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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMN-BPW-2018-02-20BOARD OF PUBLIC WORKS PROCEEDINGS CITY OF ITHACA, NEW YORK Regular Meeting 6:00 p.m. February 20, 2018 PRESENT: Chair Mayor Myrick Commissioners (2) – Jenkins, Warden OTHERS PRESENT: Superintendent of Public Works – Thorne Assistant Superintendent of Water and Sewer – Whitney Assistant Superintendent of Streets and Facilities – Benjamin Director of Engineering – Logue Common Council Liaison – McGonigal Information Management Specialist - Myers EXCUSED: Commissioners Morache, Greene, McCormick Call to Order/Agenda Review: There were no additions to or deletions from the agenda Mayor’s Communications: None Communications and Hearings From Persons Before the Board None Reports: CC Liaison McGonigal, on behalf of a Common Council colleague from the 3rd Ward, requested that the City provide information about water being shut off for emergency repair work in a timely fashion. Notification for the most recent incident in the 3 rd Ward was not timely and caused many calls to his colleague who did not have information to share with them. It was requested that the City provide as much early notification as possible for situations such as these. He further reported that the City Administration Committee would be discussing sidewalk rules and regulations for snow removal at its February 21, 2018 meeting. Staff Reports: Director of Engineering Logue reported that there would be a public meeting on Monday, February 26, 2018 at 5:30 p.m. in the Second Floor conference for the North Aurora Street bridge over Cascadilla Creek rehab project. He further stated that the bid was awarded for the repair of the retaining wall on South Cayuga Street. In addition, bids are out for the new wading pool at GIAC, maintenance of sidewalks, and a number of other projects. Asst. Supt. Benjamin reported that in between snow storms, crews have been taking advantage of recent good weather opportunities to work on pothole repairs. A crew has been working to construct a Dutch door for the attorney’s office on the 4th floor of City Hall. Other ongoing projects include installation of a new door at Streets and Facilities, temporary repairs on “Coach’s Trail”. A sink hole showed up today on Chestnut Street and Sunrise Road, so Chestnut Street will be closed tomorrow to do the repairs. It will not require a full closure (the past repair work failed). The Parks crew is getting ready for spring planting as weather allows. Board of Public Works Meeting Minutes February 20, 2018 2 Asst. Supt. Whitney reported that crews have been busy with many service orders including water and sewer services for the new Benderson project near Pet Smart, the Amici House, and the 200 block of Dryden Road will need to be closed for 3 days for sewer service work. A new water main will be installed on Summit Avenue tomorrow, and there is a small project on Cliff Street to the pressure and gravity system to keep a constant flow. On March 5th, crews will close South Aurora Street from East State Street to Hudson Street for 4 days in order to complete sanitary water and sewer installation for the City Center project. He reported that there have been 13 water main breaks so far this year. Mayor Myrick asked whether that was an unusually high number of repairs for water mains. Asst. Supt. Whitney responded that crews repair approximately 25 per year, so 13 in one month is higher than is typical. Supt. Thorne reported that he has been receiving a lot of e-mail from both Common Council members and Board of Public Works members regarding street lights. There will be a public meeting held on March 12th in the Borg Warner room at the Tompkins County Public Library with the consultant who will answer questions and offer a presentation on street lights. He further reported that he called New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYS DEC) to follow up on the dredging project for Cayuga Inlet. They have a lot of questions about the sediment water system, so the project is being pushed back another year because of the length of time it takes to prepare the bid docs (approximately 8 months). He will be calling the DEC office tomorrow because the City was hoping to dredge Cascadilla Creek in 2019 as well. New Presentations: A. Stewart Park Inclusive Playground Design - Friends of Stewart Park: Rick Manning architect and member of “Friends of Stewart Park”, joined the Board for discussion of this topic. Mr. Manning explained that Friends of Stewart Park has been working for many years with the City of Ithaca to revitalize and maintain Stewart Park. The construction of the inclusive playground will be the first large project they have undertaken. Friends of Stewart Park have been doing fund raising for the last year; Assemblywoman Lifton has also initiated the application for grant funding through the NYS Dormitory Authority fund – a possible grant of $1 million. The project is estimated to cost more than $600,000, Friends of Stewart Park has raised $300,000 so far. The project, in addition to the new playground equipment, includes new bathrooms, a cover for the carousel, a new spray pad as well landscaping and construction of a small party pavilion for families. Discussion followed on the floor regarding the design and planned use of the new spray pad related to current water usage and costs and proposed water usage and costs. The new spray pad will assume the same hours as the current water feature; however, it will operate only when a button is pushed, and can be programmed to change dependent upon weather and non-use. The new playground and other new features are something the community has wanted for a long time. It is important to note that while it is new equipment (the spray pad) it is not a new facility because the current equipment needs to be replaced because it’s not accessible and does not meet current