HomeMy WebLinkAbout06-09-14 Board of Public Works Meeting AgendaBOARD OF PUBLIC WORKS
OFFICIAL NOTICE OF REGULAR MEETING
A meeting of the Board of Public Works will be held on Monday, June 9, 2014, at 4:45 p.m. in
Common Council Chambers — Third Floor, City Hall, 108 East Green Street, Ithaca, New York.
Agenda
1. Additions or Deletions to Aaenda (Items 1 -5: 15 min.)
2. Mayor's Communications
3. Communications and Hearinas from Persons Before the Board
4. Response to the Public
5. Reports
Special Committees of the Board
Council Liaison
Board Liaisons
Superintendent and Staff
Other Department Heads
6. Approval of Minutes
6.1 February 4, 2013 Regular Meeting Minutes
6.2 March 25, 2013 Joint Meeting Minutes
6.3 February 24, 2014 Regular Meeting Minutes
7. Administration and Communications
7.1 Public Hearing for Sidewalk Assessments for Cornell and Hancock Streets
8. VOTING ITEMS
8.1 Buildings, Properties, Refuse and Transit
8.2 Hiahways, Streets and Sidewalks
A. Award of Contract for Old Elmira Road Reconstruction Project — Capital
Project 784 — Resolution
8.3 Parkina and Traffic
8.4 Creeks. Bridges and Parks
8.5 Water and Sewer
9. DISCUSSION ITEMS
9.1 Odd /Even Parking Task Force Initial Report
9.2 Rusty Water Conditions on Woodcrest Avenue
10. New Business
11. Adiournment
If you have a disability that will require special arrangements to be made in order for you to fully
participate in the meeting, please contact the City Clerk at 607- 274 -6570 at least 48 hours before the
meeting.
The Board of Public Works meets on the second, third and fourth Wednesdays of the months at 4:45 p.m. All meetings are voting
meetings, opening with a public comment period. Meeting agendas are created from prior public input, Department operating, planning
issues, and requests made to the Superintendent. The Board reserves the right to limit verbal comments to three minutes and to request
written comments on lengthy or complex issues. This information may then be used to create committee agendas, with the speaker or
author invited to attend.
Notes for BPW Agenda, June 9, 2014
7.1 Public Hearing for Sidewalk Assessments for Cornell and Hancock Streets
The Board approved the scheduling of a public hearing to obtain comments from residents
regarding the sidewalk assessments for the new sidewalk that was installed on Cornell Street
and Hancock Street last year.
8.2A Award of Contract for Old Elmira Road Reconstruction Project — Capital Project
784 — Resolution
Bids will be opened on Friday, June 6, 2014, for this project. A resolution and bid tabulation
will be provided at the meeting.
9.1 Odd /Even Parking Task Force Initial Report
The task force, created in January 2014, has provided an initial report for the Board's
consideration.
9.2 _Rusty Water Conditions on Woodcrest Avenue
Please read the enclosed e-mail thread regarding the rusty water issue on Woodcrest Avenue.
M�chgel.J. ThorvLC, P.E.
,sL,per n.tevOeK.t of Pu.bUc. Works
J u of 5, 2024
Page 2
CITY OF ITHACA
108 East Green Street, Suite 202 Ithaca, New York 14850 -5690
OFFICE OF THE CITY ENGINEER
Telephone: 607/274 -6530 Fax: 607%174 -6587
To: Board of Public Works ��
From: Tim Logue, City Transportation Engineer
Date: May 21, 2014
Re: Sidewalk assessments for new construction on Cornell Street and
Hancock Street
As per your direction, we will be holding a public hearing on June 9th in
accordance with the City Charter rules about assessing costs for Uniform
Sidewalk Improvements ordered before the Charter was amended by Common
Council. Please find enclosed materials for that hearing, including a schedule of
costs for the work showing the proposed apportionment (splitting the costs
50/50 between the adjacent property owner and the Sidewalk Improvement
Districts), and maps of the sidewalk work. The schedule of costs will be basis for
the assessments.
Staff will send letters to the property owners letting them know about the public
hearing and including the proposed apportionment of cost. Unless there is any
reason otherwise, staff will prepare a resolution for the Board's consideration at
the June 23rd meeting.
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PLAN FOR NEW SIDEWALK ALONG CORNELL ST.
AFFECTED PROPERTIES: LENGTH:
10 CORNELL ST. (TAX PARCEL 111.-2-3) —135'
1120 E. STATE ST. (TAX PARCEL 111.-1 -6) —118'
TOMPKINS COUNTY ALLEY (TAX PARCEL 111. -8 -17) —26'
ol 10' 50' 100'
0
8.2A Award of Contract for Old Elmira Road Complete Streets Project — Capital Project
784 — Resolution
WHEREAS, Common Council established Capital Project 784 on January 1, 2013,
authorizing a budget allocation of $1,365,000 for the Old Elmira Road Complete Streets
Project, and
WHEREAS, bids were received on Friday, June 6, 2014, for the Old Elmira Road
Complete Streets Project General Construction Contract, and
WHEREAS, , is the apparent low bidder
meeting specifications with a base bid of for General Construction,
now therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the Board of Public Works award the General Construction Contract
for City of Ithaca -DPW, Old Elmira Road Complete Streets Project to ,
and be it further
RESOLVED, that the Superintendent of Public Works be authorized to enter into and
administer this contract.
Page 3
I-ern 9.1
C'019 I xaM
In an email dated December 12, 2013, Mayor Myrick charged a task force of city employees, elected and
appointed officials to evaluate the odd /even parking regulation currently in place from November 1St to April
1St of each year. Below is the language that was in the email:
As you know odd/even parking is intended to allow the city to clear the streets after a snow emergency
and clean the streets of debris in the absence of snow. But, the system is confusing, inconvenient,
costly and deeply unpopular with parkers. So I've asked Chief of Staff Kevin Sutherland to Chair a
task force that will deliver to Common Council and the BPW an alternative system for its
consideration. That system should still allow for street cleaning and clearing, but dramatically
reduces the confusion and hardship currently caused by Odd/even. Please begin with the following
members, but feel free to invite in more subject matter experts as needed.
