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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMN-BPW-2010-11-30BOARD OF PUBLIC WORKS PROCEEDINGS CITY OF ITHACA, NEW YORK Regular Meeting 4:50 p.m. November 30, 2010 PRESENT: Mayor Peterson Commissioners (4) – Brock, Goldsmith, Warden, Wykstra OTHERS PRESENT: City Attorney – Hoffman Superintendent of Public Works – Gray Assistant Superintendent of Streets and Facilities – Benjamin Common Council Liaison – Zumoff Executive Assistant – Gehring EXCUSED: Commissioner Jenkins Assistant Superintendent of Water and Sewer – Whitney DAC Liaison – Roberts ADDITIONS TO OR DELETIONS FROM THE AGENDA: Supt. Gray noted that a substitute resolution was distributed for Item 8.1B, entitled “Award of Contract for Streets and Facilities’ Emergency Power Generator.” MAYOR’S COMMUNICATIONS: Mayor Peterson announced that a free webinar would be held on December 8, 2010 at 2 p.m. to discuss parking revenues. She invited anyone who might be interested to plan to attend. COMMUNICATIONS AND HEARINGS OF PERSONS BEFORE THE BOARD: Chuck Cooley, Collegetown business owner, addressed the Board regarding funding free parking downtown. He expressed his disagreement with increasing parking meter hours to 10 p.m. in Collegetown, and stated he did not support the proposed parking changes. Sam Schuepbach, South Plain Street resident, addressed the Board regarding parking in Collegetown. He expressed concern that people would not pay at the payment machine in the parking garage if an attendant is not there to monitor the users of the garage. Steve Flash, Joe Perry, John Rudd, businessmen on Inlet Island, addressed the Board regarding the proposed parking resolution for the west end. They proposed tabling the resolution so that either the Board or a sub-committee of the Board could meet with stakeholders to create a resolution that would be fair to the businesses, and the City. John Rudd, Cayuga Medical Center/Island Health & Fitness, addressed the Board to express frustration with the City for its proposal for parking in the west end. He stated that representatives from the west end sent a letter to the City a year ago requesting a meeting to discuss parking which had not been responded to. He requested that members of the Board meet with representatives from the west end to discuss the issue before proceeding any further. Joe Perry, on behalf of Chemung Canal Trust Company, distributed page 50 of the Inlet Island Urban Development Plan to Board members which contained recommendations for parking. He expressed his willingness to work with the City to come up with a plan for parking on the west end. Vicki Taylor, Downtown Ithaca Alliance, expressed her support for retaining the first hour free parking because many visitors to the City of Ithaca find that locating parking downtown is hard at times. She further noted that at least two large businesses had moved out of the downtown area due to parking fees and concerns for their customers. Board of Public Works Page 2 November 30, 2010 Regular Meeting Kris Lewis, Downtown Ithaca Alliance, expressed her support for retaining the first hour free parking. She stated that many businesses in downtown are now open late during the week and on weekends, and having the free hour parking encourages people to visit downtown. Gary Ferguson, Downtown Ithaca Alliance Executive Director, expressed his strong support for keeping the first hour free parking. He noted changes that had occurred since the execution of the Memorandum of Understanding between the City and Downtown Ithaca Alliance, including the loss of at least half of the businesses that had signed the document. He suggested implementing a charge of $.25 per 15 minutes in the parking garages. RESPONSE TO THE PUBLIC: Commissioner Goldsmith thanked the speakers for their comments regarding the possible elimination of the one hour free parking in the city’s parking garages. Commissioner Brock stated that there would be an opportunity to address individual concerns and topics that were raised during discussions about parking at future meetings of the Board. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Approval of the Minutes of the October 20, 2010 Board of Public Works Meeting – Resolution By Commissioner Goldsmith: Seconded by Commissioner Brock RESOLVED, That the Minutes of the October 20, 2010 Board of Public Works Meeting be approved with noted corrections. Carried Unanimously Approval of the Minutes of the October 27, 2010 Board of Public Works Meeting – Resolution By Commissioner Brock: Seconded by Commissioner Goldsmith RESOLVED, That the Minutes of the October 27, 2010 Board of Public Works Meeting be approved with noted corrections. Carried Unanimously VOTING ITEMS: BUILDINGS, PROPERTIES, REFUSE, AND TRANSIT: 2011 Trash Disposal Rates – Resolution By Commissioner Wykstra: Seconded by Commissioner Goldsmith WHEREAS, the Board of Public Works has reviewed and discussed