1. CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL: Mayor Beckstead called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. Mayor Beckstead and Councilors Woodruff, Welch and Church answered the roll. Councilors Abbott, Eder and Peterson were excused. A quorum was present.
2. CITIZEN COMMENTS AND CONCERNS: Ms. Papas addressed the Council, thanking the City and Public Works for the work on widening Crestline. She cited a recent article from the Newport NewsTimes about the new playground equipment at Crestline, including the installation of a gazebo, which was somewhat confusing as she had been under the impression the gazebo was planned for Keady Wayside. Councilor Woodruff explained that the conceptual plans for Crestline Park included a covered picnic shelter, not a gazebo. Chris Chandler di Torrice addressed the Council regarding the Lincoln County Enterprise Zone, indicating that Newport has a couple properties that they would like to include in the zone. This would be a propitious time for the Council to consider if there were any additional properties in the City that should be included in the Enterprise Zone. Ms. di Torrice suggested that, if there were, the City Planner should put together a list and accompanying maps to be submitted to her by February 26. Mayor Beckstead reported that the Enterprise Zone governing body would be meeting on February 27, and though he would not be able to attend he had asked Ms. Leonard to attend in his stead. He indicated that other Council members could also attend if they so desired.
   Noting the presence of District Attorney Bernice Barnett, Mayor Beckstead suggested moving Item #11A on the agenda to accommodate her. There were no objections. Ms. Barnett distributed her yearly written report to the Council, and then reviewed the activities of her department. Following a brief discussion, the Council thanked Ms. Barnett for providing the update.
3. COUNCIL COMMENTS AND CONCERNS: Mayor Beckstead announced that he was appointed by County Commissioners to serve on the Regional Investment Board, to replace Lee Corbin. The first meeting was scheduled for February 27, and he has asked Ms. Leonard to attend in his stead as he will be out of state. Councilor Church extended his congratulations, reminding the Council that during Ms. Lehman’s tenure on the board the City had obtained the RIB grant for the viewing platform at Keady Wayside.
4. MINUTES: The Council considered the minutes from the January 8, 2004 Council meeting. Councilor Welch moved to approve the minutes as presented, Councilor Church seconded, and the motion carried unanimously on a voice vote.
5. PUBLIC HEARING: None.
6. STAFF REPORTS:
A. Sheriff: Not in attendance. Ms. Leonard reported that she has been meeting regularly with Sheriff Dotson, and he has been apprised of the issues and concerns brought forth by the Council and various committees.
B. CAO: Ms. Leonard noted that in December there had been a meeting with an ODOT representative, citizens, and business owners on Mill Street to investigate whether the left-turn prohibition should remain in place. She has since heard back from the State Engineer, who does not want to remove the sign. He stated that it should stay up because it is a potential safety issue, and felt that if the sign were taken down and an accident occurred, there would be increased liability. Ms. Leonard will be contacting the merchants to apprise them of the decision. The final issue to report on was the need for a Road District meeting prior to the next City Council meeting, on March 4, 2004.
C. City Attorney: No report.
D. Public Works: Mr. McClintock noted that the work on Crestline Drive to widen the street had finally been completed by Road and Driveway. The next step would be striping the pedestrian/bike path, and he indicated that signage will probably have to be installed to prohibit parking. Mr. McClintock reported on a recent meeting with representatives from the Oregon Youth Conservation Corps (OYCC), where the members had participated in a tour of the work which had been completed and the proposed area for "phase two" of the Lint Slough project. He felt fairly confident that they had been impressed, and was hopeful that the City would get the monies for the next phase of the project. Mr. McClintock indicated that he had two "surprise" visits in the previous month, one from OSHA and one from the Oregon Health Department (OHD). OSHA had done an inspection of the public works shop, and noted only one small correction having to do with updating the safety manual. OHD had reviewed the upgrades at the Water Treatment plant and were very impressed with the operation and operator, indicating that the City was probably ahead of about 75-80% of the state in safe drinking water requirements. The public works crew was in the process of prep work for replacing the 6" waterline on Highway 101, and the permit should be ready in a couple of weeks. Regarding the decoy patrol car, Mr. McClintock noted that the Citizens Patrol had volunteered to take the public works person to drop off and pick up the car so that it can be deployed on the weekends. He reported on the recent meeting with Dyer Partnership and the DEQ, noting that they had a set of very preliminary plans for the South Sewer Project. It was moving forward and there appeared to be no major issues. Ms. Leonard also noted that, in conjunction with the OYCC grant, the City was hoping to obtain an Oregon State Parks Recreational Trail grant. She has met with the representatives and felt very excited by the prospects. Additionally, she has met with representatives from the Forest Service regarding the City putting in a trail system through the 90-acre parcel and was awaiting an approval letter from them.
E. City Planner: The written reports were contained in the packet materials. 
7. COMMITTEE REPORTS:
A. Finance and Administration: Councilor Woodruff noted that the water and sewer rates and accounting software recommendation were on the agenda for approval.
B. Infrastructure Planning: Councilor Welch noted that the Infrastructure Planning Committee had also reviewed the water and sewer rates.
C. Parks and Recreation: Councilor Woodruff reported that they had the landscape designer present at the last meeting, and they were looking forward to the open house and public meeting that will be scheduled for March 16. Mayor Beckstead commented that this process of planning for parks has the potential for changing the look and feel of the community maybe even more than the downtown revitalization project. He urged all interested people to attend the open house.
