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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMN-BPW-2010-06-23BOARD OF PUBLIC WORKS PROCEEDINGS CITY OF ITHACA, NEW YORK Regular Meeting 4:45 p.m. June 23, 2010 PRESENT: Mayor Peterson Commissioners (5) - Jenkins, Brock, Goldsmith, Tripp, Wykstra OTHERS PRESENT: Deputy City Controller - Andrew Acting Assistant Superintendent of Streets and Facilities - Benjamin Assistant Superintendent of Water and Sewer – Whitney Information Management Specialist - Myers Bridge Systems Engineer - Gebre EXCUSED: City Attorney - Hoffman Superintendent of Public Works - Gray Common Council Liaison – Zumoff DAC Liaison – Roberts COMMUNICATIONS AND HEARINGS FROM PERSONS BEFORE THE BOARD: Gary Ferguson, Director of Downtown Ithaca Alliance (DIA), addressed the Board regarding the value of downtown parking. He provided a policy statement listing the Downtown Ithaca Alliance Board of Director’s suggestions for ways to encourage parking downtown. RESPONSE TO THE PUBLIC Commissioner Goldsmith responded to the comments made about downtown parking and wondered whether merchants could still purchase tokens for their customers to pay for parking. DIA Director Ferguson responded that he would have to review the previous policy regarding the use of tokens and noted that it would be up to merchants whether or not to use that system. REPORTS: Board Liaisons: Commissioner Tripp, as Planning Board liaison, reported that the Planning Board met on June 22, 2010 and there are a lot of projects underway. She stated that there would be a public hearing on the Collegetown Terrace Apartment project’s Environmental Impact Statement on June 29, 2010 at 6 p.m. at City Hall. Superintendent and Staff: Acting Asst. Supt. Benjamin reported on the following projects: - Work on the 500 block of East State Street to determine the source of a water leak is currently underway. - The pull-off ramp at the newly renovated GIAC building has been completed. - Work is continuing on the bath house at the Alex Haley pool. Asst. Supt. Whitney reported on the following projects: - East Clinton Street work is on schedule – the work on the west end of the bridge and on the water main should be functional by next Tuesday, and then crews will move to the east side in front of IPD/Spencer Street area, and then move onto Prospect Street. Crews will finish up on Clinton Street at the end of August and then will move on to do repair work on Hopper Place. - Crews finished the installation of water hydrants on the 300 block of East State Street for the planter islands. Board of Public Works – June 23, 2010 - Page 2 - The contract for re-painting of water tanks will be coming to the BPW shortly – this will include the Maple Avenue/Cornell Street/Oakwood Lane tanks. - A meeting will be scheduled to discuss the City’s emergency response plan for dam failure which he hopes will take place by mid-July. He will provide a report to the Board after that. Mayor Peterson reported that she and Commissioners Wykstra and Brock were at the groundbreaking ceremony for the third phase of the Cayuga Waterfront Trail. She further reported that she attended the ribbon cutting for the newly renovated Hangar Theatre on June 18th. She also noted that Emerson Power Transmission Corp. will be working on the contamination clean–up on South Hill and some of that work will involve sewer lines that belong to the City of Ithaca. Creeks, Bridges, and Parks: Award of Bid for Columbia Street Pedestrian Bridge Rehabilitation Project- Resolution By Commissioner Wykstra: Seconded by Commissioner Jenkins WHEREAS, bids were received for the Columbia Street Pedestrian Bridge Rehabilitation Project on May 25, 2010, and WHEREAS, the total project budget authorization of $1,727,628 (comprised of $180,000 from General Fund; $370,000 from Water & Sewer Funds; $1,077,628 from Federal ARRA Fund; and $100,000 from Cornell University Transportation Fund) was based upon the engineer’s pre-bid estimate of $1,959,060 (comprised of $222,000 for design; $144,000 for Construction Support and Construction Inspection; $1,523,059.91 for Construction; and $70,000 for Contingency and Short Term Borrowing Expense), and WHEREAS, R. DeVincentis Construction Inc. submitted the low bid for Columbia Street Pedestrian Bridge Rehabilitation Project in the amount of $1,943,000, and WHEREAS, the amended project budget is projected to be $2,397,124 (comprised of $222,000 for design; $1,943,000 for construction; $144,000 for construction support; and $88,124 for Contingency and Short Term Borrowing), now therefore be it RESOLVED, That the City of Ithaca Board of Public Works recommends that the Common Council increase the total