TASK FORCE:
Chair Kevin Sutherland, Chief of Staff
Ray Benjamin, Asst. Superintendent of DPW
Frank Nagy, Director of Parking
Govind Acharya, Commissioner, BPW
Steve Smith, Common Council
Seph Murtagh, Common Council
Julie Holcomb, City Clerk
Jared Pittman, City Attorney
DELIVERABLES:
Ideally the task force will draft at least four important documents:
1. Adoptable legislation that will change the system.
2. A new operational plan for City staff to execute for street cleaning and clearing.
3. A communication plan for city staff to execute during a snow event.
4. A communication plan that will educate the public about the changes to the system.
TIMELINE:
Our goal is a vote at the April Council meeting. If a solution can be found sooner, all the better.
This means a presentation of the changes should be made to the BPW and circulated to advisory
boards in February.
The legislation and accompanying documents should be presented to the City Administration
committee in late February.
POSSIBLE ISSUES:
1. Operational. Streets and Facilities enjoys the convenience of odd/even for street cleaning. Any
change will likely change their work patterns.
2. Financial. Odd/even parking generates revenue. This revenue may be offset by giving out fewer,
larger tickets - or by driving people into parking garages.
Due to the Ice Jam in early January, the task force got off to a late start. The group did, however, meet three
times in three months with research assignments given to members of the task force in between each meeting;
January 31st, 2014, February 25th, 2014, and March 31St, 2014.
Attached you will find the task force report including information on:
How Ithaca currently manages snow and street cleaning
What the task force proposes
Next steps and sample legislation
• Communication plan for a major snow event
• Communication plan for educating the public
How other cities in the "snow belt" manage snow and street cleaning and links to their websites
II
Odd/ Even Parking Task Force
Ithaca, NY
May 2014
Initial Report 6/05/14
Table of Contents
ExecutiveSummary .................................................................................................................. ..............................1
How Ithaca currently manages snow and street cleaning ................................................. ............................... 2
Whatthe task force proposes ................................................................................................. ............................... 4
Nextsteps and sample legislation ......................................................................................... ............................... 9
Communication plan for snow emergencies ........................................................................ .............................10
Communication plan for educating the public .................................................................... .............................11
APPENDICES:
Appendix A: Map of Weekday Streets with No Parking .................................................. .............................12
Appendix B: Map of Parking Ban during a Major Snow Event ........................................ .............................13
Appendix C: How other cities in the "snow belt" manage snow and street cleaning ... .............................14
Executive Summary
With a desire by city residents to reduce the number of times a vehicle needs to be moved, a fiscal
environment where government needs to perform efficiently and effectively with fewer resources, such as a
reduced number of Public Works employees and a reduced number of parking enforcement employees, a new
method is necessary.
The Odd -Even Parking Task Force proposes:
• Phase I: Removal of the Odd -Even Parking regulation
o Once a week on any given street, no parking from 4am to 4pm. Year round, about one fifth of
Ithaca City streets would be closed to parking on any given weekday (see Appendix A: Map of
Weekday Street with No Parking).
o Major Snow Events. During major snow events, the Mayor or Superintendent of Public Works
can declare a parking ban on all major arterial roads and Ithaca's steepest streets (see Appendix
B: Map of Parking Ban during a Major Snow Event).
• The Creation of a Snow Event Parking Discount for city parking garages.
• A comprehensive signage overhaul for the city - for both the no parking weekday roads and the
no parking major snow event.
• Phase II: Removal of the city -wide 24 hour Parking regulation (except where specifically posted)
• Phase III: Utilization of License Plate Recognition technology to identify and ticket violators, and
contact residents if needed
With these changes, the task force believes;
• Residents will only have to move their cars once a week, instead of daily,
• Department of Public Work Crews will be able to schedule street work with less disruption to the
public,
• Greater efficiency in street cleaning and snow removal,
• Enforcement will be more efficient,
• Revenue will stay the same over time.
In order to accomplish this, the task force recommends;
• Review and update of the list of streets on the major snow event route,
• Temporary Hiring of 6 people to install the new parking signs in order to complete the project in three
months.
Additionally, the task force recommends:
• Upon implementation of the new parking regulation, an exploration of trash service automation.
How Ithaca currently manages snow and street cleaning
The City of Ithaca Municipal Code states: "Effective November 1 through April 1 of each year no person shall
park a vehicle between 2:00 am and 6:00 am on the odd - numbered side of all City streets on the odd - numbered
days of the calendar month, and on the even - numbered side of all City streets on the even - numbered days of
the calendar month" unless exempted by the Board of Public Works.
The night shift snow watch crew in the Streets and Facilities division of the Department of Public Works
typically starts the second Sunday in November. The snow watch crew picks up leaves with two mechanical
sweepers, followed by a truck to dump leaves into. This continues into December or until the first significant
snow, when the remaining leaves get plowed back up on to the tree lawns.
The snow watch crew is based on a voluntary schedule and used to consist of 2 Heavy Equipment Operators, 3
Light Equipment Operators, and a working supervisor. This allowed for 1 truck on West Hill,1 for Cornell
Heights, 2 for East Hill,1 for South Hill and 1 for the flats. The second truck on East Hill could break off and
help in another area if necessary. With less traffic and one side of the streets open, the crew could keep up
with most snow storms. Over time however, as the median age of the workforce has increased and the move
of city DPW employees to more affordable locations further away from Ithaca, fewer staff are volunteering for
the night crew. Currently, only 4 people are participating, and if there is a significant snowfall; work in Ithaca
fiats does not get done. If someone is sick or out for surgery, the city has had as few as two crew members
plowing snow during the overnight hours.
