HomeMy WebLinkAboutMN-BPW-2011-09-28BOARD OF PUBLIC WORKS PROCEEDINGS
CITY OF ITHACA, NEW YORK
Regular Meeting 4:48p.m. September 28, 2011
PRESENT:
Vice-Chair Jenkins
Commissioners (4) – Goldsmith, Morache, Warden, Wykstra
OTHERS PRESENT:
City Attorney – Hoffman
Superintendent of Public Works – Gray
Assistant Superintendent of Water and Sewer – Whitney
Assistant Superintendent of Streets and Facilities – Benjamin
Common Council Liaison – Zumoff
Executive Assistant – Gehring
Environmental Analyst –Johnston
EXCUSED:
Mayor Peterson
Commissioner Acharya
DAC Liaison – Roberts
ADDITIONS OR DELETIONS TO THE AGENDA:
There were no additions to or deletions from the agenda.
MAYOR’S COMMUNICATIONS:
There were no communications from the Mayor since she was unable to attend the meeting.
COMMUNICATIONS AND HEARINGS FROM PERSONS BEFORE THE BOARD:
Cynthia Yahn, City of Ithaca, addressed the Board regarding the number of accidents at the
intersection of Route 13 and Buffalo Street. She suggested polling bicyclists and pedestrians
to find out how many have been almost hit by motorists. She also suggested looking at how
other cities address excessive vehicle-bicycle and vehicle-pedestrian accidents. She
encouraged the City to look at ways that this intersection might be made safer for everyone.
RESPONSE TO THE PUBLIC:
Commissioner Goldsmith thanked Ms. Yahn for her comments. He noted that movies have
been shown recently at Cinemapolis about bicycle friendly streets. He stated that some of the
ideas shown in the movies might be helpful in improving safety at the intersection noted above.
Commissioner Wykstra also thanked Ms. Yahn for her comments, and concerns about the
safety of this intersection. Commissioner Warden mentioned Supt. Gray’s previous suggestion
of installing simple signage as an inexpensive way of reminding motorists to be careful of
pedestrians and bicyclists.
REPORTS:
Superintendent and Staff:
Supt. Gray reported that summer projects are nearing completion and that progress may slow
down due to wet weather. He further reported that a meeting was held this morning with
NYSEG representatives regarding their gas main replacement project on Green and Seneca
Streets. He stated that the project should be completed within the next few weeks. He stated
that a third contractor is now working on the project, and NYSDOT has assigned their third
state inspector to the project. He further stated that after the gas mains are replaced, another
contractor will come in to restore the streets for the winter.
Asst. Supt. Benjamin reported that work on Tompkins Street will be completed soon, that the
new paver recently arrived, and that the overlay project on Willow Avenue will begin soon. This
project will provide an opportunity to train staff on the use of the new paver.
Asst. Supt. Whitney reported that the water tank rehabilitation project has been completed, the
Seneca Street water main replacement project is near its end, and crews are wrapping up
other projects so Streets and Facilities crews can restore the pavement before winter arrives.
Board of Public Works Page 2 September 28, 2011
Regular Meeting
VOTING ITEMS:
Buildings, Properties, Refuse and Transit:
Award of Contract for City of Ithaca Solar Thermal Domestic Hot Water Systems for
General Construction – Capital Project #758 – Resolution
By Commissioner Warden: Seconded by Commissioner Morache
WHEREAS, Bids for the Solar Thermal Domestic Hot Water Systems project were received on
Tuesday September 20, 2011 at 3:00 P.M.; and
WHEREAS, staff and engineering consultants have reviewed the bids received and made
recommendations for award, now therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the City of Ithaca Board of Public Works hereby awards the Contract for
General Construction of the Solar Thermal Domestic Hot Water Systems to SunSky Energy,
73 Railroad Ave., Spencer, NY 14883 for their low bid meeting specifications of $67,000.00;
and be it further,
RESOLVED, That the Mayor be and hereby is authorized to execute these contracts, and that the
Superintendent of Public Works be and hereby is authorized to administer the same.
Carried Unanimously
DISCUSSION ITEMS:
City Parking Lot at Fulton and Court Streets:
City Attorney Hoffman reported that upon further research, it was found that the deed included
a reversion clause, stating that should the land not be used for a public purpose, ownership
would revert back to the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT). City
Attorney Hoffman noted that because of this clause, the city could not convey the property to a
private owner.
