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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMN-BPW-2013-02-11BOARD OF PUBLIC WORKS PROCEEDINGS CITY OF ITHACA, NEW YORK Regular Meeting 4:45 p.m. February 11, 2013 PRESENT: Mayor Myrick Commissioners (6) - Jenkins, Darling, Morache, Leccese, Paine, Acharya OTHERS PRESENT: Acting Superintendent of Public Works - Benjamin Assistant Superintendent of Water and Sewer – Whitney Common Council Liaison – Fleming Information Management Specialist - Myers Civil Engineer – West Transportation Engineer - Logue EXCUSED: DAC Liaison – Roberts ADDITIONS TO OR DELETIONS FROM THE AGENDA: There were no additions to or deletions from the agenda. MAYOR’S COMMUNICATIONS: Mayor Myrick welcomed Mitch Paine as a new member of the Board of Public Works. Mr. Paine is a graduate student at Cornell University, working on his master’s degree in regional urban planning. Mr. Paine has participated in many different community committees including the Rental Housing Advisory Commission for the City of Ithaca and the Collegetown Neighborhood Council. COMMUNICATIONS AND HEARINGS FROM PERSONS BEFORE THE BOARD: Dave Nutter, City of Ithaca and Chair of the Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Council, addressed the Board to voice support for an uphill bike lane on Maple Avenue, when there are funds available. He also encouraged the Board to consider the Black Diamond Trail connection at Buttermilk Falls State Park as one of the projects to submit for consideration for funding through the Strategic Transportation Enhancements Program from New York State Department of Transportation. RESPONSE TO PUBLIC: The Board deferred their response to comments until the noted topic is discussed later in the meeting. REPORTS: Common Council: Alderperson Fleming reported that Common Council and Senior Staff attended a seven hour workshop on Friday, February 8, and Saturday, February 9, 2013. The purpose of the workshop was to discuss and establish priorities for the City, to set goals, and to understand the working relationship between the Mayor, Common Council, and staff. Planning and Development Board: Commissioner Acharya reported that the Board’s agenda is packed with a lot of potential development occurring in the near future. One of the largest being “Harold Square” on The Commons. Staff: Civil Engineer West reported that staff met with business owners along Old Elmira Road regarding the proposed project there, and developed some alternative proposals to the original project. A second public meeting will be held on Tuesday, February 19 (time and place to be determined) to review the proposed changes to the plans and allow further input from the public on the project. Asst. Supt. for Water and Sewer Whitney reported that staff is spending a lot of time reviewing the bid documents for the new water treatment plant with the City Attorney. Crews have been busy with responding to water leaks, installation of new services, and fire hydrant repair. 2 February 11, 2013 Acting Supt. Benjamin reported that he has been spending a lot of time with the City Attorney’s office to review the maintenance agreement for the means restrictions on bridges. The agreement needs to be in place before the temporary fencing is removed. A protocol for responding to alarms needs to be established as well between Cornell University and the City. He recently conducted a walk-through of the Commons to see what can be salvaged prior to and during the upcoming reconstruction project. He will be interviewing candidates for the vacant Building Maintenance/Solid Waste Supervisor position that needs to be filled as soon as possible since it has been vacant for a year, and there is retirement in that division occurring in the very near future as well. The City needs a person in this position as soon as possible. He further reported that crews put 247 man hours into snow removal since the last storm on February 8, and that additional work needs to be done to make sure the Commons is free from snow and ice for the Chili-Cook Off this upcoming weekend. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Approval of the May 14, 2012 Board of Public Works Meeting Minutes – Resolution By Commissioner Leccese: Seconded by Commissioner Jenkins RESOLVED, That the minutes of the May 14, 2012 Board of Public Works meeting be approved as published, and be it further Approval of the January 28, 2013 Board of Public Works Meeting Minutes – Resolution RESOLVED, That the minutes of the January 28, 2013 Board of Public Works meeting be approved as published. Carried Unanimously VOTING ITEMS - BUILDINGS, PROPERTIES, REFUSE, AND TRANSIT: Call for Projects for the Strategic Transportation Enhancements Program (STEP) from New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) By Commissioner Darling: Seconded by Commissioner Jenkins WHEREAS, the New York State Department of Transportation is accepting applications for transportation infrastructure investments through the Strategic Transportation Enhancements Program (STEP), and WHEREAS, this program is intended for projects that promote economic competitiveness, livability and system connectivity to optimize the State’s multi-modal transportation system, and WHEREAS, reconstruction of Cecil Malone and Brindley Street bridges will promote the Cherry Street Industrial area as well as enhance access to Nate’s Floral Estates, and WHEREAS, construction of improvements to the Black Diamond Trail, including three bridges, will promote livability and enhance our multi-modal transportation system, now therefore be it RESOLVED, That the Board of Public Works directs staff to prepare an application for funding of improvements to the Black Diamond Trail, Cecil Malone Bridge and Brindley Street Bridge through the New York State Department of Transportation Strategic Transportation Enhancements Program. Civil Engineer West provided the following information to the Board regarding how the above projects were chosen: As reported at the BPW meeting on February 4, the New York State Department of Transportation is accepting applications for transportation infrastructure investments through the Strategic Transportation Enhancements Program (STEP). This program is intended for projects that promote economic competitiveness, livability and system connectivity to optimize the State’s multi-modal transportation system. Applications must be received by close of business February 22, 2013. 3 February 11, 2013 Public Works staff has received comments, questions and suggestions from members of the Board and Common Council. Based upon those communications we can identify two projects that would be competitive under the criteria described above. 1. Stewart Avenue, College Avenue, TCAT service enhancements: This project could include portions of the ITH-ACA project that were not funded by the Federal Transit Administration or the City. Work would include Stewart Avenue street reconstruction, intersection improvements to Stewart Avenue – Campus Road, signal improvements at Stewart Avenue and State Street, Collegetown street improvements, signal pre-emption for TCAT and queue-jumpers along the East State/MLK Street corridor. A portion of this work is substantially designed; theirs is a university commitment to funding for work on Stewart Avenue and the transit improvements would enhance TCAT service to Collegetown. No design work has been completed for Collegetown improvements. 2. Black Diamond Trail, Cherry Street Industrial Access: This project could include construction of three bridges for the Black Diamond Trail (Flood Control Channel, two trail bridges near Negundo Woods/fish ladder) and reconstruction of two vehicular bridges serving Cherry Street Industrial area as well as Nate’s Floral Estates (Cecil Malone and Brindley Street). Some funding for Brindley Street Bridge is already in place (approximately $200,000). It may be possible to solicit funding participation through State Parks. Given the parameters expressed in communications from New York State Department of Transportation, Department of Public Works staff recommends that the City submit an application for construction of five bridges and trail improvements for the Black Diamond Trail and Cherry Street Industrial Access. Extensive discussion followed on the floor regarding the pros and cons of the proposed projects, and other possible projects that might be better choices for inclusion in the request. Additional discussion followed on the floor regarding that need for Stewart Avenue to be repaved and when that project might be able to be undertaken. A Vote on the Resolution Resulted as Follows: Carried Unanimously WATER AND SEWER Award of Bid for the 2013 Annual Chemical Requirements – Resolution By Commissioner Acharya: Seconded by Commissioner Leccese WHEREAS, Staff received bids for the 2012-2013 Chemical Requirements on Tuesday January 29, 2013, and WHEREAS, Based on this information, staff has recommendations for award of bids; now, therefore be it RESOLVED, That the Board of Public Works hereby accepts staff’s recommendations to award the 2012-2013 Chemical Requirements as follows: Chemical Vendor Price (per unit) Primary Coagulant, per gal Holland Co. Inc. $1.922 per gal Corrosion Inhibitor, per gal Shannon Chemical Corp. $7.770 per gal Potassium Permanganate, per lb Amrex Chemical Co. $2.150 per lb Ferrous Chloride, per lb of iron per gal Slack Chemical Co., Inc. $0.5199 per lb Ferric Chloride, per gal PVS Technologies, Inc. $0.994 per gal Gas, Sulfur Dioxide, per lb Amrex Chemical Co. $0.720 per lb Liquid Sodium Hypochlorite, per gal Surpass Chemical Co., Inc. $0.829 per gal and, be it further RESOLVED, That the Board hereby authorizes the Assistant Superintendent of Public Works for Water and Sewer to enter into agreements (purchase orders) for the bid awards. 