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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMN-BPW-2003-07-09BOARD OF PUBLIC WORKS PROCEEDINGS CITY OF ITHACA, NEW YORK Regular Meeting 4:45 p.m. July 9, 2003 PRESENT: Mayor Cohen Commissioners (5) - Beach, Gutenberger, Jenkins, Dotson, Tsegaye OTHERS PRESENT: Administrative Secretary - Payne Superintendent of Public Works - Gray Assistant Superintendent of Streets and Facilities - Ferrel Assistant Superintendent of Water and Sewer - Fabbroni Common Council Liaison - Hershey City Controller - Thayer EXCUSED: Commissioner Leonardo PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE: Mayor Cohen led all present in the Pledge of Allegiance to the American flag. SPECIAL ORDER OF BUSINESS: Thank You to Mary Gutenberger - Resolution By Mayor Cohen: Seconded by: Commissioner Beach WHEREAS, Mary Gutenberger was appointed to the Board of Public Works in 1997, and WHEREAS, during Mary’s tenure the Board established the Residential Parking Permit System, approved several bridge rehabilitations, including Giles Street, Six Mile Creek, Linn Street and Cascadilla Creek, North Cayuga Street, Fall Creek and Plain Street as well as major street reconstructions such as West State Street and laid out ground work for major improvements to the Water Treatment Plant and Waste Water Treatment Plant, and WHEREAS, Mary also gave her time to represent the City on the SJS Committee to negotiate a new sewer contract and to see that improvements were made to the Ithaca Area Wastewater Treatment Plant, and her wonderful work on the golf course over the years, now therefore be it RESOLVED, That the Board of Public Works hereby thanks Mary Gutenberger for her years of dedication to the Board and the City of Ithaca and be it further RESOLVED, That the Board wishes to show their appreciation for Mary’s tenacity to see that decisions were made for the good of the community. Carried Unanimously Mayor Cohen left the meeting at 4:55 p.m. and Commissioner Beach acted as Chair for the remainder of the meeting. Commissioner Dotson arrived at the meeting at 4:55 p.m. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Approval of May 14, 2003 Regular Board of Public Works meeting minutes - Resolution By Commissioner Beach: Seconded by Commissioner Gutenberger RESOLVED, That the May 14, 2003 Regular Board of Public Works meeting minutes be approved as published. Ayes (4) Beach, Tsegaye, Gutenberger, Jenkins Nays (0) Abstentions (1) Dotson Carried July 9, 2003 2 Approval of June 11, 2003 Regular Board of Public Works meeting minutes - Resolution By Commissioner Beach: Seconded by Commissioner Gutenberger RESOLVED, That the June 11, 2003 Regular Board of Public Works meeting minutes be approved as published. Ayes (4) Beach, Tsegaye, Gutenberger, Jenkins Nays (0) Abstentions (1) Dotson Carried Approval of June 18, 2003 Committee of the Whole of the Board of Public Works meeting minutes - Resolution By Commissioner Beach: Seconded by Commissioner Gutenberger RESOLVED, That the June 18, 2003 Committee of the Whole of the Board of Public Works meeting minutes be approved as published. Ayes (4) Beach, Tsegaye, Gutenberger, Jenkins Nays (0) Abstentions (1) Dotson Carried Approval of June 19, 2003 Special Board of Public Works meeting minutes - Resolution By Commissioner Beach: Seconded by Commissioner Gutenberger RESOLVED, That the June 19, 2003 Special Board of Public Works meeting minutes be approved as published. Ayes (4) Beach, Tsegaye, Gutenberger, Jenkins Nays (0) Abstentions (1) Dotson Carried ADDITIONS TO OR DELETIONS FROM THE AGENDA: Superintendent Gray requested the addition of Item 18C entitled Power to Act - Improvements to the Albany/Spencer/Elmira Road Intersections No Commissioner objected COMMUNICATIONS Commissioner Beach stated that he has to leave the meeting at 6:15 p.m. if the meeting is not finished. COMMUNICATIONS AND HEARINGS FROM PERSONS BEFORE THE BOARD Adrienne Loh, 227 West Spencer Street, expressed her strong support for the work scheduled to be done at Albany Street/Old Elmira Road/Spencer Street intersection and keeping the rotary as part of the design plan. Casey Porter, 410 E. Yates Street, addressed the Board on behalf of the skateboard/bmx community regarding the Ithaca Skate Park. He expressed their appreciation for the community’s support and provision of the skate park, however, they feel that the skate park is lacking critical elements and could be improved. They would like to propose the construction of two new obstacles that would eliminate current dead zones of movement; one is a quarter pipe in the southeast corner; the other is a volcano or a multi-sided quarter pipe that would be located in the center