The reduced number of employees leaves no time for ice scraping with the grader on the sides of streets where
odd /even parking is in effect.
In March when Cornell is out for Spring Break, DPW crews start a six week regimen to sweep and flush every
street in the City. Starting with Collegetown, when the number of cars on the street is at a low, the snow
watch crew sweeps streets on the odd /even cycle until April.
For about 6 weeks starting April 1st, two DPW staff work full-time relabeling and posting signs on city streets
for street cleaning. Figure 1 shows the estimated cost of this process and the shift typically follows these
guidelines:
• 6:OOam - 9:OOam: out posting the next day's no parking signs,
• 9:OOam - 12:OOpm: Re -label set of no parking signs for two days out,
• 1:OOpm - 3:OOpm: pick up current work day no parking signs
Figure 1: Cost estimate for posting signs for 6 weeks after odd -even parking is no longer in effect.
Street Cleaning Posting
$30.20 Average hourly (plus benefits)
x 2 number of employees working
$60.39 Labor cost per hour
$12.00 Vehicle per hour (state rate)
6 Number of weeks with street cleaning posting
or 240 hours
$17,374 Total Labor
$1.00 per Sign
$0.13 per lathe
1,000 signs per year
$1,130 Total supplies
$18,504 per year for Spring cleaning signage
These signs have to indicate the date the work is being done. Once the schedule is published on the website
and sent to the media, Streets cannot deviate from it, so rescheduled work must take place after the planned
six -week timeframe which adds time and cost to the effort. Streets and Facilities division makes a conscience
effort to post no parking in a manner that does not displace everyone from one area, (i.e. - only a few streets in
one neighborhood at a time).
After the six week street cleaning, there are still five and half months when the parking regulation is not in
effect and there is parking on both sides of the street. In order to do additional cleaning or road maintenance
or repair, crews have to post each side of the street 24 hours in advance of work being done. In addition, when
a vehicle has been left in a spot labeled no parking, additional staff time is necessary to take photos of the
violation and wait for the tow truck to arrive. The cost of additional sign posting or staff time for proof of
necessity for towing is not included in Figure 1.
What the task force proposes
Phase I: Removal of the Odd -Even Parking re lgu ation
Once a week on any given street, no parking from 4am to 4pm
Under this new parking requirement, on any given weekday roughly one -fifth of the City of Ithaca with have
no parking on either side of the street. Appendix A is a map of the City of Ithaca's proposed no parking per
weekday. This concept would have multiple benefits.
With the full 12 hours and a fifth of the city clear of vehicles, crews can be more efficient in cleaning streets and
clearing snow. Focused attention each day to a portion of Ithaca means heavy accumulations of snow can be
picked up and removed, reducing the risk of property damage and time spent posting signs the day before,
and plowing could be done up to the curb, preventing curb creep during winter months. With no parking on
either side of the street for a given day, there would be more leeway for plows to get through narrow streets,
lowering the risk of property damage. During a snow event, arterial roads would be the primary focus, and
that particular day route would be secondary. This concept would make about a quarter of the city the focus,
rather than trying to clear all streets all the time. Other streets will still be cleared for traffic, but to a lesser
extent.
Enforcement will be more efficient. With only one fifth of city streets having a parking ban, only one fifth of
city streets have to be monitored on any given day. With a daily parking ban of 12 hours, it is possible for a
Community Service Officer in the parking division to become responsible for enforcement allowing police to
focus on more pressing issues in our community. The Community Service Officer can create a route that will
patrol the parking ban areas multiple times a day. With more consistent enforcement, we will likely see an
initial increase in tickets. This will likely generate more revenue at first, but as the community shifts its parking
habits and understands the new signage, the most recent five year average of $100,870 (see Figure 2) will go
down from this account line. However, it is likely we will make up the difference in snow emergency parking.
Figure 2: Odd/ Even Parking Tickets issued and total amount paid from 2009 through 2013.
Tickets Issued
Total Paid
Major Snow Events
2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
7,2621
4,9021
4,1751
4,1651
5,792
$131,9731
$103,5361
$86,6741
$81,4061
$100,760
During major snow events, the Mayor or the Superintendent of Public Works may declare a parking ban on all
major arterial roads and Ithaca's steepest streets, typically when accumulation is expected to be 3 inches or
4
more (see Appendix B: Map of Parking Ban during a Major Snow Event). The city of Ithaca currently has a list
of streets that fall into this category and signage is in place, however, the task force recommends a review and
update of this document to coincide with the new parking plan. Communication plans to inform the public on
a declaration of a major snow event can be found on page 10.
Snow plowing will focus primarily on the major arterial roads and our steepest streets, with a secondary focus
on the other streets that have no parking for the weekday and finally for the center "lane" of all other streets.
With the limited number of DPW staff and equipment, a hierarchy of roads to plow and the development of a
route will increase efficiency and public perception of timeliness to clear streets will improve.
The Creation of a Snow Event Parking Discount for city parking garages
With a major snow event, additional parts of the city will have a parking ban in place. The City of Ithaca
should encourage residents to park in the city parking garages. To incentivize this, a discount should be
created. Figure 3 is an example of what this could look like.
Figure 3: Assumption of parking garage attendance during major snow events in the first year.
Weather Precipitation Data from Weatheftark.com:
Moderate or Heavy Snow throughout the year 9%
Days in a year 365
Days with Moderate or Heavy Snow 33
Assumed # of cars that will take advantage of the discount 100
12 hour rate $2.00
Total Revenue Generated $6,570
In the course of 4 years, assuming the same number of moderate to heavy snowfall days, if the City of Ithaca
can encourage more residents to utilize the parking garages during a major snow event, we would be able to
re -coup a portion of the lost revenue from parking tickets (see Figure 4). There are currently over 1,200 open
parking spots between the four parking garages in Ithaca, therefore we would not currently see any
displacement.