4 February 11, 2013 Asst. Supt. for Water and Sewer Whitney noted that all but a few chemical prices were lower this year, so the City should see a net savings of approximately $40,000. A Vote on the Resolution Resulted as Follows: Carried Unanimously DISCUSSION ITEMS: Resolution recommending the establishment of Parking Benefit Districts WHEREAS, the Department of Public Works has been underfunded for at least a decade due to fiscal constraints, resulting in deferred maintenance on key infrastructure components, including roads, bridges, stormwater structures, sidewalks and equipment, and WHEREAS, the property tax cap and unfunded State mandates have limited Common Council’s ability to allocate taxpayer funding for public works, and WHEREAS, the Department of Public Works is already confronting the mounting burden of deferred maintenance and the need to expand and improve certain infrastructure due to development, climate change and to maintain neighborhood quality of life, and WHEREAS, the Board of Public Works will be considering public funding of sidewalks, which will add a significant expense if approved by the electorate, and WHEREAS, existing public on and off street parking infrastructure offers a potential source of public revenue which is currently underutilized, and WHEREAS, Parking Benefit Districts, where streets are metered wherever there is parking demand, and revenue from meters is spent within the neighborhood in which it is collected, have proven successful at supplementing infrastructure funding in other cities, and WHEREAS, on-street parking is in high demand, either by commuters or student renters, in a number of Ithaca neighborhoods, be it therefore RESOLVED, That The Board of Public Works recommends Common Council consider the use of Parking Benefit Districts in neighborhoods which have high parking demand, as a means of funding much needed infrastructure improvements, including sidewalks, public open space, and bike and transit infrastructure. Commissioner Morache noted, for the record, that he is not employed by Mr. Lower for the 307 College Avenue project, not on his payroll, and has always been an advocate for this plan. He further noted that the City is finding it more and more difficult to fund maintenance to its infrastructure without raising taxes. He stated that this type of benefit district has been implemented in San Jose and Pasadena California, to name a few, as people will pay for parking and the intent would be then to have that money go back into that particular neighborhood to fund the necessary infrastructure. Commissioner Acharya stated that he especially likes this idea that the neighborhood will get a certain amount of the money/benefit from this since people will pay to use the street. This money might then be used for sidewalk maintenance or other neighborhood infrastructure related projects. It would be sort of like a neighborhood based budget. Alderperson Fleming questioned what makes this idea different from “payment in lieu of parking”? Commissioner Morache responded that with the payment in lieu of parking, the developer pays instead of providing parking. This is often open to interpretation, politics, and no one knows whether developer will pay the fee or develop parking. Whereas, with on street parking, the City can control the funding because drivers will pay for the parking infrastructure rather than the tenants. In addition, this provides a constant source of revenue for the City. An advantage is that with a parking benefit district where 5 February 11, 2013 there isn’t a lot of development the neighborhood would benefit, so it creates a win/win situation. The other advantage is that the City gets to manage parking. Discussion followed on the floor about how this would affect residential parking permitting in some neighborhoods, the fact that the City’s parking garages aren’t currently making money, and the possibility of this being a cyclic tool that would cycle from one neighborhood to the next which could lead to a lot of improvements. It was decided that a parking revenue study would be helpful, as well as determining how to handle practical implications such as integrating high tech parking meters into the system and the compatibility of them with our current financial system software. The new Parking