Transportation Committee 5/7/2024

Will the committee clerk please call the roll?

Councilmember Kettle?

Here.

Councilmember Strauss?

Present.

Councilmember Wu?

Present.

Vice Chair Hollingsworth will be joining us shortly.

Chair Saka?

Here.

Chair, there are four members present.

All right.

If there are no objections, the agenda will be adopted.

Hearing no objections, the agenda is adopted.

All right, and welcome to this year's seventh meeting of the Transportation Committee.

We are here today to talk about Skybridge and a tunnel permit renewals for Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.

Immediately following this specific committee meeting, the Transportation Select Committee for the levy starts at 10.30 a.m.

right here in Chambers.

We will now open the public...

or the hybrid public comment period.

Public comment should relate to items on today's agenda and within the purview of this specific committee.

Because of the full calendar today, the transportation issues that we're addressing today between this committee and the Transportation Select Committee will be limiting public comment to 20 minutes.

I would like to remind you that you are welcome to submit your comments online.

Clerk, how many speakers are signed up today?

Councilmember, we have three speakers signed up today.

All right.

Each speaker will have approximately...

Three minutes.

Three minutes.

We're still ending after 20 minutes.

We will start with the in-person speakers first.

Clerk, can you please read the public comment instructions?

The public comment period will be moderated in the following manner.

The public comment period is 20 minutes.

Speakers will be called in the order which they are registered.

Speakers will alternate between sets of in-person and remote speakers until the public comment period has ended.

Speakers will hear a chime when 10 seconds are left of their time.

Speakers' mics will be muted if they do not end their comments within the allotted time to allow us to call on the next speaker.

The public comment period is now open.

We will begin with the first speaker on the list, who is Alex Zimmerman, and that will be followed by Steve Rubstello.

I cannot speak about transportation because I come here a hundred times and speak about transportation.

Specific what is problem with transportation and nothing happened.

Guy, when we not broken chair, chain, you know what is mean?

This chain, who?

Staying for the last 20 years, you know what it means.

Nothing will be changed because you adapt and go same, same, same.

It's a problem what we have.

For this, for many years, I speak about something what is give people the right to speak for three minutes.

You don't do this.

You have policy one minute, two minutes.

30 seconds, 15 seconds, it's okay, you have a right doing this, but we have a right to speak too, because it's a constitutional right, First Amendment, freedom of speech, it doesn't court decision.

I can bring you Ninth Circle, Fourth Circle, many court decisions.

People supposed to have a right to speak.

Three minutes, thank you very much, Consul, is exactly what we need doing.

But not everybody wants to speak for three minutes, you know what I mean?

And what has happened right now with Democrat mafia, you know what I mean?

With this junta, right now, they cut and cut speech everywhere.

Everybody who have different opinion, they cut and cut and cut.

Look, nobody have different opinion in Seattle, and I know this for many years, you know what I mean?

You have different opinion or about something specific, specific cannot change.

We have a chance.

Broke this chain.

You broke this chain, Seattle easy will become back.

It's a...

Mayor in row what is absolutely psychopath.

You know what I mean?

How is this possible?

How is this possible?

Three mayor in row psychopath.

He's a psychopath.

He closed seventh floor for two and a half year.

He not have for two and a half year one Q&A.

I remember before...

Mayor, very good mayor, you know what is mean, what is have Q&A.

Every two weeks for four years, I present in all of it.

In every of this we have chance when we can talking about detail.

But when we have one minute or 30 seconds, we cannot talk about detail.

Our professional business consultant, top educated man, how I can bring my idea for one minute for 30 seconds.

Can somebody explain to you this idiotic Nazi situation?

In everything, what is I ask, open better room in city hall one day per week.

You can change your rules, it's okay.

Give people come one day per week for three minute in talking about everything what they want.

This will be real America.

What is we don't have right now?

We have fascism controlling deminazi.

Broke this chain now.

Last chance.

You don't doing this, All generation for another 20, 30 year will go to garbage.

Everybody know right now.

Look what is people talking around in internet everywhere.

It's a critical year right now.

Give people shan't be American.

Stand up America.

Us gold.

Be real American.

Real American and fighting for America for rest of our life.

It's exactly what is I did.

Fighting for America for last, how many?

60 years.

Thank you very much for your time.

Thank you.

Steve Rubstello, followed by Iris Antman, who will be joining us remotely.

I've been coming down speaking mainly to the Land Use Committee, so I'm unaccustomed to three minutes.

It's a good thought.

But the reason why I came down today was, of course, what's going to follow.

But I'm concerned about mobility in Seattle.

All the stop signs appearing on former arterials, no right turn, and we're having...

Additional one way situations.

Now I know that there's Seattle has a program to try and stop pedestrians from being hurt or killed.

But the numbers Aren't going that way.

And maybe just maybe some of the actions of the city of Seattle might possibly have something to do with that.

And As someone who has to do some driving, especially for work, I find that when people get jammed up, sometimes they make decisions they wouldn't make if traffic was actually flowing.

And I also have noticed Madison Street has been torn up for an extended period of time.

These things contribute.

And if you're going to redo the city, that takes far more time than simply paving.

