City of Homer

Memorandum 06-148

TO: Mayor and City Council

THROUGH: Walt Wrede, City Manager

FROM: Anne Marie Holen, Special Projects Coordinator

DATE: September 5, 2006

SUBJECT: 2007-2012 CIP; 2008 Legislative Request

The City of Homer Capital Improvement Plan for 2007-2012 is ready in draft form for your review. First, a few notes:

· Ten new projects have been proposed for the CIP:

Project:	Submitted by:
Extend Fairview from Main St. to West Hill	Public Works Director
Land Acquisition for New Local Roads	City Manager/Public Works Director
Cottonwood Horse Park	Kachemak Bay Equestrian Association
Joint Use Library Addition	Council Member Doug Stark
Mariner Park Fishing Hole	Council Member Matt Shadle
Ohlson Mountain Ski Area Improvements	Kachemak Ski Club
New Public Works Complex	Public Works Director
Sterling Highway Realignment, Anchor Point to Homer	Transportation Advisory Committee
Sterling Highway Realignment through Cooper Landing	Transportation Advisory Committee
Crittenden and Main Street Beach Access	Parks and Recreation Commission

Descriptions for several other existing projects were modified significantly.

· Nine projects that were in the 2006-2011 CIP have been deleted from the current draft:

Project:	Reason:
E. Skyline/Diamond Ridge/ Ohlson Mt. Road Paving	AK DOT is proceeding with E. Skyline/ Diamond Ridge paving
Zamboni for Homer Ice Rink	Funded through FY 07 legislative appropriation
Deep Water Dock Fendering Upgrade	Could be accomplished as part of Deep Water Dock expansion
Mountain View to East Hill Water Main	Will be accomplished largely through private development
Paul Banks Day Use Park	No longer regarded as a priority
Soundview Trail	Walking route will be accomplished largely through private development
Disaster Preparedness Planning	Funded through FY 07 legislative appropriation
Public Works Small Equipment Shed	Replaced with Public Works Complex (new project)
Center for Arts Expansion	Not a current priority of Homer Council on the Arts (project was not resubmitted)

· Recommendations from City Commissions

The Economic Development Commission identified the following projects as the most important for the City to complete for economic development purposes. (Projects were not prioritized): Water Treatment Plant Upgrade/Alternative Water Source; Town Center Infrastructure; Land Acquisition for Local Roads; Fairview Avenue to West Hill Road and East End Road; and Deep Water Dock Expansion.

The Homer Advisory Planning Commission recommended the following CIP projects (not prioritized; one from each of the six major categories): Town Center Infrastructure, Senior Access Trail, Main Street Reconstruction/Sidewalks, City Hall, Water Treatment Plant Upgrade/Alternative Water Source, and Fire Engine Replacement. The HAPC also identified these projects as important: Conference Center, Deep Water Dock Expansion, Police Station, Bridge Creek Watershed Land Acquisition, Harbor Float Replacement, and Rescue Systems Upgrades.

The Parks and Recreation Commission ranked their top five projects as follows: Senior Access Trail, Town Center Infrastructure, Spit Trail/Harbor Pathways, Kachemak Drive Rehabilitation, and Crittenden and Main Street Beach Access (a new project).

The Library Advisory Board named the following as the most important CIP projects, from their perspective: Firefighting Enhancement/Aerial Truck, Senior Access Trail, Town Center Infrastructure, College Expansion, and Homer Greenhouse.

The Port and Harbor Commission was not able to make recommendations because they did not meet in July or August.

The Transportation Advisory Committee organized its recommendations in categories as follows: ADOT priority list—Sterling Highway Realignment, Homer to Anchor Point; Kachemak Drive with Separated Pedestrian Pathways; Main Street from Pioneer Avenue to Bunnell with Curb, Gutter, and Sidewalks; Homer Intersection Improvements; Land Acquisition for New Roads; Spit Trail; Williamsport-Pile Bay Road Rehabilitation.

Legislative Request priority list—Sterling Highway Realignment, Homer to Anchor Point; Fairview, Main to West Hill and Main to East End; Williamsport/Pile Bay Road Rehabilitation; Kachemak Drive with Separated Pedestrian Pathways; Main Street from Pioneer Avenue to Bunnell with Curb, Gutter, and Sidewalks; Homer Intersection Improvements; Spit Trail.

Areawide—Sterling Highway Realignment, Homer to Anchor Point; Sterling Highway Realignment through Cooper Landing; Williamsport/Pile Bay Road Rehabilitation; Kachemak Drive with Separated Pedestrian Pathways.

Federal priority list—Williamsport/Pile Bay Road Rehabilitation; Kachemak Drive with Separated Pedestrian Pathways; Spit Pathway; Homer Intersection Improvements.

· Suggestion: A friendly suggestion to the City Council would be to eliminate the “area-wide” priority list resolution from the CIP discussion. If the City of Homer were seeking money from the Borough, it might make sense to have an “area-wide” list. But as it is, that list serves no real purpose and creates confusion at the Borough level. Each year the Borough asks for our state and federal legislative priority lists so they can include those requests in their own “books” that go to legislators and to Alaska’s congressional delegation. And each year I am left wondering what to do with the “area-wide” list, since the Borough does not ask for such a list. I could send the area-wide list instead of the state/federal lists, but then it wouldn’t jibe with our own lobbying efforts.

· Reminder about State funding for water/sewer projects: The City receives 50 points in the DEC scoring system if the project has been identified as our number-one capital improvement 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.

· Suggestion from Representative Paul Seaton: At the end of last session, Representative Seaton stressed again that it’s a good idea to include some less expensive projects in our State request.

· Remaining Steps in 2007-2012 Capital Improvement Planning Process: The public hearing for the CIP is scheduled for the September 25 City Council meeting. Resolutions for adoption by the Council will be prepared for final consideration on October 23. I will be out of the state from October 9 through November 3, but will plan on getting the CIP finalized and printed in November when I return.