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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMN-BPW-2001-12-12BOARD OF PUBLIC WORKS PROCEEDINGS CITY OF ITHACA, NEW YORK Regular Meeting 4:30 p.m. December 12, 2001 PRESENT: Mayor Cohen Commissioners (4) - Beach, Leonardo, Gutenberger, Korherr OTHERS PRESENT: Administrative Secretary – Payne Deputy City Controller - Thayer Superintendent of Public Works - Gray Assistant Superintendent of Streets and Facilities - Ferrel Assistant Superintendent of Water and Sewer – Fabbroni EXCUSED: Commissioner(s) Vargas-Mendez and Jenkins PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE: Mayor Cohen led all present in the Pledge of Allegiance to the American flag. ADDITIONS TO OR DELETIONS FROM THE AGENDA: Superintendent Gray requested that item 16A relating to the contract for services for the Plain Street bridge be added to the agenda. Commissioner Gutenberger requested that an update on the Environmental Engineer position be added to the agenda under new business. No board member objected. COMMUNICATIONS AND HEARINGS OF PERSONS BEFORE THE BOARD: David Nutter, City of Ithaca, spoke in reference to the Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Committee’s recommendations for the 6 Point Plan. The general recommendations included inexpensive striping for safety reasons, installation of sidewalks along the length of Elmira Road, installation of sidewalks during future projects on both sides of the streets, installation of permanent crosswalks, incorporation of pedestrian as well as bicycle activated lighted crosswalks and the overall implementation of the Bike Plan striping along route 13 as the work proceeds. RESPONSE TO THE PUBLIC Superintendent Gray suggested that the Board of Public Works review the Cornell University permanent crosswalks and noted that they are functional but can be costly. Mayor Cohen noted that the brick layout would prevent shifting. The Herringbone pattern allows for less movement as seen in other installations in the Northeast where similar weather conditions exist. He added that the old Elmira Road striping idea may be short term in planning and feasibility should be addressed next Spring. Open Public Hearing: Collegetown Special Benefit Assessment District By Commissioner Beach; Seconded by Commissioner Korherr RESOLVED, That the Board of Public Works open the public hearing portion of the meeting to allow the public to speak on the topic of the Collegetown Special Benefit Assessment District. Carried Unanimously No one from the public appeared to speak. Board of Public Works – December 12, 2001 - Page 2 Close Public Hearing: Collegetown Special Benefit Assessment District By Commissioner Beach; Seconded by Commissioner Korherr RESOLVED, That the Board of Public Works close the public hearing portion of the meeting. Carried Unanimously BUILDINGS, PROPERTIES, TRANSIT: Award of Bid for 254 Floral Avenue Building Demolition By Commissioner Leonardo; Seconded by Gutenberger WHEREAS, the property at 254 Floral Avenue, owned by the city is being demolished by the Ithaca Urban Renewal Agency, and WHEREAS, the city and IURA will share the funding of the project, and WHEREAS, bids were received on November 27, 2001 and reviewed by staff; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the demolition of 254 Floral Avenue be awarded to Diversified Developers, 18A Cherry Street, Phoenix, NY 13135 for their low bid of $21,000.00, and be it further RESOLVED, That the board authorizes the Superintendent of Public Works to enter into an agreement with Diversified Developers. ` Carried Unanimously Collegetown Special Benefit Assessment District By Commissioner Beach: Seconded by Commissioner Korherr RESOLVED, That the Board of Public Works adopts the Collegetown Special Benefit Assessment District charges for 2002 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, and be it further RESOLVED, those staffs distribute a copy of the 2002 detailed assessment schedule for the public to review. For the record, Mayor Cohen noted that two Board of Public Works Commissioners are property owners that are directly affected by the assessment. He added that the Board does not play a role in determining the actual assessment amounts therefore a conflict of interest does not exist. The assessment is already configured and there is no discretionary power that the Board of Public Works has to change the assessments to the individual properties. A vote on the resolution resulted as follows: Carried Unanimously HIGHWAYS, STREETS, SIDEWALK: Emergency Repairs to Stewart Avenue Bridge Sidewalks By Commissioner