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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMN-BPW-1996-11-13BOARD OF PUBLIC WORKS PROCEEDINGS CITY OF ITHACA, NEW YORK Regular Meeting 4:00 p.m. November 13, 1996 PRESENT: Mayor Cohen Commissioners (5) - Davidoff, Ehrhardt, Reeves, Seligmann, Smith OTHERS PRESENT: Deputy City Controller - Thayer Deputy City Clerk - Kaupe Superintendent of Public Works - Gray Assistant Superintendent of Streets and Facilities - Ferrel Assistant Superintendent of Water and Sewer - Fabbroni Common Council Liaison - Mackesey Deputy Planning Director - Sieverding EXCUSED: Commissioner Vargas 1. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE: Commissioner Reeves led all present in the Pledge of Allegiance to the American flag. 2. MINUTES: 3. ADDITIONS TO OR DELETIONS FROM THE AGENDA: Commissioner Reeves requested that Item 13B be added to the agenda. No board member objected. 4. MAYOR'S COMMUNICATIONS: 5. COMMUNICATIONS AND HEARINGS OF PERSONS BEFORE THE BOARD: Regi Deschere (for), Ken Bangerter (against), Aga Transvescu (for) and Richard Ladd (for) spoke on Item 15A the proposed change to South Hill Terrace. Peggy Haine spoke against the new Mitchell St/Ithaca Rd intersection and presented the board with a damaged tire. Commissioner Ehrhardt responded that the board did not review the Mitchell St design. Public Hearing A Public Hearing was held to discuss Item 13A from 4:18 to 4:19pm. No one appeared at the hearing. The board took up Item 15A at this time. 7. REPORT OF CITY CLERK: 8. REPORT OF CITY ATTORNEY: 9. REPORT OF CITY CONTROLLER: 10. REPORT OF COUNCIL LIAISON: 11. REPORTS OF SUPERINTENDENT AND STAFF: Superintendent Gray reported to the board on the following matters. Assistant Superintendent Ferrel reported to the board on Streets and Facilities operations. Assistant Superintendent Fabbroni reported to the board on Water and Sewer operations. 12. REPORT OF OTHER DEPARTMENT HEADS: 13. BUILDINGS, PROPERTIES AND TRANSIT ITEMS: A. Collegetown Special Benefit Assessment District By Commissioner Smith: Seconded by Commissioner Ehrhardt RESOLVED, That the Board of Public Work adopts the Collegetown Special Benefit Assessment District charges for 1997 as prepared by the City Controller’s Office, and, be it further RESOLVED, That the City Chamberlain be requested to make the billing at the appropriate time. A vote on the resolution resulted as follows: Carried Unanimously B. Abandon Portion of Taughannock Boulevard By Commissioner Smith: Seconded by Commissioner Reeves WHEREAS, the Inlet Island Land Use Plan, which was adopted by the Planning and Development Board in July, 1992 and accepted by the Common Council in September, 1992, calls for mixed use private development that is “water-enhanced or water dependent, and that takes fullest advantage of Inlet Island’s special waterfront location”, and WHEREAS, Marina Realty of Ithaca, L.L.C. has proposed such development for the point of Inlet Island, encompassing all of the property currently occupied by the Ithaca Boating Center, including that portion of Taughannock Boulevard licensed to the Boating Center by the City, and WHEREAS, the new development requires that section of Taughannock Boulevard currently licensed to the Boating Center plus an additional, small portion of Taughannock Boulevard adjacent to the licensed area (see site plan attached) in order to satisfy the on site zoning requirements for the proposed new development, and November 13, 1996 - Page 2 WHEREAS, sale of this portion of land is consistent with the recommendations of the Inlet Island Land Use Plan provided either a twelve foot corridor is reserved along the Taughannock Boulevard Right of Way for the Inlet Island Greenway or the NYS DEC agrees to allow construction of that greenway within its maintenance easement along the Flood Control Channel, and WHEREAS, this portion of Taughannock Boulevard no longer exists as a defined street and has been under license to the Boating Center and its predecessor for a number of years and otherwise used as parking and circulation areas for the Boating Center and Coast Guard Auxiliary, now therefore be it RESOLVED, that the Board of Public Works declares those areas of the Taughannock Boulevard Right of Way depicted on the attached site plan no longer needed