project budget authorizations for the Columbia Street Pedestrian Bridge Rehabilitation Project in the amount of $670,000 as follows: Authorization General Fund CP# 743 Water CP# 519 Sewer CP# 619 Total Current $180,000 $129,500 $240,500 $550,000 Proposed $403,000 $243,000 $574,000 $1,220,000 Increase $223,000 $113,500 $333,500 $670,000 and be it further RESOLVED, That the City of Ithaca Board of Public Works hereby awards the contract for the Columbia Street Pedestrian Bridge Rehabilitation Project to R. DeVincentis Construction Inc., for its low bid of $1,943,000, contingent upon the Common Council’s amendment of the Capital Project budget authorizations, and be it further RESOLVED, That the Mayor be and hereby is authorized to execute this contract, and that the Superintendent of Public Works be and hereby is authorized to administer the same, once the necessary funding is in place for this $2,400,000 project. Bridge Systems Engineer Gebre joined the Board for the discussion of this item. He explained that the reason for the request to increase the amount of the capital project is a result of under estimation of the budgeted costs by the consultant, in large part for by- pass pumping of the sanitary sewer across the gorge for 4 months during construction. Board of Public Works – June 23, 2010 - Page 3 Commissioner Brock stated that she would vote against this request. She thought the City was going to get a “better deal” because of its poor economic status and noted that this is not the time to go over budget and efforts should be made to have projects come in under budget. Extensive discussion followed on the floor regarding the condition of the bridge, the risks involved with postponing the project, the costs involved with sewer pumping during construction, where funding is coming from for the project, and the fact that if the project is not done right now the city risks losing federal stimulus funding for it. Further discussion followed on the floor regarding the importance of providing pedestrian access to the bridge as this is a main thoroughfare between South Hill and East Hill and to not repair the bridge would result in increased vehicle traffic, which the City is trying to discourage. A Vote on the Resolution Resulted As Follows: Ayes (4) Jenkins, Goldsmith, Wykstra, Peterson Nays (2) Tripp, Brock Abstentions (0) Carried BUILDINGS, PROPERTIES, REFUSE, AND TRANSIT: Recommendation to Eliminate the Use of Plastic Bags for Yard Waste – Resolution By Commissioner Wykstra: Seconded by Commissioner Goldsmith WHEREAS, the Board of Public Works has received a report from the Mayor’s Ad Hoc Committee on Yard Waste which contains a series of program recommendations based on their three listed goals of: reducing cost, reducing staff time, and supporting or promoting other City goals or policies, and WHEREAS, among the recommendations from the Committee were a series of potential modifications to the current program for discussion and one immediate recommendation to terminate the use of plastic bags, and WHEREAS, this recommendation has the advantages of reducing the use of non- renewable resources, reduces the chance of contaminating the waste stream of compostable materials with plastic, has potential to reduce staff handling time as well as dust exposure, now therefore be it RESOLVED, That the Board of Public Works accepts the Committee’s recommendation to stop picking up yard waste in plastic bags and requests that Common Council modify the current legislation, Chapter 196 Garbage and Refuse, Section 196-3, to eliminate the use of plastic bags for yard waste, and to accept only paper bags, reusable yard waste containers, or bundles tied with biodegradable materials, and be it further RESOLVED, That staff work with the City Attorney and the City Clerk to rewrite and consolidate Chapters 196 (Garbage and Refuse) and 331 (Garbage, Trash and Weeds) to separate the legislation from the rules and regulations implementing the legislation so that the Board may deal directly with this issue without requiring Common Council to duplicate its efforts. Discussion followed on the intent of the last Resolved clause. Mayor Peterson explained concerns raised by City Clerk Holcomb about enforcement. Amending Resolution: By Commissioner Goldsmith: Seconded by Commissioner Brock RESOLVED, That the last Resolved clause be removed from the resolution. Carried Unanimously Board of Public Works – June 23, 2010 - Page 4 Main Motion as Amended: A Vote on the Main Motion As Amended Resulted As Follows: Carried Unanimously DISCUSSION ITEMS: Buildings, Properties, Refuse, and Transit: Request to Discontinue Use of City Property from Fall Creek Associates – Discussion: