HomeMy WebLinkAboutCouncil Workshop Minutes 03.13.2012 MINUTES
COUNCIL WORKSHOP
MARCH 13, 2012 6:30 P.M.
COUNCIL CHAMBERS
A Council Workshop was held in the Council Chambers and called to order by Mayor Ken Olson at
6:30 p.m. on March 13, 2012.
COUNCIL MEMBERS PRESENT:
_x Emelie Eaton _x_ Doug Poehls
x Bruce McGee _x_ Mark Mace
_x_ Scot Stokes x_ Chuck Dickerson
_x Tom Nelson _ Norm Stamper
OTHERS PRESENT:
Heidi Jensen, CAO Kurt Markegard, PWD
Public Input (three - minute limit):
Citizens may address the Council regarding any item of City business not on the agenda. The duration for an individual
speaking under Public Input is limited to three minutes. While all comments are welcome, the Council will not take action
on any item not on the agenda.
There was no public input.
General items:
• Laurel Ambulance Service Appointments:
o Brandon Buerkle, Dan Koch, Donny Mills, Rande FourBear, Lynn Sandvick, Kristi
McClellan
Jan Faught introduced Rande FourBear, Lynn Sandvick and Dan Koch to the council. The
appointments will be on the March 20 council agenda.
Executive Review:
• Resolution — Yellowstone County 2012 Pre - Disaster Mitigation Plan Update (Wyeth Friday
and Duane Winslow)
Heidi Jensen introduced Wyeth Friday and Duane Winslow to give the PowerPoint presentation.
Wyeth Friday is the Planning Division Manager for the City - County Planning Department in Billings
and Yellowstone County, with the exception of the Laurel Planning jurisdiction. Throughout the last
year, his office worked with Duane Winslow, the County DES Director, a steering committee from
the community, and a consultant team to update the County's Pre - Disaster Mitigation Plan. The
document has been in place for about seven years and is supposed to be updated on a five -year cycle.
Multiple jurisdictions are participants in the document, including Yellowstone County, the City of
Laurel, the Town of Broadview and the City of Billings. Wyeth gave a PowerPoint presentation and a
copy of the presentation is attached to these minutes.
In September 2009, Wyeth's office received a FEMA Grant (Federal Emergency Management
Agency Grant) and a State DNRC Grant to put the plan together. This plan is also a component of the
West Billings Study regarding flood mitigation, which meant there was a two - pronged approach to
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Council Workshop Minutes of March 13, 2012
the project. The West Billings piece was started first in late 2009 and early 2010 because it had a lot
of technical aspects and the PDM update was started and completed later. Both documents were
basically completed last fall, and have been in the review process by FEMA and the State to get
everything finalized.
The PDM Plan is a countywide document that the participating communities can use to determine
where their local community is at risk for natural disasters. The PDM Plan focuses on natural
disasters but there is some material in the document relating to manmade hazards like spills,
transportation corridors, etc. The focus mainly looks at natural disasters, such as wildfires, wind,
severe storms like snow storms, etc. The document does not say who goes here or who goes there
when an event hits, but it provides information regarding how to mitigate the potential for these
disasters before they happen. After something occurs, they assess what happened to see if further
improvements can be done for mitigation. Flooding has been a big issue in Laurel and along the
Yellowstone River, so things have to be done to help mitigate that. There are also efforts now to
prepare for future flooding. The document addresses prioritizing the hazards, or the likelihood of one
of the hazards striking parts of the community, and the projects communities can do to help mitigate
the potential damages. The PDM Plan is a pre - requisite for communities to apply for future hazard
mitigation grant funding to do projects. The County has to have the PMD Plan in place. After the
City of Laurel adopts the PDM, the city will qualify to apply directly for projects in Laurel and the
County can apply for projects across the County.
The PowerPoint presentation gave a snapshot of the hazard priorities, including the hazards, the
probability of a disastrous event, the magnitude and the priority rank. After the tornado that hit two
years ago, tornadoes moved up one rank. Manmade hazards were also included in the list.