of the park. They are willing to raise the money and provide the labor for these new obstacles. Materials are estimated to cost $1,000 which could be raised privately by locals and the labor would be on a volunteer basis by the users of the park, allowing people to take part and pride in their skate park. He further stated that garbage cans need to be either chained or intentionally installed as permanent obstacles to prevent trash in area since cans are often moved and used as obstacles. July 9, 2003 3 Dave Hopping, 9 Cliff Park Circle, Director of Youth Services at Salvation Army, addressed the Board regarding their request to have a canteen trailer attached to a minivan to hand out snacks and information at Skate Park to the youth. They’ve received a solicitation permit, but have since been informed that it is not the appropriate permit. He asked the Board for permission to administer this outreach program. Wilameena Piper, addressed the Board regarding her request for a reduction or expungement of a water bill in the amount of $1,700.00 for replacement of a pipe in front of her house at 908 ½ N. Cayuga Street. Fay Gougakis, 406 Utica Street, addressed the Board about the Fountain on The Commons, as it was tipped over again today. She voiced her concern about the cost of the maintenance of the fountain. She also addressed the Board regarding the widening of Route 13, and stated that the city should have gotten funding from other sources for this project. She further voiced her concern about the basketball hoop at the Cass Park pool, and lack of bike racks at Eckerd Drug Store. RESPONSE TO PUBLIC Commissioner Tsegaye responded to comments regarding the water bill for $1,700. He asked Superintendent Gray for his input on this matter, as it is not clear what occurred. Superintendent Gray requested that this item be referred to a sub-committee for information collection and discussion. The property owner will be notified when that item will be discussed so that they would have an opportunity to provide information. Commissioner Dotson responded to comments made regarding the Skate Park and the Salvation Army’s request for a canteen trailer. Superintendent Gray stated that this request should be referred to the Parks Commission for approval or recommendation. The Board asked that Superintendent Gray forward these issues to the Parks Commission for their input to the Board. Commissioner Jenkins responded to comments about the bike racks at Eckerds not being installed and whether or not the Pharmacy could be fined. Superintendent Gray stated that since this is private property, it would be up to the Building Department to investigate the matter. Commissioner Beach expressed his frustration over the lack of bike racks at Eckerds. He explained that since this matter had been brought to the Planning Board’s attention, all of the site plan resolutions indicate that the certificate of occupancy is contingent upon the installation of the bike racks by the developer. The City Building Department has the responsibility for ensuring that the item is completed before a certificate of occupancy is issued. Commissioner Dotson responded to concerns about costs of the West Spencer Street project, and the design plan. She also responded to comment about the fountain on the Commons. She further responded to comments made about the Route 13 widening and stated that it is helpful to have a community conversation about the funding of the project. She further suggested that reasonable people could, and have come to different conclusions about the City being able to wait longer in regard to the Meadow Street projects. Assistant Superintendent Ferrell stated that his crew is spending a great deal of time on the Commons due to increased vandalism. Superintendent Gray responded to comments about funding of the Route 13 project. The City has put this kind of project on the TIP, the State for all ten years that the City has been an MPO, resisted what they call capacity expansion projects because they have such a back log of bridges and safety related projects. While, the City has been applying for funding, it is his understanding that the City basically arrived at a point July 9, 2003 4 where it couldn’t wait any longer and the City knew that it did not have a reasonable prospect of seeing federal or state funds for this work anytime in the future. Council Liaison Hershey wanted the Board to know that there is a third mechanism to fund a major portion of the widening of Meadow Street and that is on the agenda tonight for Common Council, it’s called the Benefit Assessment District. He invited those concerned about the impact on the city’s overall tax base to support the BAD so that the