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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPWC Agenda 2025-03-18 and PacketAGENDA PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE March 18, 2025, 9:00a.m. ZOOM Link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81695207215 1. Approval of Minutes a. February 25, 2025 2. Member Comments/Concerns a. Consider Modifications to Agenda 3. Cornell Sewer Exemption Request -Game Farm Rd – O’Shea 4. 118 King Road W Drainage Project – O’Shea 5. Winthrop Drive School Speed Zone – Slater 6. Project Updates a. Streetlights b. PWF MEP c. TH Court Clerks/Mezzanine d. Town Hall Weatherization e. Site Design Manual March 7, 2025 David O’Shea Director of Engineering Town of Ithaca 114 Seven Mile Drive Ithaca, NY 14850 Re: Sanitary Sewer Exemption for New Field Hockey Field Dear David, I am writing to request that Cornell University’s New Field Hockey Field project at the Game Farm Road location be granted an exemption from the Town of Ithaca’s sanitary sewer connection requirements. Under Town Code §214-5(a), the owner of a property “abutting on any street, thoroughfare, or right-of-way in which there is located a municipal public sewer or if such municipal public sewer is otherwise available or accessible to such house, building, or property, is hereby required at his expense to connect with the municipal public sewer.” However, Section 214-6 authorizes the Town Board to exempt a property owner from this requirement “where there are unusual and extreme practical difficulties in requiring a house or building to be connected with a public sewer,” upon the filing of an application “setting forth the circumstances, the practical difficulties encountered, and such other pertinent information as the Board may require” and the consent of the County Department of Health (§214-6(a) & (b)). The New Field Hockey Field will be primarily located on Tax Parcel 62.-2-6, with some stormwater and transportation infrastructure site work on Tax Parcels 62.-2-5 and 62.-2-4. This project considered the extensive research completed for the development of Booth Baseball Field in 2021 that evaluated a connection to the Town’s sanitary sewer main that runs east along Ellis Hollow Road from its intersection with Pine Tree Road. That main terminates at Ellis Hollow Apartments and Summerhill Townhouses - before it reaches any Cornell University land. The Booth Baseball project considered purchasing an easement from that adjacent property owner and installing over 2,400 linear feet of sanitary piping. However, in August 2021, Cornell was informed by the Town of Ithaca that certain segments of the downstream sewer main from Pine Tree Road to the City/Town interceptor had minimal to no capacity to accept new demand and that in order to connect to connect to that main, Cornell would either be required to construct upgrades to the existing downstream sewer main (west of Pine Tree Road) or install additional demand management devices on-site to reduce demand to no more than 5 GPM. It is our understanding that the capacity limitations of these downstream sewer mains have not changed. As discussed below, these options as well as other connection points suggested for consideration by the Town in connection with Booth Baseball Field would have required Cornell to expend amounts well in excess of that which the Town Board has previously considered sufficient to justify an exemption from the Town’s sanitary sewer connection requirement. In early 2022, the Town of Ithaca Town Board concurred with the project's assessment of the situation and granted a sewer exemption for the baseball field. 