This item was removed from the agenda by request of the Mayor and City Attorney. Protest of Sewer Repair Invoice for 214 Hudson street – Discussion: Mr. Alex Perialas joined the Board for discussion of this item. Mayor Peterson noted that additional information and photos had been provided to the Board. Asst. Supt. Whitney stated that the photos were provided by city staff and show the new sewer pipe. Mr. Perialas explained the history behind this item and why he is protesting the repair invoice. He stated that city staff (Dave Hunt) believes that the work here was improperly done by a sub-contractor for the city in the 1990’s which failed. Discussion followed on the floor between the Board, staff, and Mr. Perialas about the work that had been done and the reason for the protest. Mayor Peterson asked if a Board member could work with staff to prepare a resolution for the Board’s consideration. Mr. Perialas would like to see the bill expunged except for the cost of the pipe which he is willing to pay for. If the bill would not be expunged in its entirety, Mr. Perialas requests that the costs of labor for hand digging and exploration would be expunged. Commissioner Tripp agreed to meet with Asst. Supt. Whitney and Dave Hunt to review the information and prepare a resolution. Commissioner Tripp agreed to meet with Asst. Supt. Whitney and Dave Hunt to review the information and prepare a resolution. Mr. Perialas thanked the Board for their time. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Approval of the February 5, 2010 Board of Public Works Meeting Minutes - Resolution By Commissioner Brock: Seconded by Commissioner Tipp RESOLVED, That the Minutes of the February 5, 2010 Board of Public Works meeting be approved with noted corrections. Amending Resolution: By Commissioner Brock: Seconded by Commissioner Tripp RESOLVED, That the last sentence of the fourth paragraph on the first page be amended to read as follows: “He elaborated that with a MF/UF system, that the City must choose either pressurized or submerged filtration process.” Ayes (4) Tripp, Brock, Goldsmith, Wykstra Nays (1) Peterson Abstentions (1) Jenkins Carried Amending Resolution By Commissioner Brock: Seconded by Commissioner Tripp RESOLVED, That the second sentence in the last paragraph on the first page be amended to read as follows: “Discussion followed on the design, electrical costs, and gravity of the new system.” Ayes (5) Tripp, Brock, Goldsmith, Wykstra, Peterson Nays (0) Abstentions (1) Jenkins Carried Board of Public Works – June 23, 2010 - Page 5 Main Motion As Amended: A Vote on the Main Motion as Amended Resulted as follows: Ayes (5) Tripp, Brock, Goldsmith, Wykstra, Peterson Nays (0) Abstentions (1) Jenkins Carried Commissioner Tripp left the meeting at 6:00 p.m. Approval of the March 17, 2010 Board of Public Works Meeting Minutes - Resolution RESOLVED, That the Minutes of the March 17, 2010 Board of Public Works meeting be approved with noted corrections. The Board wasn’t sure where discussions had left off on the approval of these minutes with so many proposed changes/amendments, etc. Information Management Specialist Myers offered to create a timeline of discussions of this set of minutes with all proposed changes/amendments to date for the Board to have for their meeting on July 14th. Approval of the May 19, 2010 Board of Public Works Meeting Minutes - Resolution By Commissioner Wykstra: Seconded by Commissioner Jenkins RESOLVED, That the Minutes of the May 19, 2010 Board of Public Works meeting be approved with noted corrections. Carried Unanimously Approval of the May 26, 2010 Board of Public Works Meeting Minutes - Resolution By Commissioner Wykstra: Seconded by Commissioner Goldsmith RESOLVED, That the Minutes of the May 26, 2010 Board of Public Works meeting be approved with noted corrections. Commissioner Brock suggested changes to the minutes which the Board asked she circulate to them for their review before the minutes were approved. Commissioner Wykstra withdrew his motion and Commissioner Goldsmith withdrew his seconding of the motion. The March 17, 2010 and the May 26, 2010 minutes will be on the agenda for the July 14, 2010 meeting. Parking and Traffic: Amendment to Vehicle and Traffic Schedule XXVIII, Time Limit Parking, Schedule XIX, Overnight Parking, and XX, Continuous Parking in regard to the 400 and 500 blocks of Turner Place By Commissioner Brock: Seconded by Commissioner Wykstra WHEREAS, the Board of Public Works is authorized by Section 346-4 of the City Code to adopt and to amend a system of Schedules in order to administer the Vehicle and Traffic Law, and WHEREAS, residents of 400 and 500 blocks of Turner Place have submitted a petition