information from the Solid Waste Division and the Chamberlain’s Office regarding trash tags, and WHEREAS, the Common Council has accepted the recommendation in the Mayor’s 2011 Budget Narrative stating that trash tag rates should increase by $0.25 per tag, now therefore be it RESOLVED, That the Board of Public Works hereby adjusts the purchase price of the 35 lb. trash disposal tag from $3.25 to $3.50 per tag, effective January 1, 2011, and be it further RESOLVED, That while only the new tags will be sold after January 1, 2011, either the new 35 lb. tag or the old 35 lb. tag for 2010 will be acceptable on trash bags disposed of during January 2011. After January 31, 2011, old tags may be traded in or refunded in the Chamberlain’s Office. A Vote on the Resolution Resulted as Follows: Ayes (4) Wykstra, Goldsmith, Peterson, Warden Nays (1) Brock Abstentions (0) Carried (4-1) Board of Public Works Page 3 November 30, 2010 Regular Meeting City Controller Steve Thayer and City Chamberlain Debbie Parsons joined the Board for the discussion of this item. Commissioner Brock noted that the City does not charge for yard waste and suggested implementing a fee for yard waste removal. Mayor Peterson responded that the trash and yard waste disposal program is subsidized by the City at $85,000. Commissioner Wykstra did not support the idea of charging for yard waste removal, stating that it is a beneficial service that the City provides. Commissioner Warden expressed his support for the possible increase in trash disposal rates. Discussion followed on the floor regarding the decrease in the amount of trash over the past twenty years, and ways to encourage people to recycle more. Award of Contract for Streets and Facilities’ Emergency Power Generator – Resolution By Commissioner Goldsmith: Seconded by Commissioner Warden WHEREAS, bids were received on November 23, 2010, for the installation of a new emergency power generator located at the Streets and Facilities complex located at 245 Pier Road, Ithaca, N.Y. 14850, and WHEREAS, Capital Project 471 – City Hall, Streets and Facilities, and Ithaca Police Department generators - includes funding to purchase and install a new emergency power generator at this location, and WHEREAS, Panko Electric, of 1080 Chenango Street, Binghamton, NY, has submitted the apparent low bid, of $84,900.00, for Electrical Construction work related to the installation of this generator; now therefore be it RESOLVED, That the contract for Electrical Construction work, related to the Streets and Facilities generator installation, is hereby awarded to Panko Electric, and be it further RESOLVED, That the Mayor, upon consultation with the City Attorney, be and hereby is authorized to execute the contract for this work, and the Superintendent of Public Works be and hereby is authorized to administer the same. Discussion followed on the floor regarding executing the contract, the number of bidders, the documents received, and the contractor selection process. A Vote on the Resolution Resulted as Follows: Carried Unanimously WATER AND SEWER: Annual Chemical Bids for Wastewater and Water Treatment Plants – Resolution By Commissioner Warden: Seconded by Commissioner Goldsmith WHEREAS, Staff received bids for the 2010-2011 Chemical Requirements on Thursday October 28, 2010 and Tuesday November 16, 2010, and WHEREAS, Staff has reviewed the bids and determined that one (1) bid for the Primary Coagulant did not meet specifications for pre-qualification; and WHEREAS, One (1) bid for Liquid Sodium Hypochlorite imposed a minimum delivery requirement that would be difficult to meet and that requirement could create a situation where the fresh delivered chemical could become diluted when added to stock on hand and thereby could create disinfection issues; 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 2010-2011 Chemical Requirements as follows: Board of Public Works Page 4 November 30, 2010 Regular Meeting Chemical Vendor Price (per unit & extended) Primary Coagulant, per gal Holland Co. Inc. $1.800/gal - $63,000.00 Corrosion Inhibitor, per gal Slack Chemical Co. Inc. $9.057/gal - $23,548.20 Potassium Permanganate, per lb Surpass Chemical Co. $2.165/lb - $11,907.50 Ferrous Chloride, per lb of iron per gal Gulbrandsen Technologies, Inc. $0.342/lb-Fe/gal - $47,880.00 Ferric Chloride, per gal Kemira Water Solutions, Inc. $1.320/gal - $171,600.00 Gas, Sulfur Dioxide, per lb Amrex Chemical Co. $0.680/lb - $17,680.00 Liquid Sodium Hypochlorite, per gal Bison Laboratories, Inc. $0.730/gal - $106,580.00 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. Carried Unanimously PARKING AND TRAFFIC: 2011 Parking Rates – Resolution By Commissioner Goldsmith: Seconded by Commissioner Brock WHEREAS, the Board of Public Works has considered proposed 2011 rates for municipal parking facilities in order to meet the adopted 2011 budget revenue projection; now, therefore be it RESOLVED, That the Board of Public Works adopts