2 Now, Cornell proposes a new Field Hockey field that is located even further from the Town’s existing sewer infrastructure than Booth Baseball Field. The project site is suitable for installation of a septic system at a cost of $265,000 to handle the minimal, seasonal demand from this new facility, as was the case for McGovern Soccer Fields project (which was not required to obtain this exemption) and Booth Field (which obtained an exemption from the Town in 2022). Accordingly, Cornell requests that the Town Board grant this project an exemption from the connection requirement. Two options were evaluated to determine feasibility of sewer connection for this project: Option #1: Connection to Summerhill Apartments or connection to Summerhill Apartments via Ellis Hollow Road Option #1A. Connecting to the sanitary sewer main on the Summerhill Apartments site via Ellis Hollow Road was the original connection point considered by Cornell. In order to connect to the Summerhill Apartments at that point, or by running west from the field hockey project site location across Cornell’s adjacent parcels, a permanent easement would need to be obtained from the neighboring property owner. Connecting at either location would require the installation of approximately 3,700lf of sanitary piping along with clean outs, manholes, tie-ins, and other supporting facilities. If the Town’s sewer main had available capacity for additional demand, this option would cost approximately $346,000, exclusive of easement costs. Itemized: $3,013 Sanitary Tie-in Clean Outs $2,471 Sanitary Piping approx. 3,700LF $286,090 Manholes, Frames & Covers $54,400 Total $345,975 Option #1B: Capacity Upgrades. During the municipal approvals process for Booth Baseball Field, the Town informed Cornell that portions of the Town’s Mitchell Street sewer main are already at 80% of calculated flows. The attached map, created by the Town with a date of October 26, 2021 and annotated by Cornell, shows 10 segments of pipe with less than 50 GPM of 80% capacity remaining, the threshold at which sewer mains are deemed at capacity. These segments extend for ±1,856 linear feet. Cornell also learned at that time that the Town expected Cornell to pay for some undetermined portion of the cost to expand the main’s capacity to accommodate the new field hockey field’s marginal demand, plus any anticipated demand from the speculative future buildout of Cornell’s Game Farm Road property. Similar to Booth Baseball Field, Cornell does not support expending project funds for extensive Town infrastructure upgrades for the connection of a facility that will host approximately 11 games per year with a peak output of 13 GPM. Further, in any event the cost and timelines for such upgrades is prohibitive and unreasonable. Cornell was previously engaged in upgrades to the City/Town Thurston Avenue sewer interceptor in connection with the North Campus Residential Expansion project. The cost of such upgrades in 2020/2021 was $758 per linear foot. Extrapolating those prices to current dollars to apply to the new Field Hockey Field project and adding in 30% for soft costs as customary on such a project, the anticipated Town infrastructure replacement on Mitchell Street would cost an additional $2.5 million, nearly 23% of the cost of the entire field hockey field project. 3 Sanitary sewer connection (from above) $345,975 Upgrade at capacity pipes (1,856 lf at $903@ plus soft costs) $2,180,000 Total $2,525,975 Option #1C: On-Site Demand Management. Town staff also asked Cornell to consider other options during Booth Baseball project development that would retain any sanitary sewer discharge on site and reduce the output to the sewer main to no more than 5 GPM, due to the Town’s unusually limited sanitary sewer main capacity. These options consisted of either i) an inline weir, valve, or other device that would hold or buffer the peak flow or ii) an offline device to hold effluent and discharge it during off-peak hours. At that time, Cornell’s engineers estimated the cost of these options to be between $40,000 and $60,000 to design and build (exclusive of the sanitary sewer connection costs from above), not including additional maintenance costs for the life of the facility. Both offered only limited project-specific infrastructure for a sanitary sewer connection