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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMN-BPW-1993-10-06BOARD OF PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE October 6, 1993 NOTES PRESENT: Commissioners Brandford, Gerard, Rusoff, Smith, Tripp, Reeves, Mayor Nichols, and Superintendent Gray and Assistant Superintendent Ferrel. Commissioner Reeves chaired the meeting. Additions: Revised County Trashtag Law. Deletions: Removal of Mini Pool /School District Parking On Street Parking for Trucks at Ithaca Journal Mayor Nichols asked that the following be added to a future agenda: - Hillview and Aurora Traffic Light - Cleveland Avenue Petition - Request from Alcoholism Council of Tompkins County for Lot D Permits 1. Familv Medicine Assoc - Request for Additional Parking in State Street Lot Dr. Tobin and Dr. Shallich from Family Med. were present as was Larry Hoffman of HOLT Architects. Mr. Hoffman explained to the Board that two additional parking spaces are being proposed on property owned by Family Med., they need to know if permission from the city is needed to complete this. The initial proposal which included moving the existing curb cut, will not be needed. They feel that signs indicating exit and entrance only, would eliminate many problems. Commissioner Tripp felt that input from the Attorney and /or Planning Department would be helpful. Commissioner Rusoff stated that she is concerned with safety; is there enough room to back out of the spaces safely? The Board agreed that the original agreement should be reviewed and that input from the Planning Department is needed. 2. Stop Signs at the Cemetery Road and DeWitt Place Alderperson John Schroeder was present to discuss the possibility of placement of stop signs in order to slow down people taking a short cut through the cemetery. Jeffrey Brown, resident of DeWitt Place, was also present. Mr. Brown stated that he felt the traffic from the Cemetery Road creates a hazard for pedestrians as well as other vehicles. It was suggested that speed bumps or humps be installed since the road is not a designated City Street. Supt. Gray suggested that bollards be used, this would prohibit through traffic while allowing access to the cemetery. The consensus of the Board was that bollards would be appropriate. Alderperson Schroeder will notify the residents of this and return to the Board with comments from the residents. BOARD OF PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MEETING October 6, 1993 3. Replacement of Stewart Avenue Bricks Alderperson John Schroeder was present to address the Board concerning the maintenance of Stewart Avenue. He noted that a Common Council resolution had previously been passed to "protect" the brick (the brick can not be replaced with pavement). He stated that he understands that the maintenance was stopped when the City made cuts to save money. Despite the need to save money, the street is in need of repairs. Mayor Nichols asked what happened to the crew which was trained to maintain brick streets? Asst. Supt. Ferrel stated that some of the crew is still with the City while the rest has moved on. Sean Killeen was present and stated that he feels preventative maintenance is important and that Stewart Avenue desperately needs repairing. He questioned if street opening funds are available for the repairs? Supt. Gray stated that street opening permits did not produce enough revenue to fund street repairs. He added that State Street hill was paved due to the cost of brick maintenance. Supt. Gray noted that for Stewart Avenue to be completed properly, a new sub -base would be needed. The Board requested Supt. Gray to return with estimates for the brick repairs. 4 4. Revised County Trashtag Law Debbie Parsons, City Chamberlain, was present to explain the new county law and to ask the Board for recommendations. The new local law #3, passed by the County Reps., which requires all trash tags to indicate the county tipping fee, goes into effect immediately. Ms. Parsons indicated that this would create an additional cost for the city since there is an abundant amount of current tags. The tags would need to be reprinted or have the fee added. Mayor Nichols stated that he feels the law is nonsense. Ms. Parsons asked if a resolution could be passed requesting exemption of the law until the city runs out of the current tags. Supt. Gray noted that the tags are not very big and that a lot of information is already printed on them. He added that he felt the law is a public relations move on the county's part. County Representative Nancy Schuler was present and asked Ms. Parsons if she had previous knowledge of the law before its adoption. Ms. Parsons said she did not know about it until it was enacted. An additional concern is the adhesive of the tags. It was explained that the county feels that the city's theft problem is due to low quality adhesive. Ms. Parsons stated that she did a comparative test and felt there wasn't a noticeable difference in the tags. Commissioner Smith questioned the possibility of the use of bags instead of tags. Commissioner Reeves stated that the county was willing to allow us to change if we could specify the alternate mechanism to be used. The Board's consensus is that the tags should remain the same and that a resolution should be passed requesting exemption. Ms. Schuler stated that she would address the County Board regarding the lack of communication with the city on this issue. She noted that County Rep. Don Culligan researched the possibility of using bags in place of tags and found that they were not sturdy enough. A resolution requesting the city's exemption will be presented at the next regular meeting. Page - 2 BOARD OF PUBLIC WORKS CONMHTTEE OF THE WHOLE MEETING October 6, 1993 5. Request to Allow Ferry between Cass Park and Steam Boat Landing Nancy Schuler, County Board of Representatives, was present to discuss the idea of a ferry to cross the channel between Steam Boat Landing and Cass Park. She explained that two docks would need to be constructed and a pontoon boat would be used with two outboard motors holding no more than six people. The project would be part of the ISTEA Project. Commissioner Reeves stated that she sees problems with this since a large area of the channel would need to be cleaned out. This would need to be done through the state. Commissioner Rusoff stated that she feels the concept is great and that it fits into the Inlet Island Plan. Commissioner Tripp stated that she is not opposed to the idea but feels that city money is not available. The Board agreed that Ms. Schuler should proceed with the project and report back. 6 Request to Reduce Pavilion Fee at Stewart Park A letter was received from Phyllis York of the Saint John's Church stating the church's displeasure in the condition of the large pavilion at Stewart Park on June 26, 1993. Ms. York stated in her letter that the building had not been cleaned inside or outside, that signs were not in place indicating their reservations and that due to the weather, people outside their organization used the pavilion. She added that they have found pavilions in state parks with a fee of $30. The church is requesting that 50% of the pavilion fee be refunded because of the circumstances. Asst. Supt. Ferrel said that this was the first complaint of this type received. He explained that a bulletin board is posted in order to reserve the pavilion although there is no enforcement of it. He added that a seasonal employee had opened the pavilion that morning and another employee had cleaned up the night before. Commissioner Rusoff stated that the Board should refund 50 %. Commissioners Gerard and Tripp agreed. Commissioner Brandford questioned if monitoring the performance of the seasonal employees is possible? Supt. Gray explained that the position is similar to that of a custodian, the supervisors have different hours therefore making it difficult to supervise. Commissioner Brandford added that this should be looked into in order to avoid future problems. A resolution will be presented next week authorizing a refund to the church. The meeting adjourned at 5:55 p.m. Notes taken by: to Donna L. Payne Administrative Secretary Page - 3