City can in fact have the corporate interest that would most benefit from project and those improvements pay their fair share. Commissioner Tsegaye engaged Mr. Casey in a conversation about the skate park and how it compares to other skate parks. He explained that the City has provided a two million dollar property in an effort to provide a facility for this use. Mr. Casey reiterated that they are not asking the City for the money to build the two obstacles; they just want permission to do it. BUILDINGS, PROPERTIES, REFUSE AND TRANSIT A. Award of Bid for GIAC Boxing Room Floor and Counter Replacement – Resolution By Commissioner Gutenberger: Seconded by Commissioner Tsegaye WHEREAS, bids were received on July 1, 2003 for the GIAC boxing room floor and counter replacement, and WHEREAS, staff has reviewed the bids and recommends that the bid be awarded to the low bidder; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the Board of Public Works hereby awards the bid for the GIAC boxing room floor and counter replacement to McPherson Builders, 710 Willow Avenue, Ithaca, New York 14850 for their bid of $53,987.00, to be paid from CP 339 (Gym Renovations) and CP 423 (Code Compliance) and be it further RESOLVED, That the board authorizes the Superintendent to enter into an agreement with McPherson under the usual terms and conditions. Carried Unanimously CREEKS, BRIDGES AND PARKS A. Request For Use of Roller Sport Park - Resolution By Commissioner Tsegaye: Seconded by Commissioner Dotson WHEREAS, the Ithaca Youth Bureau has requested exclusive use of the roller sport park in Wood Street Park for a skateboard camp from August 18th until August 22nd; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the Board of Public Works hereby grants permission for the Ithaca Youth Bureau to hold a skateboard camp from August 18th until August 22 from 8:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. each day, and be it further RESOLVED, That the Youth Bureau will provide trash removal from the area upon completion of the camp each day and will post a notice a week prior at the roller sport park of the camp and the period when the park will not be available to the general public. Carried Unanimously WATER AND SEWER A. Award of Bid for Chemical Requirement - Resolution By Commissioner Jenkins: Seconded by Commissioner Gutenberger WHEREAS, bids were received on May 20, 2003 for liquid sulfur dioxide and liquid sodium hypochlorite, and WHEREAS, staff has reviewed the bids and recommends that the low bidder be awarded the bid; now, therefore, be it July 9, 2003 5 RESOLVED, That the Board of Public Works hereby awards the bid for liquid sulfur dioxide and liquid sodium hypochlorite to Bison Laboratories, 100 Leslie Street, Buffalo, NY 14211 for their low bid of $65,812.50, and be it further RESOLVED, That the Assistant Superintendent for Water and Sewer be authorized to enter in to an agreement with Bison Laboratories under the usual terms and conditions. Carried Unanimously (this resolution was repealed later in the meeting) B. Authorizing Sole Source Bidding for Actiflo Process for Tertiary Wastewater Treatment for the Ithaca Area Wastewater Treatment Plant Phosphorus Removal Project - Resolution By Commissioner Dotson: Seconded by Commissioner Jenkins WHEREAS, because of New York State Department of Environmental Conservation ("DEC") and United States Environmental Protection Agency ("EPA") rules and requirements, in order to continue to operate the Wastewater Treatment Plant in the City of Ithaca (the "City") operated for the benefit of the City and the Towns of Ithaca and Dryden (the "Towns") at IAWWTP (the "Plant") it is necessary to reduce the amount of phosphorus being discharged by the Plant from its outflow into Cayuga Lake to not more than .20 mg of phosphorus per liter of wastewater discharged on a twelve-month rolling average; and WHEREAS, the City Engineers as well as Stearns & Wheler, LLC, consulting engineers hired by the City and Towns, have studied a number of processes to attain the reductions in phosphorus levels required by the DEC and the EPA to try and find a process that will effect such reductions at a reasonable cost to the City and Towns; and WHEREAS, said engineers have concluded that only two processes, the Densadeg process and the Actiflo process are able to accomplish the required reduction at a realistic price; and WHEREAS, construction of a phosphorus removal facility adjacent to the Plant has to be done on piles to provide adequate support for the structure because of insufficiently stable soils; and WHEREAS, because using piles for support is extremely expensive, the footprint of any structure needs to be kept to the minimum size possible; and