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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMN-BPW-2001-02-14BOARD OF PUBLIC WORKS PROCEEDINGS CITY OF ITHACA, NEW YORK Regular Meeting 4:30 p.m. February 14, 2001 PRESENT: Mayor Cohen Commissioners (4) - Beach, Leonardo, Vargas-Mendez, Gutenberger OTHERS PRESENT: Deputy Clerk – Korherr Deputy City Controller - Thayer Superintendent of Public Works - Gray Assistant Superintendent of Streets and Facilities - Ferrel EXCUSED: Commissioner(s) Korherr, Jenkins PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE: Vice Chair Leonardo led all present in the Pledge of Allegiance to the American flag. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Approval of the Minutes of the January 10, 2001 Board of Public Works Meeting By Commissioner Leonardo: Seconded by Commissioner Gutenberger RESOLVED, That the Minutes of the January 10, 2001 Board of Public Works meeting be approved as published. Carried Unanimously ADDITIONS TO OR DELETIONS FROM THE AGENDA: Superintendent Gray requested that the following items be added to the agenda. Item 17A Award of Bid: Belt Filter Press Item 18C Power to Act: Abandonment of Old Taughannock Boulevard No board member objected. BUILDINGS, PROPERTIES, TRANSIT: Award of Bid for IPD Plumbing Modifications By Commissioner Beach :Seconded by Commissioner Gutenberger WHEREAS, bids were receive don January 30, 2001 for the Ithaca Police Department Plumbing Modifications, and WHEREAS, staff is recommending that the low bidder be awarded the bid; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the Board of Public Works hereby awards the Ithaca Police Department Plumbing Modifications to Collins and Walton, 1525 Lake Street, Elmira, New York 14091 for their low bid of $47,623.00, and be it further RESOLVED, That the board authorizes the Superintendent of Public Works to enter into an agreement with Collins and Walton. Carried Unanimously Request for Easement at 109 Vinegar Hill Road By Commissioner Gutenberger :Seconded by Commissioner Beach WHEREAS, it was recently discovered that a porch on the property at 109 Vinegar Hill Road, owned by Alice Testut, encroaches approximately three feet into the City right-of-way; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the Board of Public Works hereby grants an easement agreement to Ms. Alice Testut, property owner of 109 Vinegar Hill Road, and be it further Board of Public Works – February 14, 2001 - Page 2 RESOLVED, That the Mayor be authorized to enter into an agreement with Ms. Testut with the usual terms and conditions, including a one year revocable notice. Carried Unanimously Award of Bid for Commons Waste Receptacles By Commissioner Leonardo :Seconded by Commissioner Beach WHEREAS, the Planning and Development Department received bids for new waste receptacles to be placed on the Commons, and WHEREAS, Planning staff has reviewed the bids and recommends that the bid be awarded to the lowest bidder; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the Board of Public Works hereby awards the bid of waste receptacles to be placed on the Commons to R.E. Woodson, Inc., 3520 Dewey Avenue, Rochester, NY 14616 for their low bid of $22,536.00, and be it further RESOLVED, That the Board of Public Works authorizes the Superintendent of Public Works to enter into an agreement with R.E. Woodson Inc. for the purchase of waste receptacles. An independent contractor through the Planning Department developed the bid and R.E. Woodson was the only company that submitted a bid that met the specifications. Superintendent Gray stated that he has never seen the design of this particular receptacle and that he has reminded the Planning Department that approval of the entire Commons renovation project is under the jurisdiction of the Board of Public Works. Superintendent Gray stated that he would draft a memo to the Planning Department stating that the waste receptacle item is tabled until the project is brought before the Board of Public Works. Motion to Table By Commissioner Leonardo :Seconded by Commissioner Beach RESOLVED, That the item be tabled. Carried Unanimously PARKING AND TRAFFIC Creation of Parking Meter Rate Sub-Committee By Commissioner Vargas-Mendez:Seconded by Commissioner Gutenberger RESOLVED, That the Board of Public Works hereby creates a sub- committee consisting of members of the board, DPW staff members, the City Chamberlain