for public purpose and abandons its use as a public street, be it further RESOLVED, that the Board recommends that the Common Council sell this portion of Taughannock Boulevard. Amending Resolution By Commissioner Ehrhardt: Seconded by Commissioner Reeves RESOLVED, that the last RESOLVED clause be amended to read: RESOLVED, that the Board recommends that the Common Council sell this portion of Taughannock Boulevard with easements for public utilities. A vote on the amending resolution resulted as follows: Carried Unanimously Resolution As Amended A vote on the amended resolution resulted as follows: Carried Unanimously 14. HIGHWAYS, STREETS AND SIDEWALK ITEMS: A. Request for Expungement of Sidewalk Assessment - 212 W. Spencer Street By Commissioner Davidoff: Seconded by Commissioner Ehrhardt WHEREAS, Michael Carver, owner of 212 West Spencer Street, received a sidewalk assessment for repairs to the sidewalk, and WHEREAS, Mr. Carver has requested that the board expunge the assessment based on the condition of the neighboring properties, and WHEREAS, staff has indicated that Mr. Carver’s walk was in need of repair and that neighboring sidewalks will now be investigated based on Mr. Carver’s complaint; now, therefore be it RESOLVED, That the Board of Public Works hereby denies Mr. Carver’s request for expungement of the sidewalk assessment, and be it further RESOLVED, That staff be directed to insert the neighboring sidewalks in the Spencer Street area listed by Mr. Carver in the current sidewalk inspection program. Discussion followed on the floor. A vote on the resolution resulted as follows: Carried Unanimously B. Request for Expungement of Sidewalk Assessment - 425 East State Street By Commissioner Davidoff: Seconded by Commissioner Ehrhardt WHEREAS, Wilcox Press, owners of 425 East State Street received a sidewalk assessment for repairs done to the sidewalk, and WHEREAS, Wilcox Press, through their attorney Jim Miller, Esq., has stated that they have never maintained this property, which has been generally confirmed by staff, and WHEREAS, Wilcox Press feels that due to the topography of the land, the property at 425 East State Street does not abut the sidewalk and is requesting an expungement of the assessment, and WHEREAS, the Board of Public Works has received input from the City Attorney’s Office concerning this matter and recommends that the assessment remain; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the Board of Public Works hereby denies the request for expungement of the assessment. Discussion followed on the floor. A vote on the resolution resulted as follows: Carried Unanimously C. Request for Expungement of Sidewalk Assessment - 405 S. Albany Street By Commissioner Davidoff: Seconded by Commissioner Ehrhardt WHEREAS, Ernest Hauser, owner of 405 South Albany Street, received a sidewalk assessment for replacement of the sidewalk and driveway apron, and WHEREAS, Mr. Hauser feels that based on the fact that the previous owners were notified of the work to be done and that he was not informed, he should not be responsible for the work; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the Board of Public Works has reviewed the request along with recommendation from staff, and be it further November 13, 1996 - Page 3 RESOLVED, That the board accepts staff’s recommendation to expunge the driveway apron portion of the walk since the original notice did not indicate that it needed replacement, and be it further RESOLVED, That the City Chamberlain issue Mr. Hauser a new bill which reflects the change. Discussion followed on the floor. A vote on the resolution resulted as follows: Carried Unanimously 15. TRAFFIC ITEMS: A. Request for One-Way Traffic on South Hill Terrace By Commissioner Ehrhardt: Seconded by Commissioner Davidoff WHEREAS, the Board of Public Works received a request to make the 100 block of South Hill Terrace between Hillview and South Cayuga Street one-way south-west, and WHEREAS, the request was reviewed by the Traffic Sub-committee following the policy for traffic procedures, and WHEREAS, input has been requested from residents (generally positive), IPD (negative) and IFD (negative); now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the Board of Public Work hereby grants the request for a 90 day trial period to convert the 