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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMN-BPW-1995-03-22 1 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 March 22, 1995 2 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. March 22, 1995 3 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: March 22, 1995 4 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 March 22, 1995 5 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. March 22, 1995 6 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. March 22, 1995 7 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