to change the on-street parking regulations on the east side of those blocks from 2-hour parking to 24-hour parking, and WHEREAS, staff has no objections to this change, and WHEREAS, the block of Turner Place between Spencer Street and Columbia Street is currently a 24-hour parking zone in Schedule XX, Continuous Parking, and WHEREAS, the Board of Public Works is in agreement with this plan and the associated changes to the Schedules, now therefore be it Board of Public Works – June 23, 2010 - Page 6 RESOLVED, That the entries for Turner Pace in Schedule XXVIII, Time Limit Parking and in Schedule XIX, Overnight Parking, be hereby deleted, and be it further RESOLVED, That the entry for Turner Place in Schedule XX, Continuous Parking, be amended to read: Name of Side Location Street Turner Place East From Spencer St to Columbia St Turner Place East Entire length Carried Unanimously Reserved Parking for People with Disabilities on East Court Street and North Aurora Street – Discussion: Traffic Engineer Logue was unable to attend the meeting. He provided the following information for the Board to begin discussion of the request. Traffic Engineer Logue met with David Bell from the St. Paul’s Methodist Church at the corner of East Court Street and North Aurora Street. They have a large number of congregants with disabilities who drive or are driven to Sunday morning services. Mr. Bell asked if there was a way to change a two-space parking slot on North Aurora Street (west side, along the church, nearest to Court Street) into a three-space parking slot as always reserved for people with disabilities. This would change one odd/even space into a reserved space. Traffic Engineer Logue doesn’t have any objections, but it would require approval from the Board of Public Works. Traffic Engineer Logue further noted that Mr. Bell also asked if there was a way that the City could designate two on-street parking spaces as reserved for people with disabilities on Sundays only, from 7am to noon. Currently, the City does not have any on-street parking spaces that are reserved for people with disabilities during restricted time periods. However, Traffic Engineer Logue doesn’t see any technical reason why the City can’t do this. The only concern he has is how to properly sign such a space so that it is clear to the public that it is only reserved during specific times, but otherwise available to the general public. We could take a standard sign and supplement it with a second sign that would read “Sundays Only, 7am to 12 pm.” He thinks that would be clear enough, but this too would need approval from the Board of Public Works. Discussion followed on the floor regarding the request and how signage might work to meet this request and not confuse people during the week. Mayor Peterson suggested that the City Attorney be consulted regarding the State/Church issue. The Board requested that Traffic Engineer Logue be invited to a meeting to discuss this further with them. They would like for him to provide a map of the area and more details about the request. Water and Sewer: Water Plant Project Pilot Study Tour - Discussion Mayor Peterson explained that only half of the Board was able to go on the tour of the water plant with O’Brien and Gere consultant Rick Gell. She requested that staff schedule another tour for those members who did not go on the first one (Mayor Peterson, Commissioners Brock and Jenkins) as soon as possible. After the tour it would be good to invite Mr. Gell to a meeting to do a presentation for the Board. Charter Review: Mayor Peterson suggested postponing discussion of this item until Commissioner Tripp could participate since she requested that this item be placed on the agenda. In addition, Mayor Peterson had not been briefed on the intent of these discussions and felt that it would be better if City Attorney Hoffman and Supt. Gray were present for the discussion as well. She requested that this item be placed on the agenda for the Board’s meeting on July 14th. No Board member objected. Board of Public Works – June 23, 2010 - Page 7 Commissioner Brock requested that an update on the skate park be provided to the Board. Mayor Peterson responded that the planning department has completed a draft RFP for design of the park which has been forwarded to staff for review. She further noted that Common Council voted on a capital project for this project two to three years ago. Commissioner Brock expressed concern that neither the Board of Public Works nor the Parks Commission had been updated on the status of the skate park. ADJOURNMENT: On a motion the meeting adjourned at 6:40 p.m. Sarah L. Myers Carolyn K. Peterson Information Management Specialist Mayor