City of Homer

 

Memorandum 05-153

TO:                  Mayor and City Council

THROUGH:            Walt Wrede, City Manager

FROM:            Anne Marie Holen, Special Projects Coordinator

DATE:             September 6, 2005

SUBJECT:            2006-2011 CIP; 2007 Legislative Request

The City of Homer Capital Improvement Plan for 2006-2011 is ready in draft form for your review. First, a few notes:

New Projects: New projects proposed so far by department heads, advisory commissions, and directors of local agencies are Fairview Avenue to West Hill Road, Spit Trail Parking and Restroom, Homer Intersection Improvements (replaced “Traffic Calming”), Main Street Reconstruction/ Sidewalks – Pioneer to Bunnell, Ben Walters Park Improvements, Jack Gist Park Improvements, Communications Systems Upgrade, Fire Engine 4 Refurbishment, Harbor Float Replacement – Phase 1, Ice Rink Zamboni, Parks and Recreation Equipment (replaced “Playground Equipment”), and Pratt Museum Fuel Tank.

Descriptions on several other existing projects were modified significantly.

Deleted Projects: The following projects were deleted from this draft at the suggestion of department heads and others. (In most cases, this is because funding has been procured for the projects.): Community Ice Rink, Deep Water Dock Corrosion Control, Fairview Avenue to West Hill Road, Homer Public Library, Pratt Museum Porch Repair, Public Works Large Equipment Shed, Septic Tank Pumpage Dump Station, Confined Space Rescue Breathing Air System, and Refurbishing HVFD Tanker 1.

“Top 5” Projects Identified by Advisory Boards and Commissions:

·       Planning Commission: Main Street Reconstruction/Sidewalks, Homer Water Improvements, Homer City Hall, Town Center Infrastructure, Senior Access Trail

·       Library Advisory Board: Bridge Creek Watershed Land Acquisition, Fire Engine-Aerial Truck, Senior Access Trail, Homer Intersection Improvements, Town Center Infrastructure

·       Parks & Recreation Commission: Town Center Infrastructure, Senior Access Trail, Jack Gist Park Improvements, East Trunk/Beluga Lake Trail, Harbor Pedestrian Ways

·       Port & Harbor Commission: Deep Water Dock Expansion, Harbor Pedestrian Ways/Paving Freight Dock Road (tie), Port and Harbor Building, Harbor Float Replacement/East Boat Harbor (tie), Williamsport-Pile Bay Road Rehabilitation.

Kenai Peninsula Borough Lists: Each fall, the Kenai Peninsula Borough Clerk’s Office invites us to submit a list of capital projects for inclusion in the Borough’s Capital Projects Priority Books. The Borough prepares separate books for the Alaska State Legislature and the Alaska Congressional Delegation. The “books” include projects identified by the borough through its own planning process, plus the lists provided by cities within the borough. I have confirmed that it is not necessary that we limit our list to projects of “area-wide benefit.” To send a clear and consistent message to the legislature and to Congress, it might make sense to provide the same list of projects for the Borough “books” as we put in our own state and federal request packets. This raises the question of whether it’s really necessary to identify “area-wide” projects by resolution.

State Funding for Projects. In the past, the Council has approved a list of projects for inclusion in our State Legislative Request. Often DEC funding is the only appropriation granted as the result of a legislative request (although for FY 2006, the legislature approved $1 million for the new library as well as $336,000 for Homer Water Improvements). The City receives 50 points in the DEC scoring system if the project has been identified as our number-one priority; without the 50 points it is unlikely a project will score high enough to receive funding. We are required to provide a 30% match for DEC projects. Another note: Representative Seaton has said it’s a good idea to include some less expensive projects in our State request.

Federal Funding Reso?: To take advantage of opportunities to provide input to Congress this month, the Mayor has already sent letters to Senator Ted Stevens, Senator Lisa Murkowski, and Congress­man Don Young requesting support for four Homer projects: Deep Water Dock Expansion, Water Treatment Plant Upgrade/Alternative Water Source Study, East Boat Harbor, and Homer Inter­section Improvements. (See attached letter.) While the City Council has not identified federal request projects by resolution in the past, such a resolution could be included in the packet to be submitted for consideration in 2006. I have drafted a reso for this purpose.

Remaining Steps in 2006-2011 Capital Improvement Planning Process: The public hearing for the CIP is scheduled for the September 26 City Council meeting. Resolutions for adoption by the Council will be prepared for final consideration on October 10. The final CIP will be printed in November.