And I think that we have a fundamental question of whether it is worth it in many ways.

It appears in Seattle, and this goes back long before you folks, I was told once when a levy was defeated, that that's not the end of it.

We put funding mechanisms before the public, but here's where the decisions are made.

And they were right.

They continued to try to continue taking money from other sources with the project, even though the voting public decided not to fund it.

So I would ask you to take a real serious look at what kind of a city we're getting for mobility, because you're going to have, whether they're electric cars, gas cars, you're certainly gonna have trucks.

I'm still waiting for the first refrigerator to be delivered on a bus or Uber or Lyft.

And I think that we need to take a real good look at what's really happening, not just with the theology.

I was told at one of the meetings that everything is wonderful.

Even though more people are dying, we're doing safe, safe, safe things.

Basically shut up.

And I don't think I'm prepared to shut up.

Council member, our next speaker is Iris Antman.

Iris, please press- Hello?

Yes, please go ahead.

Great, thank you.

Thank you, my name is Iris Antman.

I'm a member of People for Climate Action, so I'm speaking for myself, and I'm speaking about the transportation levy.

I appreciate that the proposed levy is larger than the last one, even taking into account for population growth.

However, the priorities in the levy are skewed towards automobile-centric investments, and we need to increase funding for pedestrian and transit improvements in order to meet our climate targets of decreasing greenhouse gas emissions.

Ground transportation makes up 60% of Seattle's carbon emissions.

This air and noise pollution is concentrated along highways and high-speed freight routes and other arterials that are built through low-income neighborhoods and communities of color.

And Seattle continues to build affordable housing almost exclusively along those corridors.

We need a levy that dedicates at least 50% of funding to increasing walking, rolling, biking, and taking transit instead of maintaining the status quo.

The Mayor's updated levy proposal will continue our car dependency by dramatically increasing car-focused spending by 33% compared to the previous levy, slashing transit funding by 16%, and slashing pedestrian funding by 4%.

And the city's not even close to its 2030 climate goals.

We need a levy that will fund the dramatic increases in transit bike and walking trips to be in compliance with the mayor's climate change framework and to responsibly address greenhouse gas emissions in our city.

So this, you know, these changes are difficult.

Transition is hard.

A lot of us are still attached to our gas powered cars.

We need to rise up together in community and be willing to support the changes that we need to do to make our city sustainable, to decrease air pollution and to take care of each other.

Thank you very much.

Council Member, there are no additional speakers.

All right.

Thank you, Clerk.

So, there are no additional speakers.

We will now proceed to our other items of business.

I note that Council Member Hollingsworth, Vice Chair of this Committee, is here present and accounted for.

Welcome.

So yeah, we will now move on to our other items of business.

Will the clerk please read our two agenda items, items one and two into the record.

Whoops.

Agenda item one, Council Bill 120764, an ordinance granting Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center permission to continue maintaining and operating an existing SkyBridge over and across East Lake Avenue East, north of Aloha Street, repealing Section 8 of Ordinance 124240 and providing for the acceptance of the permit and conditions.

The second item is Council Bill 120765, an ordinance granting Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center permission to continue maintaining and operating an existing service tunnel under and across East Lake Avenue East, north of Aloha Street, repealing Section 8 of Ordinance 123918, and providing for the acceptance of the permit and conditions.

All right.

Glad that our presenters have already joined us at our table.

Welcome.

Once you're ready, please share your presentations, introduce yourselves, and then begin.

Liz Schwitzen, Council Central staff.

Amy Gray, Seattle Department of Transportation.

Philip Ward, Seattle Department of Transportation.

And what you have before you this morning is a fairly routine set of two term permit applications that are up for renewal, SkyBridge and a tunnel for Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center.

Thank you for the opportunity to speak with you regarding these two council bills that would renew the term permits for the Fred Hutchison Cancer Center.

This presentation will cover both the SkyBridge and the service tunnel that you will be voting on separately.

Next slide, please.

Oh, you're on that slide, sorry.

The pedestrian skybridge and service tunnel are over and under East Lake Avenue, east north of Aloha Street.

The skybridge was originally approved in 2013 and the service tunnel in 2012. These two structures connect the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division and the Weintraub Basic Sciences Building.

At the Vaccine and Infectious Services Infectious Disease Division, scientists research ways in which to prevent, treat, and cure infectious diseases like HIV and known and emerging infections of global health importance like COVID-19.

These scientists work collaboratively to improve treatment of serious infections among immune compromised patients and create ways to reduce the impact of infectious diseases worldwide.

And SDOT is recommending council renew these two term permits.

Next slide, please.

If these ordinance are passed, they would renew the permits and update the fees, maintenance obligations, insurance, bond amount, indemnification and inspection requirements and other conditions of the permits.

This image shows on the right an interior of the service tunnel.

Next.

This campus map shows the Fred Hutch facility and the illustration shows that the Sky Bridge in the upper right-hand corner connects the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division that is separated from the rest of the Fred Hutch campus by East Lake Avenue East.

Next slide, please.

Today, we are recommending council approve these two bills for Fred Hutch to continue maintaining and operating the SkyBridge and service tunnel.