Eight goals are included in the current update of the Hazard Mitigation Plan: increase hazard
awareness; reduce impacts of flooding; reduce the impact of wildfires and structure fires on the
community; improve emergency communications; countywide mapping and zoning; protection of
public health and property from disasters; grow and develop partnerships; and enhance emergency
services.
Wyeth spoke regarding the issues in Riverside Park in Laurel. With last year's flooding and the
recent pipeline issue, this has become quite a significant project. The goals are to reduce bank
erosion, protect above ground park structures, protect underground utilities, and protect river and
Billings drinking water quality. They were working to get this project incorporated at the time some
of these things were happening, so it is a high priority in terms of the Laurel community. Another
component was the West Billings Flood Mitigation and groundwater recharge potential. Wyeth spoke
regarding records of significant flooding back to 1938 in the area coming out of Cove Creek and
Little Cove Creek down toward the Yellowstone River. In 2006, the City and County worked with a
consultant to do a detailed mapping of the area and then used a special laser system to figure out the
precise elevations in the entire area. They looked at modeling how the flood flows would go through
the area based on the different levels of flooding that could occur. The study reviewed ways to reduce
the potential for flooding in some of those areas. The study also looked at whether storing flood
water and storm water in this area might help with groundwater recharge to the ground, as the aquifer
there is pretty shallow. Because of the soils in most of this area, collecting water in one place to get it
to percolate in the ground would only affect a small area and not a big enough area to impact the
properties using it for well water. The Bureau of Mines is looking at some other options with
injection wells. In terms of potential future mitigation projects, the plan is to do a couple of large
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Council Workshop Minutes of March 13, 2012
impoundments upstream to take the peak flow off of this flood event and significantly reduce the
flood area.
Wyeth stated that there was a lot of public participation with the two -part project. Public meetings for
the PDM Plan were held in Billings, Laurel and Broadview last February. There were multiple
monthly meetings with the Local Emergency Planning Committee, in which Duane is directly
involved. That group has representation from emergency service providers across the entire county.
Informational presentations were given to the Yellowstone County Planning Board in Billings, the
County Commissioners, and the Billings City Council. There was also some newspaper and
television coverage.
Two large public meetings were held separately on the West Billings Project and a steering committee
worked with the consultants. FEMA and DNRC requirements were considered and met.
Regarding the adoption process, Yellowstone County adopted the PDM on February 17` the City of
Billings adopted it last night, and the Town of Broadview is adopting it tonight. It will be on the City
of Laurel's agenda on March 20 The PDM Plan is available on the County's website through the
DES site and the West Billings piece is on the Planning website. After all entities have adopted the
PDM, the resolutions of adoption will be included in the final PDM Update and all entities will
receive a final copy. The next step is to look at flood grants and any possible projects to pursue.
The Plan has to be updated on a five -year cycle. However, a community can make amendments to the
Plan during the five -year time if they have a project they want to specifically identify.
Chuck asked if each participating community is responsible to apply for the grants or if a main area
applies for the grants for all participating entities.
Wyeth explained that it depends on the grant. The County might pursue a storm preparedness
education program on behalf of all entities, and then all communities could participate. If Laurel
wanted to pursue a community storm shelter, Laurel would go after that, using the plan as its backup.
Chuck asked if the County would step in and help with the City of Laurel's issues with the
Yellowstone River and the roadblocks with the Army Corps of Engineers.
Duane stated that in a situation where the city is applying for something that impacts the entire
county, such as Riverside Park, the County would encourage to make it a joint project with
Yellowstone County and Laurel. They would probably work together with Big Sky Economic
Development Authority. He stated that anything that is a big project needs to be a countywide project
and communities need to partner together. Entities can also apply for specific grants. As long as it is
in the PDM Plan, it qualifies for FEMA funding if you can get a grant for it. If something is not in the
Plan, it can be added with an Amendment and then once approved by FEMA, communities can apply
for grant dollars through that process.
Chuck asked Heidi Jensen to comment.
Heidi stated that the Riverside Park Army Corps project is specifically a Laurel project. The County
is not helping Laurel with that project, and the city is doing all of the contact.
