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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMN-BPW-2016-10-03BOARD OF PUBLIC WORKS PROCEEDINGS CITY OF ITHACA, NEW YORK Regular Meeting 4:50 p.m. October 3, 2016 PRESENT: Mayor Myrick Commissioners (3) – Darling, Jenkins, Warden OTHERS PRESENT: Superintendent of Public Works – Thorne Assistant Superintendent of Water and Sewer – Whitney Director of Engineering – Logue Common Council Liaison – Fleming EXCUSED: Commissioners (3) - Goldsmith, Greene, McCormick City Attorney – Lavine Assistant Superintendent of Streets and Facilities – Benjamin Director of Parking – Nagy DAC Liaison – Roberts Executive Assistant – Servoss ADDITIONS OR DELETIONS TO THE AGENDA: There were no additions to or deletions from the agenda. MAYOR’S COMMUNICATIONS: The Mayor had no communications at this time. COMMUNICATIONS AND HEARINGS FROM PERSONS BEFORE THE BOARD: George McGonigal, Alderperson for the First Ward, addressed the Board regarding traffic changes for the 300-400 block of Spencer Road. He urged the Board to pursue the option of dead-ending the street at Stone Quarry Road for the safety of the residents on Spencer Road. He stated that a lot of children live at the Stone Quarry Apartments. He also requested that the “No Parking” signs on Buffalo Street outside Ithaca Town Hall be removed to increase parking spaces on the street in that area. Angie Sullivan, Belle Sherman Neighborhood, provided an update on traffic concerns in the Bryant Park neighborhood. She reported that neighbors have held consistent meetings and would submit a report to the Board soon. She thanked Sgt. Banfield for installing the speed monitor on the street when school started, though most vehicles traveling down Ithaca Road still speed. She further noted that the opening of Maplewood Apartments would increase traffic in the area, and residents want to be active participants in discussions about traffic safety. Jan Swartsburg, Hector Street, stated it was gratifying to see the skate park lighting proposal on the agenda, and the grant funding application for Hector Street. She urged the Board to include a member of the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Council (BPAC) on the Board of Public Works to obtain input from BPAC. Margaret Southerland, 410 Spencer Road, expressed support for the proposal to dead end Spencer Road at Stone Quarry Road. She noted that the intersection at Stone Quarry Road was very dangerous. Cynthia Brock, Alderperson for the First Ward, expressed support for the proposal to dead end Spencer Road at Stone Quarry Road. She stated that with the arrival of the new housing complex, many of the residents are children and people with disabilities, the area has become more challenging, especially for pedestrians. The need for adequate pedestrian infrastructure is essential. She stated that the dead end would allow for the widening of sidewalk areas, provide traffic calming solutions, and alleviate drainage and flooding issues. She further requested that the Board address a traffic calming request for Elm Street near Chestnut Street and at Floral Avenue. Board of Public Works Page 2 October 3, 2016 Regular Meeting RESPONSE TO THE PUBLIC Commissioner Darling responded that it was nice to receive support from residents. Mayor Myrick agreed, noting that the City usually doesn’t hear about doing things people like. REPORTS Board Liaisons Commissioner Warden, Ithaca Youth Bureau Advisory Board Liaison, reported that the board is in crisis with not having enough board members to do business and have had to go on a moratorium. Mayor Myrick responded that he has applications for two members to the Youth Bureau Board and two for BPAC. He further stated that Common Council would make as many appointments as they could so the committees and boards could continue working. David West, BPAC representative, encouraged the Board to appoint a liaison from BPAC to the Board of Public Works or grant an open invitation for BPAC members to join discussions. He reported that BPAC recently held a meeting with Sgt. Banfield and the public information officer from the Ithaca Police Department (IPD) regarding traffic safety. He stated that he has lived in many places and nowhere else has he noticed that drivers have been less respectful of crosswalks than in Ithaca. Mr. West stated that BPAC spoke with IPD regarding their desire to get more officers on the street for much stronger speed enforcement. IPD stated they would not ticket anyone going under 45 miles per hour in the city, which seemed very dangerous. He is under the impression that speeding was not seen as something important for protecting pedestrians and cyclists. BPAC was hoping to create a warning campaign with IPD. Mr. West further stated that BPAC was asked by Kent Johnson, Junior Transportation Engineer, to create a Complete Streets Policy, which would be submitted to the Board of Public Works in the near future. Commissioner Darling, Planning and Economic Development Board Liaison, reported that the Board was interested in removing six feet off of Seneca Street while construction was occurring at the Tompkins Trust Company site. He stated that section of Seneca Street is currently six feet wider than any other area of that street. The Board was willing to accept input from property owners about re-creating a tree lawn in front of Tompkins Trust Company and increasing the sidewalk width in front of the Hilton Garden Inn. Mr. West stated that BPAC has discussed pedestrian safety in that area during construction, and have stated they would like the same type of situation that what was created on Aurora Street while Simeon’s was under construction, which was to put up barriers in the road to protect pedestrians as they walked around the construction site. Commissioner Darling continued to report that the Planning and Economic Development Board currently requires sidewalks for new developments. He suggested that a mechanism be created for holding somebody responsible