the proposed 2011 municipal parking rates as follows in the table below; and, be it further RESOLVED, That all monthly permit charges in all parking facilities shall be increased annually in future years by 3 percent on January 1st unless the Board of Public Works directs otherwise hereafter and the schedule of all changes is set forth in this document. Monthly Permits Actual 2010 Rates Effective 8/1/10 Proposed 2011 Rates Effective 1/1/11 Amount Changed Seneca Garage, Day and Night All Levels $80.00/mo $82.50/mo 3% increase Contract with Hotel1 $46.38/mo $47.77/mo 3% increase Contract with Ciminelli2 $80.00/mo $82.50/mo 3% increase Green Street Garage, Day and Night All Levels $70.00/mo $72.00/mo 3% increase Contract with Ciminelli2 $50.50/mo $50.50/mo No increase Cayuga Street Garage, Day and Night All Levels, including long-term storage $56.00/mo $57.50/mo 3% increase Contract with Ciminelli2 $44.90/mo $44.90/mo No increase Contract with County (Library)4 $44.90/mo $57.50/mo Expired Premium Area Rates $103.00 $106.00/mo 3% increase Dryden Road Garage Day 6:00 a.m. – 9:30 p.m. $110.00/mo $113.00/mo 3% increase Night 6:00 p.m. – 6:00 a.m. $110.00mo $113.00/mo 3% increase Discounted Hourly (250 hours)1 $113.00/mo Day and night (24 hours) $220.00/mo $226.00/mo 3% increase Other Non-Meter Permit Parking Contract with County (DSS)4 $44.90/mo $44.90/mo No Increase Weekly Rates Actual 2010 Rates Proposed 2011 Rates Amount Changed Board of Public Works Page 5 November 30, 2010 Regular Meeting Effective 1/1/10 Effective 1/1/11 Seneca Garage, Day and Night $24.00 $25.00 3% increase Green Street Garage, Day and Night $21.00 $22.00 3% increase Dryden Road Garage, Day OR Night $33.00 $34.00 3% increase Dryden Road Garage, 24 Hours $65.00 $67.00 3% increase Foot Notes 1 – Volume discount rate for 104 spaces – see contract dated June 6, 2006. Rate adjustment annually on 8/1 based on average increase in other rates, but not more than 3% 2 – Up to 40 permits in Seneca Street Garage at posted rate (except handicap permits, are at special Cayuga Garage rate); up to 100 permits in Green Street Garage, up to 150 permits in Cayuga Street Garage, total not to exceed 250 permits. Right to purchase additional 150 permits at posted rates – see contract dated June 6, 2006. Rate to change for first 250 permits after August 1, 2007, “from time to time” based on percentage change in the CPI between adjustment dates. The rate was last changed on January 1, 2009, based on August 2008 CPI. The current CPI is still less than August 2008. 3 – Up to 150 total permits in Green Street and Cayuga Street Garages at lowest permit price available for those spaces; up to 50 permits in Seneca Street Garage at lowest posted monthly rate for Seneca Street Garage spaces (Seneca spaces are only available if Green Street and Cayuga Street Garages are full). Thomas Associates is eligible for volume discount fee structure – not currently applicable. This contract expired October 31, 2010. 4 – The County’s Mental Health/Library agreement for 100 spaces in Green Street Garage (and/or Lot D) will remain in effect for ten (10) years, or for as long as the building at 101 East Green Street is owned by the County and used for public library purposes, whichever period is shorter. Both parties agree to work in good faith to negotiate a successor agreement at the expiration of this agreement. The rate charged is the lowest rate charged to anyone. The agreement was signed November 28, 2000, so expires in November 2010. County’s DSS agreement for 20 spaces on West State Street (in “Fire Station lot”) expires December 31, 2016. 5 – The Chamberlain’s office is working on programming a permit that is valid for a fixed number of hours per month, to replace the day permits and the night permits at Dryden Road. Calculating fees at the booth when customers exit outside the permitted time period is problematic. If successful, the hourly permit will be issued in place of the day and night permits. 5 – Fees charged: Downtown garages, 2:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., Monday through Friday: Dryden Road garage and Green Street Surface Lot, 24 hours / 7 days. 6 – The City has an agreement with TC3 that allows TC3 to issue passes for students, clients, and customers, for which the City charges TC3 88 percent of posted rates for the accumulated parking fees. 7 – In 2010, the pay station for the Green Street Surface Lot may be changed to accept credit cards, at which time the hourly rate shall be increased to $2 per hour. Supt. Gray explained that the resolution was modified from the 2009 resolution by Traffic Engineer Tim Logue and City Chamberlain Debra Parsons, both of whom joined the Board for the discussion of this item. Supt. Gray further explained that the rate schedule is continuing a format based upon a series of contracts the City entered into for a number of reasons. Consequently, the rate structure is tied to the contracts and the