HomeMy WebLinkAboutMN-BPW-2015-02-23BOARD OF PUBLIC WORKS PROCEEDINGS
CITY OF ITHACA, NEW YORK
Regular Meeting 4:45 p.m. February 23, 2015
PRESENT:
Mayor Myrick
Commissioners (5) - Morache, Jenkins, Darling, Warden, Greene
OTHERS PRESENT:
Asst. Supt. for Streets & Facilities – Benjamin
Asst. Supt. for Water & Sewer - Whitney
Director of Engineering - West
Parking Director – Nagy
Information Management Specialist – Myers
EXCUSED:
Commissioner Goldsmith
Alderperson-BPW Liaison Fleming
Superintendent of Public Works - Thorne
ADDITIONS TO OR DELETIONS FROM THE AGENDA:
There were no additions to or deletions from the agenda.
MAYOR'S COMMUNICATIONS:
Mayor Myrick welcomed Jonathan Greene as the newest member to the Board of Public Works.
Commissioner Greene shared some of his background and experience; and noted that
Alderperson Fleming recommended him for the Board.
COMMUNICATIONS AND HEARINGS FROM PERSONS BEFORE THE BOARD:
Alderperson Cynthia Brock addressed the Board to voice her concerns regarding the proposed
lease between City of Ithaca and the Cascadilla Boat Club for use of the Boat House at Stewart
Park.
RESPONSE TO THE PUBLIC:
Mayor Myrick explained that the topic of the proposed lease between the City of Ithaca and the
Cascadilla Boat Club was discussed at length at the February 18, 2015 City Administration
Committee meeting. Superintendent Thorne will bring this topic to the Board for review and
discussion in the next few weeks. In addition, the topic will be discussed, again, at the March
18, 2015 City Administration Committee meeting, and then voted on by Common Council at
their April meeting.
REPORTS:
Director of Engineering West reported that bids were opened on February 3, 2015, for the work
to repair and upgrade the bathrooms at Stewart Park. The work should be completed before the
rental season begins. In addition, ITCTC - Ithaca - Tompkins County Transportation Council
accepted the city’s proposal to shift funds from the Cecil A. Malone bridge repair work project to
the Brindley Street bridge project (approximately $1.3 to $1.4 million). He further explained that
there is a possibility that by the time the Brindley Street bridge project is completed the city
might be on the cycle for additional Federal funding for the repair/replacement of the Cecil A.
Malone Street bridge.
Asst. Supt. Benjamin reported that Streets & Facilities crews are busy hauling/pushing snow
because of all the snow storms we’ve had. Last week they had 220 hours overtime because of
snow plowing and snow removal. Road salt reserves are where they should be for this time of
year; however, crews are using more treated salt than before because of the extreme cold.
His pothole prediction is that it will be much bigger than last year; crews are working to get ice
out of them so patches can go in right now.
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Asst. Supt. Whitney reported that his crews have been extremely busy responding to water
main breaks. There was a large break on Aurora and Pleasant Streets where repairs had to be
made to driveways that had been washed out. Other locations for water main breaks are: 110
Maple Avenue, Mitchell Street, North Cayuga Street, Clinton Street at South Albany Street, a
leak was isolated and the valve replaced at the Emerson site that had been drawing 500,000
gallons of water per day. They have also been responding to many calls for service for frozen
pipes - many in areas where there has never been a problem. They purchased a new machine
in December that can link to the water service that circulates warm water that will help to clear
ice in the pipes but it only works in straight ways; the old method has to be used for curved
pipes which can take up to 8 hours to thaw. They are able to thaw, on average, about 2-4
services per day. If people can't wait for the City to do the work, they are referred to private
contractors who have to follow the city’s guidelines for thawing frozen water lines. They are
directing the public to keep their water running a little after the lines are unfrozen by the City.
The City will expunge charges over and above what their normal bill would be. He has two
crews working seven days a week in twelve hour shifts to respond to calls for frozen water pipes
and/or water main breaks.
Director of Parking Nagy reported that 23 pay machines are on their way from Canada. On
street parking revenue is down 11% in January. After the first week in March he will need
direction whether the two-hour free parking program should continue. He noted that the
Rotary Club and Tompkins County Public Library are talking with him about different scenarios
for parking at the Cayuga Street Parking garage.
ADMINISTRATION & COMMUNICATIONS:
Approval of the January 26, 2015 Board of Public Works Meeting Minutes - Resolution
By Commissioner Jenkins: Seconded by Commissioner Morache
RESOLVED, That the minutes of the January 26, 2015 Board of Public Works meeting be
approved as amended.
