06-27-90 Safety Comm Minutes9
SAFETY COMMITTEE MEETING
June 27, 1990
4:00 P.M.
Present: Mayor Roger Hopkins, chairman Duane Larson,
Councilmen Gary Nystul, Fred Buck and Noel
Furlong. Also present are Chief Ad Clark, Fire
Chief Ted Waggoner, Assistant Chief Don Hossack
and Animal Warden Mike Hall.
Meeting was brought to order at 4:10 P.M.
Items on the agenda: cat ordinance, ambulance rate
increase, occupancy load at the High
School gym, a discussion on an
anhydrous ammonia drill, and a review
of the parking lot leases.
Councilman Nystul would also like to
add a discussion of skateboard
ordinance and update on 9-1-1. Chief
Clark would also like to discuss the
State study he received on 15t Ave.
W.N. and W. Washington
• Chairman Larson opened the meeting with a complaint he had
received about cats and requested input from Animal Warden
Hall.
Warden Hall feels most of the cat complaints we receive are
during the summer months. Mike Hall has contacted other
departments about cat ordinances and the only one he has found
is in Billings, and they have 21 Wardens to uphold the
ordinance. Mike would like to stay away from an ordinance
regarding cats. He also discussed the City getting away from
using their traps to trap cats. He advised the committee that
his traps have been pulled and put in storage. The recourse
that citizens have is a civil matter and could obtain traps at
some of the rental agencies and trap cats on their own and
leave the city free of any liability by taking the animal to
the shelter themselves, or returning it to its owner.
Chairman Larson brought up the second item on the agenda: the
ambulance rate increase. Due to the increased wages of the
Fire Fighters and the one fourth of the secretary's wages and
the half of the Fire Fighters uniform pay from the ambulance
fund, Fire Chief Waggoner requests an increase in ambulance
runs by $20.00, which will raise the base run to $140.00.
This price broken down would be $15.00 for wages and $5.00 for
is
uniforms and secretary's wages.
C. Nystul wondered since the budget hasn't been adopted yet,
if these prices would be agreed to.
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Chief Waggoner believes it has not, however would like this
increase to start July 1st.
C. Nystul questioned how this price compares to other
departments around the region.
Chief Waggoner believes this price is in the ball park of
other departments of the same size, and does have
correspondence from other departments to confirm this.
C. Nystul made a motion to go ahead and consider the increase
and recommend it to the Council.
C. Buck seconded the motion
Motion carried
C. Nystul recommended a resolution be made at time of passage.
Chairman Larson introduced the third item on the agenda; the
occupancy load at the High School on special events such as
• graduation. The occupancy is 2,597 fixed seating, 600 chairs
on the gym floor, and an additional 54 seating space if they
pull out the bleachers at the east end of the gym. Chairman
Larson believes the 2,597 plus the 600 chairs on the floor
should be considered the maximum occupancy load of the gym.
C. Furlong relayed that the graduating class has never
exceeded 600.
C. Nvstul believes we need to be aware of occupancy loads for
fire safety purposes. At this particular graduation all of
the seats were full, and there were people standing in the
entrances, which was in excess of capacity for the facility.
It is his belief that we need to work with the school system
to not exceed the capacity load since it is the responsibility
of the property owner to not go above that limit.
Chief Waggoner and his staff in the past have worked with the
school on this, but this graduation was set up for the
fairgrounds, then changed, but during tournaments and such
they always try to have someone there.
Chairman Larson invited comment from councilman Furlong about
controlling ticket sales at sporting events. C. Furlong
believes this is going to be difficult since it would be
unknown to the ticket sales persons to know how many students
and other schools will be present using their activity cards.
• In order to stop selling tickets at the door will take someone
in authority to order it stopped.
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Chief Waggoner will work with the school in the future to make
sure this isn't a problem anymore.
C. Nystul had another concern about people parking on the new
sidewalks by the gym; he wonders if any more ordinances are
needed to remedy this.
Chief Clark said no new ordinance is needed and that those
vehicles can be towed and he will work with the school for an
announcement to be made that vehicles will be towed that are
in violation of this.