5
Figure 4: Assumption of parking garage attendance during major snow events over four winter seasons.
2014 -2015
2015 -2016
2016 -2017
2017 -2018
Assumed # of cars that will take advantage of the discount 100
200
300
400
12 hour rate $2.00
$2.00
$2.00
$2.00
Total Revenue Generated $6,570
$13,140
$19,710
$26,280
A Comprehensive Signage Overhaul
Throughout the city, new signage would be needed to identify the new parking regulations. In addition to the
no parking for specific streets each day of the week, some of the major arterial and steep sloped streets that are
not currently labeled for no parking during a major snow event would need to be updated.
This process would require a capital cost estimated at $150,000 and would take 9 months to execute utilizing
two staff members (see Figure 6 on the next page). The task force recommends temporarily hiring 6 people in
order to complete the process in 3 months. The expense can be justified because it would be a one -time use of
reserves and staff that used to perform the sign posting could be reallocated to other, more task worthy duties.
Assuming staff salaries stayed the same, in 8 years, the staffing cost that had been allocated for sign posting
would pay off the signage for the new city -wide parking plan, which if carried out to the life of the signs (20
years) would save the City of Ithaca over $220,000 (see Figure 5 below).
Figure 5: A comparison of the new parking plan sign installation cost to the status quo.
$148,408 Total cost of Sign Installation (see Figure 6)
$18,504 per year for 6 weeks of Spring cleaning signage (Figure 1)
X 20 years - lifetime of the signs for the new parking plan
$370,072 total no longer spent on annual sign posting for 20 years
8 year payback
$221,664 Total savings
With the new signage in place, DPW crews can perform daily tasks based on the street sign schedule, freeing
up staff time that was once exclusively for sign posting. That time would be spent on more important tasks,
such as fixing potholes, cleaning streets, repairing curbs, and removing piles of snow. With the additional
time and no parking on either side of the street, trash service could be coordinated to follow the same path and
an automated service could be utilized. The task force recommends further exploration of this idea after
implementation of the new city -wide parking system.
Figure 6: Estimated cost for city -wide signage overhaul
New Signage Installation
$30.20 Average hourly (plus benefits)
x 2 number of employees working
$60.39 Labor cost per hour
$12.00 Vehicle per hour (state rate)
$72.39 Hourly labor and equipment cost
$18.00 Signage
$2.00 Nuts and bolts
94 lane miles of streets with parking in Ithaca
x 5,280 feet in a mile
496,320 ft of road with signage
/ 200 ft (distance between signs)
2,482 signs needed
x $20 for supplies
$49,632 total for sign supplies
70% assumed percent of posts already installed
1,738 post needing a sign replacement
744 post and sign installation
0.25 hour to install sign (@ $72.39 /hour)
1.25 hours to install post and sign (@ $72.39 /hour)
$31,453 total for new sign installation
$67,323 total for new post and sign installation
$148,408 total needed for entire project
Time needed for entire project
171 working days
or 9 months
Phase II: Removal of the 24 hour parking regulation
Ithaca has a city -wide parking regulation that requires that a vehicle parked on city roads be moved every 24
hours. At current staffing levels, we are not able to properly enforce this requirement. With the recently
purchased License Plate Reader (LPR) equipment (see Phase III), we'd be able to better patrol the entire city for
violations; however, this is a city that prides itself in finding ways to reduce its carbon footprint. If cars are not
required to move every day, we can reduce the number of engine starts and stops from 260 to 52 - up to an
80% reduction. Under this recommendation, residents will only have to move their cars once a week, year
round.
With the once a week 4am to 4pm no parking on every street, cars will still be started and moved on occasion,
ensuring that vehicles are not just left on the street for extended periods of time.
Phase III: Utilization of License Plate Recognition technology to identify violators and contact residents
The city recently purchased a license plate reader (LPR) in order to monitor the parking meters, the two hour
and 24 hour posted parking spaces. This technology would also be utilized to read license plates in
neighborhoods as well.
The city would create a database where residents of the City of Ithaca could enter their own information
(license plate number, make, model, car color, name, address, phone number) on a voluntary basis. This would
give the city the ability to inform residents via phone call or text message when their vehicle is parked on the
wrong street at the wrong time (ie - during a major snow event) before they receive a ticket. If they comply
within a set period of time (15 minutes), they will not receive a ticket.
8
Next steps and sample legislation
The Odd /Even Parking Task Force would like to pursue the objectives above. This will ultimately require a
vote from both the Board of Public Works and Common Council to both change the ordinance and put money
behind a capital expense to install and upgrade signs.
The task force would like to gather some public input before pursuing a vote of the board and council through
a few town hall meetings in the next several weeks.
While the task force takes this to the public, the city attorney's office will draft a change to the parking
ordinance and revise based on the input gathered from the public.
Below is the anticipated timeline:
Date
Action
5/27/2014
This report is sent to Department Heads and Senior Staff
for additional input.
6/9/2014
A revised report (potential changes from the group
above) is brought to the Board of Public Works meeting
as a discussion item
6/18/2014
A revised report (potential changes from the group
above) is brought to the City Administration meeting as a
discussion item
6/9/2014 thru 6/20/2014
Host 4 community meetings in 4 different areas.
Suggestions include:
West Hill - LACS
Northside /Fall Creek - GIAC
Henry St. John /South of the Creek /Suthside /South Hill
- Henry St. John building or SSCC
C- town /Bryant Park /Belle Sherman - Belle Sherman
elementary
6/23/2014
Resolution to the Board of Public Works
7/16/2014
Resolution to City Administration Committee
8/6/2014
Resolution to Common Council
8/7/2014
Advertise temporary positions and order supplies
10/1/2014
"Ground breaking" sometime in September or beginning
of October
1/1/2015
Ordinance goes into effect
z
Communication plan for a major snow event
The City of Ithaca will communicate with the public through:
• Press releases to traditional media
• Contacting specific individuals from media outlets after the press release has gone out
• Social media (ie - Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc)
• Utilization of the LPR system and the voluntary data collected from residents (after implementation of
Phase III) in order to robo- call/robo -text individuals who have signed up. This will inform them
directly of the snow emergency.