Carried Unanimously
BUILDINGS, PROPERTIES, REFUSE & TRANSIT:
Recommendation for Funding for Repairs to City Cemetery Stone Wall - Resolution
By Commissioner Morache: Seconded by Commissioner Darling
WHEREAS, the Ithaca City Cemetery was first established circa 1790 on land owned by New
York Surveyor General Simeon DeWitt, includes over 7700 graves, evolved from an informal
burial ground into a planned, landscaped municipal cemetery, and
WHEREAS, the cemetery was named Silvan Hill in 1872, became the City Cemetery when
Ithaca was incorporated in 1888, is a significant historic resource worthy of – and in need of –
preservation, and
WHEREAS, a recent vehicular collision with the perimeter wall near the University Avenue
entrance along with the passage of time have resulted in a need for repairs to the wall at two
locations, and
WHEREAS, the City of Ithaca General Fund received $31,000 from the driver’s automobile
insurance company, and
WHEREAS, The City Engineer’s Office received two price quotes for the required specialized
repairs, and
WHEREAS, staff has reviewed and recommended the low quote submitted by Buzz Dolph of
Ithaca Stone Setting of $35,250 for the primary work location and $3750 for the secondary work
location; now, therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the Board of Public Works hereby requests a funding allocation of $39,000
for the work, and be it further
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RESOLVED, That if funds are allocated, the Board of Public Works authorizes the
Superintendent of Public Works to enter into a construction services contract for the Cemetery
Wall Repair with Ithaca Stone Setting under the usual terms and conditions. The cost to City of
Ithaca will not exceed $ 39,000.
Carried Unanimously
Approval for Historic Ithaca's Grant Application to Install Interpretive Signs in the Ithaca
City Cemetery - Resolution
By Commissioner Darling: Seconded by Commissioner Jenkins
WHEREAS, the Ithaca City Cemetery has been a local burial ground for more than 200 years
and is a cultural treasure containing monuments for numerous people of local and national
historic significance, and
WHEREAS, Historic Ithaca is seeking to apply for a grant from the Tompkins Charitable Gift
Fund for the installation of interpretive signs in the Ithaca City Cemetery to provide information
to both local residents and county visitors about the historic treasures the cemetery holds, and
WHEREAS, these signs will be a benefit to the community by providing historical information
and helpful maps to allow people to better understand and appreciate the Ithaca City Cemetery
as an irreplaceable green space in the community and a valuable historic landscape for all and
encourage an appropriate use of the space as a meditative and memorial place which in turn
will deter improper use and vandalism, and
WHEREAS, the grant proposal calls for installation of three interpretive signs in total with one at
each of the entrances to the cemetery, and
WHEREAS, this grant proposal was presented to the Parks Commission which shared its
support for the project; now therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the Board of Public Works is in support of this grant proposal in concept and
fully supports Historic Ithaca’s application for grant funding from the Tompkins Charitable Gift
Fund for $5,000 for the creation and installation of interpretive signs in the Ithaca City Cemetery,
and be it further
RESOLVED, That if awarded the grant, Historic Ithaca shall notify the City of the award and
enter into a Memorandum of Understanding with the City to define the responsibilities and
obligations of the parties with respect to the grant work, and the Board of Public Works hereby
authorizes the Mayor, upon review by the City Attorney, to execute such Memorandum of
Understanding with Historic Ithaca to permit installation of signs in the City Cemetery.
Carried Unanimously
CREEKS, BRIDGES & PARKS:
Award of Contract for Ithaca Skate Park Expansion - Resolution
By Commissioner Morache: Seconded by Commissioner Warden
WHEREAS, Common Council established capital project 732 for the purpose of modifying the
skate park at Wood Street Park, and
WHEREAS, the Ithaca community of skaters and bikers has fulfilled its commitment to provide
resources to fund the modifications to the skate park at Wood Street Park by raising
approximately $216,000, and
WHEREAS, community stake holders, professional design consultants and City staff have
successfully collaborated to develop an economical and contemporary expansion of the existing
skate park, and
WHEREAS, bids were received for the expansion of the skate park at Wood Street Park on
January 20, 2015, and
WHEREAS, Common Council has been asked for an additional $61,000 to cover the expenses
for this project, and
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WHEREAS, staff has reviewed the three bids received and made a recommendation for award,
now therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the City of Ithaca Board of Public Works hereby awards, contingent upon an
authorization of additional funding from Common Council, the contract for the Ithaca Skate Park
Expansion project at Wood Street Park to Nelson & Streeter Construction Co. Inc., dba Airport
Striping, P.O. Box 184, Pine City, NY for their low bid meeting specifications of $324,650.00.
