HomeMy WebLinkAboutMN-BPW-1995-03-22
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BOARD OF PUBLIC WORKS PROCEEDINGS
CITY OF ITHACA, NEW YORK
Regular Meeting 4:00 p.m. March 22, 1995
PRESENT:
Mayor Nichols
Commissioners (6) - Seligmann, Smith, Tripp, Ehrhardt, Reeves,
Rusoff
OTHERS PRESENT:
Deputy City Controller - Thayer
Senior Stenographer - Holcomb
Superintendent of Public Works - Gray
Assistant Superintendent of Streets and Facilities - Ferrel
Assistant Superintendent of Water and Sewer - Fabbroni
Common Council Liaison - Johnson
Youth Bureau Director - Cohen
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE:
Mayor Nichols led all present in the Pledge of Allegiance to the
American flag.
MINUTES:
Approval of the Minutes of the March 8, 1995 Board of Public Works
Meeting
By Commissioner Tripp: Seconded by Commissioner Rusoff
RESOLVED, That the Minutes of the March 8, 1995 Board of Public
Works meeting be approved as published.
Carried Unanimously
ADDITIONS TO OR DELETIONS FROM THE AGENDA:
Highways, Streets and Sidewalk Items
Commissioner Smith requested the addition of Item A - Award of
Street Tree Bid.
No Board member objected.
Water, Sewer and Solid Waste Items
Commissioner Seligmann requested the addition of Item C - German
Cross Roads Gaging Station.
No Board member objected.
Executive Session
Superintendent Gray requested that the matter of a contract with
Golf Course Manager be discussed in Executive Session.
No Board member objected.
COMMUNICATIONS AND HEARINGS OF PERSONS BEFORE THE BOARD:
Alternate Side Parking
Mr. David McFarren, 117 West Yates Street, expressed his anger and
frustration to the Board regarding alternate side parking.
Discussion followed on the floor. Mr. McFarren was requested to
come back to the Board with alternate solutions to the parking
problems in the City.
Inlet Island Alienation
Alderperson Schroeder reported that the Planning Committee
approved a bill for submission to the New York State Legislature
that would authorize the alienation of Inlet Island Park Land and
the acquisition of new subsititute park land. He stated the bill
that the committee authorized includes one more property in the
Six Mile Creek Watershed. He referred to a map and noted that the
reason that one parcel has been added in is because when the
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detailed surveying was done, it turned out that the property on
Inlet Island being un-parked was actually bigger by approximately
one-half acre than had been assumed. The City had to negotiate
with some of the property owners on the substitute parcels and
some of that property for park acquisition was smaller than we
thought, therefore we had an increase of the value of land being
un-parked and a slight decrease in the value of substitute land.
Watershed Land Considerations
Alderperson Schroeder spoke to the Board regarding the resolution
that is on the agenda concerning the Watershed Land Consideration.
He asked who the Board would prefer to be supervising the process
of acquiring these lands. Should it be the Planning Committee or
the Board of Public Works?
Trash Cans for West End Businesses
Mr. Joe Cassaniti, West End business owner, spoke to the Board
regarding monitored trash cans for west end businesses. He
requested that the Board consider garbage cans being placed at
select locations in the west end. He stated they are small cans
so they wouldn't hold much garbage; the store owners where the
cans would be placed would monitor the garbage so the streets
would be kept clean but they need to have the City come by on a
regular basis and empty them.
Mr. Cassaniti suggested a trial of one or two months to see how
well the trash cans will work out. He said that Ithaca Bakery
will donate the cans if they will be used on the west end of town.
Discussion followed on the floor.
Alderperson Pam Mackesey spoke to the Board in favor of the trash
cans to be used in the west end of town.
Motion to Refer to the Committee of the Whole with Power to Act
By Commissioner Rusoff: Seconded by Commissioner Smith
RESOLVED, That the matter of donated trash cans for the west end
be referred to the Board of Public Works Committee of the Whole
with power to act.
Ayes (5) - Rusoff, Smith, Ehrhardt, Reeves, Seligmann
Nay (1) - Tripp
Carried (5-1)
REPORT OF SUPERINTENDENT:
Superintendent Gray reported to the Board on the following
matters:
--Citizen complaints being handled regarding plugged sewers and
trash items;
--Working on extending the Northeast Transit agreement;
--Working with NYSE&G for an agreement to use part of Carpenter
Park for temporary storage;
--The DoT has been after road permits, night work permits, noise
permits, and utility agreements;
--Work on the sculptural piers on the bridges is ongoing;
--The Day Care Drop In Center bids came in on the 21st;
--He has received a preliminary design from the consultants for
the Stewart Avenue landslide;
--Stewart Avenue meter work ongoing;
--City Hall computers are nearly completed for networking
internally
--The preliminary report is being developed for the GIAC HVAC
project.
--The design work for the Youth Bureau HVAC and acoustics is about
90% complete and should be ready to go to bid shortly.