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Council Workshop Minutes of March 13, 2012
Chuck stated that Duane just said it affects the whole county.
Heidi stated that she understands that, but the City of Laurel has done this project and the County has
not been the city's backup.
Duane stated that part of that is the fact that it has not been part of the Pre - Disaster Mitigation Study.
Once it is adopted by the City of Laurel, that project is in the PDM Plan. Duane stated that it opens
up a little bit of authority that the County could assist with, but Heidi was absolutely correct. Until
now, the City of Laurel has not had a lot of cooperation with different agencies, but hopefully this will
allow the County, because Riverside Park is a part of the PDM, to help them if possible.
Chuck stated that the question was not meant to put anybody on the spot but to get a better
understanding of how the partnership will work.
The resolution will be on the March 20 council agenda.
• Resolution — Cooperative Agreement with Laurel Public Schools to build tennis courts
Heidi stated that the resolution is for the city to enter into an agreement with the School District to
build some tennis courts. This is just an agreement that the city is supportive of building the tennis
courts. It does not require the city to become involved in a land donation, a financial donation or any
kind of additional partnership. Heidi cautioned the council in going forward with anything else, as the
school is interested in a land donation. With a land donation, a lot of considerations need to be made.
The City of Laurel does not have a five -year Park Plan yet. A lot of requests are coming to the city
now with tennis courts and a skate park and that is a lot of money from a small pot. Heidi again
cautioned the council in going any further than this until more research is done. A land donation
sounds simple, but the council would need to consider road maintenance, curbs and sidewalks that
needed to be upgraded, handicapped accessibility and the general maintenance that would fall back on
the city. She questioned who would maintain the tennis courts and the fence and who would make
sure it is safe. This agreement is so the school can apply for a $35,000 grant for the tennis courts,
which will not install them or be close to the amount of money needed. In an effort to not hinder the
school's ability to go forward, they need this agreement with the city. There is no financial
requirement in this agreement and there is no land requirement in this agreement. It simply states that
the city is supportive of tennis courts, should the school be able to fund the project.
Mark, the Park Board Chairman, stated that he said there was no financial commitment last week. He
did not feel it was necessary to talk about the land issue because the Park Board did not come up with
a potential area to build it as close to the school as they want. Mark stated that the Park Board
unanimously approved entering into the agreement so the schools can get their paperwork done by
April 1s He stated that there is no obligation as far as the city is concerned.
There was a question and discussion regarding the council supporting the tennis courts at this point
and possible repercussions if the council decides to pull back in the future. There was further
discussion regarding the cost of tennis courts, the senate bill that allows agencies to enter into
agreements with another agency to develop a project, use of the funding, issues with using the land at
the soccer field, and the one -year term of the agreement.
• Resolution — Amendment No. 1 to the Agreement with MDT using DNRC Grant funds for the
Main Street Sidewalk Project
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Council Workshop Minutes of March 13, 2012
Heidi explained Amendment No. 1 to the Agreement with MDT using DNRC Grant funds for the
Main Street Sidewalk Project. The city was awarded a DNRC Grant for $7,500 and part of the $7,500
was to plant twelve trees downtown. The city had already applied for the downtown sidewalk project
with CTEP money and the State funded that, but when the city got this grant, $1,500 was allocated
towards the trees. This is the amendment to use the rant to help fund that project. Heidi stated that
the Main Street project goes out for bid on March 23 and should be done this spring.
There was discussion regarding the type of trees. The State is doing that for the project, and the city
will be able to buy State trees at a discounted price. The State will provide the silos and the grates for
the trees, and the $1,500 will provide dirt and trees.
Emelie asked regarding a process for businesses to reject a donation.
Heidi stated that businesses were not contacted regarding the trees. LURA decided that, since they
are almost all downtown business owners, this was an asset to Main Street and they felt comfortable
putting all the trees in without asking the owners to reject them or not.
