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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMN-BPW-2010-11-17BOARD OF PUBLIC WORKS PROCEEDINGS CITY OF ITHACA, NEW YORK Regular Meeting 4:45 p.m. November 17, 2010 PRESENT: Vice Chair - Jenkins Commissioners (4) - Wykstra, Brock, Warden, Goldsmith OTHERS PRESENT: City Attorney - Hoffman City Controller - Thayer Superintendent of Public Works - Gray Assistant Superintendent of Streets and Facilities - Benjamin Assistant Superintendent of Water and Sewer – Whitney Common Council Liaison – Zumoff Information Management Specialist - Myers Traffic Engineer – Logue Engineering Technician – Johnson City Chamberlain – Parsons EXCUSED: Mayor Peterson DAC Liaison – Roberts ADDITIONS TO OR DELETIONS FROM THE AGENDA: There were no additions to or deletions from the agenda. MAYOR’S COMMUNICATIONS There was no report from the Mayor as she was out of town. COMMUNICATIONS AND HEARINGS FROM PERSONS BEFORE THE BOARD Diane Bradac, Manager of Tompkins Workforce New York located at 171 E. State Street, addressed the Board regarding the proposal to remove the one hour free parking from the parking garages. She urged the Board to reconsider that option. She further requested that if they proceed with the removal of the free hour parking to consider working with their office to provide an exemption to the fee for their clients. The vast majority of their clients are currently unemployed already experiencing frustrations and difficulties with the economy, and taking away the free hour parking will discourage their use of the office’s services. Kevin Nickerson and Michael Hughes, also from Tompkins Workforce New York, joined Ms. Bradac during her comments and both expressed their complete support of the statements she made. Gary Ferguson, Director of the Downtown Ithaca Alliance, addressed the Board regarding the possible removal of the one hour free parking in the garages downtown. He stated that the impact of this policy change affects a broad audience including the Social Security Office, Family & Children Services, the Tompkins County Library, banks, and merchants. He feels there may be other ways to generate revenue without removing the one hour free parking and offered an alternative resolution for the Board’s consideration, which he distributed to them at the meeting. Steve Flash, property owner on Inlet Island, addressed the Board regarding the proposal to start charging for parking on Inlet Island. He noted that he disagrees with the proposed revenue figures the City has projected for parking on Inlet Island. He reported that he and other property owners on Inlet Island submitted a proposal with an alternative solution to the City charging for parking on Inlet Island, but the City never responded back. He urged the Board to review that information/proposal before making a decision. Joe Perry, Vice President of Chemung Canal Trust Company, addressed the Board to express his support for the statements made by Mr. Flash. He, also, would like to create a dialog with the City to see if there is an alternative solution to the proposed resolution being considered by the Board today to resolve the parking on Inlet Island. 2 November 17, 2010 Tim Ciaschi, Town of Ithaca, addressed the Board regarding the proposal to charge for parking on Inlet Island. He explained that private property owners worked with the City as development took place on Inlet Island, which has created 70 jobs. In return, he said the City said it would take care of parking on Inlet Island. He stated that private property owners have invested more into Inlet Island than anyone else, and noted that there are other ways to resolve this, including selling the land to them. RESPONSE TO PUBLIC Commissioner Wykstra requested that the information Mr. Flash referred to that had been presented to the City be distributed to Board members as they have not seen it. Commissioner Goldsmith thanked all the speakers for their comments. He responded to the comments made regarding the offer private property owners made to the City to purchase the property on Inlet Island. Steve Flash addressed the Board to explain the proposal the private property owners on Inlet Island presented to the City until a parking assessment benefit district could be established to help pay for parking on Inlet Island. Private property owners on Inlet Island feel that the City will not get the revenue it’s projecting if it began to charge and meter areas for parking. Commissioner Brock noted that a small group had met and forwarded a proposal for parking on Inlet Island to the Mayor and City Attorney but did not hear back. City Attorney Hoffman responded that he has not been asked