Carried Unanimously
WATER & SEWER:
Additional Engineering Budget Authorization for "Dam Safety Project" For The Potter's
Falls (60 foot) Dam – Resolution – For Discussion Only Today
WHEREAS, the first of the engineering contracts to replace our existing Water
Treatment Plant was signed on September 24, 1996, and the second was signed on
December 9, 2005 and the new Dam Safety Regulations (6NYS CRR Part 673) went
into effect August 19, 2009 causing the existing Water Supply Projects to coincide in
time with the newly mandated Dam Safety Projects, and
WHEREAS, on February 18, 2009 the Board of Public Works (BPW) authorized the Water &
Sewer Division of the Department of Public Works (DPW) to solicit proposals for preparing
Engineering Assessments, updating Emergency Action Plans, and updating Operations and
Maintenance manuals for both the 30-Foot & 60-Foot Dams to ensure the City’s compliance
with the new Dam Safety Regulations, and
WHEREAS, the City received proposals from 9 Professional Engineering Firms on April 9, 2009,
and the BPW with supporting documentation from Staff awarded the work to C.T. Male
Associates for an amount not to exceed $118,217, to be funded from existing Capital Project
510, the Water Supply Project funds, and
WHEREAS, as part of the permitting process for our Water Supply Project the City received a
letter from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) that
identified several remaining gaps in the Engineering Assessment for the 60-foot dam, and
WHEREAS, the DPW staff requested O’Brien & Gere review the DEC’s letter and submit a
proposal to the City to address the DEC’s concerns with the 60-foot Dam, and
WHEREAS, on July 19, 2013 O’Brien & Gere submitted a proposal for Sixty Foot Dam-
Outstanding EA Tasks, and on July 22, 2013 the BPW resolved unanimously to accept the
proposal in an amount not to exceed $27,000.00 with funds to be obtained from contingencies
in the existing Capital Project 510, and
WHEREAS, O’Brien & Gere provided the Supplemental Engineering Assessment Sixty Foot
Dam on February 24, 2014 to both the City and the DEC, and in follow up meeting with
NYSDEC on September 10, 2014 DEC requested a schedule for completion of the Dam Safety
upgrades, and
WHEREAS, the DPW staff requested O’Brien & Gere prepare and submit a proposal for the
Sixty Foot Dam Safety Upgrades – Design and Construction Phase Services along with a
overview presentation of the Sixty Foot Dam Engineering Assessment for the BPW, O’Brien &
Gere made the presentation to the BPW on February 9, 2015, and
WHEREAS, preliminary estimates for the complete Dam Safety Project Costs for the Sixty Foot
Dam are projected to be approximately $4 million. More detailed structural inspection,
geotechnical investigation, and final design are needed to refine construction estimates for
project, and
WHEREAS, the February 3, 2015 proposal for Sixty Foot Dam Safety Upgrades – Design and
Construction Phase Services from O’Brien & Gere include estimates for Detailed Structural
Inspection = $7,000.00, Geotechnical Investigation = $35,000.00, Design Development =
$18,000.00, and Final Design = $68,000.00, totaling $128,000.00, and
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WHEREAS, the budget for Capital Project 510, the City’s Water Treatment Plant improvements
did not include funds for the NYSDEC mandated Dam Safety Improvements, and
WHEREAS, a new Capital Project will need to be established for the Dam Safety Design to
allow for the continued progress of work within schedule for compliance with the understanding
additional funds will be needed in 2016 once we have a solid cost estimate for the Dam Safety
Improvements; now therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the Board of Public Works hereby recommends the establishment of Capital
Project #527 Dam Safety Improvements in an amount not to exceed $128,000 for the purposes
of engineering for Dam Safety Upgrades to the 60-foot Dam, and be it further
RESOLVED, That the Mayor, upon review and approval by the City Attorney, be authorized to
execute a contract for Professional Engineering Services by and between the City of Ithaca and
O’Brien & Gere Engineers, Inc. for said required Dam Safety Improvements, and be it further
RESOLVED, That funds necessary for the NYSDEC mandated Dam Safety Improvements will
be derived from a Capital Reserve #16 Water Sources Development transfer to Capital Project
#527 Dam Safety Improvements.