that could not be used for any eventual additional development at the Game Farm Road site, when the same result can be accomplished by installing a project-specific septic system. The Field Hockey project findings regarding this option are the same, and a septic system for this project would cost $265,000. Also, there is the risk that if either of these options is implemented and new development requiring sanitary connections downpipe from this project site is authorized prior to Town infrastructure enhancement, this project’s access to sanitary capacity would be jeopardized. Sanitary sewer connection (from above) $345,975 Peak flow reduction device (including cost escalation) $48,000 to $72,000 Total $394,000 to $418,000 Option #2: Connection to existing Cornell sewer to the North across Cascadilla Creek In connection with Booth Baseball Field, the Town also asked Cornell to address the feasibility and cost of connecting to Cornell’s sewer main on the north side of Cascadilla Creek, which eventually ties into the City/Town jointly-owned sewer interceptors. Theoretically, this connection could be done by running a sanitary pipe under the County-owned bridge on Game Farm Road or by drilling underneath Cascadilla Creek. Option #2A: Bridge crossing. First, it is unclear whether this is even possible. Running a sanitary pipe under the Game Farm Road bridge would require Cornell to negotiate a permanent easement from the County. Cornell negotiated for its right to do so to be included in the agreement between Cornell, the County, and the Town pursuant to which Cornell provided some funding for the construction of the bridge, but that provision was removed from the final agreement. It is uncertain whether the County’s position on this topic has changed in the intervening time period. Potential concerns may include the support of such a line and whether a sufficient right-of-way exists underneath the bridge. Assuming that such an agreement could be reached, the effluent would also need to be pumped from the low point of the bridge crossing up Game Farm Road. In all, this connection method would require the installation of ±2,200lf of sanitary piping along with clean outs, manholes, tie-ins, clearing and grubbing, a pump station, forcemains, steel casings, lawn restoration, and other supporting work. The estimated cost of this work is ±$651,000, in addition to costs associated with obtaining an easement from the County. 4 Itemized: Sanitary Tie-in $4,000 Clean Outs $4,000 Sanitary Piping appr. 2,200LF $220,000 Manholes, Frames & Covers $79,000 Clearing & Grubbing $23,000 Sand Bed Conduit Excavation $87,000 Pump Stations $92,000 Forcemains $92,000 Steel Casings $20,000 Lawn Restoration $30,000 Total $651,000 Option #2B: Tunnel underneath Cascadilla Creek. Finally, the Town requested that Cornell assess whether it would be possible to connect by means of a tunnel under Cascadilla Creek. This option is not possible. Approximately 13 years ago, Cornell assessed whether it would be possible to tunnel under the Creek to install a potable water line. Cornell’s contractor provided a quote of approximately $471,000 (including $275,000 for the drilling alone) in 2009 dollars. In addition to the prohibitive cost for this project, the contractor was not able to complete the work because the rock formations under the creek were not amenable to drilling. This option would also involve obtaining additional permits and work in a potentially archaeologically sensitive area and DEC approvals. The figures below include an annual escalation of 4% from the 2009 quote, and 30% soft costs. Itemized: Directional drilling work $669,857 Equipment mobilization $2,143 New clearing area $13,971 Leak monitors $4,381 Temporary construction fencing $31,884 Silt fencing $9,741 Temporary bypass storm piping $12,177 Temporary seeding $8,571 Slope blankets $26,299 Watercourse restoration $10,259 Permanent pavement restoration $10,259 Water main piping installation $285,221 Anti-seep collars $39,606 Site restoration $23,133 Total $1,147,502 5 Cornell truly appreciates the time and effort of Town Engineering staff in reviewing the various plans and options for this project in the Game Farm Road area. Unfortunately, the practical and financial implications of these options are impractical for the project, and the cost of connecting to the Town’s sewer main is much greater than other situations where the Town Board has granted connection exemptions in the past. Cornell respectfully requests that the Town Board grant an exemption for this project. Sincerely, Leslie Schill Director of Campus Planning Facilities and Campus Services LEGEND D Tax Parcels 80% Capacity Remaining (GPM) ;:::-_:: Town of Ithaca Boundary -o Sanitary Sewer M Flow Meter @ Manhole Owned by Others @ Manhole Pressurized Main MAP CREATED: 10/26/2021 10:30AM -0.01 -50.00 -50.01 -100.00 -100.01 -150.00 -150.01 -200.00 -200.01 -250.00 -250.01 -300.00 -300.01 -350.00 -350.01 -400.00 -400.01 -450.00 -Greater than 450 BY: TOWN OF ITHACA ENGINEERING DEPT SOURCE: BOLTON POINT TOI ENGINEERING NYS GIS CLEARING HOUSE 20 merhill 05 NOTES: PIPES AND FLOWS DOWNSTREAM FROM MAPLEWOOD HAVE NOT BEEN UPDATED. Mitchell St. Sewer Shed Existing Conditions: 2021 DISCLAIMER: ALL LOCATIONS AND BOUNDARIES ARE APPROXIMATE. 0 125 250 500 750 1,000 Feet Project Location December 2024: 10-20 Year Development Potential TO DANBY RD (96B) TO STONE QUARRY RDSTRUCTURE - (38) RIM: 1021.50 NW 36" OUT:1015.10 STRUCTURE - (37) RIM: 1019.50 NW 36" OUT:1013.48 SE 36" IN:1014.67 1015 1020 1014 1016 1017 1018 101 9 1021 1022 1023 1015 1015 1014 1014 1016 1016 1017 1017 1013 10 1 5 101 4 101 6 10 1 7 101 8 10 2 0 10 2 5 10 1 9 10 2 1 10 2 2 10 2 3 10 2 4 10 2 6 1023 1 0 2 2 10 2 2 1 0 1 9 SL - 2 2 SL - 2 2 KING RD WEST PIPE - (24) 36" HDPE 26.12',1.67% INLET INV:1015.10 OUTLET INV:1014.67 PIPE - (23) 36" HDPE 36.66',0.43% INLET INV:1013.48 OUTLET INV:1013.33 STORM STORM STORM STORM STORM STORM STORM STORM STORM STORM STORM 1 0 2 3 1 0 2 4 1 0 2 5 1 0 2 1 1 0 2 0 1025 1 0 2 4 10 2 3 10 2 2 102 1 10 2 0 10 1 8 EL E V A T I O N STATION PROPOSED ALIGNMENT WITH ROAD EDGE PROJECTED 1005 1010 1015 1020 1025 1030 1005 1010 1015 1020 1025 1030 -0+05 0+00 0+10 0+20 0+30 0+40 0+50 0+60 0+70 0+80 0+90 1+00 1+10 1+20 1+30 1+40 OFFSET SL-22 1005 1010 1015 1020 1025 1030 1005 1010 1015 1020 1025 1030 0 10 2001020 EX I S T I N G P A V E M E N T E D G E OF F S E T = - 6 . 6 5 2 10 1 9 . 4 1 3 TIE INTO EXISTING GRADE OFFSET=12.747 ELEV = 1020.627 PR O P O S E D A S P H A L T S W A L E OF F S E T = - 4 . 6 7 4 10 1 9 . 3 7 0 EX I S T I N G S O L I D W H I T E L I N E OF F S E T = - 1 0 . 5 9 7 10 1 9 . 4 8 9 0.45% SHEET: TO W N O F I T H A C A 11 8 K I N G R O A D W E S T D R A I N A G E P R O J E C T DR A I N A G E P L A N A N D P R O F I L E C100 3/13/2025 SCALE VERTICAL: SCALE HORIZONTAL: DATE: REVISIONS C.CRANDALL SURVEYED BY: J.MCNEAL DESIGNED BY: DRAWN BY: CHECKED BY: VERTICAL SCALE: 1"=5' 5'10'15'20'0' HORIZONTAL SCALE: 1"=10' 10'20'30'40'0' D.O'SHEA J.MCNEAL SITE PLAN FOR 118 KING ROAD WEST1 AS NOTED AS NOTED EDGE OF PAVE EXISTING CONCRETE WALL TO BE REMOVED EXISTING DITCHLINE PROPOSED DITCHLINE PROPOSED CONSTRUCTION EASEMENT BOUNDARY OFFSET 15 FEET FROM HIGHWAY BOUNDARY PROPOSED CONCRETE ENDWALL KING RD W PROPOSED GRADE PROPOSED 36" HDPE STORM PIPE 2.00%7.50% PROPOSED 36" HDPE STORM PIPE EDGE OF DRIVE PROPOSED GRADE EXISTING GRADE PROPOSED 36" HDPE STORM PIPE EXISTING GRADE EDGE OF DRIVE PROPOSED STRUCTURE 37 PROPOSED STRUCTURE 38 SCALE: 1"=10' 10'20'30'40'0' EDGE OF DRIVE PROPOSED ASPHALT SWALE EDGE OF PAVE TO DANBY RD (96B)TO STONE QUARRY RD RIP-RAP 6" TYPE 2 CRUSHER RUN PROPOSED CONCRETE ENDWALLRIP RAP DRIVEWAY TREES TO REMAIN EXISTING GUTTER BEGINS TO WIDEN AHB AHB AHB AHB AHB AHB AHB AHB AHB AHB AHB AHB AHB AHB AHB AHB AHB AHB AHB AHB AHB AHB AHB AHB AHB AHB AHB AHB AHB AHB AHB AHB AHB AHB AHB AHB AHB AHB AHB AHB AHB AHB AHB AHB 24.75' CENTERLINE APPROXIMATE HIGHWAY BOUNDARY 15' UNPAVED SHOULDER5' WATER SERVICE