If the ordinances are passed, then the permits would expire in 2044. Next slide.

One more, sorry.

This last slide shows an image of the SkyBridge connecting.

I am happy to answer any questions and thank you for your time and consideration.

All right.

Thank you.

Colleagues, do you have any questions or comments for our presenters?

Go ahead, Council Member Strauss first.

Thank you, Chair.

I love term permits, love sky bridges, love all of this stuff.

They're very routine.

I don't usually see a reason as good as this to pass this.

I have full support, colleagues.

Thank you, Council Member Strauss.

Council Member Kittle.

Thank you, Chair Saka.

Thank you very much for those that have come related to Fred Hutch.

Obviously, in District 7, very supportive of the work that Fred Hutch is doing.

in the medical field.

And generally, for me, we don't want sky bridges all over our city.

But within the medical world, this is something that we should be looking to support, whether it's here in Eastlake with Fred Hutch, whether it's First Hill with the hospitals, or senior centers that have a medical aspect to their work and their connections.

So yeah, definitely appreciate everyone being here and support the resolution.

Thank you.

And anyone else?

Yeah.

Okay.

Well, I do have a quick question.

So you mentioned that the extension of this permit would, among other things, modify the indemnification obligations as between the parties.

And so we'd just love to better understand exactly how.

Sure.

So it just updates standard indemnification language that was adopted 11 13 years ago.

And what the indemnification language does is protects the city's interest and the risk that these expose to the city.

So the obligations and insurance all hold Fred Hutch responsible for any harm that would be caused by something happening to the Sky Bridge or the pedestrian tunnel, to the roadway, to the streets.

It just brings that legal language that's a decade old up to date to current standards, and it also updates inspection obligations.

Is it an uncapped indemnification obligation?

It's specified, I think, in...

I can't remember the exact section of the ordinance, but there's a whole separate section that talks about...

The insurance requirements, I think, are like $5 million and...

there's different levels and I don't really, I get all this information direct from the city's risk managers, but it sets the limits of the policy coverage that they need to do and names the city as an additional insured and that, so.

Okay, so up to the insurance caps and sort of no more, are there any carve outs for certain instances where?

I don't believe so, no.

Okay, okay, yeah.

As a technology and contractual lawyer, I used to write and negotiate those indemnification and limitations of liability provisions all the time.

So really important stuff as it relates to our broader kind of risk management profile and tolerance and how we reduce, in this case, and minimize risk for the city.

Careful when you mention indemnities too.

The lawyers take very good- The bonus of having your chair having a JD.

The city law department has very, I basically do whatever they say as far as writing that section of the ordinance.

Excellent answer.

Cool.

Well, thank you very much.

So, colleagues, unless there are no other questions, I move to recommend passage of Council Bill 120764. Is there a second?

Second.

All right.

Motion has been moved and seconded.

We will now proceed with the discussion of Council Bill 120764. Are there any other questions or comments, colleagues?

Nothing further.

All right.

Well...

Will the clerk please call the roll on the passage of Council Bill 120764.

Council Member Kettle.

Aye.

Council Member Strauss.

Yes.

Council Member Wu.

Yes.

Vice Chair Hollingsworth.

Yes.

Chair Saka.

Aye.

Chair, there are five votes in favor.

All right, the motion carries.

And the committee recommendation that Council pass Council Bill 120764 will be sent to the May 14th, 2024 City Council meeting.

All right, one fall swoop here.

Got that item one out of the way.

I now move to recommend passage of Council Bill 120765. Is there a second?

Second.

I'm pretty sure I saw that third in the latest edition of Robert's Rules, courtesy of Amelia.

Thank you.

Okay, we will now proceed with the discussion of Council Bill 120765. Are there any additional questions or discussion?

Chair, I have had a great time with all of our new colleagues this year.

Things are done differently, and I can tell you this is the first time in my time at City Council that your entire committee has seconded a bill.

Well, I think that, thank you, Council Member Strauss.

I think that speaks to the broader intent and collaboration that we all have to be good colleagues and be good partners for each other and support each other as best as we can and maintain true to our core principles and values.

Again, also getting the people's work done.

So, and have a little fun while we're at it too.

So thank you.

Chair Saka.

Yeah.

Can I say, I do appreciate the council historian aspect that council member Strauss brings to the dais.

Hey, love that.

Love that.

All right.

Well, if there are no additional questions or comments, will the clerk please read or please call the roll on the passage of council bill 120765. Council member Kettle.

Aye.

Council Member Strauss.

Yes.

Council Member Wu.

Yes.

Vice Chair Hollingsworth.

Aye.

Chair Saka.

Aye.

Chair, there are five votes in favor.

All right.

Excellent.

The motion carries and the committee recommendation that council pass Council Bill 120765 will be sent to the May 14, 2024 City Council meeting.

All right.

And I think...

Wow, that was great.

We have reached the end of today's meeting agenda.

Is there any further business to come before the committee before we adjourn, colleagues?

All right, hearing no further business, to come before the committee, we are adjourned for about a half hour or so.

Thank you.

It's 9.54 a.m.