All of these outlets will also be given links to the no parking during snow emergency map.
In addition, part of the overall sign installation will include updating signage identifying no parking during
major snow events.
Finally, the Odd /Even Parking Task Force recommends that the City of Ithaca research grant opportunities for
installing flashing lights for these no parking locations.
10
Communication plan for educating the public
The Task Force will be hosting public town hall meetings in order to gather feedback on the proposal outlined
in this report. This should help start public awareness. After the adoption of the ordinance, the task force will
host additional town hall meetings to explain the new system.
The task force, working with the Public Information Officer will begin a campaign to educate the public with
an easy to remember website link to the No Parking Maps as well as posting the maps around town.
The signs that are installed will be color coded to match that of the online maps, making it easy to understand
and remember which streets have no parking on any given day.
11
Appendix A: Proposal - No Parking One Day/ Week - City of Ithaca, NY 2014
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Appendix B: Emergency Snow Routes - Ithaca, NY 2014
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Flrat_Localon
CLIFF ST
W. City Line to Octopus
DRYDEN RD
Mitchell St to City Line
E COURT ST
UnNersty Ave to N. Cayuga St.
E GREEN ST
Meadow St. to E. State St.
E SENECA ST
E. State St to W. State St.
E STATE ST
Tuning forkto E. City Line
ELMIRA RD
S. City Line to Albany St.
HECTOR ST
W. City Line to Octopus
HUDSON ST
Coddington Rd to Aurora St
ITHACA RD
Mitchell St to City Line
MITCHELL ST
E' State St to theca Rd
N CAYUGA ST
N City Line to Green Street
N MEADOW ST
Elmira Rd to N. City line
5 ALBANY 5T
Green St to Elmira Road
5 AURORA ST
S. City Line to Green St.
S CAYUGA ST
N City Line to Green Street
'M EADOW ST
Elmira Rd to N. City line
SENECA WAY
E. State St to W. State SL
STATE ROUTE 1
Elmira Rd to N. City line
STATE ROUTE 3
E. State St to Ithaca Rd
UNIVERSITYAV
Court Stto Lain Ave
W BUFFALO ST
W. City Line to Octopus
W GREEN ST
Meadow St. to E. State St.
W SENECA ST
E. State St to W State St.
W STATE ST
Octopus to Meadow St.
NY State Plane, Central GRS 80 Datum
A 0 I
2,000
I I I
4,000 Feet
I I,h
f �'
Map Source: Tompkins County Digital Planimstdc Map 1991 -2014
Data Source: City of Ithaca Department of Public Works, 2014
Map Prepared by: GIS Program, City of Ithaca, NY, May, 2014
Appendix C: How other cities in the "snow belt" manage snow and street cleaning
Most of the information in this section is taken directly from the websites in which the information was
obtained (click the name of the city for a link to their website).
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Odd /Even prohibition in place only during "snow emergencies," which are determined by the City
Administrator. At all other times, parking on city streets is unrestricted and snow plowing is prioritized by
majors streets, and then by residential streets. Here's the relevant section of the city code:
10:143. Snow emergencies.
1) Prohibited parking for snow removal.
a) Whenever the City Administrator finds, on the basis of snow, sleet, freezing rain, or on the basis of a
weather forecast, that weather conditions make it necessary to restrict parking to allow removal of
existing or forecasted snow, the Administrator may declare a snow emergency and put in effect an
odd /even parking prohibition on some or all city streets by providing notice of the prohibition in the
manner prescribed by this section.
b) When an odd/ even parking prohibition is in effect, no person shall parka vehicle or permit a vehicle
owned by him or her to remain parked on the following described portions of any street; provided,
however, that the parking prohibition of this subsection does not apply during the hours of 8:00 p.m. to
12:00 midnight, so that vehicles can be positioned to comply with the next day's prohibition.
i) On days having uneven dates, vehicles are prohibited from parking on the side of the street having
even street addresses.
ii) On days having even dates, vehicles are prohibited from parking on the side of the street having
uneven street addresses.
2) Notice.
a) The prohibitions provided in this section shall take effect when the Administrator causes notice of such
prohibitions to be publicly announced by radio stations, Community Television Network and any
other suitable media outlet with normal operating ranges covering the city. The prohibitions shall then
take effect at the time provided in the announcement. The Administrator may also cause notice of the
parking prohibition to be published in newspapers of general circulation when feasible.
b) The parking prohibitions provided by this section shall remain in effect until the Administrator makes
a public announcement of the termination of the prohibitions.
3) Nothing contained in this section permits parking at times or places where it is otherwise prohibited by
this Code.
14
Binghamton, New York
Binghamton ordinance is in effect from December 1 through March 15. It does not apply to metered parking or
streets on which parking is prohibited on both sides, but does apply to streets where parking is allowed on one
side of the street only. The system, called "Park for tomorrow" is that after 5:00 pm each day, your car must be
parked on the odd -side of the street if the following day is an odd - numbered day (and on the even side for an
even- numbered day); it can be parked there until 4:59 pm the following day. Their ordinance requires that
notice of the ordinance be publicized once per year in the newspaper and on TV/ radio at least one week in
advance of the effective date of the parking restrictions.
Cars violating the ordinance and which are either hindering snow removal /plowing or are obstructing safe
passage are towed. Otherwise, it's a fine of $55.