by the Mayor to work on that proposal. Vice Chair Jenkins stated that proposal should be reviewed and questioned whether a meeting should be set up with the Mayor, City Attorney, Board members, and private property owners to discuss it. REPORTS Superintendent and Staff Asst. Supt. Benjamin reported that work on Franklin Street has been completed and trees have been planted. He stated that they are now in a transition period of getting trucks and equipment ready for winter. He further reported that a hole in the Cascadilla Creek wall across from the hair salon will be repaired with a patch soon as well. He further reported that the Court Street work is a week behind. Asst. Supt. Whitney stated that Asst. Supt. Benjamin’s crew did a beautiful job on Franklin Street, including installation of sidewalks, trees, and tree lawn. The crews did a great job. He further reported that his crews finished installation of 700’ of waterline on Willow Avenue to facilitate the new trail. Supt. Gray reported that the City will be launching a new and improved website on January 5, 2011. The new website will have the ability to accept complaints or concerns from the public which will then be able to be tracked as they flow through the response process of the City. The Mayor will have the ability to track the complaints or concerns and follow-up where needed. He encouraged Board members to take a look at the new site to see how it looks, how easy it is to navigate, to find information, and to please provide input to the City on any suggestions or concerns they may have. Board Liaisons: Commissioner Brock, as liaison to the Parks Commission, reported that the Parks Commission is reviewing a request from the Drop In Children’s Center to enclose the small playground in Auburn Park with a fence in order to provide a safe place for the children in their care to play without fear of them running into the street. The Board requested additional information and input from neighbors in the area be provided to them for their review and information. 3 November 17, 2010 Commissioner Brock asked whether the Board of Public Works had the authority and power to require the installation of sidewalk on Ithaca City School District property at Lehman Alternative Community School (LACS). She stated that the City Attorney needs to investigate the authority of the City in this matter. She asked whether the Board wanted to make that request formally to the Attorney? The Board does support the request to the City Attorney to investigate whether or not the City has the authority to require the installation of sidewalks on ICSD property. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Approval of the October 27, 2010 Board of Public Works Meeting Minutes - Resolution The Board put off the approval of the October 27, 2010 meeting until the November 30, 2010 meeting. WATER AND SEWER Appeal of Water Bill for 205 Old Elmira Road – Resolution By Commissioner Brock: Seconded by Commissioner Warden WHEREAS, Guiliano Lucatelli, owner of Lucatelli’s Ristorante at 205 Old Elmira Road, has protested a water and sewer bill received in the fall of 2009 in the amount of $3,389.12, which is roughly five times higher than subsequent bills, and WHEREAS, a records search for the property shows that notices of a possible leak were sent with the quarterly bills for March, June and September 2009, and the property owner reported that both a gas service leak and a water service leak were discovered under the restaurant’s concrete slab in the fall of 2009, and WHEREAS, Asst. Supt. Erik Whitney has calculated that, if allowances are made in the sewer bills for March, June and September 2009 to allow for water that was lost beneath the restaurant and never processed by the wastewater treatment plan, a credit of 46,000 cubic feet (344,000 gal.), representing $1,886.00, would be appropriate, now therefore be it RESOLVED, That the Board of Public Works approves a credit in the amount of $1,886.00 to Mr. Lucatelli’s account number 4900355100 for his restaurant at 205 Elmira Road, representing water delivered that was never processed through the City’s wastewater treatment system. Carried Unanimously Appeal of Water Bill for 804 Stewart Avenue – Resolution By Commissioner Goldsmith: Seconded by Commissioner Wykstra WHEREAS, Lenoard Bisk, as Alumni Advisor to Alpha Sigma Phi at 804 Stewart Avenue, has raised an objection to the adjusted bill for water and sewer service for that address dated September 18, 2009, which was used to correct a 10 to 1 under registration of water consumption and the resulting billing error, and WHEREAS, a review for the four quarters of readings for water consumption preceding and following the