Chairman Larson feels that with some education this problem
can be resolved and school personnel can be visited with at
the beginning of the school year to let them know what is
going to be done and what is expected.
C. Larson introduced the next item; the anhydrous ammonia
drill conducted by Kim Potter. C. Larson relayed to the
committee that should a disaster like this happen, if an area
needs to be evacuated, the City needs a plan for a safe place
• for the evacuated people and food. The City budget would
suffer a financial burden.
C. Furlong invites this plan be done with the widest
publicity, but would like to see a change in who the people
are that can declare a disaster. C. Furlong believes the Fire
or Police Chief should make the decision before an elected
official such as a City Manager, Mayor or Councilman.
Chairman Larson would like to have the City Disaster Plan
reviewed as soon as possible.
The next item on the agenda is a review of the parking lot
leases. C. Larson has learned that not everyone has received
a copy of the parking lot leases from the City Attorney.
Until everyone gets a copy, this will be put on hold and
discussed at a later time.
Chief Clark has a report to discuss concerning the
intersection of 1st Ave. W.N. and W. Washington.
Chief Clark relayed to the committee what he had learned from
the study that was taken at that intersection. From the data
gathered, it is felt that a 2-way stop sign, not a 4-way is
warranted to stop traffic on the north/south corner.
. C. Buck made a motion to erect the stop signs there, but would
also request some more enforcement there and also on W.
California.
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Page -4- Safety Committee Meeting
C. Nystul seconded the motion.
C. Nystul recommended a discussion first; he wonders if there
has ever been a study by the State regarding a left turn lane
for traffic northbound on Main turning west onto W.
Washington. C. Nystul has found that vehicles, instead of
turning west at Main and Idaho, go to W. Washington to make
their left turn and knows of several near accidents there.
Chief Clark also wanted to visit about some other
intersections that he has a study back on from a request quite
some time ago. These studies were read to the committee.
After this discussion the motion to erect stop signs at 1st
Ave. W.N. was passed. C. Larson will contact the City
Attorney to draft an ordinance.
Chairman Larson would like to entertain a motion to erect a
stop sign at the intersection of 2nd Ave. W.N. & W. Montana to
stop north and south traffic.
0 C. Nystul moved
C. Buck seconded
Motion carried
Chief Clark read the study from 18th St. and 3rd Ave. East
with the recommendation of erecting stop signs stopping
traffic for east and west traffic at the intersection and
install pin down curbs at the north east intersection.
C. Nystul made a motion
C. Buck seconded
More discussion by C. Nystul, C. Furlong. and Asst. Chief
Hossack
Chairman Larson will make this recommendation to the Council.
Chief Clark had another study on lst St. and 2nd Ave. West
Discussion: Chief Clark will direct these to the City
Attorney.
• Chief Clark discussed the problem with tall grass on lots for
information only; the one in particular is the empty lot by
the Pizza Hut. Chief Clark wanted to pass on that he got alot
Page -5- Safety Committee Meeting
of good help from Mike Baker and the lot has been mowed and
the land owner will be billed for the service.
Chief Clark also wanted to discuss a problem he has been
approached with by the engineer for the State of the left turn
into the Dairy Queen as vehicles are eastbound through the
Main and Idaho intersection. The State has authorized a "No
Left Turn" there. This is a state "Right of Way" and this was
discussed as an informational topic only.
C. Nvstul had more discussion regarding this being almost
exactly like what he had mentioned earlier at N. Main and W.
Washington as people are trying to turn westbound.
Discussion followed
Chief Clark brought the committee up to date on the computer
system for the Judges office. Due to the two years of work
that has been done on this, there is now funding by the
Department of Justice. They are going to make Kalispell and
the Court system a "model program" area.
• C. Nvstul had two other items he would like to discuss; The
first is the skateboard ordinance. He has an article from a
newspaper he will share with the committee regarding an
ordinance in Coeur D' Alene which costs skateboarders $28.00
if they are caught skateboarding in a restricted area.
C. Nystul requests to also be brought up to date on how 9-1-1
is working.
Comments were made by Linda Boe
Discussion followed with the committee agreeing to come to
dispatch to look at the system following the meeting.
Meeting adjourned at 5:99 P.M.
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