so that sidewalks would be installed at a future date, rather than requiring developers to install sidewalks when there are no other sidewalks in the area. Superintendent and Staff Dir. of Eng. Logue reported that the Lake Street Park was nearing completion and a ribbon cutting ceremony was being organized for Friday, October 7, 2016 at 11 a.m. to celebrate the new bridge and park renovations. He further reported that the sidewalk contractor had fallen behind, but has increased the number of crews working and has caught back up. The project was expected to be completed on schedule. Asst. Supt. Whitney reported that the Water Treatment Plant was at full filter capacity and was online, and creek flow was up. A number of locations have delayed their fire pump tests and flow tests on hydrants, but those tests should be completed now that there was sufficient flow. He further stated this was the last week for crews to be working on Dryden Rd. Then crews would be completing the installation of a new sleeve on the railroad bridge on Cecil A. Malone Drive, working in conjunction with Norfolk Southern Railroad. Supt. Thorne reported that repaving of the 500 block Plain Street was done, the 400 block should be completed by the end of next week. He further stated that Dryden Road had been a challenge all summer, most recently NYSEG installed large underground vaults at incorrect elevations. Streets and Facilities crews were working to repair the vault on the 100 block of Board of Public Works Page 3 October 3, 2016 Regular Meeting Dryden Road by chipping away the concrete; NYSEG would be repairing the vault near the Johnson School. He reported that NYSEG was planning to install medium pressure and low pressure gas lines down College Avenue in 2017, so staff should begin working with the Planning Department to look at plans for development along College Avenue for the next few years to decide how to upgrade utilities and put electricity lines under the road. Discussion followed on the floor regarding the incorrect installation of the vaults. Supt. Thorne stated that finding out who was at fault would have taken a lot longer than simply correcting the elevations, so that is what the City and NYSEG have done. HIGHWAYS, STREETS AND SIDEWALKS: Request That Common Council Approve a Transportation Alternatives Program Grant Application – Resolution By Commissioner Darling: Seconded by Commissioner Jenkins WHEREAS, the New York State Department of Transportation has noticed the availability of the federal Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP), wherein the federal-aid share of the total project cost is 80%, and WHEREAS, staff has reviewed projects previously considered for such funding and recommended the Hector Street Complete Streets project, and WHEREAS, this project has been estimated at a total project cost of approximately $1.6 million, and WHEREAS, the Board of Public Works is supportive of applying for funding for the Hector Street Complete Street project; now, therefore be it RESOLVED, That the Board of Public Works recommends that Common Council authorize and direct the Mayor to submit an application for funding to the New York State Department of Transportation in accordance with the provisions of the Transportation Alternatives Program for the Hector Street Complete Street project. Carried Unanimously CREEKS, BRIDGES, AND PARKS: Recommendation to Accept Donation of Skatepark Lighting System to the City of Ithaca – Resolution By Commissioner Jenkins: Seconded by Commissioner Warden WHEREAS, the City owns and operates the Wood Street Park, within which a public facility for skateboarding was installed some years ago; and WHEREAS, in 2011 the City and TEMS Skate Fund entered into an agreement to partner in rehabilitating the City’s skate park facility; and WHEREAS, the City completed the skate park rehabilitation project in 2014; and WHEREAS, TEMS Skate Fund has secured funding from the Park Foundation in the amount of $20,000 to install lighting to increase usability of the skate park, which funding TEMS Skate Fund intends to use to pay for installation of the lighting, and then gift the improvements to the City; and WHEREAS, City staff have reviewed the lighting plan provided by TEMS Skate Fund, and are generally supportive of the proposal; now therefore be it RESOLVED, That Board of Public Works is supportive of accepting the donation and recommends that Common Council accept the donation on the behalf of the City. Dir. of Eng. Logue mentioned that there was a new policy in place and the city may be able to accept this donation with only the Mayor’s signature and without Common Council approval but it was nice to receive the Board’s support. Supt. Thorne responded that he spoke with the city attorneys after the new policy was approved, and they believed this particular donation would need Council approval after all. A Vote of the Resolution Resulted as Follows: Carried Unanimously Board of Public Works Page 4 October 3, 2016 Regular Meeting DISCUSSION ITEMS: Spencer Road Sidewalk and Traffic Study Dir. of Eng. Logue reported that staff spoke with emergency services (Ithaca Police and Fire Departments) who felt confident they could enter Spencer Road and Stone Quarry Road from either end and noted they approved of creating a dead end on Spencer Road at Stone Quarry Road. He further stated that the Town of Ithaca had no concerns except for minor asphalt and drainage issues. He noted that staff held several neighborhood meetings to go through a couple of alternatives, and the dead end option was the consensus of the neighborhood. Commissioner Darling asked about maintaining the school bus stop on Spencer Road. Dir. of Eng. Logue responded there was an area that the bus could pull in and turn around so the bus stop could remain. He offered to contact the Ithaca City School District Bus Garage to discuss that possibility. The Board expressed general support for the alternative of creating a dead end on Spencer Road at the intersection of Stone