standards. In addition, the Friends of Stewart Park are going out of their way to put a cover on the carousel to save potential maintenance costs since it is vulnerable due to its age and outside exposure; the new equipment will also be under warranty should anything not work right. They have a meeting with staff to talk about how to bid the project and what items may be on New York State contract. They intend to be an engaged partner to help the City of Ithaca with additional costs that may arise for the Board of Public Works Meeting Minutes February 20, 2018 3 project. The Friends of Stewart Park would also like to discuss with the City the potential placement of “ambassadors” at Stewart Park which would function similar to the ambassadors on the Commons. The construction of the new party pavilion will also include new bathrooms, and could potentially generate significant revenue for the City as it could be rented. Any extra revenue generated as a result of the rental of the pavilion could be used to improve and restore other buildings in the park. Rules need to be put into place to ensure that the pavilion is left in a clean and orderly condition after each use, and if not, that there be a mechanism in place for the required security deposit to be used to pay for any damages. Mr. Manning reported that Friends of Stewart Park have done a lot of outreach in the community by way of focus groups and meeting with students at elementary schools for ideas to include in the playground design. There will be another public meeting held on March 21st, at 5:30 to provide an update to everyone and to engage the public in a discussion about the broader park revitalization goals. The primary purpose of the meeting, though, will focus on the playground project. Director of Engineering Logue asked whether the Friends of Stewart Park were hoping to have the project approved by the Board of Public Works at its next meeting in March? He wondered what other information Board members might want in addition to what was provided in the agenda packet for today’s meeting. Commissioner Warden stated that accessibility for all children is very important because the City received a lot of criticism for the new playground on the Commons. Mr. Manning responded that they have been meeting with staff from the Racker Center, Ithaca College and other experts. Those meetings will be ongoing and at a level that site plan review does not pick up because they are going out of their way to meet and exceed ADA requirements; they want the playground accessible to both children and adults. Director of Engineering Logue stated that staff will continue to discuss utilities and maintenance costs for project. Staff will need solid recognition from both the Mayor and Common Council about the project and its associated costs to the City as they discuss the 2019 budget because they do not want this project and its’ cost to come as a surprise to Common Council when the 2019 Department of Public Works budget is submitted. Mayor Myrick responded that it would not be a problem; Stewart Park is the heart of the City and that in itself justifies the cost for the project. He agrees, though, that it would be wise for staff to provide Common Council with a “heads-up” so it's not a surprise to them when they begin to discuss next year’s budget. He supports the added costs but Common Council needs and opportunity to review the project and provide its input. CC Liaison McGonigal stated that he would Ike to hear staff’s opinion about how much it will cost the City to maintain these new facilities in the future. Director of Engineering Logue responded that staff will not be able to necessarily provide the maintenance due to the more contemporary features of the project. Therefore, costs to hire a contractor to provide the maintenance and repair work will also need to be considered. Board of Public Works Meeting Minutes February 20, 2018 4 Discussion of Walcott Conservation Easement: Andy Zepp, Finger Lakes Land Trust representative, joined the Board for discussion of this topic. He explained that the City approved this request last year contingent upon Finger Lakes Land Trust obtaining the funds. Mr. Zepp stated that New York State came through with more than $600,000; some of those funds helped to finalize the Lounsberry tract of land conservation easement. The Walcott’s have expressed their interest in donating a perpetual conservation easement on their 171 acre property located within the Six Mile Creek Watershed in the Town of Dryden. The land features extensive woodlands, meadows, two ponds, and several season streams that serve as tributaries to Six Mile Creek. It also encompasses approximately 50 acres of Cooks Corners Gully, a Tompkins County designated Unique Natural Area. Protection of the land through the use of a conservation easement will help ensure the integrity of the Six Mile Creek Watershed by prohibiting subdivision and development on a substantial area of steep slopes and erodible soils. Since the owners want to donate the property he is seeking assistance to cover the transaction costs for the surveyor to survey the interior and perimeter zones. This easement will maintain the current use of the property which has historically been the family farm, with one home on it. The forest has reclaimed most of property but there are still some small farming activities occurring. The easement ensures that the property is not developed and that any logging is regulated. It will maintain the forest, and no subdivision will be allowed; there will also be generous recreational uses. Finger Lakes Land Trust maintains a stewardship fund of 4% generated to pay for staff, maintenance of a legal defense fund in case they have to litigate, and special insurance. The internal revenue service requires they document the condition of the land, so there is a fee to assemble maps and a characterization for that purpose. They are