D. Traffic and Public Safety: Councilor Welch emphasized that the committee was concerned about the continued perception of speeding on Highway 101. He reported that the sheriff is working on some new type of radar system to do a better job when vehicles are close together. He indicated that another area of concern is Crestline Park. There was also consensus of a continuing problem at the intersection of Maple and Highway 101 in regard to RV parking, which makes a left turn from Maple Street onto Highway 101 difficult, and also large vehicles parking in the area between Pacific Office Solutions and the intersection, which makes it difficult for traffic to merge on Highway 101. The suggestion was to post signs prohibiting RV parking on the west side of Highway 101 from Maple Street to Pacific Office Solutions. Councilor Church moved to put up "No RV Parking" signs on that stretch of street. Councilor Welch seconded. Councilor Woodruff indicated she understood the safety concerns, but suggested that it might be prudent to wait and see what the downtown revitalization project accomplished. Discussion ensued. The motion was withdrawn. Consensus of the Council was to put the issue on the March agenda for discussion. Councilor Woodruff asked that alternatives for RV parking also be discussed at that time.
E. Economic Development: No meeting.
F. CIF: Nothing to report.
G. Community Youth Report: Jerry Hughes gave a brief review, noting that they were looking at a move. The lapidary program was well underway and has gone from an original participation of 6 to 44. The program was being sponsored by equipment and stone suppliers throughout the US. There are other activities ongoing as well, and they were looking to the business community for funding and volunteers.
8. CONSENT CALENDAR: The Council considered the City Engineer bill and the City Attorney bill. Councilor Welch moved to approve the Consent Calendar, Councilor Woodruff seconded, and the motion carried unanimously on a voice vote.
9. CORRESPONDENCE: None.
10. INFORMATIONAL ITEMS: The grant status report had been separately distributed. The Council considered the Library Board minutes, monthly circulation report, and progress report. There were no comments.
11. DISCUSSION/ACTION ITEMS:
A. Annual Activity Report - Bernice Barnett: Previously addressed.
B. Committee/Commission Board Appointments: Ms. Leonard explained that there were a total of five vacancies on four boards. The Budget Committee had three applicants and only two vacancies, the Library Board had two applicants and one vacancy, the Parks Committee had one applicant and one vacancy, and the Planning Commission had one applicant and one vacancy. Staff had offered recommendations on the filling of the positions. Mayor Beckstead asked to consider the appointments separately. For the Budget Committee, Councilor Woodruff moved to accept the staff recommendation, Councilor Welch seconded, and the motion carried unanimously on a voice vote. For the Library Board, Mayor Beckstead moved to appoint Juli Dahl. Councilor Welch seconded. Following discussion, the motion failed on a tie vote. Consensus of the Council was to defer the appointment to the March meeting, when more members of the Council would be present. For the Parks Committee, Councilor Woodruff moved to accept the staff recommendation. Councilor Church seconded, and the motion carried unanimously on a voice vote. For the Planning Commission, Councilor Church moved to accept the staff recommendation. Councilor Welch seconded, and the motion carried unanimously on a voice vote. Those appointed to the Committees were as follows: Pat Tryon and Pat O’Neill - Budget Committee; Clarice Sullivan - Parks Committee; and Dave Perry - Planning Commission.
C. Accounting Software: Ms. Leonard explained that Ms. Lawson had spent a great deal of time researching this issue. The Finance and Administration Committee had reviewed the recommendation. Following a brief discussion, Councilor Welch moved to approve the recommendation to purchase the Cougar Mountain software. Councilor Woodruff seconded, and the motion carried unanimously on a voice vote.
D. Sewer and Water Annual Rate Review: Ms. Leonard explained that staff was recommending a raise in the water rates, but not in the sewer rates. The analysis had been done earlier than usual as this way it could be included in the upcoming budget process. Both the Infrastructure Committee and the Finance and Administration Committee had reviewed the information and had given their recommendation to approve. Following a brief discussion, Councilor Welch moved to approve the staff recommendation to increase the water usage rate by $.41 per unit effective July 1, 2004. Councilor Church seconded. The motion carried unanimously on a voice vote. Councilor Welch then moved to not accept the originally recommended rate increase from the consultant and to keep the sewer rate the same as it is currently. Mayor Beckstead seconded, and the motion carried unanimously on a voice vote.
E. Other Issues: Councilor Church mentioned that the Waldport Annex (Old Middle School) had been listed with Waldport Realty for somewhere around $1.5M.
    Mayor Beckstead noted that the letter from Commissioner Cutter, which had been distributed to the Council at the meeting, raised a couple issues of concern. One was in regard to Crestline Drive, where cars are parking in the pedestrian area. Although the extended shoulder would help in some regard, additional signage and plans for an eventual raised sidewalk should not be set aside. He urged the Traffic and Public Safety Committee to continue their quest for a safe pedestrian way on Crestline Drive. The second issue raised by Commissioner Cutter was in regard to hunting in the Lint Slough area. Although the slough is not in the City limits, it is surrounded by residential areas. Mayor Beckstead felt that this issue should be looked into. Ms. Leonard will contact ODFW regarding their role, to ascertain if it would be possible to prohibit hunting in those areas.
    Councilor Welch asked about the potential costs for putting in a sidewalk on Crestline Drive. Mr. McClintock indicated that he could provide a rough estimate by the next Council meeting.
12. EXECUTIVE SESSION: Not needed.
13. ACTIONS, IF ANY, FROM EXECUTIVE SESSION: None.
14. GOOD OF THE ORDER: Nothing further.
15. ADJOURNMENT: At 8:45 p.m., there being nothing further to come before the Council, the meeting was adjourned.