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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMN-BPW-1993-05-19BOARD OF PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE May 19, 1993 NOTES PRESENT: Commissioners Gerard, Reeves, Tripp, Mayor Nichols, Alderperson Berg, Superintendent Gray and Assistant Superintendents Ferrel and Shimer. Commissioner Reeves chaired the meeting. ADDITIONS: Wood Street Park Improvements DII Request for 1 Hour Free Parking Request to Continue Free Transit for City Employees DELETIONS: Increase Penalties for Public Works Regulation Violations 1. DII Request for 1 Hour Free Parking_ Beverly Apgar was present to address the Board. Mayor Nichols explained the system which DII is proposing. The local businesses would like to purchase stickers or a similar device which would allow patrons to park for one hour free. The stickers could be purchased at a discount rate of 25 cents each and would not be limited to DII members. The stickers would be sold to DII who would then act as an agent for the City and sell to the downtown businesses. This would alleviate the billing procedure to only one entity instead of many businesses. He stated that the Assistant City Attorney and the City Controller felt that the idea was fine. Alderperson Berg noted that this type of program was used years ago and that bringing it back is a great idea. Ms. Apgar explained that patrons may be required to have a minimum purchase in order to receive the free parking, but the purchase would be very minimal, such as $10.00. City Chamberlain Parsons was also present and expressed her concern with illegal reproduction of the free parking devices. Ms. Apgar added that the type of device used will need to be easy to use otherwise it may be a burden to the merchants. Mayor Nichols asked the Board to vote on the issue at the next meeting. A resolution will be presented for the Board to decide on. 2. Request for Restricted Parking on Ithaca Road Commissioner Reeves explained that a petition from the residents of Ithaca Road has been received to reduce parking on Ithaca Road between Mitchell Street and Elmwood Avenue from 9:00 am until 12 :00 pm Monday through Friday. Several of the Ithaca Road residents were present to address the Board. Their concerns included pedestrian safety, hazards of exiting driveways and pulling away from the curb. They noted that visibility is poor due to the over abundance of parked cars. One resident noted that many people do not want to pay the expense of parking in Cornell so they park on Ithaca Road. Supt. Gray explained to the residents that restricting the parking in this area will only shift the parking problem to other neighborhoods. Commissioner Tripp requested that a resolution be presented to the Board at the June 9 regular meeting in order to allow time for Board members to investigate the situation first hand. BOARD OF PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE May 19, 1993 3. Wood Street Park Improvements Trish Norton was present to update the Board on Wood Street Park discussions. Ms. Norton described the possible changes of the park which includes moving the basketball court to the corner of Meadow and Wood Streets, installing a sidewalk along the south side of Wood Street and the building of a new play ground. Ms. Norton explained that the grant will not be awarded until at least September and the additional work which is needed will not be covered by the grant. The Ithaca Urban Renewal Agency is asking the Department of Public Works to assist in providing funds for labor, fill and the installation of the sidewalk between Titus Towers and Meadow Street. Ms. Norton asked the Board if they would make a commitment to provide such items, she added that the Shade Tree Committee will also be approached about donating trees for the project. Supt. Gray told the Board that approximately $24,000 should cover the requested items. The Board decided that a resolution would be presented at the June 9, 1993 regular meeting to commit the funds for the Wood Street Park improvements. 4. Bicycle Advisory Commission - Discussion of Report Carl Lagoze and David Nutter were present to give the Board a brief synopsis of the ce Commission's proposal of bike routes and other minor changes associated with the route in the City. Mr. Lagoze told the Board that the Commission would like to see bike racks installed on buses to accommodate bicyclists. He explained that users would be required to be certified in order to use the racks and that there would be designated stops for pick ups. Nancy Oltz was present and told the Board that the racks had been considered years ago. At that time, the insurance company stated that there was no way they would cover the buses with racks due to the liability. She further explained that the racks would lengthen the buses making it more difficult to maneuver around corners, also, racks would not allow the buses to be washed in the washer, they would have to be washed by hand. The Board asked that the Commission work along with Ms. Oltz and that further information be obtained regarding the use of the racks. Mr. Lagoze next explained the changes proposed for a bike route. He stated that there are many streets which are not wide enough for vehicles and bicycles making it very dangerous for both. Mr. Nutter noted that there are approximately 9 1/2 miles being considered for the route and that parking on most of those streets will need to be eliminated even if only on one side. Supt. Gray was concerned with the amount of parking meters that are being proposed to be removed, this will obviously be a loss of revenue to the City. The Commission will report back with the number of meters to be removed. Mr. Lagoze stated that he appreciated receiving input from the Board and will go back to the P &D Board with further ideas and will meet with DPW staff for their input to implement the project. Page - 2 BOARD OF PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE May 19, 1993 5. Ithaca Festival - Special Request for use of DeWitt Park Deb Whiter from the Festival was present to request the use of DeWitt Park for a Community Dinner catered by Loaves and Fishes. There will be no charge for the dinner and they are expecting between 250 and 400 people. The dinner will begin around 5:30 and continue to 6:30, they will need additional time for set up and clean up of the park. The Board agreed to their request and will allow the Festival use of the park between 5:00 pm and 8:00 pm. *NOTE* Commissioner Reeves was contacted Friday, May 21, 1993 by the Ithaca Festival. The dinner has been canceled due to scheduling conflicts with Loaves and Fishes. 6. Request to Continue Free Transit for City Employees Supt. Gray explained that the City provided employees with free use of Ithaca Transit in 1992 as a non - negotiated benefit. In the agreement, it is stated that the benefit can be taken away and "past practice" will not apply. The Personnel Department would like to see the agreement extended for an additional year. Nancy Oltz was present and explained that the ridership is very low, approximately 400 per month and there is no impact by allowing these few people to ride for free. The Board agreed that the agreement should be extended for one more year, a resolution will be voted on at the next regular meeting. 7. South Albany Street and Titus Avenues Intersection Steve Ehrhardt and Joe Daley were present to request "No Right on Red" signs at both intersections of Titus and Albany. They stated they were present as concerned residents, not as members of the Traffic Task Force. There were many points made regarding the intersections including the raised bridge, increased traffic since the change in Spencer Road and the fact that it is the only route south out of downtown, besides Meadow Street. It was agreed that the "Right on Red" signs were acceptable although staff input is needed for further decision. A resolution will be voted on at a later date. 8. South Titus Avenue Barricades The Board of Public Works will be holding a public hearing at its next regular meeting to receive input from the public. Joe Daley stated that the opinion of the Task Force on Traffic Issues is that the barricades should be removed and South Titus Avenue should be maintained as a street. They feel that moving the traffic onto the residential street of South Street is not a good idea even if it will increase the park. The Board will use this recommendation in their decision at the next regular meeting. The meeting adjourned at 6:00 p.m. Notes taken by: Donna L. Payne Administrative Secretary Page - 3