Gutenberger: Seconded by Commissioner Beach WHEREAS, due to rapid changes in the sidewalk on the Stewart Avenue Bridge staff has recommended emergency repairs; now, therefore be it RESOLVED, That the Board of Public Works hereby declares that the sidewalk on the Stewart Avenue Bridge is in need of emergency repairs, and be it further RESOLVED, That the board requests that Common Council authorize funding in the amount of $15,000 for these repairs, and be it further Board of Public Works – December 12, 2001 - Page 3 RESOLVED, That the board grants themselves power to act at the January 2, 2002 Committee of the Whole meeting for the award of bid of this project if required. Carried Unanimously PARKING AND TRAFFIC Request for Four-Hour Parking at Beverly J. Martin School By Commissioner Korherr; Seconded by Commissioner Beach WHEREAS, representatives from the Beverly J. Martin School have requested trial changes to the parking regulations to allow for longer short term parking, and WHEREAS, staff feels that there is adequate parking in the area around the school to serve both the long term and short term parking needs of several school and public service buildings as well as the residential neighborhood, and WHEREAS, staff feels that the requested change will not resolve the problem outlined by the school representatives and may adversely impact the residences and the short term parking needs of the schools and public service agencies as well as creating enforcement problems for the Police Department; now, therefore be it RESOLVED, That the Board of Public Works hereby agrees to a trial period of four-hour parking in front of the Beverly J. Martin School to accommodate medium term parking. Mayor Cohen noted that the poles are installed and that this resolution addresses the changing of the faceplates. He added that this action would show good faith on the part of the City to work with the school district to assist them with their traffic concerns. Amending Resolution By Commissioner Gutenberger; Seconded by Commissioner Beach RESOLVED, That the resolved clause be amended to read as follows: "RESOLVED, That the Board of Public Works hereby agrees to a trial period to terminate on June 30, 2002 which would include four hour parking in front of the Beverly J. Martin School on the 300 block of Albany Street to accommodate medium term parking”. Carried Unanimously Main Motion As Amended A vote on the main motion as amended resulted as follows: Carried Unanimously Power to Act for Green Street Garage By Commissioner Leonardo: Seconded by Commissioner Gutenberger RESOLVED, That the Board of Public Works gives itself Power to Act at its meeting of December 19, 2001 on a resolution concerning capital improvements to the Green Street Garage. Carried Unanimously A discussion relating to the demolition of the Green Street Parking Garage followed. Mayor Cohen noted that Common Council is contemplating the idea of demolishing the existing structure and replacing it with a new parking garage. The Cayuga Green Project calls for the construction of two additional floors to the existing structure which would add in excess of 400 parking spaces. The project cost of building new is only slightly higher than adding floors to the existing structure however the useful life is extended by almost 50 years. Board of Public Works – December 12, 2001 - Page 4 CREEKS, BRIDGES, AND PARKS Award of Contract for Engineering Services to South Plain Street Bridge By Commissioner Beach; Seconded by Commissioner Korherr WHEREAS, proposals were received on December 12, 2001 for the consulting engineer services for the Plain Street Bridge, and WHEREAS, staff has reviewed the proposals and recommends that the Board award the contract to McFarland-Johnson; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the Board of Public Works hereby awards the consulting engineering services for the Plain Street Bridge to McFarland-Johnson, Binghamton, New York for their proposal of $105,000.00, and be it further RESOLVED, That funds be used from Capital Project 447, and be it further RESOLVED, That the Superintendent of Public Works be authorized to enter into an agreement with McFarland-Johnson. Superintendent Gray stated his desire to have McFarland-Johnson supply the City with a staffing matrix that would ensure that their level of efforts are adequate to complete the project. Commissioner Leonardo asked for a definition of construction support services. Superintendent Gray noted that their current proposal includes their availability to answer questions as the project proceeds as well as provisions for