Q & A
Q: Have other sites been considered for the future O&M Facility?
A: In 2011, the City searched to relocate the Operations & Maintenance crews. In 2014, the property located on 79th Avenue in the Bush Prairie area (former Trails End Arena) was no longer in operation as an event center and available for purchase. The 22.4 acres site includes two separate parcels of land separated by Trails End Drive. The property was considered and evaluated for its potential as the new Operations & Maintenance Facility. The property was deemed suitable to site the new Facility with space for a new neighborhood park.
Q: Has the City completed a feasibility study?
A: The City has completed many elements of a typical feasibility study. The results have not been compiled into a single feasibility study document. In 2016, the City hired a consultant to complete predesign work for a new Facility. The consultant identified City goals and objectives for the new Facility, including:
- Planning for long term growth;
- Determining space needs and general criteria for each function to be accommodated at the site;
- Identifying sustainable design strategies for site and building development;
- Providing several site layout alternatives while establishing the preferred layout;
- Evaluating options to minimize environmental impacts on the surrounding neighborhoods and;
- Preparing cost estimates.
Q: Did the City make any changes to the plans presented in 2018?
A: Yes, several changes have been made to the plans to incorporate feedback received during the 2018 Open House and in response to increased costs.
- Planned staffing and vehicle trips have been reduced by nearly 30 percent;
- The staff parking lot east of Trails End Drive has been reduced;
- Building sizes have been reduced;
- Noise-limiting strategies have been included;
- Additional covered parking and enclosed storage have been added to improve aesthetics;
- A roundabout at the intersection of 79th Avenue and Old Highway 99 was added as project mitigation, and;
- Completion of the sidewalk on the south side of 79th Avenue was added for safe travel to Old Highway 99.
Additional changes were made to the original plans when Council committed to an all-electric facility, the plans now include:
- Utilizing solar panels to power the Facility;
- No natural gas service;
- Transitioning to an all “green” vehicle fleet and;
- Incorporating infrastructure needs for a primarily electric fleet in the future.
Adjustments were also made to the plans for the O&M Facility, Neighborhood Park, and the roundabout at 79th Avenue and Old Highway 99 to happen concurrently rather than sequentially as initially planned.
Q: Can the City use the current Public Works facility located by City Hall as a storage spot for trucks, gravel, fuel, and other supplies?
A: The Operations and Maintenance crews must relocate – and practically speaking, the City needs all of the equipment, crews, and supplies in one location to operate safely and efficiently. The current Public Works facility will be repurposed for Parks, Recreation, and Facilities division. The Parks Operations and Facilities Maintenance divisions have outgrown their current location and were originally planned to relocate to the new O&M Facility. Those Divisions were removed from the future O&M Facility following the March 2018 Open House as a mitigation strategy to reduce staff, vehicles, and cost of the future Facility.
Q: Can you move the Facility but continue with the plans to build a Neighborhood Park?
A: Dedication of land for the park is one of several actions the City is proposing to mitigate the impacts of the O&M Facility project. The current plan includes providing approximately 15 acres, over 65% of the property, as a Neighborhood Park.
If the O&M Facility is not constructed at this site, a park on this property may not be feasible. Development and construction of the Park is dependent upon the City owning and developing the site. The original purchase of the property and site preparation, including the demolition of nuisance buildings, was funded by Utility and General funds as part of the O&M Facility project. All or a significant portion of the property would need to be sold to recover the costs and repay the funds. This does not necessarily mean the neighborhood park in the vicinity would be canceled entirely, but rather it would be delayed, and new property may be needed. It may be possible that a portion of the site could be retained, but the park would still need to be significantly smaller.
Q: Is there a plan to build a sidewalk along the north edge of 79th Avenue SE to Old Highway 99?
A: The City will construct a sidewalk on the north side of 79th Avenue at the Operations Facility and along the City owned property where the neighborhood park will be located; however, it will not extend to Old Highway 99. The sidewalk on the south side of 79th Avenue will extend to Old Highway 99 after construction of a roundabout at the intersection of Old Highway 99 and 79th Avenue is complete. There is not sufficient right-of-way to finish the sidewalk on the north side of 79th Avenue in the vicinity of Arab Drive and River Drive, and there are gopher impacts that cannot be mitigated at this time.
Q: Why is such a large portion of the property dedicated to City parking?
A: In an initial concept, there were 100 parking spaces east of Trails End Drive for City staff use. The City has since reduced the size of the building and staffing at the Facility by 30%. The new plans include 50 parking spaces east of Trails End Drive and 24 parking spaces to the west and will accommodate the expected growth of staff over the next 20 to 30 years.
The small parking lot east of Trails End Drive is intended to be used by City staff and to accommodate users of the small community meeting space proposed for the Facility. It is anticipated that most people visiting the park will be walking there from nearby neighborhoods. Street parking will be available for those driving to the park.
