Longest Day Parkway 2023! |
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The City of Sandy invites you to join us for Longest Day Parkway 2023 at Bornstedt Park! This free family event will be held on June 22nd from 6:30 - 8:00 p.m. Bike, walk, or roll with your family and enjoy a hot dog and ice cream on us!
Longest Day Parkway is an annual event hosted by the various departments of the City of Sandy. There will be activities, prizes, raffles, or commemorative items at each booth. It's a unique opportunity to meet staff members from across the city organization while enjoy car-free streets and having fun with your neighbors on a beautiful summer evening!
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Please refer to the map showing the parkway route, parking areas, and booth locations for Parks and Recreation, Library, SandyNet, Police, Sandy Area Metro (SAM), Public Works, Development Services, City Hall, and more.
Don't forget: holding the event at Bornstedt Park this year means you can enjoy the park's unique amenities such as the splash pad (which will be in operation!) and the community garden.
Parking is very limited (which is why we encourage folks to use alternative transportation). Please be patient while arriving and respect the folks living in the neighborhood. We hope to see you there!
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Reinvesting in Sandy's Infrastructure |
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There's a lot to love about living in Sandy, but it can be easy to forget that some of the most important infrastructure systems that make life here possible are actually underground - out of sight and often out of mind. The fact is our drinking water and wastewater systems, which provide pristine water out of our taps and keep our local river systems clean and healthy, are complex feats of engineering that are the result of investments made by our community over many decades.
Like any other assets, Sandy’s public works systems need to be updated and replaced as time goes on and our community continues to grow. It’s up to each generation of Sandy residents to strengthen and modernize our drinking water and wastewater infrastructure for the future, to ensure that Sandy can continue to offer the same quality of life we've come to appreciate for years to come.
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The Importance of Reinvestment
Reinvestment in our drinking water and wastewater infrastructure is critical to Sandy's future. Over the past several years, the City has launched multiple initiatives to upgrade our systems to address problems and ensure sufficient capacity for the future.
Drinking Water: the improvements being planned under the Drinking Water System Reinvestment Project will ensure that Sandy has plenty of drinking water for decades to come. We’re actively pursuing repairs and upgrades to our City-owned water sources, especially the Alder Creek treatment facility and related storage infrastructure, to allow Sandy to maximize our use of this local asset. In addition, we’re planning to construct a new transmission line to access Bull Run water, providing Sandy with a critical backup source and system redundancy in the event of a major wildfire or other natural disaster. The new transmission line will also ensure Sandy remains in compliance with federal requirements to treat water for cryptosporidium.
Wastewater: Sandy Clean Waters is the ongoing program focused on repairing and upgrading Sandy’s wastewater infrastructure. The City is working to address the fact that in the past, prior to the recent significant achievements of Sandy Clean Waters, Sandy’s rapid growth outpaced the ability of our wastewater infrastructure to consistently handle increased demand. Through the $20 million of repairs so far to our collection system and upgrades to our existing wastewater treatment plant, we’re already seeing remarkable results. Planning for construction of new expanded treatment infrastructure to accommodate Sandy’s future is now underway. The City has also reached a settlement with regulators to resolve past claims and violations, allowing Sandy to move forward with certainty.
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How Will Reinvestment Projects Impact Utility Rates?
While reinvestment in our infrastructure is necessary, it is also expensive. The City has been successful in securing a variety of grants and low interest loans to finance the needed projects. In order to qualify for this favorable financing, we have to demonstrate that out utility rates are sufficient to make the required loan payments. We are also regularly increasing system development charges paid by new construction to ensure development is paying for its impact on the system.
Public Hearing on Utility Rates: the City Council will consider proposed increases to drinking water and wastewater rates at its meeting on Tuesday June 20th starting at 7:00 p.m. Any member of the public is welcome to attend and provide testimony. Please use the link above for details on how to attend and participate.
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We’re Keeping Rates as Low as Possible
The City is proactively pursuing all opportunities for external funding and financing to keep rates as low as possible for customers. We have secured, or are in the process of securing, nearly $150 million in grants and low interest loans for our wastewater and drinking water projects. We are also currently revising plans for our wastewater improvements to ensure that project costs remain affordable for our community. For low income customers, Sandy has a Customer Assistance Program available. Information can be accessed here.