hoping to raise half the money from private sources to cover closing costs and $11,000 from the City of Ithaca. There are dwindling numbers of properties this size being donated, and with fewer and fewer impervious surfaces causing more erosion there is a greater need to protect the land along the City of Ithaca Watershed area. Supt. Thorne stated that at the March Board of Public Works meeting, Director of Planning, Building, Zoning and Economic Development Cornish will provide her recommendation about the request through a memo to the Board. Once the Board of Public Works reviews the recommendation, they can proceed with making a decision on the request. Commissioner Warden asked whether the City has a budget for this purpose. Asst. Supt. Whitney explained that the City puts $20,000 into a special account each year just for this purpose (watershed protection) because there was no budget for it in the past. Chris Proux, a former Common Council member, worked with Mr. Zepp to create an account for this purpose. It is the only process the City has to pursue watershed protection work within other municipalities. Any run-off not coming into the City’s watershed is a lot less expensive because it does not have to be treated. The dollar spent here is a pretty high yield, and so far the funding has kept up with the requests. Mr. Zepp stated that now that the Land Trust has funding from New York State, they want to bring more money to the table that would hopefully allow the land trust to pay people for easements instead of them having to donate them. However, the funds will not be made available until the Finger Lakes Land Trust has the easements and all the associated requirements are met. Board of Public Works Meeting Minutes February 20, 2018 5 CC Liaison McGonigal noted that the Board of Public Works is very interested in helping the land trust with the $11,000; however, could the land trust use the money from the State if the City is not able to provide the funds. Mr. Zepp responded that it could; it would just take longer and mean other lands not being protected. Supt. Thorne stated that a resolution will be prepared by staff for the Board to vote on at its March meeting. Approval of Minutes: Approval of the November 13, 2017, January 16 and 30, 2018 will be deferred to the March meeting for approval because of the lack of a quorum at today’s meeting. Removal of Curbside Parking at 238 Linden Avenue: Supt. Thorne explained that staff have spent a lot of time looking at this, and it is similar to the situation at 210 Linden Avenue. The City gave its permission for parking to be removed at 210 Linden Avenue so the developer could approach NYS for a variance. In that resolution one other property was identified as being in the same situation and this is it. The project would bring the curb in towards the sidewalk which would result in no parking. The Fire Chief is comfortable with the request because it will allow the fire department’s equipment to be brought in should an emergency arise on the property. Commissioner Warden stated that since the Board opened the door by approving the request at 210 Linden Avenue; the same thing should be done with this request. Director of Engineering Logue explained that the property owner is not interested in seeking a variance from NYS. They don’t want a variance because they want to remove the parking to meet the requirement and lose the tree lawn. Mayor Myrick stated that he is more worried about the feel and visual impacts the project will create on the streetscape. The trees and tree lawn will disappear suddenly and then come back out without any rhyme nor reason. It’s a real shame to lose the trees; however, surely the additional property tax revenue will be significantly more than what the cost for parking would have generated in this case, and it will probably look better than what is there now. Supt. Thorne noted his frustration with the new fire code that will affect every new development in Collegetown. Each new development is going to be different and in order to comply with its requirements will mean that developers will being making requests that will need to be considered by the Board as they arise. The Fire Chief is okay with developers making routine variance requests, so the Board could say okay to removing parking but not to the bump in. Director of Engineering Logue noted that this building is going to be made of steel and concrete, and that neither Fire Chief nor the Building Department would object to the developer getting a variance nor doing the bump out. Commissioner Warden stated that with the last request the Board was not making decisions in timely manner and it cost the developer a lot of money. He feels that is a concern here and if there is a routine variance that could be obtained, perhaps staff should talk with the developers about requesting a variance rather than the bump out. Board of Public Works Meeting Minutes February 20, 2018 6 Director of Engineering Logue responded that staff has not gotten back to the developers about their proposal, and would prefer they obtain a variance. Although it’s ultimately the Board’s decision as to how it wants to direct staff to respond to the request. He further noted that bump-ins make it harder to plow snow and do snow removal. It would be better if the development was parallel to the street. Supt. Thorne explained that the developer isn’t interested in seeking a variance; however, staff could let them know that the Board is not supportive of their proposal to re-align the curb and see what they want to do. Buildings, Properties, Refuse & Transit: A. Request of Expansion of Floral Avenue Community Garden Discussion on this topic was deferred to the March meeting. Adjournment: On a motion the meeting adjourned at 7:18 p.m. ________________________________ _______________________________ Sarah L. Myers, Svante L. Myrick, Information Management Specialist Mayor