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo has a year round alternative side parking, along with additional parking restrictions in different areas
(i.e. - no parking on certain sides of the streets between gam and 4pm Monday thru Friday). They have
additional restrictions between November 15th and April 1St that restricts people from parking on any city bus
route (not just stops) between 1:30am and lam. In addition, the Mayor may declare a snow emergency or
driving /parking ban. They rely on traditional media notifications; however, they have just implemented a
robo -call system for emergencies. This system is new and has only been used twice, so they didn't have much
feedback.
Burlington, Vermont
A winter parking ban can be declared by the City of Burlington when snow fall or expected snow fall indicates
that it may be necessary to plow city streets from curb to curb. Upon on declaring the ban all media is notified,
the City Parking Ban lights are turned on, and the tape recording is activated.
• call 658 -SNOW for tape recorded information
• send an email to burlingtonparkingban- subscribe@yahoogroups.com and you will be notified by email
whenever a ban has been declared.
If a parking ban is declared:
• it will be declared by 3:00 p.m. to be effective that evening
• you cannot park on any city property, streets, parking lots or sidewalks
• the ban will be in effect from 12:00 A.M. to 6:00 A.M. within the business center and from 10:00 P.M. to
7:00 A.M. outside of the business area
• you may park in the City owned parking garages for FREE (not on the top floor) between 10:00 P.M.
and 8:00 A.M
15
• vehicles that remain on city property during a ban are issued a $95.00 ticket and may be towed from
one street to another street that has been plowed.
Chicago, Illinois
Chicago's annual Winter Overnight Parking Ban begins Sunday, December 1 at 3 a.m. The parking ban is
clearly posted and will be enforced along 107 miles of critical arterial streets from Sunday, December 1, 2013
through April 1, 2014 from 3 a.m. to 7 a.m. regardless of snow.
In addition, there are certain routes that when there are 2" of snow fall are added to the list of no parking.
Elmira, New York
To facilitate street cleaning and snow removal, the City of Elmira has adopted Odd -Even Parking for all City
streets. Between the hours of 2:OOam and 7:OOam, motorists must park on the odd - numbered side of the street
on odd - numbered calendar days, and on the even - numbered side of the street on even - numbered days. All
streets in the city are subject to the odd -even calendar parking restriction, except streets where parking is
restricted by signs or prohibited on one side of the street.
The easiest way to remember the ordinance is to always park your vehicle for the next day, as enforcement
occurs between tam and lam. Be careful of months with 31 days: you will park on the same side (the odd side)
two nights in a row.
Hamilton, Ontario
Snow route signs are posted on most major roads where getting the snow cleared out quickly is important to
keeping traffic moving well in snow storms. Other major roads may not have snow route signs but it's still a
good idea not to park on those busy streets during a heavy snowfall even if on -street parking is allowed at
certain times of the day.
Our focus is to ensure that Hamilton s roads remain functional for emergency vehicles, buses, business and
major institutions like schools and hospitals.
Priority 1- Main Arterial Roads and Escarpment Crossings
Main routes and escarpment accesses are our first priority. The City has designated certain roads as snow
emergency routes. When the City declares a Snow Emergency, it is illegal to park on these roads. Vehicles
found blocking snow routes during an emergency may be ticketed and /or towed at the owner's expense. A
Snow Emergency is announced on local radio stations. Snow emergency routes may be signed with one of
three types of signing, "No Stopping Anytime ", "No Parking Anytime ", "No Parking Snow Route ".
16
Priority 2 - Primary and Secondary Collector Roads
Collector roads - the side streets that feed into the arterial roads - are the next to be cleared of snow. Even
though these roads may be well travelled, they may not be designated Snow Routes. However, it's best to park
off these roads where possible so that the snow plows and snow clearing equipment can clear them more
effectively. Snow clearing on the collector roads may start up to four hours after the start of a snowfall.
Priority 3 - Residential and Rural Roads
Residential and local rural roads are the last to be cleared of snow. It takes a lot of time and resources to ensure
the main routes and side streets are cleared for safe travel, so we ask your patience in getting your
neighbourhood street cleared. Snow clearing on the residential streets may start up to eight hours after the
start of a snowfall.
Keep an eye on the catch basins (sewer grates), curbside gutters and drainage ditches around your property.
Clean out any leaves, debris or snow build -up. This helps prevent flooding and property damage when the
snow melts. It also prevents ice build -up on the street at times when there can be quick changes in
temperature.
Tamestown, New York
Jamestown uses alternate -side parking as follows:
April 1st - September 30th - parking is allowed on the odd - numbered side of the street during odd - numbered
months, and even- numbered side of the street during even - numbered months. The number of the month on
the first day of said month at 10am determines the side of the street upon which parking is allowed.
October 1st - March 31St - for 24 hour periods on all streets in the city, all cars shall be parked only on the odd -
numbered side of the street on odd - numbered days of the month and only on the even- numbered side of the
street on even - numbered days of the month. The date of the day at 10am, determines the side of the street
upon which parking is allowed.
Madison, Wisconsin
Don't let the snow lead to a ticket or a tow. Here are few things you need to know to AVOID a ticket or a tow:
• Alternate Side Parking is in effect city -wide with the exception of the Snow Emergency Zone (unless
there is a Declared Snow Emergency).
a Alternate Side Parking is in effect from November 15 - March 15, seven days a week, regardless of
weather conditions.
17
• Park on the EVEN house numbered side of the street on even numbered days from 1 -7am.
• Park on the ODD house numbered side of the street on odd numbered days from 1 -7am.
• Violations of the Alternate Side Parking rules are subject to a fine of $20 when a Snow Emergency has
NOT been declared.
• Violations of the Alternate Side Parking rules are subject to a fine of $60 when a Snow Emergency HAS
BEEN declared.
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
No Parking December 1 to March 1
No overnight parking is allowed on through highways and mass transit (bus) routes from December 1 to
March 1. These streets are not posted. For a list of these streets please go to the Winter Parking Regulations
page. In case of a "Snow Emergency" prior to December 1 or after March 1, vehicles must be moved to a side
street and must be legally parked in conformity with all other regulations on the proper side of the street.