• Update on Wastewater Treatment Plant project
Kurt Markegard stated that the city is working with Great West Engineering and TetraTech to do the
final design of the activated sludge and the UV. A meeting is scheduled next Tuesday with TetraTech
and Great West to start reviewing the impacts of the overall project design construction in the
operation of the new treatment facilities. Work is being done to identify underground power lines and
electrical needs for the generator and the kilowatt demand. Kurt is concerned about how to transition
into new technology while still meeting the city's permit and operating the plant while tearing out the
guts of the treatment system. At next week's meeting, they will discuss how to implement that, as
well as O &M issues. The digester needs to be taken down and the roof coated with an epoxy sealer
so it does not rust away the steel. It is exposed to digestive material and needs to be cleaned out.
Great West has been doing a lot of survey work. Some geotechnical boring has been done to find out
what can be supported. When Kurt went to Great Falls for Rural Water, he visited with vendors and
contractors about the equipment that might be installed. Equipment manufacturers have come to talk
about the primary clarifier wheels. City staff has been involved.
Kurt mentioned that, a couple years ago, there was a leaking pipe going across the BBWA Canal. It
was part of the city's PER to replace that pipe, which Morrison - Maierle thought would cost $50,000.
At that time, Kurt found a BBWA contract from when they extended the canal in 1916. The contract
said the BBWA had to maintain that pipe. BBWA dug it today, measured the length of the steel pipe
over that canal and are ordering the pipe. The pipe is a 100 -year life pipe that is coated in the inside
with an epoxy so it does not rust out and start leaking again. They wanted to put in a 50 -year pipe,
but Kurt told them the city does not anything underground for less than a hundred years.
Kurt stated that the transition will be a challenge. One thing specified is that the UV must be installed
by June 2013 in order to meet the city's permit. The application for funding was mailed yesterday
and a conference call about the funding source is scheduled on Thursday.
Other items
• Resolution — O'Reilly Subdivision Final Plat
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Council Workshop Minutes of March 13, 2012
Heidi explained the resolution for approval of the final plat for the O'Reilly Subdivision. This was a
lot split and is an easy subdivision. The Subdivision Improvements Agreement has been reviewed by
planning and the building department and the Mylars are ready to go. O'Reilly is anxious to close on
the lot. The project that was proposed for the second lot appears to have fallen through, so there will
be a lot for sale on Southeast 4 Street.
There was a question and discussion regarding the preliminary plat that the council already approved.
Heidi stated that the preliminary plat allows the developer to meet the conditions of the city. The
city's conditions were to finalize the subdivision improvements agreement and to meet any conditions
that public works, planning or the building department came up with that were in excess of what was
proposed. They have met those conditions and provided the finished subdivision improvements
agreement and the final plat. The variances considered in the preliminary plat were approved and
included in the final plat, but those are important for the building portion. When they get their
building permit and the building official approves the plan with their building only eight (8) feet from
the interstate setback, that is what the variance approved. When they submit the plan for 9x19 -foot
wide parking stalls, that is what the variance approved. The final plat allows them to sell the lot and
to actually build something on it. The final plat is the final document that goes to the county so the
clerk and recorder can assign a track number and used when searching for a document.
• Discussion — North side bank stabilization
Heidi stated that Mayor Olson asked Kurt and her to come up with a plan to address the north side of
the Yellowstone River. The City of Laurel received $21,000 from FEMA and a $100,000 grant from
CHS Refinery to address the issues on the north side.
Kurt stated that the city has been waiting to see what happened on the south side of the river. In our
permit, the proposal was to get a bunch of gravel out from underneath the bridge. When the city
started the grants for the south bank, we were going to try to use gravel from the north bank, which is
right next to the water treatment plant. Kurt held off on that until they figured out where to build the
ramp to go into the river. He recently talked with the Refinery manager and discussed how hard it
would be to try to get gravel out at the water treatment plant. There are four intake lines under there
and one of the main concerns would be driving over the lines without collapsing them. Kurt and
Heidi think they found a spot on the west side of the bridge but still have some things to work out
with the County. Today he talked with a contractor who is confident that the bridges will hold. The
initial thought was that, if there is a big snow event in the mountains, the city may not want to do
anything because there is protection now. It does not look like the snowpack is going to be that
affected for runoff this year, as the warmer temperatures are already in the mountains and starting to
melt the snow.
