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The Yakima City Council holds its next regular agenda business meeting on Tuesday, February 3^rd, 2015. The meeting begins at 6:00 pm at Yakima City Hall.

Items on the February 3^rd agenda include:

–      Council direction on potential and pending items before the state legislature

–      An agreement with the Downtown Association of Yakima for beautification, improvement and promotion of downtown

–      Setting a February 17^th public hearing date on sign regulations

–      Setting a March 3^rd public hearing on the Yakima airport master plan

To see the complete agenda for the February 3^rd Council meeting, click on the following link http://bit.ly/1DfglTl

Yakima City Council regular agenda business meetings air live on Charter Cable channel 194 and are replayed at 7:00 pm the following day. The meetings are shown again at 9:00 am on the following Saturday and Sunday and are also available on the City of Yakima website – http://www.yakimawa.gov/

The City of Yakima and Townsquare Media invite all Seahawk fans, whether you’re a lifelong diehard or a newly-minted 12, to don your blue and green and celebrate the Seahawks second straight trip to the Super Bowl by joining in a Yakima All-City Seahawks Rally on Blue Friday, January 30^th from 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm on 3^rd Street in front of the Capitol Theatre.

The festivities will include great music, crazy YouTube tributes, inspiring Hawk’s video highlights, and fun contests. Come and try to win a fabulous prize in the “Most Outrageous Seahawk Fan Contest,” the “Most All-In Fan Family Contest,” the “Coolest Mini-12, Under 12 Contest,” the “Best Imitation of the Sound Kam Chancellor Makes Blasting an Opponent at Full Speed Contest,” the “Predict the Score Contest” and more.

Fantastic prizes and giveaways at the event will include official Super Bowl programs, Seahawk “Fathead” wall decals, replica game coin toss coins, buffalo wings for a year, and a lot of other great Hawks paraphernalia.

“The All-City Seahawks Rally on Blue Friday is going to be the perfect opportunity for Yakima 12s to show support for the defending Super Bowl champs,” said Yakima Mayor Micah Cawley. “The rally will be Yakima’s way of sending good mojo in the direction of Phoenix Stadium to help lead the Seahawks to victory in Super Bowl XLIX (“49”).”

Former Seattle Seahawk Dr. Dan Doornick will kick off the rally and share memories from his NFL career.

The Yakima All-City Seahawks Rally will culminate with the raising of an official “12” flag on the pole high atop Downtown Yakima’s iconic Larson Building.

For more information about the Yakima All-City Seahawks Rally, click on the following link – http://newstalkkit.com/city-wide-blue-friday-seahawks-rally-to-take-place-on-jan-30/.

Yakima All-City Seahawks Rally – News Release

In preparation for construction work to begin on a new observation deck, the water level at the Randall Park pond needs to be lowered. Visitors to the park will begin noticing the change this week.

“Lowering the water level will be done gradually, and we don’t want anyone to be concerned while the process is underway,” said Yakima Parks and Recreation Manager Ken Wilkinson. “We will keep the impact on wildlife to a minimum during the drawdown and construction phases of the project,” added Wilkinson.

Once the process is finished, the level of the pond will be about a foot lower than it normally is this time of year.

Construction on the new observation deck is being funded by a generous donation from the Southwest Yakima Rotary Club. The civic organization has pledged $30,000 for design, development, and construction and will also donate another $30,000 worth of volunteer labor, materials, supplies and professional services.

Work on the observation deck is planned to begin in March and should be completed by early summer.

“The old observation deck is very tired and has been in need of replacement for years,” said Wilkinson.  “We are so grateful to be able to partner with Southwest Yakima Rotary on a project that will help make what is already a great park even better.”

Randall Park covers more than 40-acres and is located north of West Washington Avenue between 44^th and 48^th Avenues.

For more information about the project, contact Yakima Parks & Recreation Manager Ken Wilkinson at 576-6416.

Randall Park Water Level News Release pdf

Water service repairs will disrupt traffic in the eastbound lanes of a portion of Nob Hill Boulevard on Monday, January 26^th. The work will begin at 7:00 am and should be completed by 3:30 pm.

The eastbound lanes of Nob Hill Boulevard between South 8^th Street and South Fair Avenue will be restricted while the project is underway. Traffic will channelized through construction zone.

Because of heavy traffic volume, drivers can expect delays in the project area. Drivers should use alternate routes if possible until the work is completed.

Access to homes and businesses in the project area will be maintained as best as possible and emergency vehicles will be allowed through the project area.

As always, the schedule for this type of project is subject to change daily dependent on weather, equipment failure, and emergencies.

For more information about the project, contact Water Distribution Supervisor, Emilio Lopez at 575-6196.

East Nob Hill Water Service Repairs – News Release

P.O.W. Contracting, Inc., a Pasco-based construction firm, is the primary contractor for an approximately $980,000 project that will improve the irrigation system in several neighborhoods in Yakima. Work on the West Yakima Irrigation System Phase 2 Improvements project will continue in the coming weeks and is expected to be completed by the start of the 2015 irrigation season this spring.

During the week of January 26^th, 2015, the contractor will continue trench installation of new 6-inch PVC irrigation main along the north side of Summitview between 24^th Avenue and 20^th Avenue.

The project will improve the irrigation water delivery system in neighborhoods between Summitview Avenue to the south, Lincoln Avenue to the north, 21^st Avenue to the east, and 37^th Avenue to the west.

