Speaker 7: Agenda item two Council Bill 118491 authorizing the acceptance of the grant of an easement for public access over and across a portion of the property commonly known as Old Fire Station seven, located at 402 15th Avenue East in exchange for the city's extinguishment of certain deed restrictions. Encumbering Title to Fire Station seven and ratifying and confirming certain prior acts. The Committee recommends the Council bill pass.
Speaker 1: Thank you, Councilmember Licata.
Speaker 8: This is legislation that resulted in converting some parking space in front of the old fire station seven on Capitol Hill on 15th Avenue east into basically a mini park, an open area. And we were able to do that by the city, allowing for easement of public access. In exchange, we dropped some of the covenants around the property that were no longer relevant. We did retain three important ones. The building and site improvements should not be altered in exterior appearance or from the original exterior configuration. In other words, we're not going to go back to a parking space. We'll keep it an open public space the second that the building and say improvements may be maintained in good and sound state of repair. We want to make sure that's maintained. And third, the grantee shall maintain, repair, repaint and refurbish the building as necessary to comply with the second condition, as well as making sure that everything is is as functioning in the building as well. So this is a great tradeoff. The community has gained some open space. We've allowed the people in the building to assure that they'll maintain that space as well as the building was a historic building. Thank you.
Speaker 1: Thank you. Questions or comments? Councilmember Rasmussen.
Speaker 4: Thank you. I see Councilmember Licata in the fiscal note. There's reference to a historic preservation deed. Would you describe that, please? Is this landmarked?
Speaker 8: I believe it is red marked. It's been a historic building for a long time. I think it was decommissioned as a fire station maybe as long ago as the early sixties or so. I know I moved to Capitol Hill in the early seventies and by that time it had been already converted to a community use.
Speaker 4: It looks landmarked. I was wondering whether that had been formalized.
Speaker 8: I. I assume so, but I, I can't guarantee that.
Speaker 1: Other question. All right.
Speaker 4: Well, we can check into that. Thank you.
Speaker 1: Please call the role on the passage of the bill.
Speaker 2: Look at her. Hi, O'Brien. Hi, Okamoto. I rasmussen. I want.
Speaker 5: I.
Speaker 2: Back shot. I got it. I Harrill I am president burgess. Nine In favor and unopposed.
Speaker 1: The bill passes and the chair will sign it. Adoption of other resolutions. We will now consider resolution 31615 as introduced to today's meeting. Council members want. Councilmember O'Brien. Excuse me.
Speaker 4: Well, if I could just make a quick comment to clarify something that happened during public comment on the resolution regarding their use of youth detention. Someone commented that they appreciated how quickly that passed, and I just want to clarify that we just passed to refer it on to the Public Safety Committee meeting Wednesday at 2:00. So it hasn't actually passed out yet. There will be discussion and debate there.
Speaker 1: Thank you for the clarification. Councilmember Swan.
Speaker 0: Thank you, President Burgess. I want to thank you all who came today, especially members from the Seattle Education Association, those who spoke at public comment. I especially appreciate your presence here because I know that your more important work is to be on the picket lines and to be discussing with your fellow members. So it's your presence here is, you know, really noted. And I'm sure many of you haven't slept well in many nights over the past decade, as we've seen, public education has come under a ferocious assault by successive Republican and Democratic administrations across the country. We've seen schools being deeply underfunded and forced to teach more and more to standardized testing. There have been attempts to dismantle public education, first with vouchers and now with charter schools. And education unions have been attacked with anti-union legislation and court battles here in Washington state. We know the Supreme Court has deemed the legislature to be criminally underfunding public education in this context. The strike of our Seattle educators to fight for this cause Seattle deserves is truly historic pay, and ours for educators is absolutely vital. Outrageously, the district wants to extend the workday for teachers by 30 minutes per day without paying teachers for this. And we have to note, this is also a women's rights issue in the face of gender persistent gender inequality, gender pay disparity, because this is a profession that is that has majority women educators. Unfortunately, though not surprising, the stories that have been real of buy lose distortions by the Seattle Times on your demand on pay. But what's heartening is to see that the community is clearly, clearly rejecting those lies and is on your side unambiguously. But in addition to your own pay and hours, you're also fighting to stop those serious racial biases that persist in school discipline. You're fighting to limit the overreliance on high stakes testing. Even equity in recess time for elementary school students in different schools is something the union has had to fight for. And you won a significant victory in the face in the form of a minimum 30 minute recess. You're also fighting for caseload caps, for special education so that students can get the support that they need. If the union wins on these demands. It will be a huge step forward. A victory for students and educators that make up Seattle Public Schools. However, a victory for the union will also be a victory for education around the country because it will show that if we organize and remain united, we can resist the attacks against public education. It will also be a victory for all workers in Seattle who will be emboldened to organize in unions and campaign to have a say in their workplaces. This resolution gives the Council support for the work that all educators do. And. I wanted to congratulate President Jonathan Knapp of the Seattle Education Association, your negotiating team that has worked so hard over months, led by Phyllis Component, the vice president of the union, and all the members of your union who have stood strong not only for teachers, but for public education. I really commend you. And I also wanted to thank all my colleagues for all the involvement, the advice you provided and for supporting the resolution. Lastly, I wanted to say this. There is a crisis in funding for public education, but the solution to that is not to shortchange teachers unions, but for the school board to concede on these reasonable demands and fight with the union for full funding of public public education throughout the state. And really, one of the best ways to help end the school to prison pipeline is to fully fund public schools and give the educators a fair contract.