Kurt gave a PowerPoint presentation to show some pictures and the plan for the project. The first
slide was an aerial photo of the area after the levee was built, which was essentially a berm of plastic
and sandbags. Part of the $21,000 from FEMA has to be used to remove any temporary construction.
A 3 -inch rain event caused the city to put in the berm, and the city crew, with the help of the Laurel
Fire Department and CHS Refinery, built a temporary barrier in a little over five hours. Over the next
week, it was reinforced with additional dirt. CHS Refinery donated $100,000 for a permanent
solution, as they have a vested interest in our water supply and are one of the largest customers.
Trying to predict how the Yellowstone River will affect the water treatment plant in the future is
anyone's guess. A massive amount of gravel has built up underneath the bridge and is restricting the
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Council Workshop Minutes of March 13, 2012
flows. When there was no buildup, the river has a chance to expand. With no expansion, the river is
going to rise. The runoff has to go somewhere and it is going to go up as we get it necked down.
The permitting agencies want the city to remove some of the gravel so the river has expansion
underneath the bridge, which affects the water treatment plant. Kurt showed a picture of how high the
water came last spring. The water came right up to the bottom of the old pier on the river. He
showed a picture of the old intake, which has a lot of brush deposited underneath it.
Kurt would like to use some of the existing protection to make a more permanent structure, while
removing the sandbags. Last fall, he contacted Tim Miller from the County regarding removing the
levee and building another one. Kurt was told to start filling out the joint applications. While looking
at floodplain maps, he found that the proposed structure is a few feet outside the floodplain
boundaries. He contacted Tim Miller's office with that information and was told a few days later that
no permits were needed. Part of the plan is to remove the existing protection and use some of it to
make a more permanent structure. The city has to show FEMA that the sandbags were removed and
pictures will be sent.
The proposed plan includes riprap, security fencing and a retaining wall. The retaining wall will be
built to match existing features as much as possible. Kurt spoke regarding the materials that could be
used for the retaining wall, and stated that the city crew could do the work with the existing
equipment. In the next few weeks, he wants to start removing the sandbags and replace with more
compactable soils in that area. It needs to be open where there is an existing road. There is a drain
field and a septic tank down there, and he would like to leave that open, drop the fence down, and
continue along the road. If there are flood events, it would be easy to sandbag a small hole instead of
trying to sandbag the entire thing.
Right now when the filters are backwashed, it goes off to a whole new pond and settles out the solids.
The plant has to test for aluminum. Years ago, we used an aluminum polymer and it is in the pond.
Aluminum cannot be discharged into the river and certain criteria must be met. The city uses a
different polymer that does not have aluminum in it, but the aluminum in the current mud basin gets
into the water when we discharge water out to the river. The operators crawl down in there to get the
sample. Kurt would like to find a way to collect the water without having the operators climb down
in there and possibly getting hurt. He suggested installing a frost free hydrant so when they turn the
pump on, they do not need much flow and can get a sample. As soon as some of the sandbags are
removed, we will try to tap that discharge line. The project on the north side of the river should be
completed this spring.
Doug asked for a brief overview of the south side.
Heidi received a call today from FEMA in Denver. Charlie Baird, a mid -level FEMA manager,
wanted to know what is happening with Laurel's projects. Heidi informed him about the problems
and how the city is getting nowhere. Mr. Baird has had contact with Shannyn Johnson, who works
for the EPA and sent the letter to the city setting back the permit and not approving it as we applied
for it. Heidi and Mr. Baird had a lengthy discussion on what the city is going to do to meet the
conditions the EPA is requiring. The city's engineering firm is still confident that he can meet those
five requirements and we could get permitted. Charlie is going to talk to his boss, Tom Bush, and let
him know that the scope of our project has changed a little bit.