Quarry Road and requested that a resolution be provided for the Board’s next meeting. Citywide Traffic Calming Program Update Mayor Myrick stated that last week, he presented the requested capital projects to Common Council, which included $50,000 for a traffic calming program, the idea being that $50,000 be used for each of the next three years so when different neighborhoods express concern about traffic safety, the money would be available. Dir. of Eng. Logue stated that over the years the City had received requests for traffic calming, some work was completed, but as funding ran out, the City never completed the program. He provided a white paper from 2000 that was the basis for the City’s traffic calming program at the time. He stated that he would like at least an outline for a new program so there was direction for staff on how to prioritize new requests. There was grant funding available during the previous program, and the working group came up with ten locations that they thought traffic calming could be successful. Data was collected and the locations were ranked according to safety and other measurements. Dir. of Eng. Logue stated that whether the Board wanted to do something exactly like that project, or create a new method, staff should begin discussing this over the winter. He noted that $50,000 would not go very far unless it was used on several smaller project. Commissioner Darling stated he read the white paper and liked the rating system. He noted that a couple of differences over the past 16 years could be traffic safety vs. traffic efficiency, and there may have been changes to the NYSDOT manual. But the City also has a comprehensive plan which needs to be used to influence this new program. He also thinks that streamlining community involvement might include discussions about traffic calming with the sidewalk district discussions. This may save the City from having to hold additional community meetings, and it might get more people to participate in the sidewalk discussions. Alderperson Fleming agreed with Commissioner Darling about including the traffic calming topic in the sidewalk district meetings. She further asked for examples of traffic calming measures and how much they might cost. Dir. of Eng. Logue responded that, assuming all the design work was completed in-house, a speed bump might cost a few thousand dollars, whereas a raised intersection might cost $75,000 because it raises the entire intersection and it would require drainage work. David West joined the Board for the discussion of this topic, and stated that BPAC has held discussions regarding traffic calming, looking to Burlington, VT as a model. He stated that Burlington has increased their bicycle mode share dramatically in the last couple of decades, and they now allow their Public Works the ability to do light, fast, cheap projects that last for 30 days without obtaining prior approval, and allow community members to do demonstrations of light, fast, cheap projects that last only seven days which helps to test out new methods of traffic calming. He stated that if new methods could be tested, the City would be able to find out how the methods could work. Discussion followed on the floor regarding doing smaller projects, such as painting intersection murals, which has been effective in slowing down traffic in other communities. Dir. of Eng. Board of Public Works Page 5 October 3, 2016 Regular Meeting Logue suggested that he work with staff to take the program the City previously had to create a proposal for a new program. He expressed concern about experimenting with some methods, like speed bumps or raised intersections, which are not likely to be temporary measures. Mayor Myrick suggested the Board wait to find out whether Common Council approves the capital project or not before making any definitive decisions. Discussion followed on the floor regarding the types of complaints staff had received recently about traffic safety issues. Dir. of Eng. Logue stated many of the complaints had to do with construction projects and detours. Pilot Food Scraps Drop Spot at Cass Park Supt. Thorne explained that about a year ago, Tompkins County Solid Waste asked the City to consider a food scraps drop off site for West Hill residents, but then a pilot program began for curb side food scraps pickup on West Hill. However, the County realized it was losing money with curb side pickup, so they would like to create a food scraps drop off area like several other locations that they have throughout Tompkins County. Supt. Thorne noted that it would be on a one year trial basis to see how it catches on, and the County has been working closely with Executive Director Jim D’Alterio to find the best location within Cass Park. A corner of the parking lot next to the ice rink has been chosen. They hope set up for three hours on Thursday afternoons and the County would re-evaluate the location in about a year. Commissioner Darling stated the location was not necessarily the most convenient, but he understands that this parking lot was plowed in the winter where other locations in the park were not plowed. Supt. Thorne stated the County was looking at other locations on West Hill, such as Lehman Alternative School and at an apartment complex on Floral Avenue, but this requested location was on city property. Mayor Myrick expressed support for the program. Supt. Thorne noted that the County received only about 30% participation in the curb side pickup. Alderperson Brock joined the Board for the discussion of this topic, noting that many properties on West Hill include acreage, allowing residents to have their own composting areas. She stated that if the pilot program had been held in the downtown area, she believes it would have been more successful. Mayor Myrick suggested that the Board receive recommendations from the Parks Commission before approving the program. ADJOURNMENT: On a motion, the meeting adjourned at 5:52 p.m. Kathrin D. Servoss Svante L. Myrick Executive Assistant Mayor