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REPORT OF ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT OF STREETS AND FACILITIES:
Assistant Superintendent Ferrel reported to the Board on the
following matters:
--Storm sewer project on South Aurora Street;
--Curb re-alignment started on Farm and Tioga Streets;
--Street cleaning started last week;
--Triangle cold storage building has been cleaned out so Water and
Sewer can move in there;
--Press release has been issued to announce yard waste collection
starting April 3;
-- Central Processing Facility is going well as far as our truck
turnaround time on the site;
--Seasonal crew being hired to start cleaning Stewart Park and the
cemetery;
--Golf Course buildings being repaired;
--Ice Skating Rink closed for the season on the 19th;
--The roof membrane at the Youth Bureau is being repaired.
REPORT OF ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT OF WATER AND SEWER:
Assistant Superintendent Fabbroni reported to the Board on the
following matters:
--The 12" tie-in line on Elmira Road has been completed;
--The water main replacement work from Carpenter Place to Court
Street has started;
--The crews are leveling off the materials in Southwest Park
--The 1,000 gallon gasoline tank is being removed from the Day
Care site;
HIGHWAYS, STREETS AND TRANSIT ITEMS:
Award of Street Tree Bid
By Commissioner Smith: Seconded by Commissioner Tripp
WHEREAS, staff received bids for the 1995 Spring Plantings on
March 14, 1995, and
WHEREAS, staff has reviewed the bids and made recommendations for
award of bid; now, therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the Board of Public Works hereby accepts staff's
recommendation to award the 1995 Spring Plantings as follows:
Lake Country Nursery, Inc. Items #2, #4, #5, #8, #16,
#17, #19, #20, #22, #25 and
#27
Schichtels Nursery Inc. Items #3, #7, #9*, and #15
Princeton Nurseries Inc. Items #12**, #14, #18
Milane Nurseries Items #21 and #26
Level Green Landscaping Item #13
* - Increase quantity from ten (10) to twenty (20)
** - Increase quantity from two (2) to seven (7).
Items #1, #6, #11, #23, #24, and #28 will not be awarded.
These will partially be accounted for by the increases in #9 and
#12.
and be it further
RESOLVED, That the Board hereby authorizes the Assistant
Superintendent for Streets and Facilities to enter into agreements
for the bid awards.
Carried Unanimously
CREEKS, BRIDGES AND PARKS:
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A. Demolition of Tennis Courts at Stewart Park
By Commissioner Reeves: Seconded by Commissioner
WHEREAS, the Board of Public Works has reviewed plans and cost
estimates for the replacement of tennis courts at the current
location in Stewart Park, and
WHEREAS, the board believes existing courts to be in poor
condition, and
WHEREAS, the Board of Public Works finds tennis courts in the
existing location to be poorly sited for reasons of accessibility
to city residents, of blockage of lake views, and of
susceptibility to wind, and
WHEREAS, the board finds cost estimates for the replacement of
the courts excessive; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the Board of Public Works directs the staff of the
Department of Public Works to demolish the existing Stewart Park
tennis courts and to replant that area to lawn.
Commissioner Reeves proposed the following Amending Resolution:
That the third Whereas clause be deleted in its entirety and that
a second Resolved clause be added to read as follows:
"RESOLVED, That the Board of Public requests the Youth Bureau and
Department of Public Works staff work together to: 1) Attempt to
reduce costs associated with the rebuilding of the Tennis Courts
from the original estimate of the Engineering Office dated 3/7/95,
in the amount of $101,666.50 and 2) that the time frame goal for
estimates be the 1996 Capital Project Review process, and 3) that
public hearings be held as necessary to obtain public comment on
the Courts."
No vote was taken on Commissioner Reeves proposed amending
resolution.
Discussion followed on the floor. Assistant Superintendent Ferrel
spoke of his review of the Tennis Courts. He stated that he would
recommend that the City do some repair to the existing surface and
then put an overlay on the Stewart Park Courts and put a new fence
around it, as compared to removing every thing that is there and
building a new base, putting in new asphalt, etc.
Assistant Superintendent Ferrel stated that the Stewart Park cost
would be approximately $45,000-$50,000.
Youth Bureau Director Cohen spoke to the Board regarding the need
for the Stewart Park Tennis Courts.
Discussion followed on the floor.
Motion to Table
By Commissioner Rusoff: Seconded by Commissioner Tripp
RESOLVED, That the matter of the Tennis Courts at Stewart Park be
tabled for more input from staff.
Carried Unanimously
WATER, SEWER AND SOLID WASTE ITEMS:
A. Request for Expungement of Water and Sewer Bill
T. Allen Lambert, owner of 313 East Falls Street, received a water
and sewer repair bill for $871.40, with late fees of $52.28, the
bill totals $923.68. The bill was for replacement of the water
service at 313 E. Falls Street. Mr. Lambert is appealing the bill
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which has been added to his property taxes. He noted that when
the work was done it was not clear to him that the replacement was
an upgrade to copper, and therefore, his responsibility. Had he
realized this, a private contractor would have been hired for the
work.