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Council Workshop Minutes of March 13, 2012
Our original project worksheet from FEMA said that the city was going to do steel pilings into the
river. Since then, Shannyn Johnson from the Army Corps said there is absolutely no way they would
approve sheet piling in the river. We modified our plan to come up with the least environmentally
damaging plan, which was to restore the levee to where it was before, not necessarily 50 feet out into
the river, but 30 or 40 feet, have it rounded, put the riprap on top of it and create a solid base. That
has changed our project a little bit, so FEMA is having a hard time with that not being what is on our
project worksheet.
Heidi stated that the city has a significant loss of function with the water intake. The bolts on the
intake are exposed. If the water gets too much lower, we are all going to be at a significant loss in the
city. She explained that to Mr. Baird, as well as the city's concern and frustration with the process.
Now that we know the bolts are exposed, the city is more concerned about making sure the intake is
covered. Mr. Baird told her that FEMA sees that as a loss of function and since it is still operating, it
is not a complete loss. Mr. Baird will talk to his boss and make sure that the scope of our project is
still within the project worksheet that the city was originally given. Heidi believes that he understood
the city's frustration, as she and Kurt both sat in on the conference call. Mr. Baird understands how
short the construction season is and that it is March and the city cannot go out to bid yet because we
do not have a permit. The city cannot get a permit from any other agencies until the EPA or Army
Corps grants a permit. Heidi got one from DEQ on Monday that talked about raising the turbidity of
the water by removing the rock, and that is why she and Kurt went down to make sure that there is a
good spot to talk to CHS about to drive down and get riprap out. Charlie is supposed to call her back
tomorrow morning to let her know what his boss said.
When FEMA and the City have an agreement, the city can submit a response to Shannyn Johnson's
letter and find out when FEMA is going to fund us. Heidi stated that today was the most optimistic
we could be in the last couple weeks. This would not even really be a change, as it is the second plan
that FEMA had on our project worksheet. The first one was for the sheet piling. This was on there
and is the least environmentally damaging, so she does not understand why FEMA would set us up to
fail when they knew the Army Corps probably would not approve the sheet piling anyway. Heidi
informed Mr. Baird of the city's significant financial commitment to Great West with Jeremiah
working on this project. He was going to talk to his boss about allocating funds for the engineering
fees. Heidi hopes to have really great news for the council in two weeks.
Doug asked regarding a contingency plan if the intake goes down.
Heidi stated that the city is allowed to take actions to protect ourselves once we reach an emergency
situation, but we have not reached that.
Doug restated that the city cannot declare an emergency until the intake actually stops functioning,
and Heidi agreed.
Kurt stated that the city cannot even institute a backup plan for flooding in the park because it is in the
floodway and a permit would be needed. Soil will be stockpiled at the water treatment plant, as we do
not want the park to flood again. A contingency plan cannot be executed until there is actually an
imminent threat.
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Council Workshop Minutes of March 13, 2012
There was further discussion regarding what constitutes an imminent threat, who would give the city
$100,000 if the intake lids came off again, declaring an emergency situation, and possible daily fines
if the city did anything outside of an emergency situation.
Doug stated that he wanted to make it public record that the City of Laurel is concerned.
Heidi stated that the cost to rebuild the levee is $1.9 million, which the cost to put in a new intake is
$5 million. Rebuilding the levee is really the cheapest alternative for the Federal government to help
with, and that information has been relayed.
Congressman Rehberg and Senators Tester and Baucus have been apprised of the situation, and
Mayor Olson recently wrote a letter that Commissioner Kennedy took to Washington to give to
Senator Baucus directly.
Review of draft council agenda for March 20, 2012
Emelie asked regarding the MDT letter listed under correspondence and if anything in the program
affects Laurel.
Kurt explained that the draft statewide transportation improvement program is sent out annually and
lists all the projects in their 5 -year plan. Laurel does not have a lot going on right now, but the
council needs to make a decision soon on how to spend the $2.2 million.
Attendance at the March 20, 2012 council meeting
There was no discussion.
Announcements
Mark will ask Mayor Olson to appoint a Park Board sub - committee to review the skate park. He
asked Kat Stokes if she had any comments.