WHEREAS, the engineers have concluded that the Densadeg process is not feasible for the Plant because it would require construction of a considerably larger facility than would be required for the Actiflo process resulting in additional construction costs in excess of $1,000,000; and WHEREAS, the Actiflo process is a state of the art patented process and the only entity that possesses the rights to market and supply the process is Kruger Products of Cary, North Carolina; and WHEREAS, Stearns & Wheler, LLC and the City’s engineers have been involved with tests to confirm the efficacy of the Actiflo process and have negotiated a warranty from Kruger Products that the process will effect the required reduction in phosphorus in a manner that complies with the performance specifications prepared by Stearns & Wheler, LLC in a cost-effective manner; and WHEREAS, there does not appear to be any other process that can effect the required reduction in as small a facility and in as cost effective a manner as the Actiflo process; and WHEREAS, Stearns and Wheler, LLC and the City Engineers have negotiated with Kruger Products for a stipulated price that Kruger Products will supply to all bidders who bid on the Plant phosphorus removal project; and July 9, 2003 6 WHEREAS, Stearns & Wheler, LLC and the City engineers recommend that the Actiflo process be the only process considered for the phosphorus removal project at the Plant, that the City governing bodies authorize the bidding for such project to specify the Actiflo process as the only acceptable process, and that Kruger Products, being the only entity with the rights to supply such process, be designated as the sole source for the process; and now therefore, be it RESOLVED, That this board finds that (a) The Actiflo process is the current "state of the art" for reduction of phosphorus in the circumstances that presently pertain to the Plant; (b) No other process provides substantially equivalent or similar benefits at a reasonable cost; (c) The use of the Actiflo process is extremely cost effective given the cost of the process and the savings in construction costs by using a smaller addition to the Plant; (d) The sole provider of the Actiflo process is Kruger Products of Cary, NC; (e) The use of Kruger Products and the Actiflo process uniquely serves the public interest; and (f) It is in the best interests of the City and Towns for the contractors ultimately chosen to construct the phosphorus removal project at the Ithaca Area Wastewater Treatment Plant to use only the Actiflo phosphorus removal process as supplied by Kruger Products; and it is further RESOLVED, That this Board, in soliciting bids for the entire Phosphorus Removal Project specify the use of the Actiflo process and the contracting with Kruger Products of Cary, NC for the installation of such process; and it is further RESOLVED, That the City Engineers and/or the City’s consulting engineers are authorized and requested to prepare plans and specifications for such bids in a manner that complies with all requirements of Kruger Products for the installation of the Actiflo process, including the specification of such components as may be required by Kruger Products as a pre-condition to the granting of a warranty by Kruger Products that the Actiflo process, when installed in accordance with such plans and specifications, will meet the DEC and/or EPA requirements for phosphorus removal in the cost-effective manner represented by Kruger Products and as specified by the consulting engineers to the City; and it is further RESOLVED, That the City Engineer, and other officers and employees of the City are authorized to take such steps, to prepare such plans and specifications and other contract documents, to prepare a stipulated sum contract with Kruger Products to assure all bidders for the project will receive the same price for the Actiflo process, and to prepare and distribute any other documents, as any of them deem necessary or desirable to effectuate the intention of the foregoing resolutions, and be it further RESOLVED, That the action of the Board of Public Works is contingent on Common Council confirming the use of a sole source supplier by passage of a resolution. Extensive discussion followed on the floor regarding the selection process used to determine the sole source supplier and how the City of Ithaca’s requirements compare to other municipalities. Further discussion followed on what specifically the city’s requirements are and how they are met. A vote on the Resolution resulted as follows: Carried Unanimously July 9, 2003 7 ADMINISTRATION AND COMMUNICATIONS A. Call For a Public Hearing Concerning the Widening of Meadow Street and Eminent