100 block of South Hill Terrace between Hillview and South Cayuga Street to one-way south-west, and be it further RESOLVED, That staff be directed to alert the public and affected city departments of the change. Amending Resolution By Commissioner Ehrhardt: Seconded by Commissioner Smith RESOLVED, that the words “for a 90 day trial period” be removed from the first RESOLVED clause. Discussion followed on the floor. A vote on the amending resolution resulted as follows: Failed (2-4) Ayes (2): Seligmann, Ehrhardt Nays (4): Smith, Reeves, Davidoff, Cohen Main Motion Discussion followed on the floor. A vote on the resolution resulted as follows: Carried Unanimously The board returned to the regular order of business at this time. B. Approval of Installation of “Roundabout” at University/Lake/Willard By Commissioner Ehrhardt: Seconded by Commissioner Reeves WHEREAS, the Traffic Systems Engineer has designed a “roundabout” for the intersection of University/Lake/Willard in preparation for reconstruction of the intersection during Cornell’s Lake Source Cooling Project, and WHEREAS, the new design is expected to increase safety for vehicles as well as pedestrians and act as a traffic calming device, and WHEREAS, the Traffic Systems Engineer temporarily installed pylons for a test run and found that traffic flows smoothly through the area, and WHEREAS, the Traffic Sub-committee has reviewed the design as well as input from Fire (negative) and Police Departments (wait and see) and Bicycle Advisory Commission (not response to date), and WHEREAS, the board would like to review the operation of the proposed design in light of concerns raised by IFD and others; now, therefore be it RESOLVED, That the Board of Public Works has reviewed the design along with input and approves of the installation for a 90-day trial period of the “roundabout” at the intersection of University/Lake/Willard. Extensive discussion followed on the floor. The board agreed to try the “roundabout” concept at another location. A vote on the resolution resulted as follows: Failed (0-6) Nays (6): Seligmann, Smith, Ehrhardt, Reeves, Davidoff, Cohen 16. CREEKS, BRIDGES AND PARKS: 17. ADMINISTRATION AND COMMUNICATIONS ITEMS: A. Holiday Meeting Schedule By Commissioner Reeves: Seconded by Commissioner Davidoff RESOLVED, That the Board of Public Works hereby adopts the following for the holidays during November, December and January: November 6 COW 13 Regular November 13, 1996 - Page 4 20 COW 27 No Meeting December 4 COW 11 Regular 18 COW January 8 COW A vote on the resolution resulted as follows: Carried Unanimously 18. WATER, SEWER AND SOLID WASTE ITEMS: A. Request for Expungement of Water and Sewer Bill - Nates Floral Estates By Commissioner Seligmann: Seconded by Commissioner Davidoff WHEREAS, the Board of Public Works has received a request for expungement of an upcoming water and sewer bill for Nates Floral Estates, and WHEREAS, on October 18, 1996, Nates’ experienced a water break and lost several thousand of gallons of water, and WHEREAS, staff presented the board with a resolution from 1984 passed by the BPW stating that all future water and sewer bills would be the responsibility of Nates Floral Estates; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the Board of Public Works denies the request based on the review of the history and the current situation concerning the water and sewer bill at Nates Floral Estates, and be it further RESOLVED, That the City Chamberlain issue the fourth quarter bill based on the reading to be taken in December. Discussion followed on the floor. A vote on the resolution resulted as follows: Failed (0-5-1) Ayes (0): Nays (5): Seligmann, Smith, Ehrhardt, Reeves, Davidoff Abstentions (1): Cohen 19. REPORT OF SPECIAL COMMITTEES: Commissioner Ehrhardt reported on the following matters: • Planning Board approval of EIS for Wegman’s 20. REPORT OF BOARD LIAISONS: 21. UNFINISHED BUSINESS: 22. NEW BUSINESS: A. Power to Act On a motion by Commissioner Seligmann, seconded by Commissioner Smith, the board unanimously gave itself Power to Act on the Fall Creek Interceptor at its meeting of November 20, 1996. 23. ADJOURNMENT: On a motion by Commissioner Ehrhardt , seconded by Commissioner Smith , the meeting adjourned at 6:00p.m. William Kaupe Alan J. Cohen Deputy City Clerk Mayor