Kat Stokes stated that her son forwarded the emails to Mark, and she will check to see if he forwarded
them to the rest of the council and city. They have received emails from different companies
regarding skate parks. Hunter also got an email from the Tony Hawk Foundation alerting that a lot of
the smaller communities get attacked by the big companies and try to talk them into more than what
they really need.
Doug suggested that anyone interested in serving on the sub - committee should contact Mark or
Mayor Olson.
Mark mentioned that the Public Works Committee had a discussion about the 15 mph signs on the
hairpin corner at Walmart, and he asked Kurt to provide that information to the council.
Kurt explained that the city previously reviewed the extension of the project but did not actually
check to make sure that the street was able to handle a 25 mph corner. After Walmart built that
corner, Kurt knew there was a problem as cars slid through there every time it snowed. In 2007, he
contacted a transportation engineer that works with the State, who gave him some design criteria on
how the corner was designed. It is a 15 mph design, not a 25 mph design. At that point, Kurt
contacted the police chief and the CAO regarding the problem. He contacted the engineer in
Colorado that designed it and he said it was a 25 mph corner, but Kurt told him it was not in Montana.
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Council Workshop Minutes of March 13, 2012
Kurt had the technical information emailed to him and at that time determined it was a 15 mph comer.
The 15 mph signs were installed in 2008 and have been there for three years. The signs are not
yellow cautionary 15 mph signs and the 15 mph signage was needed for safety.
There was discussion regarding a speed trap at this location and the suggestion that 25 mph signs are
needed following the 15 mph zone. Kurt stated that state law does not require posting another sign
when the speed limit returns to 25 mph, which is similar to school zones. However, if it is an issue, it
could be addressed.
The council workshop adjourned at 7:54 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Cindy Allen
Council Secretary
NOTE: This meeting is open to the public. This meeting is for information and discussion of the Council for the
listed workshop agenda items.
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3/15/2012
PDM Plan Update Project
West Billings Flood Mitigation and
Groundwater Recharge Study
Laurel City Council Work Session, March 13, 2012
Background
► September 2009 — $327K in FEMA and DNRC grants
approved forYellowstone County to update PDM Plan
and include West Billings Study component
► Two -Prong Approach — PDM Update and West Billings
Study Project
► West Billings Project started late 2009 /early 2010, PDM
Update started Summer 2010 — Both final drafts
completed in August/September 201 1
■ Final FEMA review and local adoption process November
201 1 — March 2012
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3/15/2012
PDM Plan Update
> Identify Where Local Communities are at Risk to
Natural Disasters
> Helps communities focus on the actual risks from
hazards by profiling each potential threat and
comparing the relative risks between hazards.
> Planning tool that assesses and prioritizes
projects for mitigating damage and casualties from
natural disasters.
> Pre Requisite for Future Hazard Mitigation
Grants — includes funding needs after specific disasters
like 2011 Yellowstone River Flooding
PDM Plan Update - Hazard Priorities
Natural Hazard Priority Ranking for Yellowstone County (2004 PDM)
Hazard Probability of Disastrous Magnitude Priority
Event (thence In any gNen (severity/Impactto Rank
year) community)
Flooding Moderate High 1
Wildfire Moderate -High Moderate 2
Wind and Hail Storms Moderate Moderate -High 3
Tornado Moderate -High Moderate 4
Winter Storms High Moderate -High 5
Drought Moderate -High Moderate -High 6
Insect Infestations Moderate Moderate -High 7
Urban Fire Moderate Moderate 8
Dam Failure Low- Moderate Low - Moderate 9
Expansive Soil Moderate Moderate 10
Landslides Low- Moderate Moderate -High 11
Earthquake Low Low 12
Volcanic Ash LOW Low 13
Manmade Hazard Priority Ranking for Yellowstone County
Transportation /Mobile Inadent Moderate High 1