Domain Proceedings Resolution By Commissioner Beach: Seconded by Commissioner Jenkins RESOLVED, That a Public Hearing be held on July 30, 2003 at 4:45 p.m. to undertake eminent domain of properties in conjunction with the widening of Meadow Street. Ayes (4) Beach, Jenkins, Gutenberger, Tsegaye Nays (0) Abstention (1) Dotson Carried B. Power to Act – Award of Bid for South Meadow Street Bridge Widening - Resolution By Commissioner Gutenberger: Seconded by Commissioner Tsegaye RESOLVED, That the Board of Public Works hereby grants itself power to act at the July 16, 2003 Committee of the Whole for the award of bid for the South Meadow Street bridge widening. Carried Unanimously C. Power to Act – Improvements to the Albany/Spencer/Elmira Road Intersection - Resolution By Commissioner Tsegaye: Seconded by Commissioner Jenkins RESOLVED, That the Board of Public Works hereby grants itself power to act at the July 16, 2003 Committee of the Whole to amend Capital Project 376, Improvements to the Albany/Spencer/Elmira Road Intersection. Extensive discussion followed on the floor regarding the widening of West Spencer Street, the traffic circle, the cost of the project, and how the Board of Public Works will proceed to complete this project within budget. Further discussion followed on the size of the project, and the project time frame, and how recommendations would be made to increase the amount for the capital project. A vote on the Resolution resulted as follows: Carried Unanimously Commissioner Beach left the meeting at 6:18 p.m. Commissioner Gutenberger Chaired the remainder of the meeting City Controller Thayer stated that there should have been two bid awards for Item 17 - Water & Sewer; one for Amerex Chemical for Liquid Sulfur Dioxide, and the award that was made today to Bison Laboratories. Both bids were awarded to Bison, but they really should be separated. Resolution to Repeal a Resolution Entitled - Award of Bid for Chemical Requirement - Resolution By Commissioner Dotson: Seconded by Commissioner Gutenberger RESOLVED, That the resolution entitled Award of Bid for Chemical Requirement considered earlier in this meeting be hereby repealed and be it further RESOLVED, That the Board of Public Works be given Power to Act at the next Committee of the Whole meeting to consider two separate resolutions for the awards of bid. Carried Unanimously REPORTS: Assistant Superintendent of Water & Sewer Fabbroni reported on the following items: Baffle installation at Water Treatment Plant; work started on 7/8 and should be completed within a month. Electric Upgrade Work will be done at the Water Treatment Plant July 9, 2003 8 DEC performed a dam inspection; they informed the City that if there were improvement planned for the 60’ dam, it may be eligible for some bond act funding so that will be pursued. Water Shed Activities - five grants totaling nearly a half-million dollars that need to be moved along. Announcement by the Town of Ithaca and the subsequent action by them to approve a project for water service that would have a major impact on the City’s budget revenues. Chuck Baker is working on the update to the comprehensive plan for the Water Plant. The City is still talking with Cornell to try to clarify a few things before the updated report is published. The report outlines how the City would upgrade the water plant for the next fifty to seventy-five years. There are alot of improvements at the Waste Water Treatment Plant; including the phosphorus upgrade. That project will go out for bid tomorrow; bids will be opened on the 14th of August. This project will be a great improvement to the lake, and a personal tribute to former employee, Gary Gleason. Southwest Development - new sewer pump station 100 Block of West Green Street - re-build the sidewalk Hyers Street work almost complete; replaced water and sewer lines, which had collapsed. Assistant Superintendent of Streets and Facilities Ferrel reported on the following: Three highway related projects going on - Turner Street/South Cayuga Street - curb being set then base/binder; then onto Clinton Street for the widening of that Street. NYSEG has a pipe that they were planning on replacing next year that will be replaced this year. The other major project is on Hector Street, it was milled off, crews are busy preparing that, a few soft spots and storm sewer problems to complete; NYSEG is also there to replace gas pipes, hoping to be repaving Hector mid to late next week. Bryant Tract - crew working to replace about 180’ of storm sewers. ADJOURNMENT On a motion the meeting adjourned at 6:35 p.m. ______________________________ ______________________________ Donna Payne, John Beach Administrative Secretary Acting Chair