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There Are Many Ways You Can Reduce Your Water Consumption
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City Announces Consent Decree Settlement;
Path Forward on Wastewater Program
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The City of Sandy has invested tens of millions of dollars in recent years to ensure Sandy’s infrastructure needs are sustainably met, providing a solid foundation from which our community can work together to achieve our future goals and aspirations. It is in this spirit that the City of Sandy is announcing the completion of negotiations on a settlement with the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that will resolve past violations and fines related to Sandy’s permit to discharge treated wastewater to Tickle Creek. While the City has made historic investments to upgrade and modernize our wastewater system under a program named Sandy Clean Waters, violations incurred in past years prior to the accomplishments of Sandy Clean Waters have remained unresolved. This negotiated Consent Decree, which the City Council approved at its meeting on June 5, 2023, will resolve all past claims DEQ and EPA have against the City, allowing Sandy to move forward with certainty and a clear path into the future.
The Consent Decree reduces Sandy’s civil penalty liability by orders of magnitude. Instead of a maximum possible civil penalty of well over $100 million for the violations incurred in the years prior to Sandy Clean Waters, and rather than a settlement payment of $15 million that would typically apply to a city in our situation, Sandy will pay only $324,300 in penalties. This drastically lower amount is based on the substantial efforts the City has made in recent years, and that we continue to make in good faith, to reinvest in the wastewater system and protect local watersheds.
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Future of Wastewater System Improvement Program
In addition to the terms above, the Consent Decree largely formalizes actions the City is already taking, or plans to take in the near future, to modernize and expand our wastewater system to support our growing community:
- Repairs to the wastewater collection pipes to prevent groundwater inflow and infiltration (I&I)
- Repairs to the existing wastewater treatment plant
- Construction of new wastewater treatment infrastructure as identified in an amended Wastewater System Facilities Plan (currently being developed)
- Completion of a stress test, collection system modeling, and comprehensive capacity analysis of the wastewater system
- Compliance with a Capacity Assurance Program (CAP) that limits new wastewater connections, to ensure the system continues to operate within its capacity limits as new improvements are constructed
- Implementation of an asset management program for the wastewater system known as a Capacity, Management, Operation, and Maintenance program (CMOM), that will allow us to better manage, operate, and maintain our infrastructure and investigate and respond to problems
- Completion of a Supplemental Environmental Project that will improve riparian health and water quality protection along Tickle Creek between 362nd Ave and Hwy 211
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Limiting New Wastewater Connections to Stay Within System Capacity
As many community members are aware, the City made the decision to stop accepting new land use applications that propose new wastewater system connections in October 2022, using a mechanism in state law referred to as a moratorium. We said at the time that we were taking the action “in coordination with DEQ and EPA as part of ongoing enforcement proceedings under the Clean Water Act.” We are now able to clarify that the decision to limit new wastewater connections was an important step in arriving at the Consent Decree settlement with DEQ and EPA. The reason for limiting connections is to ensure that new units and demands on the wastewater system do not exceed the system’s capacity as we continue to construct improvements. The Consent Decree establishes a Capacity Assurance Program (CAP) limit on new wastewater connections; Sandy is able to use the moratorium as a tool to ensure continuing compliance with the CAP and ongoing sufficient capacity in the wastewater system.
Notwithstanding the limits on new connections, there is still new construction occurring in Sandy; that is because while no new wastewater connection applications are being accepted at this time, there are still properties that submitted land use applications prior to the moratorium taking effect. These properties with “vested rights” may connect during the moratorium period, provided the number of new units remains within the established capacity of the system. At its outset, the Consent Decree authorizes the City to add 300 new equivalent residential units (ERUs); the City plans to revise the current moratorium (which had a lower limit) in the very near future to reflect this higher allowance. Going forward, the results of the wastewater system stress test (currently in the data analysis phase) will determine Sandy’s CAP limit, though this number may be increased over time as more system capacity is demonstrated.