Exception to Alternate Side Night Parking
Overnight parking is allowed on both sides of the street from March 1 to December 1. Alternate side night
parking is allowed from December 1 to March 1. These streets are not posted. For a list of these streets please
go to the Winter Parking Regulations page.
4" Rule
Certain residential streets are posted "No Parking When Snow Falls 4 Inches or More." Parking is allowed on
both sides of the street, except when snow has accumulated on the street surface to the depth of 4 inches or
more. Then no parking is allowed on the side of the street where the sign is posted until the snow has been
removed - -day or night or at any time of the year. To determine whether this regulation applies to a specific
street go to Street Parking Regulations.
Specific Side Parking
Certain residential streets are restricted to parking on a specific side of the street during the winter months.
These streets are posted with signs reading "No Parking" on one side of the street, either for the entire
December 1 to March 1 period, or with a monthly alternation of the prohibited side. To determine whether this
regulation applies to a specific street go to Street Parking Regulations.
Night Parking During Snow Emergency
If a snow emergency has been declared, night parking regulations are in effect from 11:00 P.M. to 6:00 A.M. on
all city streets regardless of the winter parking regulation.
Snow Route Tow -Away Zone
18
A "Snow Emergency" is declared to exist whenever snow falls during any period of 24 hours or less to a depth
which is determined and declared by the Commissioner of Public Works to constitute a serious public hazard
impairing transportation, the movement of food and fuel supplies, medical care, fire, health, and police
protection, and other vital facilities of the City. Such an emergency is declared to continue for a period of 72
hours or until such earlier times as snow plowing operations have been declared completed by the
Commissioner of Public Works. "Snow Emergencies" are widely publicized on local radio and television
stations. In addition, "Temporary No Parking Tow Away" signs may be posted by the City to assist in clean -up
after major snowfalls. Vehicles parked in violation of "Snow Route Tow -Away Zone" and "Temporary No
Parking Tow Away" signs or obstructing traffic during a "Snow Emergency" will be towed away at owner's
expense. There are no exceptions.
MPS Parking for Snow Emergencies
Milwaukee Public Schools makes some of its playgrounds and parking lots available for overnight parking
during declared snow emergencies and clean -up periods. Take a look at Snow Emergency, Off -Street Parking
on School Playgrounds List. Call the Department of Public Works Information Center at (414) 286 -8282 during
regular business hours for the location of a playground nearest your home.
Plattsburgh, New York
No parking on city Streets during a snow emergency from 12:01 am to 6:00 am which can be declared by the
Superintendent
Rochester, New York
According to their website, Rochester has a parking regulation that prohibits parking on any city street for
more than 12 hours, except where alternative parking regulations are in effect. When it snows, residents are
encouraged to listen for traditional media broadcasts announcing special snow clearance plans and they have
several categories that include:
Alternative Side of Street Parking Regulations - in effect throughout residential areas. The generally posted
pattern is: parking on the even- numbered side of the street only until 7pm on Tuesday, Thursday, and
Saturday. Parking on odd - numbered side only on Sunday and until 7pm on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
They sometimes use special instructions for parking on streets where there is only one -side parking (again,
done through the media).
Plowing Day restriction - alternate side parking regulations must be followed throughout residential areas.
Snow Emergency - No parking is allowed on Snow Emergency Routes.
19
Parking Emergency - Parking on announced streets is prohibited.
Syracuse, New York
Odd /even parking exists to allow snowplows to clear the entire width of city streets from curb to curb during
snowy winter months. By switching the side on which cars are parked from day to day using this system,
plows are able to reach areas previously blocked by parked cars. During summer months, odd /even parking
allows for the operation of street cleaning crews. Odd /even parking is used most often in residential areas.
It is important that those using on -street parking adhere to odd /even parking rules to allow for cars,
emergency vehicles, street cleaning crews, and snowplows to pass through. Those who violate these guidelines
may be ticketed or towed by the Syracuse Police Department.
Odd /even parking dictates that from 6pm on an odd day to 6pm on an even day, cars may park on the odd -
addressed side of the street. At 6pm, vehicle owners must switch the side of the street on which their car is
parked to the even side. For example, on June 16th, cars should begin the day parked on the odd side of the
street. At 6pm that evening, cars should move to the even marked side of the street.
There are some exceptions to this rule, sometimes referred to as "fool's days ". These are instances at the end of
some months in which an odd day is immediately followed by another odd day. Throughout the year, these
fool's days fall on January 1st, February 1st, April 1st, June 1st, August 1st, September 1st, and November 1st.
On leap years, March 1st is also a fool's day.
Watertown, New York
Watertown Chief of Police Edward P. Deveau has announced the 2013 -2014 Winter Parking Ban dates.
Effective midnight December 2, 2013, and continuing to April 1, 2014, the Winter Parking Ban will be in effect
and strictly enforced. The regulation reads in part; "No vehicle may remain on any public way for more than
one hour between the hours of 1AM and 6AM all days of the week ".
For residents who lack sufficient off street parking, the town allows for temporary parking at any municipal
parking lot and other locations noted:
• The police station at 552 Main Street
• Any public school parking lot
• Marion Road at Victory Field
• The lot at Boylston Street and Mt Auburn Streets
20
Please note that these locations may be used free of charge, however all vehicles may use available spaces after
7PM and must be moved /removed by 7AM the following day.
Vehicles must be removed from any school property no later than 6AM during any snow storm to allow for
plowing. Violators may be towed.
Wyoming, Michigan
Odd /Even Parking
In many areas of the City residents utilize on -street parking. During the winter months parking on both sides
of the street can restrict the width of the street to a point where emergency vehicles are unable to have access.
In order to provide better access, the City implements Odd /Even Parking restrictions from December 1 until
March 31. See the Odd /Even Parking ordinance for specific information.