Director will play a vital role in reviewing all these concerns, questions, and proposing recommendations for ways to increase parking revenue throughout the City. The Board decided to postpone a decision on this resolution until further review is undertaken, possibly by the establishment of an ad-hoc committee to review some of the questions that have been raised. The Board would like this topic to come back to them in the future for further discussion, review, and possible recommendation to Common Council. Request to Add On-Street Parking on Maple Avenue: Transportation Engineer Logue explained to the Board that the owner of 413 Maple Avenue has recently requested a number of on-street parking spaces in-front or near his property. Based on some conversations with the Engineering Office, the property owner was led to believe that some on-street parking might be allowable, but that staff would prefer to continue with the parking prohibition in order to preserve the space for a future up-hill bicycle lane. Upon further review, it is clear that there is not sufficient space on the street as it is currently constructed to allow parking on-street. There is currently approximately 29 feet between the curbs. A parking lane should be 8 feet wide. This would leave only 21 feet for two travel lanes. Considering the volume of traffic and the amount of heavy vehicle traffic (particularly TCAT buses and trucks), the travel lanes should each be 12 feet wide, meaning there is not quite enough room to allow for on-street parking without moving the curbline. Option 1: Retain current configuration of two wide travel lanes. This is the status quo. Option 2: Retain curb locations, install a five foot wide uphill bicycle lane. This option does not require an action from the BPW. Option 3: Relocate a segment of curbing to provide for a parking lane offset from travel lanes. Due to driveway location for 413 Maple Avenue, the access point for the East Hill Recreation Way and utility pole locations, the parking slot would have to be a bit west of the property. If the property owner is interested in this option, we can grant a street permit to allow for the work to City specifications. The bicycle lane would not be possible in this option. Option 4: Relocate the segment of curbing an additional 5 feet beyond “Option 3” to allow for both on-street parking and the bicycle lane. This would require relocation of the sidewalk as well and we would require a permanent easement to ensure that the sidewalk would continue to be treated the same as a sidewalk within the right-of-way. If the applicant were to go to the effort of relocating the curb, I would recommend that this option be pursued. A context map showing bicycle facilities in the area shows why we staff see significant value in the uphill bicycle lane for this block of Maple Ave. It would fill a gap between the downtown and the east City line, Town of Ithaca East Hill Recreation Way, and the eastern portion of Cornell University campus (once the Tompkins County Pine Tree Road Enhancement project is completed). 6 February 11, 2013 He further stated that he understands the interest in providing some on-street parking in this block. However, he doesn’t think it provides as much public benefit as making the connection for transportation facilities. Additionally, the property at 413 Maple Avenue did go through extensive site development over the past few years. It provided some off-street parking, but obviously not enough to satisfy the property owner. It strikes him that this was a private choice and that the cost of creating (and maintaining) on-street parking should not fall on the City unless it is our choice. At this time, he cannot justify the costs to construct the parking spaces. He recommends that the Board take no action at this time. As time and funding allows, we will pursue the uphill bicycle lane, probably in the next couple years. Discussion followed on the floor regarding the request and the different options proposed by Transportation Engineer Logue. He further stated that he would follow-up on the request and report back to the Board as necessary. He will also get a traffic count of the street as well. It was also noted that providing an uphill bike lane on Maple Avenue was a recommendation in the 1998 bike plan. If future development occurs at East Hill Plaza, which in turn would generate more traffic, it would make sense to keep this request for an uphill bike lane on the table for future consideration. The Board supports Transportation Engineer Logue’s recommendation of taking no action at this time. ADJOURNMENT: On a motion the meeting adjourned at 5:50 p.m. Sarah L. Myers Svante L. Myrick Information Management Specialist Mayor