Hazardous Materials Incident/Accident-Fixed Moderate -High Moderate 2
Terrorism /Bio- Terrorism Low- Moderate Moderate -High 3
Civil Disturbance /Riot /Labor Unrest Moderate Moderate 4
Enemy Attack _ Low Low- Moderate 5
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3/15/2012
Hazard Mitigation Plan
► Goal I: Increase Hazard Awareness
P Goal 2: Reduce Impacts of Flooding
w Goal 3: Reduce the impact of wildfires and structure
fires on the community
w Goal 4: Improve Emergency Communications
► Goal 5: Countywide Mapping and Zoning
► Goal 6: Protection of public health and property
from disasters
Goal 7: Grow and Develop Partnerships
Goal 8: Enhance Emergency Services
Action Plan Example:
Riverside Park, Laurel
Project Goals
► Reduce Bank Erosion
w Protect Above Ground
Park Structures
► Protect Underground
Utilities
w Protect River and Billings
Drinking Water Quality
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3/15/2012
Action Plan Example:
West Billings Flood Mitigation
n. Project Goals
__ ► Provide for Upstream
Storage
► Increase Conveyance/
Eliminate Pinch Points
(undersized culverts)
I_ ■ Downstream Retention
Capacity
Public Participation Process
► PDM Plan Update
Three public meetings (February 2 0 1 1 ) — Billings, Laurel, Broadview
Discussion /Presentation at 3 -4 Local Emergency Planning Committee
Meetings
Several informational presentations completed or planned — CC, PB,
BOCC
Newspaper articles /TV coverage
West Billings
Two Large Public Meetings
Four Steering Committee Meetings (included interested stakeholders
Several informational presentations completed or planned — LEPC,
CC, PB, BOCC
Newspaper articles /TV coverage
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3/15/2012
Next Steps: Local Adoption Action
All Participating Communities must take action to adopt the PDM Plan Update —
CountyAdopted on February I7
City of Billings Adopted on March 12
BroadviewTown Council Adoption on March 13
Laurel City Council Adoption March 26
- Draft PDM Update Available on County Website
West Billings Flood Mitigation and Groundwater Recharge Study
Next Steps —
Consider grants for Hazard Mitigation projects in all participating communities
— Laurel, Billings, Broadview,Yellowstone County
Consider FEMA Project Grant for West Billings Impoundment(s) for greatest
flood mitigation impact
5
3/14/2012
YiW
2012 Flood Protection Projec __.
Water treatment plant summer
2011
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1
3/14/2012
3 inch rain eve n causes -
Yellowstone River to crest over the
current bank
( -bar.
fi
The City crew with the help of
the Laurel fire department and
CHS refinery build a temporary
barrier in a little over five hours
2
3/14/2012
CHS donates $100,000 for a
permanent solution
4- law
-
k
Trying to predict how the
Yellowstone River will affect the
water treatment plant in the
future?
3
3/14/2012
The springtime need to be
held back in order to protect the
water supply
Develop a plan to use existing
protection and make a more
permanent structure
r
4
3/14/2012
. .
-- -
Kurt
If you go on line fill out the joint application send it to all the appropriate pertnittinggencies that will get things going.
Thanks
71m Miller
PuMic Works Director
Floodplain Administsator
1 5 6-1 775
3 I
V 1ta
Sent: Tuesday. October 15. 01. 4:31 PM
To: Ilm Miller
:City MayoriCity Clerk
Subject:Water Plant levee
Th pr:te i c t if i rM r Ill e v i Zt d t r o n g7gro f Ti m gh t t n te t a nTft . 1 1 1 3 :L=1 " r ' ZSInt r a p =re i t:i °
construct it in thespring.
Do I just lill out the application in order to start the process and submit it to you?
Thanks.
Kurt Markegard
Public Works Director
City of Laurel
Office (g
Cell (g
Reviewed flood plain maps and determined that the
proposed structure is a few feet outside the flood plain
boundaries. I contacted Tim Millers office with
Yellowstone County and was told a few days later that
no permits were needed
5
3/14/2012
Try to match existing features
rti
Look at different materials
3/14/2012
Work with staff to come up with
cost for materials
to
Start to remove sand and sandbags
this month and replace with more
compactable soils
ftt' „
8
3/14/2012
Install a sample station to collect
water that discharges to river
,
. ,.,
Com plete pro je c t before ru noff - 411. It
t '►
k i 1.. -
9