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Next Steps
The final step in this process will be for Oregon’s U.S. District Court to officially enter the decree after a 30 day public comment period.
As stated above, the Council plans to act in the very near future to raise the limit of the wastewater connection moratorium to reflect the higher allowance of 300 ERUs included in the Consent Decree.
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Noah's Quest, coming up this month on June 24th, is a 5k walk/run, 10k run, and kiddie run event for anyone who has lost a child or the hope of a child, and for those who care. Proceeds benefit the Brief Encounters support group.
When
- Saturday June 24th
- Packet Pick-Up / Registration begins at 8:00 a.m.
- Opening Ceremony at 8:45 a.m.
Where
Registration
- $30 ($5 Kiddie Run) - by Friday at 2:00 p.m., 6/23 (online or over the phone only).
- $40 registration fee on race day. Everyone is encouraged to register online in advance. Registration will be limited on the day of the event.
- Ages 6 & under free unless running the 1K ($5)
Ribbons will be available for all children who complete the run. Please submit baby names by June 23rd at 2:00 p.m. to have a sign on the race course.
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Noah's Quest was organized by Brief Encounters parents after the death of their son, Noah, in 2005. Brief Encounters is a non-profit, non-sectarian support group for parents whose babies have died before, during, or after birth. At informal, mutually supportive meetings, bereaved parents and their families share their stories, discuss issues that arise around pregnancy and infant loss, and remember their children. Through talking or just listening, participants learn what grief is and how, through understanding and caring, we heal. |
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Don't Miss Summer Reading! |
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Summer Reading, the Library's popular summertime reading challenge, starts on June 1st for all ages!
We will be offering tons of fun-filled events this summer, including fun in the park, teen activities, and puppet shows. You can come to the library to pick up a reading log, or track your reading on the Beanstack app.
Read for 10 hours before August 31 and complete bonus challenges to win prizes and to be entered into a grand prize drawing for gift cards to Oaks Park (Kids and Teens), a gift card to Wippersnappers (Little Readers), or $100 cash (Adults)!
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New Speed Trailer Hits the Streets |
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We're happy to announce the latest addition to Sandy's traffic enforcement program!
Traffic safety is a top priority for the Sandy Police Department. Our new speed radar trailer is capable of collecting and analyzing data to help us target our traffic patrols.
Please note: the trailer will be deployed as availability allows.
We are excited for this opportunity to work with the public to address traffic concerns and add an additional level of visibility on our streets!
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Comprehensive Plan Survey Now Open |
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Envision Sandy 2050 is Sandy's effort to update our community's Comprehensive Plan for the next several decades. The team has been busy in recent months drafting the goals and policies for the first two vision themes (Community and Culture and Transportation and Infrastructure), as well as hosting two natural hazards workshops with local experts and stakeholders around identifying and proposing solutions to natural hazard risks and vulnerabilities.
As the goals and policies continue to be drafted and refined, we are asking you to take our Comprehensive Plan survey which will be live through the summer! Complete our questionnaire in English here, or en español, to offer your big ideas, strategies, and actions for how to best achieve our vision for the future of Sandy. This feedback will support the development of goals and policies in the Envision Sandy 2050 Comprehensive Plan.
Throughout the rest of 2023, we will continue refining and developing the Comprehensive Plan Goals and Policies. You'll see us at community events and activities later this summer - we hope you'll come speak with us and offer your ideas!
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Current Land Use Applications |
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Here's the latest in our comprehensive database of active land use applications, complete with links to public meetings, documents, plans, maps, explanatory videos, staff reports, and other materials! You'll also find links to opportunities to take part in the decision-making process by submitting your own testimony.
Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions.
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Be a part of the process! Members of the public are always welcome at meetings of the City Council and other boards and commissions.
Get meeting details and learn more about the variety of ways you can participate by visiting our online meeting portal.
Mark your Calendars:
- Economic Development Advisory Board: June 7th
- City Council Work Session: June 12th
- Parks and Trails Advisory Board: June 14th
- City Council: June 20th
- Planning Commission: June 26th
Click the image below to access Sandy's full public meeting calendar with date and time details, and learn more about everything your city government is doing to serve you!
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