new meter installation in October 2008 provides an average quarter of (115 + 121 + 122 + 55)/4= 103 (one hundred cubic feet) preceding and (150 +130 + 115 + 177)/4= 143 following the meter change, and while this does show an increase in water consumption, it is a pattern which seems to be confirmed by the average of the four most recent quarters (162 + 256 + 150 + 177)/4= 186, which shows further increases, and WHEREAS, the City's adjusted consumption figures to correct the 10 to 1 error are included in the middle average calculated above and do not appear to cause an aberration in the increasing use pattern that is apparent in the last two years, but appear to be a significant change over the two years prior to the meter change out, now therefore be it 4 November 17, 2010 RESOLVED, That the Board of Public Works denies Mr. Bisk's request to modify the billings sent to correct the 10 to 1 meter read errors because the Board understands the source of and correction to that error, but directs staff to work with Mr. Bisk to use the capabilities of the new meters to help the residents at 804 Stewart Avenue understand their new (or increasing) water use patterns, and be it further RESOLVED, That the Board directs staff to inform Mr. Bisk of the usual terms and conditions for having the meter pulled and bench tested to verify accuracy should the fraternity feel that the meter is responsible for some or all of the changes in their water and sewer bill. Carried Unanimously PARKING AND TRAFFIC 2011 Parking Rates Supt. Gray explained the following resolutions for downtown and Collegetown parking rates. He stated that there are things staff feels they can have in place by January 1st and that address assumptions and revenue projections in the 2011 budgets. While staff agrees that there are a number of refinements they would like to consider during 2011 (extended meter hours, differential meter rates, extended garage hours, extended enforcement hours, etc.), they are not included here. 2011 Parking Rates – Resolution WHEREAS, the Board of Public Works has considered proposed 2011 rates for municipal parking facilities in order to meet the adopted 2011 budget revenue projection; now, therefore be it RESOLVED, That the Board of Public Works adopts the proposed 2011 municipal parking rates as follows in the attached table; and, be it further RESOLVED, That all monthly permit charges in all parking facilities shall be increased annually in future years by 3 percent on January 1st unless the Board of Public Works directs otherwise hereafter and the schedule of all changes is set forth in this document. Monthly Permits Actual 2010 Rates Effective 8/1/10 Proposed 2011 Rates Effective 1/1/11 Amount Changed Seneca Garage, Day and Night All Levels $80.00/mo $82.40/mo 3% increase Contract with Hotel1 $46.38/mo $47.77/mo 3% increase Contract with Ciminelli2 $80.00/mo $81.20/mo 1.5% increase Green Street Garage, Day and Night All Levels $70.00/mo $72.10/mo 3% increase Contract with Ciminelli2 $50.50/mo $51.25/mo 1.5% increase Cayuga Street Garage, Day and Night All Levels, including long-term storage $56.00/mo $57.68/mo 3% increase Contract with Ciminelli2 $44.90/mo $45.57/mo 1.5% increase Contract with County (Library)4 $44.90/mo $45.57/mo 1.5% increase Premium Area Rates $103.00 $106.09/mo 3% increase Dryden Road Garage Day 6:00 a.m. – 9:30 p.m. $110.00/mo $113.30/mo 3% increase Night 6:00 p.m. – 6:00 a.m. $110.00mo $113.30/mo 3% increase Day and night (24 hours) $220.00/mo $226.60/mo 3% increase Other Non-Meter Permit Parking Contract with County (DSS)4 $44.90/mo $45.57/mo 1.5% increase 5 November 17, 2010 Weekly Rates Actual 2010 Rates Effective 1/1/10 Proposed 2011 Rates Effective 1/1/11 Amount Changed Seneca Garage, Day and Night $24.00 $24.72 3% increase Green Street Garage, Day and Night $21.00 $21.63 3% increase Dryden Road Garage, Day OR Night $33.00 $33.99 3% increase Dryden Road Garage, 24 Hours $65.00 $66.95 3% increase Hourly Rates5 Actual 2010 Rates Effective 6/1/10 Proposed 2011 Rates Effective 1/1/11 Amount Changed Seneca, Green, Cayuga Street Garages6 0 – 1 0 $1 Remove 1 free hour Every hour thereafter $1/hour $1/hour No change Maximum $7/day $7/day Dryden Road Garage 0 – 24 $1/hour $1/hour No change Maximum $15/day $15/day No change Dryden Road Summer Rates (June 1 – August 15) 0 – 24 $0.75/hour $0.75/hour No change Maximum $15/day $15/day No change Bulk Purchase: Garage Tokens or Value Card $26.00/ 40 hours No change Parking Meters and Pay and Display Surface Lot: Green Street Garage7 $1.50/hour No max. $1.50/hour No max. No change Downtown $1.00/hr 2 hr. max. $1.00/hr 2 hr. max. No change Collegetown $1.00/hr 2 hr. max. $1.00/hr 2 hr. max. No change