and representatives of the Ithaca Police Department to review the existing parking meter rates and to return to the board with a proposal for consideration. Carried Unanimously Superintendent Gray stated that the Traffic Engineer, City Chamberlain and staff from Streets and Facilities should be appointed to the committee. Commissioner Leonardo will work with Superintendent Gray to develop the committee’s membership and mission. WATER AND SEWER Award of Bid for Belt Filter Press By Commissioner Beach :Seconded by Commissioner Vargas-Mendez WHEREAS, bids were received on December 20, 2000 for a Belt Filter Press, and WHEREAS, staff reviewed the bids with the consulting engineer and required the low bidder to do on site performance tests, which the equipment passed, and now staff recommends that the bid be awarded to the low bidder; now, therefore, be it Board of Public Works – February 14, 2001 - Page 3 RESOLVED, That the Board of Public Works hereby awards the bid for a Belt Filter Press to Roediger Pillsburgh, Inc, 3812 Route 8, Alison Park, PA 15101 for their low bid of $170,935.00, and be it further RESOLVED, That the Assistant Superintendent for Water and Sewer be authorized to enter into an agreement with Roediger Pillsburgh, Inc. Carried Unanimously Superintendent Gray noted that a belt filter press is involved in the processing of sludge at the Water and Sewer plant and that the part carries a five year warranty. ADMINISTRATION AND COMMUNICATIONS ITEMS: Adoption of Revised Drug and Alcohol Testing Policy By Commissioner Gutenberger :Seconded by Commissioner Beach WHEREAS, the Board of Public Works adopted the current drug and alcohol policy in December, 1995 in response to federal legislation mandating the program, and WHEREAS, it has recently come to staff’s attention following a federal program audit that the policy statement must be drafted so that federal requirement and local policy are distinctly separate rather than intermingled as they currently are; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the Board of Public Works hereby adopts the revised Drug and Alcohol Testing Policy as presented at their meeting on February 7, 2001 and as attached to this resolution. Carried Unanimously Mayor Cohen arrived at the meeting at 5:15 pm. Approval of Revisions to Chapter 331, Garbage, Trash and Weeds By Commissioner Leonardo :Seconded by Commissioner Beach WHEREAS, the Board of Public Works has been presented with proposed changes to the City Code, Chapter 331 which were developed as part of coordinated changes to chapter 196, Garbage, Rubbish and Refuse and Chapter 325, Zoning, and WHEREAS, the Board has reviewed the proposed changes; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the Board of Public Works adopts the following proposed changes, to Chapter 331: SECTION 1. The last sentence of Chapter 331, Section 331- 1A, entitled “Cutting required; exception,” is hereby amended as follows: Cutting of grass every three weeks from May to October 1 of each year shall be deemed compliance with this section, provided, however, that the property owner must also comply with the requirements of Code Sections 325-23B(2)(c)[5] and [6]. SECTION 2. Chapter 331, Section 331-9, entitled “Placement for collection,” is hereby amended as follows: No person shall place any newspaper, loose paper, rubbish, rags or other trash or refuse at or near any curb, sidewalk or street for purposes of collection unless the same is contained in containers with tight- fitting covers [or is securely bundled and tied to prevent scattering] or, in the case of recyclables, is properly prepared and placed at curbside in a manner consistent with this Code and county and state laws, rules and regulations. SECTION 3. Chapter 331, Section 331-10A, entitled “Collection requirements,” is hereby amended as follows: Duty. It shall be the duty of all householders to place garbage at the Board of Public Works – February 14, 2001 - Page 4 curb before 5:30 a.m. on the day designated for collection. There will be no call-backs. Such garbage shall be in [metal] cans made of metal, plastic or other suitable material, with tight-fitting covers, with handles on the top and sides, and shall not exceed [22] 32 gallons capacity. [, or shall be securely tied in plastic bags.] The loaded [metal] cans shall not exceed 100 pounds net weight. All material shall flow freely from the can. Such collections will be