Commissioner Wykstra stated he asked Cynthia Yahn to attend this meeting in case she had
anything to add to the conversation. Ms. Yahn joined the Board for the discussion.
Ms. Yahn agreed with City Attorney Hoffman regarding the reversion clause in the deed. She
provided a history from 1996 when NYSDOT modified Route 13 and all on-street parking was
banned. She explained that she became the representative for the neighborhood to negotiate
additional parking for the residents with the City. She further explained that seven parking lots,
public and private, were built within the neighborhood.
Ms. Yahn stated that currently, the parking lot at the corner of Fulton and Court Streets is very
inconvenient. She further stated that residences on Fulton Street are close to becoming vacant
because of the lack of parking.
Discussion followed on the floor regarding retaining the Court Street lot as public parking for
residents, and installing on-street parking meters for business customers. Commissioners
Wykstra and Goldsmith requested that Ms. Yahn submit her written notes and a map of the
area for the Board’s information.
Supt. Gray noted that the neighborhood is in transition, and suggested the Board review the
use of this parking lot in the spring to see how it fares over the winter season. No Board
member objected.
Possible Fall Creek Stream Corridor Project – Discussion & Possible Resolution
City Attorney Hoffman explained that during a review of the environmental review action lists
with Director of Planning and Development JoAnn Cornish, Phase 1 of this project was
determined to be a Type 2 Action. Therefore, the project would have to go through Site Plan
Review and obtain a Building Permit for the proposed parking area.
Tompkins County Planner Scott Doyle joined the Board for the discussion of this item. He
agreed with the Type 2 designation but stated Phase 1 was a simple planting project.
Discussion followed on the floor regarding possible separation of the planting phase of the
project from the parking phase to ensure that the parking area is correctly permitted.
Board of Public Works Page 3 September 28, 2011
Regular Meeting
Authorizing the Licensing of City Land Along Fall Creek for Establishment of a
Vegetated Riparian Buffer, Through the Tompkins County Flood Hazard Mitigation
Program – Resolution
By Commissioner Goldsmith: Seconded by Commissioner Wykstra
WHEREAS, in 2006, the Tompkins County Legislature established the Flood Hazard Mitigation
Program, and
WHEREAS, the objectives of the Flood Hazard Mitigation Program include enhancing the use
of natural, sustainable flood mitigation strategies (rather than structural approaches) that
support the goals identified in the County’s Watershed Assessments, and
WHEREAS, the County’s Watershed Assessment for Fall Creek has identified several priority
projects, including the establishment of vegetated stream corridor areas to improve water
quality and wildlife habitat, and
WHEREAS, a parcel of land along Fall Creek, in and owned by the City of Ithaca, immediately
to the west and north of the creek’s crossing by Cayuga Street (containing approximately 0.62
acres and known as Tax Parcel #2.-2-7, and now consisting primarily of a gravel-surfaced lot
where unstructured vehicular parking occurs) offers a highly visible location to establish a 100-
foot-long stream corridor buffer area which can demonstrate the scale and vegetation of a
project recommended for achieving water quality benefits, and
WHEREAS, in 2009, the Technical Committee for the Flood Hazard Mitigation Program
identified Tax Parcel #2.-2-7 as an area where a vegetated stream corridor buffer area could
be established, and where existing vehicular parking (now unstructured) could be consolidated
outside the buffer area, and
WHEREAS, while examination of this parcel has also stimulated preliminary discussion of
improving the northerly portion (outside the buffer) into a structured parking area with
landscaping (referred to as “Phase 2” of the overall project; see map dated 3/29/11), and
developing safe and practical connections between the parcel and existing, informal paths
through the Feurtes Natural Area, to the west, and along the Fall Creek levee to Lake Street
and the Ithaca Falls Natural Area, to the east (together referred to as “Phase 3”), those uses
remain speculative and unfunded at this point and independent of the development of a
riparian buffer (but are not inconsistent with it), and
WHEREAS, for those reasons, for the purpose of environmental review, it is appropriate to
consider only Phase 1 of the project, at this time, with the understanding that any approval or
funding of Phase 2 or Phase 3 will require further environmental review, and
WHEREAS, Phase 1 (the proposed riparian planting plan, which includes approximately 20
trees) appears to be a Type II action, according to the City’s Environmental Quality Review
Ordinance (as an example of “public or private best forest management [silvacultural] practices
