening right and it'd be good to do if the port and you guys had a community meeting together or a new community survey that went to all Ridgefield residents where everybody in Ridgefield got that and maybe could fill it out online or in the mail because I feel like there's a lot of people that don't No, or maybe they just don't pay attention to things like this, so they don't know what the big plan is down there. So I think it's just important to, you know, we don't need housing down there. You know, if they want to develop something down there, I feel like there's a better way to keep it more nature focused because the infrastructure, there's like a 200 Thing apartment building that's not going to create 200 jobs. It's just going to create 200 more cars, right? So, you know if the port wants to create jobs, that's not really Like there's other ways that they could create revenue with the other projects and other things that they have going on as well And there you go. The buzzer is gonna ding.

Thank you Anybody else wishing to get public comment Seeing none hearing miss Julie. Is there anybody remaining online? I

No one online, Mayor.

OK, we're going to close public comment for the evening. Thank you, everybody, once again. And we're going to move on to council reports. Council, anybody wanting to go first tonight? Jump in there. Councilor Wells, you're up.

I have nothing to report.

I like your style, sir.

We wanted a chart.

Councilor Buerkle, you want to match that?

I have several things. I went to the grand opening of our new barber's shop in Ridgefield. I always get great pleasure when we have a ribbon cutting for another new business in Ridgefield, and the barbers, a very well done shop, and I think will be very, very successful. Also attended the junction meeting. I don't know if any of you have ever been to a junction meeting, but if you want to attend a very, very, very informative meeting, that would be the one to go to. I had visited and attended a port meeting, One of the highlights for me was the memorial service at the cemetery for our veterans. Very moving, always very well done. I would encourage all of you to make a special attempt to go there and honor the people that have given us what we have available today. Also attended the Ridgefield Economic Development Corporation meeting. And today, again, welcomed another new business to Ridgefield, a dental office out by Costco. Again, we're blessed as a community to continue to attract these wonderful new businesses. Thank you.

Thank you, Councillor. Councillor Hamilton.

Thank you, Mayor. I just want to acknowledge and say I appreciate being a part of a city that is wanting to make sure its residents feel seen, heard, and safe here. So I'm very proud to serve on this council with everybody here. And I want to give a big shout out to our public works team for making the Rourke look incredible. You guys do wonderful work, and you do it often. So thank you for that. That's all.

Great, thank you. Councilor Davis?

Sure. Yeah, I also was able to go to the Junction meeting. That's always a great event. I went to the Learn Here event that was honoring Detective King on behalf of his work with the school district. That's a pretty special event I've been able to attend a few times, and it's always neat to see school districts honor people from not just within their district, but that volunteer in their district, like Detective King. And then the last, this past weekend I went to the bike safe event that Outer Rim Bicycle hosted for the kids and it was really well attended. They had like some obstacle course stuff. I got some feedback about the pump track and all that. And it was great to have our RPD officers there talking to the kids as well. So that's what I got.

Cool, thank you. Councilor Fevella.

Thank you. I want to first shout out Public Works for getting out to the Rourke today and getting that. That was not something that you had to take on, but you willingly took it on as something extra. And that is not light work, and it is definitely not Not appreciated either. So thank you for doing that for our community The two events I want to talk about are that I went to two different events for our detective King he won two separate awards and it was incredible to see him honored the great work that he's doing in our community and at one of the events and battleground where he won an award and there was a young lady who also won an award she's a high school student she's 16 years old and she won an award because there was a man that broke into her family's home while they were sleeping and she went out and saw this man in her home and he got assaulted with her And at 16 years old, she took this gentleman down and pinned him in a bathroom until law enforcement showed up. And I just thought, what a badass. And that is so deserved. And it's just a reminder for all of us, don't underestimate yourself and what you're capable of. And yeah, it was a really cool thing to witness and be there to see. And that's it. Thanks.

Thank you, Councillor. Mayor Pro Tem.

So I, too, attended several of those things. I won't go through each one. But probably the most meaningful thing to me in the last two weeks was at the Chamber of Commerce luncheon this week where they brought in the Ridgefield students that got the scholarships. And only two of them were able to attend and their families. But to hear the kids talk about... what a big help it is for them to get the scholarship and what their plans were and everything. It's just inspiring to see this generation that's coming from our high school and some of the great plans that they have and a good education that they've had and know that they're ready to move on. That was my favorite event this week.

That's wonderful. Thank you, Mayor Patem. Okay, great. Thank you. Speaking of kids and students, I had the privilege, I think, to welcome third graders and give them tours through City Hall this week. It ended up being a lot more than I thought it was going to be, but it was fun nevertheless. over 120 students came through city hall over like the last three days so it's been a busy week thank you to staff who works out of city hall for being good for being good sports about that um and had a lot of questions a lot of questions we told a lot of stories about safes and bank robberies and time capsules and mammoths and all those kinds of things all of it really compelling and good stuff so Thank you. And again, thank you for staff for supporting that. I, too, also got to celebrate Detective King and Battleground as he assisted with an investigation out there last year and they acknowledged him. I went to the state of the county address last week and listened to Council Chair Sue Marshall deliver the state of the county neighborhood junction meeting. We attended a council chat with Councilor Hamilton and I. I think we had somewhere around 25, 30 people there. It was a really good turnout. No surprise, a lot about the waterfront. But always happy to have a chance to have a conversation where we can answer questions more directly to do that. I think there was two or three ribbon cuttings in the last couple of weeks. and then uh uh the neighborhood junction meeting like i said um and then the i just want to also give a shout out to our public works crew for on short notice getting out there and clean up the work the best you can it looks great we're just down there beforehand for uh opening night for the raptors and it's always a great thing that our community gets to celebrate to have Raptors opening night in Ridgefield. But thank you, PW. And please pass along our thanks. We're sincerely appreciative. I know that there is a level of service that we have here at the city and our public works crews, and they deliver every single time. And we're hoping to get our our counterparts at the school district to kind of adopt that same level of service because that is a great facility. It is a huge part of what we are and our identity here and we really need that to looking good all the time. So thank you for that. And lastly, I just want to extend my heartfelt condolences to the residents of Longview as they are enduring fallout of a very terrible event that happened earlier this week with the Nippon Dino wave implosion that happened there. It sounds like the latest count is about maybe eight people have passed away as a result of that. And so our hearts are with Longview tonight as they continue to search for the remaining missing people and navigate that tragedy that happened there. So with that, thank you again for everybody who's come out. Thank you for the continued conversation that we're having.