Speaker 9: I do want.
Speaker 0: To mention that I have donated $500 to the Seattle Education Association Strike Fund. I will be donating another $500, and I would urge all my colleagues to also do the same so that we have a real show of support for your you know, for your action. Right.
Speaker 1: Any comments or questions. All those in favor of adopting. Excuse me. I was going to say something. Councilmember Help!
Speaker 3: Please make it short and sweet. I want to correct the record since we're correcting record on the Garfield situation. I met my mother and father went to Garfield, too. I wouldn't be alive if it weren't for Garfield, by the way. So Bruce got a little deeper than my older son graduate from Garfield. Thank you for this fight. I support this legislation almost, I would say unconditionally. You're showing leadership to these children. Last weekend, I had an opportunity to to go in the locker room of some of your students before what they call the Memorial Classic. And these are students that I don't know if it's good or bad for them. They have to practice on their teams, but they're not in school. And so it's a weird dynamic here. And I just briefly talked to them on the sidelines about what they're going through. They are the most important and they are behind you so strongly. I was I was I was pleasantly surprised by that. And I think many of, you know, my my daughter graduated from Cleveland High School last year, and I testified in front of the school district several times as a PTSA representative. And I was very angry, too, at a few things. So I say this to say that it is just simply my honor to support you. You are doing this critical work with passion, with commitment. You went to school for the noble cause to help others, and I don't think there is anything any stronger than that. So thank you. And so let's make a lot of noise. Let's end this strike. Let's protect your rights. Let's win. Thank you very much.
Speaker 1: As long as we're giving our Garfield credentials. My older brother graduated from Garfield. More importantly, all three of my daughters graduated from Garfield. So we really appreciate where Garfield Garfield does. And to echo what Councilmember Harrell said, I think the people of Seattle understand the importance of education. We see that repeatedly when the district's levies pass. We saw it last November when the preschool measure passed overwhelmingly. We want to invest in the future of our children, and we do that with them and with you to make sure that they receive the the education that they deserve so that every one of them has a strong and fair start as they pursue their education in their life. All those in favor of adopting Resolution 31615 indicate by voting I. I opposed vote no. The resolution is unanimously adopted.
Speaker 9: So what do we do?
Speaker 1: Thank you. Thank you. The council will adjourn in a moment and then we will reconvene. Right. So we're just going to repeat one little element here. If the clerk would read the title of the resolution, please. Okay. We're done with that part of the title. Yeah, we're done with the resolution. So now we're going to do this. So at this point, we are going to do a little special business. Ready actually that our guest. This will be interesting. At this time the council will consider other business. And I would ask the clerk to read into the record the findings of the Public Employment Relations Committee decision.
Speaker 7: Notice to employees. State law gives you the right to form, join or assist an employee organization union bargain collectively with your employer throughout a union chosen by a majority of employees. Refrain from any or all of these activities, except you may be required to make payments to a union or charity under a lawful union security provision. The Washington State Public Employment Relations Commission conducted a legal proceeding and ruled that the city of Seattle committed an unfair labor practice and ordered us to post this notice to employees. We unlawfully changed represented employees working conditions by charging an employee with a violation of the code of ethics and initiating charges at the Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission. S.E.C. After we had previously disciplined the employee for the same misconduct to remedy our unfair labor practices, we will close the SCC investigation of Ron Allen's October 2010 misconduct. We will notify IBEW Local 77 and Allen in writing of the date that the case is closed, we will follow the disciplinary process in the collective bargaining agreement . We will notify the union of proposed changes to working conditions and bargain upon request. We will not unilaterally change represented employees working conditions or implement proposals that have not been bargained to agreement or impasse. We will not in any other manner interfere with restrain or coerce our employees in the exercise of their collective bargaining rights under the laws of the State of Washington.
Speaker 1: Thank you. We've satisfied the notice requirement. At 10 minutes to three, the Council will reconvene as the Select Committee on the Central Waterfront and we are adjourned.
AN ORDINANCE authorizing the acceptance of the grant of an easement for public access over and across a portion of the property commonly known as (old) Fire Station Seven, located at 402 15th Avenue East, in exchange for the City’s extinguishment of certain deed restrictions encumbering title to Fire Station Seven; and ratifying and confirming certain prior acts.