made weekly in the residential areas and bi-weekly in the business districts. The designated day for any area shall be ascertained by inquiry at the office of the Superintendent of Public Works. A Vote on the Main Motion Resulted as follows: Ayes: (0) Nays: (4) Commissioner(s) Beach, Vargas-Mendez, Leonardo, Gutenberger Abstention: Mayor Cohen Motion Failed Asst. Superintendent Ferrel stated that the costs involved with the implementation of this ordinance are not currently available. Commissioner Beach expressed his interest in determining whether Common Council would invest in the increased costs of implementation. Commissioner Gutenberger noted that use of plastic bags inside of the waste container is not described in the ordinance as an option. Superintendent Gray noted that the Board of Public Works could develop their own language to alter the ordinance. Power to Act for February 21, 2001 COW Meeting By Commissioner Leonardo :Seconded by Commissioner Gutenberger WHEREAS, the Board of Public Works informally discussed the issue of abandoning a portion of Taughannock Boulevard to transform it into a parking area, and WHEREAS, the board must hold a public hearing in order to abandon a street; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the Board of Public Works hereby grants itself power to act at it’s meeting on February 21, 2001 so it may schedule a public hearing during the month of March, 2001. Following discussion, Commissioner Leonardo and Commissioner Gutenberger withdrew this motion. Call for Public Hearing By Commissioner Leonardo: Seconded by Commissioner Vargas-Mendez WHEREAS, the Board of Public Works informally discussed the issue of abandoning a portion of Taughannock Boulevard to transform it into a parking area, and WHEREAS, the Board must hold a public hearing in order to abandon a street; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the Board of Public Works holds a public hearing at their March 14, 2001 voting meeting. Carried Unanimously REPORTS OF SUPERINTENDENT AND STAFF: Superintendent Gray reported to the board on the following matters: The Department of Public Works will be issuing a public notice to the residents affected by the Linn Street bridge construction project. Construction will begin at the end of the February, 2001. Residents will be notified that the street closure will be for an extended period of time. He noted that the contract Board of Public Works – February 14, 2001 - Page 5 completion date is May 24, 2001. The penalties for non-completion as described in the contract are costly to the contractor. The pedestrian bridge over Route 13 at Buttermilk Falls State Park will go out to bid in the Spring of 2001. A multi-year evaluation of City buildings including current and future usage will be completed during 2001 and this data will be used for future budget requests. The February 21, 2001 Committee of the Whole meeting will be cancelled due to the lack of a quorum and the Clerk’s Office will notify the media of the cancellation. Asst. Superintendent Ferrel reported to the Board on the following items: The Commons fountain construction is underway. The old structure has been removed. A crew is currently removing debris from the banks of the flood relief channel at Cecil Malone Drive. Grant money through the Soil and Water Conservation District is available for funding the cleanup. His office will apply and perhaps receive reimbursement for 1/3 of the cost. The Parks and Forestry division will be removing the debris from Six Mile Creek. Commissioner Beach inquired as to the timeline for the completion of Triangle Park. Asst. Superintendent Ferrel stated that the work may begin as early as next week. The increase in parking lot revenue is due to the extended hours time slot. The 2 hour free parking losses are offsetting gains made during the extended hours. The lots are being used more frequently as a result so the meter revenue is down. A closer evaluation of the decision to continue the 2 hour free parking should take place. The 2001 golf course rates should be discussed during the March meeting since the course opening will take place the beginning of April. Deputy Controller Thayer stated that credit card usage should be authorized for the 2001 season. He will provide an update at the next meeting. ADJOURNMENT: On a motion the meeting adjourned at 5:45 p.m. Robin L. Korherr Alan J. Cohen Deputy City Clerk Mayor