As part of the project, approximately 5,130 linear feet of new 3-inch and 4-inch high-density polyethylene (“HDPE”) pipe and approximately 7,390 linear feet of new 3-inch to 12-inch polyvinyl chloride (“PVC”) pipe will be installed. More than 200 new irrigation service connections will also be completed as part of the project.

While the project is underway, construction equipment such as backhoes and dump trucks will be used. Traffic control devices will be used in the areas of construction and traffic will be routed around project areas.  Travel will periodically be restricted to one lane in each direction on Summitview Avenue through the project area. Although access may be temporarily restricted in the immediate areas of construction, access to homes in the project area will be maintained as best as possible.

Funding for the project is provided from the City’s Irrigation Capital Improvement budget.

For more information about the project, contact Water/Irrigation Engineer Mike Shane at 576-6480.

Irrigation Improvement Project Update – News Release

About two years ago, the City of Yakima began to more actively enforce its existing sign regulations. In the wake of the stepped up enforcement efforts, some local business owners complained to the City that the sign code was being imposed too strictly and that some of its elements were overly burdensome.

In August 2014, the Yakima City Council and the Yakima Planning Commission held a joint study session to discuss sign code issues. As a result of the study session, the Council and Commission decided to undertake a public process to review the existing sign code to determine if any amendments to the code should be made. The public process included an online community survey, preliminary discussion by the Planning Commission, environmental review, and additional public comment.

Draft amendments have now been developed that would better define terms in the City’s sign code and provide greater clarity to both business owners and code enforcement officers. The Planning Commission will conduct a public hearing on the draft amendments during its regular business meeting on Wednesday, January 28^th at 3:30 pm in the Council Chambers at Yakima City Hall. Anyone wanting to provide input about the draft amendments is invited to attend the hearing.

To see the draft amendments, click on the following link – http://bit.ly/1AP1XhZ.

Following the January 28^th public hearing, the Planning Commission will make a formal recommendation to the City Council regarding proposed amendments to the City’s sign code. The Council will consider the proposed amendments at an upcoming business meeting, which will also include another opportunity for public input.

To find out more about the proposed City sign code amendments, contact Supervising Planner Jeff Peters by phone (575-6163) or by e-mail (jeff.peters@yakimawa.gov).

Public Hearing re Proposed Sign Regulations – News Release

The Yakima City Council held its most recent regular agenda business meeting on Tuesday, January 20^th, 2015.

Action taken by the Council on January 20^th included:

–    Approval of a land exchange for Cascade Mill Parkway roundabout

–    Amending the six-year transportation improvement program

–    Approval of an agreement with Southwest Yakima Rotary for a new observation deck at Randall Park

–    Authorizing participation in the Washington Department of Corrections work crew program

–    Amending the City of Yakima dangerous dog ordinance

Follow this link to watch Y-PAC coverage of the January 20^th Yakima City Council meeting – http://bit.ly/1CcECv6

Yakima City Council regular agenda business meetings air live on Charter Cable channel 194 and are replayed at 7:00 pm the following night. The meetings are shown again at 9:00 am on the following Saturday and Sunday and are also available on the City of Yakima website – http://www.yakimawa.gov/.

A project to upgrade traffic signals at about two dozen intersections throughout Yakima in order to improve driver and pedestrian safety will be going on from now until late February. The traffic signal upgrade is part of a citywide traffic safety improvement project that began last year.

The latest phase of the project involves replacing older 8-inch-diameter traffic signal heads with modern, state-of-the-art 12-inch-diameter heads. Signals at intersections included in the project will be turned off between 8:00 am and 4:00 pm during the days when traffic signal heads are being replaced. Traffic at those intersections will be directed by Yakima police officers while the work is underway.

Click on the”Traffic Signal Replacement Project – Involved Intersections List” link  below to see a list of the intersections included in the project and the dates that signals at each intersection will be replaced.

The first phase of the citywide traffic safety improvement project included installing ramps at intersections along 16^th Avenue between Nob Hill Boulevard and River Road that comply with standards established by the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”). The total cost of the safety project, including installation of the ADA ramps and replacement of traffic signal heads, will be approximately $400,000 and is being completely covered by a federal grant.

During the traffic signal replacement project, traffic delays in the areas near the involved intersections may occur. Drivers should use alternate routes if possible until the project is completed.

As always, the schedule for this type of a project is subject to change daily dependent on weather, equipment failure, and emergencies.

For additional information about this project, contact Construction Supervisor Bruce Floyd at 575-6138.

Traffic Signal Replacement Project – Involved Intersections List

The Yakima City Council holds its next regular agenda business meeting on Tuesday, January 20^th, 2015. The meeting begins at 6:00 pm at Yakima City Hall.

Items on the January 20^th agenda include:

–     Special recognition for Yakima Fire Department

–     Land exchange for Cascade Mill Parkway

–     A public hearing on the six-year transportation improvement program

–     An agreement with Southwest Rotary for a new observation deck at Randall Park

–     Participation in the Washington Department of Corrections work crew program

–     Amending the City of Yakima dangerous dog ordinance

To see the complete agenda for the January 20^th Council meeting, click on the following link http://bit.ly/1Gq0IhI

Yakima City Council regular agenda business meetings air live on Charter Cable channel 194 and are replayed at 7:00 pm the following day. The meetings are shown again at 9:00 am on the following Saturday and Sunday and are also available on the City of Yakima website – http://www.yakimawa.gov/