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Home My WebLink AboutMN-BPW-2002-09-18BOARD OF PUBLIC WORKS PROCEEDINGS CITY OF ITHACA, NEW YORK Regular Meeting 4:45 p.m. September 18, 2002 PRESENT: Mayor Cohen Commissioners (5) - Leonardo, Tsegaye, Gutenberger, Jenkins, Dotson OTHERS PRESENT: Deputy Clerk – Korherr City Controller - Thayer Superintendent of Public Works - Gray Assistant Superintendent of Streets and Facilities - Ferrel Assistant Superintendent of Water and Sewer - Fabbroni Common Council Liaison - Hershey EXCUSED: Commissioner Beach PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE: Mayor Cohen led all present in the Pledge of Allegiance to the American flag. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Approval of the Minutes of the May 15, 2002 and June 12, 2002 Board of Public Works Meetings By Commissioner Leonardo: Seconded by Commissioner Jenkins RESOLVED, That the Minutes of the May 15, 2002 and June 12, 2002 Board of Public Works meetings be approved as published. Carried Unanimously BUILDINGS, PROPERTIES, TRANSIT: Request for Expungement of Recycling Violation By Commissioner Leonardo :Seconded by Commissioner Gutenberger WHEREAS, Robert and Linda Terry, owners of 516 East Buffalo Street, received several recycling violations at their property, covering the period of January to April 2002, and WHEREAS, the Terry's feel that they were not provided adequate time in order to deduct the violation from the tenant's deposit or correct the behavior, and WHEREAS, the violations were issued in April allowing opportunity to receive the money from the student tenant; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the Board of Public Works hereby denies the request for expungement of the four recycling violations incurred at 516 East Buffalo Street property because the Board feels there was adequate time to settle the issue with the tenant, and be it further RESOLVED, That in accordance with a prior policy set by the Board after discussions with the landlord's association the board encourages the Terry's to contact the department to research outstanding bills in the future, prior to paying the deposit to their tenants, and be it further, RESOLVED, That the Board directs staff to keep the billing periods as short as staffing and work load allows. Carried Unanimously Board of Public Works – September 18, 2002 - Page 2 HIGHWAYS, STREETS, SIDEWALK: Approval for Power to Act on Award of Bid for Inlet Island Promenade Commissioner Gutenberger :Seconded by Comissioner Jenkins RESOLVED, That the Board of Public Works hereby grants itself Power to Act at its Committee of the Whole meeting on October 2, 2002 to award the bid for the Inlet Island Promenade. Carried Unanimously Authorization to Proceed With West Spencer Street Design By Commissioner Tsegaye: Seconded by Commissioner Leonardo WHEREAS, Common Council has adopted a Capital Project for the reconstruction of West Spencer Street, from South Cayuga Street to South Albany Street as part of the city's Six Point Plan, and has encourage the Board of Public Works to proceed with the work as rapidly as possible, and WHEREAS, staff from the City Engineer's Office and the Office of Planning and Development have received and reviewed six proposals for design services for the reconstruction of West Spencer Street, now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the Board authorizes the Superintendent of Public Works to execute a contract for professional design services through bidding for the reconstruction of West Spencer Street including the intersections at South Cayuga and Albany/Old Elmira Road with the firm of Sear-Brown of DeWitt, New York for a fee of $118,304 and additional reimbursable costs (soil exploration, appraisals, additional survey, non-salary costs, etc.) not to exceed $25,000 with funds to be derived from Capital Project # 447. Mayor Cohen stated that public input should be incorporated into the resolution. Commissioner Dotson expressed her desire to have non-residential areas be prioritized equally to that of residential planning. A discussion relating to specific projects and the areas affected followed. Superintendent Gray confirmed that this resolution solely supports the design phase. Amending Resolution By Mayor Cohen :Seconded by Commissioner Leonardo RESOLVED, That the following language be added: “RESOLVED, That the Board directs staff to incorporate into the project planning process a public input component similar to the one used for the Plain Street Bridge project.” Carried Unanimously Main Motion as Amended A vote on the main motion as amended resulted as