Resolution
By Commissioner Seligmann: Seconded by Commissioner Tripp
WHEREAS, T. Allen Lambert, owner of 313 E. Falls Street, received
a bill for upgrade of a water service, which Mr. Lambert felt was
city responsibility, and
WHEREAS, City Code Section 348.18 states that the homeowner is
responsible for service upgrades, and
WHEREAS, the bill has been added to the property taxes and that
only Common Council has the authority to adjust bills added to the
taxes; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the Board of Public Works recommends that Common
Council deny Mr. Lambert's request to expunge the water and sewer
bill for service upgrade.
Carried Unanimously
B. Water Shed Land Considerations
By Commissioner Seligmann: Seconded by Commissioner Tripp
WHEREAS, the city has developed a coordinated program for
acquisition and protection of land in the city's watershed which
is currently being managed by the Planning Committee of Council,
and
WHEREAS, there are a multitude of land use goals and objectives
supported by this program and the Board of Public Works has been
asked to provide guidelines and priorities for use of the funds in
Capital Reserve #26 for Watershed Land acquisition derived from
water system operations, and
WHEREAS, the board wishes to protect water quality, maintain
operational access and assure system reliability, and
WHEREAS, there are a number of means available to implement those
goals and objectives, such as direct ownership, conservation
easement, right-of-way or maintenance easements, and ownership by
others (Fingerlakes Land Trust, Towns of Ithaca or Dryden) which
can be used to supplement the much broader protection afforded the
entire watershed by state law through the Health Department and
the State Department; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the Board of Public Works sets the following
priorities for protection:
1. Land for consideration should generally be north of the
Town of Ithaca's south hill trail (the former DH & W
R.R. R.O.W.) and south of a line roughly 250' south of
State Route 79.
2. Land should generally be contiguous to existing city
owned land.
3. Land which is contiguous to Six Mile Creek should be
considered for direct ownership.
4. Land which is more than 500 feet from Six Mile Creek
should be considered for conservation easements.
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5. It is understood that because of site topography, soil
quality, access questions, utility availability, zoning
or subdivision requirements and property owner
considerations that each case must be treated
individually.
6. Specific comments made on maps used by the Planning
Committee:
a. Land for acquisition - SM (Six Mile Parcel)14, SM19,
northern third of SM 8, SM7, northern half of SM5,
northern quarter of SM6.
b. Land acquisition or control - SM9, SM10.
the Whole meeting on March 15, 1995).
Discussion followed on the floor. Assistant Superintendent
Fabbroni gave background information on the resolution.
It was the consensus of the Board that the Planning Committee
shall supervise this matter.
A vote on the resolution resulted as follows:
Carried Unanimously
C. German Cross Roads Gaging Station
By Commissioner Seligmann: Seconded by Commissioner Tripp
WHEREAS, the Geological Survey, United States Department of the
Interior has proposed to enter into a 50/50 funding partnership to
jointly operate the stream flow gaging and water quality sampling
equipment at the German Cross Roads gaging stating wherein each
party will contribute $8,000, and
WHEREAS, the information gained from the City of Ithaca $6,000
cash, $2000 laboratory analysis services, share totalling $8,000
will be essential to evaluating long term watershed quality and
maintenance frequencies at the silt dam and sixty foot reservoir;
now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the Superintendent of Public Works be authorized to
sign the agreement with the Geological Survey, United States
Department of the Interior expending funds authorized in C 506 to
study future water system needs.
Assistant Superintendent Fabbroni explained the resolution.
A vote on the resolution resulted as follows:
Carried Unanimo9usly
REPORT OF SPECIAL COMMITTEES:
Recreation Partnership
Commissioner Seligmann reported that the Recreation Partnership
has voted that people not belonging to the partnership would pay
full cost on any partnership recreational activity and go to the
end of the list.
REPORT OF BOARD LIAISONS:
Parks Commission
Commissioner Reeves reported that she attended a Parks Commission
meeting last week. She stated that Andrew Hillman, the new City
Forester accompanied the Parks Commission on a tour of Stewart
Park while the group looked at the plantings and had a discussion
on how to improvement the planting plan at Stewart Park.
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SJS Committee
Commissioner Reeves reported that SJS is going to be reviewing the
interim agreement between municipalities on April 18th.
EXECUTIVE SESSION:
By Commissioner Rusoff: Seconded by Commissioner Tripp
RESOLVED, That this Board adjourn into Executive Session to
discuss a contract with the Golf Course Manager.
Carried Unanimously
ADJOURNMENT:
On a motion the meeting adjourned at 5:45 p.m.
Connie J. Holcomb Benjamin Nichols
Senior Stenographer Mayor