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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSSN062121 CITY OF CENTRAL POINT Oregon Council Study Session Minutes Monday, June 21, 2021 I. Call to Order This is a virtual meeting. The Council Chambers will be available for public attendance. Attendee Name Title Status Arrived Hank Williams Mayor Remote Neil Olsen Ward I Remote Kelley Johnson Ward II Remote Melody Thueson Ward III Remote Taneea Browning Ward IV Remote Rob Hernandez At Large Remote Michael Parsons At Large Remote City Manager Chris Clayton, Community Development Director Tom Humphrey, and City Recorder Deanna Casey were also present. II. Discussion Items 1. Camping Ban, Urban Campground Participation Justin Hon, Rogue Retreat Representative explained the Urban Campground provides emergency shelters and transitional housing to homeless individuals and families that get them out of survival mode and give them a stable foundation. They have helped over 500 individuals find employment and over 400 have transitioned out of the retreat and gained permanent housing. The design of Rogue Retreat is a tiered design to help people get into their own housing. The Kelly Shelter works through a partnership with ACCESS, the Kelly Shelter is a 64-bed facility opened year-round. The Kelly Shelter is a first year-round, low barrier shelter in Southern Oregon. This shelter provides an opportunity for Rogue Retreat case management staff to meet daily with homeless men, and women to help them work on permanent ways to get off the streets, address their individual barriers and transition back into society. Hope Village is a transitional supportive housing program for homeless men, women, and couples in a community setting of attractive, well designed, and insolated tiny house duplex units and shared facilities. These facilities include a kitchen trailer, a restroom and shower trailer, laundry room, a community center, a park area, dog park to care for service animals, and a vegetable garden. The village is safe, sanitary, gated and supervised by on-site staff and an overnight camp host. There are daily village chores and weekly house inspections to help teach them how to care for their living unit and become good future tenants and neighbors. There are shared recovery facilities for inpatient centers when men and women are ready for the next step in independent living after treatment but have no safe City of Central Point City Council Minutes June 21, 2021 Page 2 placement to return home. Participants are responsible for paying a small participation fee and household chores. Heather’s Haven is for women, Harold’s Haven is for men, and Starting Strong are studio apartments for women who are pregnant or parenting a child under the age of three. LaClinica provides medical services when needed. The Sheriff’s office provides breakfasts, and varieties of other organizations provide dinners. He explained the different partnerships around the valley and how each organization helps. This program is designated for local residents, not necessarily for those who are just passing through or came here from another area in order to get services. If they are from out of the area they do have services to help people get back to where they are from. Children are not allowed at the campground, but they are allowed at the Kelley Shelter. They explained the background checks and verifications to help keep everyone safe at the facilities. City Manager Chris Clayton explained that the City is looking into terms of a partnership with Rogue Retreat. The American Rescue Plan Act money has been increased and we are looking at different ways to help. Possible contributions by Central Point could be the Central Point Reservation and a population formula. These numbers are based on numbers provided by the CPPD. We could donate funds that would reserve and pay for 5-7 sites at Rogue Retreat. Explained Legal court cases that require the city to have somewhere for homeless campers to go, if we help fund spaces at Rogue Retreat it would be $60,000 per year. If using American Rescue money we will need to look at funding in the future when those funds are not available. Council members are in favor of collaborating with Rogue Retreat in order to have a location for campers found in Central Point to go. There was some discussion regarding future funding. Mr. Clayton will return with the Agreement once it is finalized. 2. Dobrot Water System - Local Improvement Parks and Public Works Director Matt Samitore explained there are twelve properties on Dobrot Way not hooked up to city water. These properties have been in the city for a long time. When the street was annexed there are no records of discussions regarding city services being provided to those properties. They are currently using wells that are drying up. A few residents are asking the city to provide water to these properties. They have been in the city limits for many years and just now asking for water service. He explained the funding and options available to help the residents on Dobrot Way. If we divert funds to Dobrot Way staff would recommend setting up an LID for the project. The residents should be responsible for paying for the SDC’s and other fees that the city cannot wave. We could wait to do the Hwy 99 Water project for now and divert those funds to Dobrot Way. We would not be upgrading the street with sidewalks and gutters at this time. City of Central Point City Council Minutes June 21, 2021 Page 3 Mr. Clayton explained what an LID would consist of. We would need to get at least 51% of the property owners willing to particpate, each tax lot would be assessed and arrange to pay over time. The most recent LID was the Meadows and Snowybutte Lane. The city has no legal obligation to provide water to these properties. There was discussion regarding the drought issues this year, the wells in this area could become critical in the very near future. Council is in favor of looking into the options to provide water to these residents and set up an LID. There are properties in our Urban Reserve area that are often asking when water will be available to them. We need to continue with the Hwy 99 waterline project in the very near future. III. Adjournment The Study Session for June 21, 2021, was adjourned at 7:15p.m.