follows: Ayes: (5) Cohen, Leonardo, Gutenberger, Jenkins, Tsegaye Nays: (1) Dotson Carried NEW BUSINESS: 2002 Meeting Schedule Mayor Cohen confirmed that the Board would meet on the following dates throughout 2002: October 2, 9, 16, 2002; November 6, 13, 20, 2002; December 4, 11, 18, 2002 REPORT OF SPECIAL COMMITTEES: Bridge Designation Sub-Committee: Commissioner Tsegaye reported that he has forwarded a list of the City bridges to the City Historian. He added that she is interested in working on developing the criterion for naming the bridges. On October 8, 2002 a meeting will be held at Southside Community Center to begin planning efforts. Board of Public Works – September 18, 2002 - Page 3 REPORTS OF SUPERINTENDENT AND STAFF: Assistant Superintendent Ferrel reported to the Board on the following matters: Road work, including paving, is occurring at the following locations: East State Street, Kelvin Place, Prospect Street, Ridgedale Road, Woodcrest Avenue, North Cayuga Street. Parks and Forestry work includes the following projects: trimming foliage around signs, debris clearing around school zones, fallen trees caused by high winds, mowing efforts at Cass and Stewart Parks. DPW has been experiencing problems with recycling efforts in Collegetown. The department has created a banner to promote public awareness but staff has yet to come up with an appropriate location to hang it. Several retirements have put additional burdens on the remaining staff to complete projects. Superintendent Gray reported to the Board on the following matters: Assistant Superintendent Ferrell has asked the City to fund a new hoist. 19 pieces of obsolete equipment were sold at the municipal public auction recently. The Engineering Office will be performing an analysis of emergency lighting at the City garages. In addition, he recommends that the elevators in the Seneca Street garage be replaced. During this project, a glass carriage could be placed to allow for day or streetlight thus providing a safer environment. Several private sector downtown projects will be occurring simultaneously of which the City’s involvement is instrumental to the success of each. Commissioner Tsegaye suggested that Planner Logue be asked to educate the Board on the recent grant rejection for the Northside Neighborhood project. Bridge repair is occurring at the following bridges: North Cayuga Street, Thurston Avenue, and Stewart Avenue. Much of the funding for these projects has been authorized through TIPS funds (Transportation Improvement Program). Superintendent Gray stated that the City would be forced to hire a project management company to provide assistance in the event that City staffs are not sufficient in number to complete projects. A discussion relating to the current SJS team building efforts followed. Superintendent Gray reported that the City has built scientific prowess and developed knowledge bases that have allowed the City to pull in $ 450,000 in grant funds. Assistant Superintendent Fabbroni stated that others in the industry lack the knowledge to provide basic operational support to the facilities and community. SJS discussions have convinced staff that committee consensus would occur only if the City provided the basic support to the facilities. The fact that staffs are trained in state of the art technology is of no importance to representatives outside of the City. The SJS committee is unwilling to pay for that knowledge base. Superintendent Gray added that, from his perspective, the future of the Bolton Point merger is bleak. Assistant Superintendent Fabbroni reported to the Board on the following matters: Board of Public Works – September 18, 2002 - Page 4 Completing the N. Titus Ave. project has required the City to rent trucks and drivers, which becomes costly when City owned equipment is sitting idle. Southwest Park development has brought new engineering inquiries to the department list of priorities. The Cayuga Green project and water main work would require future negotiations to determine financial responsibility. The West Hill water tank is currently out of service. Temporary repairs are being developed and the cost to complete the project is estimated at $ 2 million. Short-term staffing problems are extremely problematic. Further discussion regarding the SJS discussions followed. Commissioner Leonardo expressed his desire to increase City participation in the negotiation process and have Board representatives to the committee attend the meetings at the Town of Ithaca Hall. ADJOURNMENT: On a motion the meeting adjourned at 6:30 p.m. Robin L. Korherr Alan J. Cohen Deputy City Clerk Mayor