on less than 5 acres of land..."), thus not requiring environmental review; now therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the Board of Public Works hereby approves of the proposed establishment
and maintenance (by Tompkins County, at its cost) of a vegetated, riparian buffer area on the
southerly portion of the above-described parcel (tax map #2.-2-7), adjacent to Fall Creek
(leaving the northerly portion of the parcel available for vehicular parking, as now, which
parking may remain unstructured, pending the development, approval and implementation of
Phase 2 of the overall project), all as shown conceptually on a plan dated March 29, 2011,
subject to any other required review and approval of said parking area, such as through site
plan review or pursuant to the City’s zoning ordinance, and subject to the conditions set forth
below, and be it further
RESOLVED, That the permission granted herein shall be expressed in the form of an indefinite
but revocable license agreement between the City and the County, for the southerly portion of
the parcel, with no fee (in light of the value received by the City, from the County, in the form of
added protection for Fall Creek and downstream waters, and the aesthetic and environmental
improvement of now-barren City land), and containing the usual and customary terms and
conditions of such City licenses, as well as the additional terms described herein, which
agreement shall:
- reserve the City’s right to maintain, service or replace the City sewer main that
diagonally crosses the parcel,
Board of Public Works Page 4 September 28, 2011
Regular Meeting
- commit the City to the avoidance of (other) actions that would adversely affect the
natural growth or intended function of said vegetated buffer area during the term of the license,
and
- allow for its modification or revocation by the City if the County fails to fulfill its
obligations thereunder, or in the event that the portion of the parcel occupied by the buffer (or
any part of it) is needed by the City for another important public purpose, which modification or
termination shall be subject to environmental review (i.e., not Type II), except in the case of an
emergency,
and be it further
RESOLVED, That the Mayor, upon consultation with the Superintendent of Public Works and
the City Attorney, is hereby authorized to execute such a license agreement with Tompkins
County, together with any related documents needed to implement Phase 1 as described
herein (provided that any other required review has been successfully completed).
SEQRA/CEQRO ACTION: Type II (exempt)
Carried Unanimously
Hydrilla Update:
Environmental Analyst Roxanna Johnston joined the Board for the discussion of this item. She
explained that on August 5, 2011, a student on the floating classroom discovered Hydrilla in
Cayuga Inlet. She provided information about Hydrilla, its growth rate, toxicity, development,
and hazards related to the harmful plant. She explained that the Hydrilla Task Force had
contacted New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) regarding
the plant and was told that the state would not assist with eliminating the plant at this point
because it was localized.
She provided a short summary of different ways to eradicate the plant, stating that any attempt
to eliminate the plant would be best performed prior to the plant’s development of turions, the
plant’s seed pods. She noted that the tubers that grow in the sediment at the bottom of the
water body can live for 10-12 years without water; the turions can live for 3-5 years without
water.
Ms. Johnston explained that information had been distributed to boaters and residents about
the harmful plant, signs had been put up, the City’s paddle docks at Cass Park were closed,
and some businesses moved to other locations on Cayuga Lake until the treatment was
completed.
She explained the herbicide that would be used on the plant and stated that the chemical
company noted the herbicide would have to be administered again in the spring in order to
ensure complete destruction of plant. The chemical company’s representative stated that a
two-day administration of the chemical, rather than one day, would ensure full application.
Extensive discussion followed on the floor regarding the effects of Hydrilla on the dredging
project, what would happen after the chemical was applied to the plant, cooperation from the
large boatyards in cleaning the boats when they are removed from the Inlet, and whether the
City or County could create a law that boats must be cleaned before they are launched in our
waterways. Ms. Johnston stated an expert from California expressed that there must be a five
year commitment to eliminating the plant. Supt. Gray noted that because of this commitment,
funds would need to be dedicated by Common Council after recommendation from the Board
of Public Works, and City Administration Committee.
ADJOURNMENT:
On a motion, the meeting adjourned at 6:38 p.m.
Kathrin D. Gehring Carolyn K. Peterson
Executive Assistant Mayor