budget. He stated that the rates in the garages were recently discussed and the elimination of the first hour free is estimated to provide $1.3 million in revenues, with costs being $3.3 million. Commissioner Brock noted that in Footnote 5, the hours for the downtown garages are different (Cayuga garage is 2 a.m. until 10 p.m. and the other garages are until 8 p.m.). Commissioner Goldsmith noted that the Board’s intention was to make all garages maintain the same hours (until 8 p.m.). Supt. Gray stated that the hours were not changed in the resolution because he did not believe that decision had been finalized and could not be implemented by January 1, 2011. Discussion followed regarding hours of operation in the downtown garages, modifying the footnotes to ensure consistency in hours with all garages, and raising rates on the surface lot under the Green Street Garage. Board of Public Works Page 6 November 30, 2010 Regular Meeting Commissioner Goldsmith requested the Board delay voting on the resolution until the next Board meeting. He stated that charging $.25 per 15 minutes suggestion made by Downtown Ithaca Alliance Director Gary Ferguson makes sense, and that meter rates should be higher than lot rates. He disputed the arguments that were made stating that parking is a principle reason for closing or moving some businesses from downtown. Discussion followed on the floor regarding the time limit for metered parking in Collegetown and downtown, and possibly increasing the time limit from two to four hours in Collegetown so it is less prohibitive for students. Commissioner Goldsmith expressed his support for the proposed monthly and weekly rates. Discussion followed regarding the expired contract with the county, notification of new parking rates to affected parties, contract amounts with the Hilton Garden Inn, and the number of spaces utilized by hotel guests. The Board agreed to vote on the hourly parking rates at their meeting on December 8, 2010. A Vote on the Resolution Resulted as Follows: Carried Unanimously West End Parking Rates – Discussion: Commissioner Brock expressed her appreciation for the businesses working with the Board to come up with a solution for the parking problem. Discussion followed on the floor regarding the proposed permitting/metering system for the west end parking lot, including the trial use of “Pay and Display” machines there. Commissioner Goldsmith requested a map showing every substantial piece of city- owned land on the west end and a list of any outstanding license agreements for the land in that area. Commissioner Wykstra further requested identification of and documentation of earlier agreements in this area as well. Mayor Peterson apologized to the west end merchants that submitted a memo to the City in July 2010 outlining proposed solutions for parking on the west end for the City’s lack of response. She stated that an internal meeting was held to discuss the proposals. She requested that another meeting be scheduled between the City and the merchants/business owners on the west end to further discuss this topic. Extensive discussion followed on the floor regarding the lack of staffing in the parking garages, deficiencies in the garages, and loss of revenues. Deputy Director of Economic Development Philly DeSarno joined the Board for discussion of this topic. She stated that several proposals to increase revenues, including privatizing the parking garages had been submitted to the City for consideration. Discussion followed regarding having a formalized, structured discussion with merchants from the west end to discuss proposals. Mayor Peterson stated that Common Council does not want to eliminate the first hour free parking, so further discussions about charging for the west end parking lots would be beneficial. Commissioner Brock suggested charging $.75 for every hour in the parking garages, extending the parking meter time limit, and including language in the resolution asking Common Council to fund additional staff for the parking garages. Commissioner Wykstra stated that there is nothing that compels him to take away the first hour free parking at this point, and requested a list of prior agreements made with west end property owners. Deputy Director of Economic Development DeSarno volunteered to organize the meetings between the City and west end representatives to discuss parking in the west end. Commissioners Warden, Goldsmith, and Brock volunteered to participate in these meetings as well. Board of Public Works Page 7 November 30, 2010 Regular Meeting BUILDINGS, PROPERTIES, REFUSE, AND TRANSIT: Fee Schedule for Use of City Property – Update and Discussion: City Attorney Hoffman explained that he received an updated draft fee schedule from the consultants. The Board agreed to discuss this topic at their meeting on December 8, 2010. ADJOURNMENT: On a motion the meeting adjourned at 7:10 p.m. Kathrin D. Gehring Carolyn K. Peterson Executive Assistant Mayor