Thurston & Stewart Ave. & Edgemoor $0.25/hr 9 hr. max. $0.50/hr 9 hr. max. Increase worth $25,000 to $30,000 Foot Notes 1 – Volume discount rate for 104 spaces – see contract dated June 6, 2006. Rate adjustment annually on 8/1 based on average increase in other rates, but not more than 3% 2 – Up to 40 permits in Seneca Street Garage at posted rate (except handicap permits, are at special Cayuga Garage rate); up to 100 permits in Green Street Garage, up to 150 permits in Cayuga Street Garage, total not to exceed 250 permits. Right to purchase additional 150 permits at posted rates – see contract dated June 6, 2006. Rate to change for first 250 permits after August 1, 2007, “from time to time” based on percentage change in the CPI between adjustment dates. There has been a 1.1% or a 1.9% increase (U.S. City average and Northeast Urban Size B/C - 50,000 to 1,500,000) in the CPI – All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) between September 2009 and August 2010, so a 1.5% increase has been calculated. 3 – Up to 150 total permits in Green Street and Cayuga Street Garages at lowest permit price available for those spaces; up to 50 permits in Seneca Street Garage at lowest posted monthly rate for Seneca Street Garage spaces (Seneca spaces are only available if Green Street and Cayuga Street Garages are full). Thomas Associates is eligible for volume discount fee structure – not currently applicable. This contract expired October 31, 2010. 4 – The County’s Mental Health/Library agreement for 100 spaces in Green Street Garage (and/or Lot D) will remain in effect for ten (10) years, or for as long as the building at 101 East Green Street is owned by the County and used for public library purposes, whichever period is shorter. Both parties agree to work in good faith to negotiate a successor agreement at the expiration of this agreement. The rate charged is 6 November 17, 2010 the lowest rate charged to anyone. The agreement was signed November 28, 2000, so expires in November 2010. County’s DSS agreement for 20 spaces on West State Street (in “Fire Station lot”) expires December 31, 2016. 5 – Fees charged: Downtown garages, 2:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., Monday through Friday: Dryden Road garage and Green Street Surface Lot, 24 hours / 7 days. 6 – The City has an agreement with TC3 that allows TC3 to issue passes for students, clients, and customers, for which the City charges TC3 88 percent of posted rates for the accumulated parking fees. 7 – In 2010, the pay station for the Green Street Surface Lot may be changed to accept credit cards, at which time the hourly rate shall be increased to $2 per hour. West End Parking Rates Supt. Gray reported that the 2011 budget included an estimated $25,000 in revenue from west end parking. Staff are proposing hourly and permit parking for three west end parking lots that they believe will combine with the downtown revenues to produce the $200,000 revenue estimate for elimination of the first hour free and west end parking. He stated that Traffic Engineer Logue has produced some projections and costs for the adoption of parking rates for two lots in the west end. Those proposed changes have been added to the table below for the Inlet Island lot. West End Parking Rates – Resolution WHEREAS, the City has three parking lots in the west end which it has expended both capital and operating dollars on, but does not exercise any control over, even as they appear to be increasingly more active, and WHEREAS, staff has proposed a combination of hourly and permit parking for all three lots which will help provide control over the utilization of these lots, provide uniform public access to the parking, and will begin to partially pay for the expenses associated with maintaining those lots, now therefore be it RESOLVED, That the Board of Public works institutes a program of hourly and permit parking on the City-owned lots at Taughannock Boulevard on Inlet Island, the lot on the 600 block of West Buffalo Street, and the Court Street at Fulton Street lot at the northeast corner of the intersection, using hourly rates of $1 per hour for up to 9 hours in the lots and a monthly permit fee of $20 per month per space in each lot, with the rates beginning January 1, 2011, and remaining in effect until modified by the Board. Commissioner Goldsmith noted that as he proposed in earlier meetings, he would recommend elimination of the one hour free parking, but ask the Downtown Ithaca Alliance to determine a way to allocate costs among its members so that they then could provide parking tokens to their customers so they can park for free. He noted that it would be irresponsible for the City not to