Asst. Supt. Whitney explained that this is a draft resolution for review purposes today; it will be
on the March 9, 2015 agenda for a vote. He further stated that he set the resolution up
chronologically so the information contained within it can be researched through old Board of
Public Works meeting minutes.
DISCUSSION ITEMS:
Appeal of Snow Removal Bill for 402 Esty Street - Resolution
Commissioner Morache recused himself from the discussion and vote of this item since he
knows Mr. Mitchell personally, and left the meeting.
The property owner is protesting the bill that was received for the city plowing the snow from the
sidewalk on January 15, 2015. The most recent snow event prior to that date was January 13,
2015, which dropped 1.5 inches of snow. As the Board knows, sidewalks should be cleared
within 24 hours of the beginning of a snow event.
The property owner joined the Board for discussion of the appeal. He thanked the Supt. for
including all his appeal documents with the agenda for the Board. He doesn't interpret the
photos as a snow emergency, which was why the City cleared the sidewalk. He understands the
City’s snow removal machine was in area, but he walked to work that day and it was not difficult
to walk on the sidewalk.
Extensive discussion followed on the floor regarding the appeal and why the City cleared the
sidewalk, and billed the owner for the work. Some of the items discussed were whether this
work was done as the result of a complaint, which it wasn’t. The City did have several sidewalks
in area they were doing snow removal on as the result of complaints, they saw this one and just
did it. Staff takes “before” and “after” pictures of all sidewalks they clear to show that the
sidewalk was not shoveled and required the City to do the work. In a lot of cases, the City is
responding to complaints related to hard packed snow at curb corners. In addition, crews don't
clear private sidewalks until all the streets are plowed; in this case it was 2 days after the snow
event when the sidewalk was cleared of the snow.
It was noted that the picture doesn't look like there was a lot of snow, and it seems like it's a little
ambiguous. The Board has agreed that if the city does the work the owner should be billed for
it. Asst. Supt. Benjamin stated that there is a definition in the city code that refers to anything
more than 1" of snow on the sidewalk has to be removed. He couldn't find anything related to
that reference and measurement before today’s meeting to share with the Board. He used to be
able to tell people what an “accumulation” was and what a “measurable” amount of snow was.
In addition, he has information on snow fall amounts for the days before/after, and that traces of
snow keep adding up and packing down which needs to be taken into account as well.
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The Commissioners agreed that having that information would be helpful, and if the City has a
policy related to that information then the Board should make its determination based upon that
information. Right now, it's very ambiguous, and subject to perception as to whether or not
there was a need for the City to remove the snow from the sidewalk. They also asked whether
anyone else had made an appeal to the City for their snow removal bill. Asst. Supt. Benjamin
responded that some did and some had problems with the photos that were taken.
Mayor Myrick reminded the Board that the City’s intent is to have all sidewalks as clear as
possible for the most vulnerable person to be able to walk on it; this sidewalk does not meet that
standard, and the City’s policy is about access for everyone.
Asst. Supt. Benjamin will work with staff to determine the definition, per city code, of
“measurable” and an “accumulation” of snow, and prepare two resolutions for the Board’s
consideration based upon that information. One resolution would deny the appeal, the other
would grant it.
Mayor Myrick requested that the property owner be informed when this item will be back on the
Board’s agenda for discussion and a vote.
NEW BUSINESS:
Commissioner Warden stated that he would like the Board to have a discussion regarding a
sidewalk maintenance program. Personally, he feels that sidewalks and roads should be the
city's responsibility.
Mayor Myrick stated that in a lot of cases doing some things together is better than individually.
He noted that the City would clear sidewalks faster and better; however, the City would need
additional staff. Maybe this is something that could be added to the sidewalk improvement
district assessment. It is his suspicion that people would rather pay to make sure sidewalks are
cleared in a satisfactory manner, and it may be determined that an additional sidewalk
assessment would be between $10-$20 for a property. In addition, if this work were charged
through the sidewalk improvement district assessment, then larger parcels would pay more.
The extra staff’s salary could be based upon half of the year for snow removal, and the other
half for paving of roads.
Mayor Myrick would like to bring this item back sooner to the Board for consideration/discussion
(the use of Sidewalk Improvement District - increases in assessments) to cover the cost of snow
removal from sidewalks.
Adjournment:
On a motion, the meeting adjourned at 5:50 p.m.
___________________________________ __________________________________
Sarah L. Myers Svante L. Myrick
Information Management Specialist Mayor