work on having that conversation continue it to get answers and get a clear direction but with that we'll go to the city manager thank you mayor members of the council in the community piggybacking on that last piece of what you had to share with the community the next opportunity for the community to have a conversation with you as a council and specifically with two of our council members councillor wells and councillor burkle will be the next council coffee chat and that is next wednesday june 3rd That's 7.30 a.m. to 9 a.m. at Rose Hour. So I know that they'll be setting up shop and looking forward to talking to folks there. So thank you very much, Council, for putting yourselves out there for the community and to be heard and to hear them. Second thing I wanted to make note of, because our deputy city manager is not here to do it, is next Saturday, not this coming one, but the one after that, is the Big Paddle. So 15th anniversary of the Big Paddle. Lots going on. Lots of information on our website. Lots more that we'll be putting out. But definitely, we're all excited to see the 15th anniversary of Big Paddle moving forward. With that, I'm happy to answer any questions that you might have.

Council, any questions for city manager? All right. Thank you. As usual. Mr. Thamer, over in Public Works.

I just wanted to thank all of you for your kind words and the recognition of the hard work of our Public Works Department. I will certainly be passing that along to them tomorrow and next week. So thank you. With that, happy to answer any questions.

A couple of questions for you. Start with Councilor Buerkle and then we'll go to Councilor Wolf.

I just, too, wanted to give your crew a shout out. The place tonight looked fabulous. And it didn't look that way this morning. So thank you.

Councillor Wells.

I'm going to relate the same comments. Other than be sure and tell them that we've seen that they turned around and showered and shaved before the ball game tonight, as far as the rounds go. We were all there to attest to that, that they had a clean, clean... Grounds there and we all appreciated it for all the people that were coming this evening to turn around and partake of the first game Great thank you.

Okay. Thank you. We'll go to mr. Johnson and finance

Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Just a quick update. As you know, we've been working through compliance for the House Bill 2015 for, it seems like, the last 10 years. It's been rather complex. I just want to give some kudos to Chief Doriot and our grant writer, Kristen Lashua. We got a letter last week that we've met all the compliance requirements. So not only did we comply for the sales tax that you approved last year, but also for the grant program. And we're working through the details. The benefit of working through all of that is the state has asked us to apply for more money. So we're working with them. We'll come back with the full detail on that. But we're working through what we can to get everything we can for our public safety.

Great. Wonderful. Thank you. That's a good update. Any questions for Mr. Johnson, council? OK. Ms. Parker.

I have no report this evening. Just happy to answer any questions.

All right. Council, any questions for the city attorney? All right. You're off the hook, ma'am. Ms. Lust and community development.

Nothing for me either, Mayor, but happy to answer any questions.

I'm not seeing any as well. Thank you. And we'll go to Lieutenant, last but not least.

Thank you, Mayor and Council. A few updates for our recruitment project that we were awarded. We are working towards that. We got over 15 bids, but 10 not qualified. So we're in the process of reviewing those now. We have a meeting in a few weeks with a couple team members here with the city to evaluate each bid from there. The project is for the recruitment. So we reward $175,000 through the state for officer recruitment. So we rewarded that. And part of that recruitment is focusing on media, recruitment videos, photos, websites, things like that, that specialty programs and companies have the ability to put a lot more focus into. So like I mentioned, we got about 10 bids that we are looking at for the next couple of weeks. So we will hopefully be able to look at those and come to a decision then. Second, we've been working towards, as well, part of that grant is buying some better, if you call, swag, which we have. So we have custom tents now. That is Ridgefield Police Department. And we actually have those ordered. Megan worked really hard on getting those orders. So we should have those ordered here in the next couple weeks. They look really awesome. They have our new patch here that we'll be rolling out here in the next couple weeks. You'll start seeing them on some of the officers' uniforms now. So that's really exciting. I want to also echo Detective King. He makes us extremely proud. As you guys already mentioned, he's been awarded. We had two nights in a row where we got to celebrate King. He is an officer that loves this community and that shows in not only his work, but just how he dedicates his life to serving kids here in the school, helping others. He's an incredible resource for not only Ridgefield, but outer agencies. I hear once a week from multiple agencies of how helpful he was in their investigations and how well he works. So we're extremely proud with that. Yeah, any questions?

Any questions for Lieutenant? No, thank you. Oh, there is one. Yeah, Councilor Fevella.

Lieutenant, I don't have a question, but I wanted to welcome you to your first meeting. And thank you for a great report out. I appreciate it. Thank you.

All right. Thank you. Thank you, sir. Good to see you as well. All right. If there's no other questions, and with that, this meeting is adjourned.