charge for parking. City Controller Thayer reported that parking revenues is one of the holes to fill in the budget. He explained that he and the Mayor thought one easy way to obtain that revenue would be to eliminate the one hour free parking, because in this day and age it is very rare that one finds free parking anywhere. He has not seen the proposal from private property owners for west end parking options either. He stated that the City has to find better efficiencies and management of its parking facilities. City Chamberlain Parsons and Traffic Engineer Logue joined City Controller Thayer in the discussion with the Board. Extensive discussion followed on the floor regarding the proposed resolutions on the agenda regarding parking at various locations throughout the City. The Board understands the possible negative consequences of implementing some of the proposals, but was instructed by Common Council to find a way to make up the projected $200,000 shortfall in parking revenue in the 2011 budget, or it would go back to Common Council to make that decision. The Board would like to see all the information that has been referred to during today’s meeting concerning the west end parking and parking on Inlet Island that was submitted to the City before making its decision on any of the proposals. City Attorney Hoffman left the meeting at 6:20 p.m. 7 November 17, 2010 Commissioner Brock stated that it would seem that in this difficult economic time, the only option for the Board to take is to remove the one hour free parking to raise the revenue for the 2011 budget. CC Liaison Zumoff responded that he understands Commissioner Brock’s points regarding the elimination of the free parking. However, Common Council was unanimous in that not happening because of the unintended consequences psychologically in that people will just not come downtown, which would impact sales tax and not raise the estimated parking revenue. He further commented that he is not sure whether twenty meters would be enough on Inlet Island especially during busy times and might negatively impact those businesses. Supt. Gray reminded the Board that Common Council has given a deadline of December 22, 2010 for them to provide recommendations regarding parking revenue; and whatever the Board decides will need review by the City Controller and City Chamberlain to see if it meets revenue needs. He further noted that in adopting the 2011 budget he is not sure how Common Council expected the Board find the needed revenue, without removing the free parking. He stated that the resolutions he has provided are a reasonable and simple way to get something in place by January 1st, and that the Board then could go back and make changes later in the year if needed. He stated that there is no free parking, someone has to pay for it; and you find out the value of an asset by charging for it. City Chamberlain Parsons stated that she would like to propose a twenty-four hour parking permit for the Dryden Road garage that would be the equivalent of a day/night permit because the administration of the day/night permits is hard. The Board did not object to this proposal and asked that she bring her proposal to their next meeting on November 30, 2010. She further reported that the Mayor’s ad-hoc parking committee has discussed the issue of parking revenue a lot. The Collegetown study will include a pilot program for parking that will help staff develop future figures for parking revenue. She also noted that there are a number of vacant spaces in the downtown garages, and if the cost for permits to park in the garages increase too much it will push some people into the neighborhoods, and the garages would become less occupied. Suggestions were made to increase meter parking rates, which City Chamberlain Parsons noted that would be a minimal cost to the City to make the necessary changes in the meters, although she cautioned that meters may become vacant as people don’t carry that much change around normally. Further discussion followed on the convenience of the Dryden Road garage being able to accept credit cards. City Chamberlain Parsons, Asst. Supt. Benjamin, and Supt. Gray are traveling to Syracuse on 11/18/10 to look at pay and display meter systems that accept credit cards. Supt. Gray noted that new meters can’t be in place by 1/1/11 and cost approximately $8,000 apiece. Vice Chair Jenkins noted that the parking resolutions would be on the agenda for the November 30, 2010 meeting and requested that the additional information be provided to the Board before that meeting. ADJOURNMENT On a motion the meeting adjourned at 6:50 p.m. Sarah L. Myers Carolyn K. Peterson Information Management Specialist Mayor