The Edmonds City Council will hold a study session Tuesday night, and a variety of information-only topics– from the Edmonds Train Trench to the Sunset Avenue Walkway (part of the Capital Facilities Plan) to the 2015 city budget — will be up for discussion.
At 6:30 p.m., the council will meet in closed executive session in the Jury Meeting Room for about 10 minutes to discuss potential litigation. That will be followed at approximately 6:40 p.m., by a meeting with candidates for appointment to the Edmonds Cemetery Board. That meeting will also occur in the Jury Meeting Room and is open to the public.
The regular meeting will begin at 7 p.m., with the following agenda items:
– Authorization for Mayor to sign Supplemental Agreement with David Evans & Associates for the 76th Avenue West @ 212th Street Southwest Intersection Improvements project
– Interlocal Agreement for Jail Services with the City of Lynnwood
– Presentation of the Train Trench Concept by Tetra Tech
– Deputy Director Parks job description and salary range approval
– Discussion on the Proposed 2015-2020 Capital Facilities Plan/Capital Improvement
Program.
– Public comment and continued discussion regarding the 2015 Proposed City Budget.
– Discussion regarding Council Executive Assistant and Legislative Assistant
The meeting will be in the Council Chambers, Public Safety Complex, 250 5th Ave. N. You can see the complete agenda here.
The estimate from Tetra-Tech for the tunnel is for over $250 million where is the money going to come from? I wouldn’t really object to the 1% property tax increase if it was going to help do something useful, but the budget includes $100K to be combined for $1.2 million from the state to study this ditch!
This is an example of spending our money foolishly. The 1% tax increase just about equals $100K. Please don’t spend our money, and the state money to study something that there isn’t any feasible way to do!
Interesting choice of Tetra Tech……making a presentation. Doesn’t this company have links to mining and all things pipeline, nuclear.,etc..?……Perhaps I have missed something here……Are we not a very fragile environment here? Who chose Terra Tech for their presentation?…….
With the toxic level of Seattle’s water (by businesses, Boeing, and others over a long period of time, with estimates in the millions upon millions for this major clean up, and Seattle children affected by those toxins!), I hope we pay real close attention to anybody that is making reccomendations for our town and our shoreline, water, environment, etc. and what we do here that won’t have grave consequences down the road such as Seattle’s toxic waters now and Seattle’s children poisoned from that. Who we do business with. If my home town Seattle ended up with the toxic water it now has, one has to wonder HOW that happened with the long ago head of the EPA actually living in our area for a very long time and I believe still in our area…….It is important that we are very careful and check out everything and do not just jump on band wagons……Check out the history of any company giving us recommendations, what industries connected to, our Port, our government, etc. This is easy to do now with the internet.
And the theory seems to be in regards to the environment now, LESS is more, not more is more and definately more $$$$ does not mean better. The trade off in Seattle for jobs versus environment (the water, toxic) does not seem now to have been the prudent choice, if children are sick from it and the water is totally toxic…… Shocking to me for the Pacific Northwest
There appears to be some people in Edmonds here connected to a company that I believe has a board member that is the former Secretary of Transportation (not that long ago)….. Correct me if I’m wrong….Department of Transportation…….We should have a lot of information available to us, the citizens, I would think, but nobody seems to talk about this…… It would appear to me that we should have ALL the information up front. I believe we need more information from our Mayor (not less) as he has been involved in transportation issues in the state of Washington for a very long time.
I’m also wondering now what kind of shape our waters are in. Perhaps someone could also speak to this.
Harry, I thought the City was requesting $1 million to study alternatives along the City’s waterfront, not just the train trench.
Mayor Earling was quoted in the Everett Herald as saying “It could be an underpass, overpass, a trench or any number of things”.
Do you or others consider any of these “feasible”, worthy of spending money to study?
I wish we could get more clarity on just what role the City and its citizens are supposed to play in this complicated mess that involves WSDOT and BNSF. I believe our most direct concern is the provision of emergency services west of the train tracks when the tracks are blocked.
As it relates to SR 104, ferry loading and offloading, and the train track conflicts . . . . is the State a leader or a follower when it comes to issues like this?
Ken, it is possible that I misinterpreted what the study was for. If it is to study alternatives and not just the train trench, then I agree that the issue is significant enough to merit the expenditure. My inability to be at the meetings the last several months may have caused me to misunderstand.
Please consider the reconfiguration of 212th and 76th to include left-turn lanes on 76th similar to those on 212th. Better yet, let’s do a roundabout (though with the school pedestrian traffic there it probably would not be a good idea).
Also, please consider redoing 220th and 76th with left-turn lanes on 220th (or a roundabout).
At both intersections I have frequently seen no or few left turns occurring during the “one-way at a time” cycles for 76th (at 212th) and 220th (at 76th). What a waste of fuel idling while the vast majority of traffic goes through rather than left.
I understand Harry. I am not sure which government entity should play what role related to all these issues. My opinion is that the State has been far too quiet on this mess.
I will say one thing – I sincerely hope Chuck and Kathy Gold are considered for Edmonds Citizens of the year. The staggering effort they have made to analyze a problem, propose a solution and educate others is off the charts. I salute them for their passion and hard work.
The Citizen of the Year process includes an open nomination form. I’ve filled them out before. If you feel someone is deserving, make sure you nominate them.
Thank you Matthew, I will make a note to do so. It looks like this is done in the springtime. The deadline to nominate the 2014 Edmonds Citizen of the Year was May 9, 2014.
Several years back, the ferries considered moving the landing, it just might be worth considering working with them, to make that a reality!
the trench would be very costly and difficult, with much environmental concern including the ongoing landslides, i don’t think anyone really wants an elevated road blocking the view, and i don’t think anyone would even think of working with bnsf to relocate the tracks, somewhere inland
moving the ferry landing, an elevated roadway may just be possible??? and we’d get state money along with federal grants and i wouldn’t be surprised if bnsf would pitch in, if somehow stablizing some of the land would be incorporated in the deal
a small, pedestrian bridge could easily be added without disturbing the view at the current ferry building site
The Edmonds City Council voted against relocating the ferry to the Unocal site back in 1968. Related concerns and discussions about what to do go back at least that far.
fyi: re: train safety
it looks like the city of Seattle also has some train difficulties…
instead of each municipality working separately, is there some way we can all work together?
if they thought it would save them some $$$, i’m sure bnsf would prefer that
see: https://www.komonews.com/news/local/Oil-trains-like-gasoline-slide-under-downtown-Seattle-every-day-in-old-tunnel-283769651.html