stopping the project if needed. On site inspections would still need to be conducted at an additional expense. Construction inspections can cost up to $ 90,000 and sharing the support services between City projects can net substantial savings. Commissioner Korherr questioned the ability to have this service performed in-house rather than outsourcing. Superintendent Gray stated that the staff is capable, however, other current projects would have to be postponed. NYSDOT has pin pointed other safety projects that are time sensitive and since staff time is limited, delaying this project is not an option. A vote on the resolution resulted as follows: Carried Unanimously NEW BUSINESS: Environmental Engineer Search Superintendent Gray stated that the Department of Human Resources has received 22 applications for the position of Environmental Engineer. The hiring process should continue through the typical stages of applicant evaluation, interviewing, and final selection. Mayor Cohen confirmed that New York State Law requires that the Civil Service representative for the City review the applications to ensure that the applicants are qualified to serve in the Civil Service position. Superintendent Gray noted that the next level of applicant scrutiny would come from the specific department staff that would be supervising the work of the individual. Assistant Superintendent Fabbroni stated that his projection for placement would be late February 2002. Ithaca Journal Public Works Accomplishments Superintendent Gray stated that he has compiled a list of items that he wishes to have shared with the public. The Board agreed that everyone should endorse the list and that they would ask Alderperson Hershey to draft the wording. Board of Public Works – December 12, 2001 - Page 5 Cayuga Street Bridge Renovation Commissioner Beach noted that there are two major track events that are impacted by the renovation and closing of the North Cayuga Street Bridge. He has notified the Directors of both the Ithaca 5 & 10 and Pud’s Run to give them advance notice so that they can alter their race courses. Ithaca has been designated as the host for the 2002 New York State 5 & 10 Championship. The High School will still be used as the start and finish but the course will have to shift to avoid the construction. High Profile Vehicle Restriction near Driveways Commissioner Beach stated that he has been aware of many instances where drivers backing out of driveways have unknowingly been the cause of accidents. Taller vehicles parked at either side of the driveway opening may block the driver’s field of vision. Commissioner Beach was interested in evaluating the option of adopting a high profile vehicle restriction near driveways. Superintendent Gray stated that vehicle and traffic laws prevent drivers from parking too close to driveways and perhaps this reflects poor judgement. Mayor Cohen stated that the property owner could ask the City to install signs stating “No parking between signs” at the property owners expense to avoid accidents from occurring. REPORTS OF SUPERINTENDENT AND STAFF: Assistant Superintendent Ferrel reported to the Board on the following matters: The asphalt plant was open until mid-November and the construction crews were busy up until then. The Highway crew split night and day shifts on November 19, 2001 for leaf pick-up and street debris. Additional diverters were installed and were removed by vandals. Alternative styles should be evaluated. While the installation was taking place, drivers stopped and asked the City crews to move their vehicle so that they could travel through the area. Parks and Forestry crews have completed their Fall planting of 140 trees. NYSEG paid for the West State Street plantings. 20 donated trees were planted around the Stewart Park flag pole and the North End of Neptune Park in memory of those that lost their lives on September 11. Neptune Park, located adjacent to the Sciencenter, still needs to be formally named by the Board of Public Works. Holiday lighting is in place. DPW Children’s Christmas Party will be held on December 16, 2001. The Cascadilla Creek Wall between Monroe and Madison Streets has fallen into the creek. In order to rebuild the wall, excavation to the road needs to occur once the state permits have been issued. This work will be attempted over the winter months. Commissioner Korherr expressed his congratulations to Deputy Controller Thayer on his future promotion. ADJOURNMENT: On a motion the meeting adjourned at 6:00 p.m. Robin L. Korherr Alan J. Cohen Board of Public Works – December 12, 2001 - Page 6 Deputy City Clerk Mayor