From December 1 through the end of March of each year and during any declared snow emergency, any motor
vehicles and other licensed trailers or equipment shall be parked only on that side of the street having even
numbers on even numbered calendar days and on that side of the street having odd numbers on the odd
numbered calendar days between the hours of 12:00 midnight and 7:00 pm of the same day with the following
exceptions:
When a residence is on a cul -de -sac, on -street parking shall only be on the even numbered calendar days.
When a residence is on a street already posted "No Parking ", the no parking restrictions shall apply.
Snow Removal
The City of Wyoming takes great pride in its winter snowplowing service and has some of the best operators
in west Michigan. In order to efficiently accomplish our snowplowing, the City is divided into five
snowplowing districts with first, second and third priority streets.
First Priority - Bare pavement streets that carry most of the traffic (over 10,000 cars per day).
Second Priority - Collector streets, streets in an area /neighborhood that carry the majority of that area's traffic,
and selected bus routes that enable most residents to be within one block of a well plowed street.
Third Priority - The remaining residential streets and cul -de -sacs.
The goal of the snowplowing operation is to have all streets plowed within 24 hours after the end of a storm.
21
Page 1 of 4
Rem 9.2
Kathy,
Please put this on the BPW agenda for June 9th as a discussion item -- Discussion of Rusty Water Conditions on
Woodcrest Ave.
Thanks
Mike Thorne, P.E.
Superintendent of Public Works, City of Ithaca
108 E. Green St.
Ithaca, NY 14850
Tel: (607) 274 -6527
>>> Donna Fleming 6/3/2014 3:46 PM >>>
Vicki,
I've asked the Superintendent to put this on the agenda at an upcoming BPW meeting and he said he would.
It's understandable that you find this frustrating and disappointing.
that there is so far not an obvious solution for the City to undertake.
perhaps discovering some new ideas.
Donna
>>> Vicki Caron 06/03/14 10:47 AM >>>
Dear Donna and Ellen,
I believe the BPW staff are concerned but
I am interested in learning more and
I received a note from Scott Gibson from the water dept. At the very bottom is his note, and above you
have my response. Thanks again for your consideration of this issue. It looks like the city just wasted $15,000.
Thank you.
Best,
Vicki Caron
52 Woodcrest Ave.
Ithaca, New York 14850
phone: 607 - 275 -1226
Begin forwarded message:
Date: June 3, 2014 10:36:32 AM EDT
To: Scott Gibson >
Cc: Camille Little >, Erik Whitney >, Jean Mikula >, "Michael Thorne" >, Robert Stoll >, Cecilia Campbell >,
Sanford Gutman >, Deborah Gagnon >
Subject: Re: Letter for Erik Whitney
Dear Mr. Gibson,
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Thank you very much for taking the time to answer my questions. However, I do not understand why the
action taken, which cost $15,000, will do anything. It has now been two weeks since the job was completed,
and the quality of the water is worse than it was previously. It seems to me that is $15,000 down the drain
(literally). If you can assure us that the problem will disappear over a reasonable amount of time, that is one
thing, but if this is a permanent situation, it is entirely unacceptable.
Our water costs have skyrocketed over the course of the last few years, particularly since the decision was
taken not to consolidate with the Bolton point water treatment facility. The water here is simply not
acceptable. If you can assure us that the problem will disappear over time, that is one thing, but it doesn't
sound like that is the case. If the system continues to need flushing on a daily basis, that is definitely worse
than it was previously. Moreover, it's difficult to get someone up here to flush it out - - -we have to keep calling,
and Donny was complaining last week that he could not keep flushing it out. Besides, the flushing works only
for a few hours. By the next morning the water is again filled with rust. While the water might be drinkable (I
certainly would not drink this in this state), it is definitely not acceptable for doing laundry. Someone really
should come here to look at the water coming out of our faucets- -this morning the hot water was filled with
rust, despite the fact that the hydrants had been flushed, albeit very briefly, yesterday afternoon. Also, the
street does need to be repaired - -it poses a safety risk.
I'm generally home during the day, so if you want to stop by, I'd be very happy to show you what is going on.
Thank you again.
Best,
Vicki Caron
email: vc21 @cornell.edu
phone: 607 -275 -1226
On Jun 3, 2014, at 9:58 AM, Scott Gibson wrote:
Hi Vicki,
I'll try to answer your questions as best I can but a little history first.
As you may have heard, the water mains that were laid in your area in probably the 1940's or 1950's are cast
iron. At the time, most cast iron pipes had a bituminous lining on them to prevent scale and rust buildup to
avoid the brown water situations that your area has been experiencing for years. Apparently, the contractor of
the day, "cheaped" out and used standard pipe with no lining causing a situation where the buildup started to
become a real problem roughly 10 or 15 years ago. To make matters worse, Woodcrest is on a dead end and
so, the flow that occurs though the piping is only pulled by the users. In most areas around the City, water
mains are "looped" so that flow can come from anv two directions which effectively keens rustina at a minimum.
While ugly and awful to look at and admittedly creates temporary stains in your porcelain fixtures, the water is
not harmful to drink. I am a Watkins Glen resident and am fed by a 4" cast iron main that is used by three
homes on my street. The main was laid in 1914 and I have consistent water rust problems due to the same
reasons I mentioned to you above. I finally put a filter on the service line of my home which did the trick. That
is not the advice I'm giving you, just what worked for me. I chalked it up to a condition of home ownership that
I had no control over and remember full well what it was like growing up with a private water supply with the
well pump going bad on Christmas mornings, low flow or no water at all during summer drought, and water
quality issues of our own due to sulfur, particles from the ground, and salinity. I guess what I'm saying is that
no utility is perfect and while it's easy to assume that the City must not be doing its job because the supply
appears to be bad, nothing could be further from the truth. Your water rates go for system treatment, repair,
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maintenance, operation, the ability for someone to come and answer your complaints within an hour of your
call, and a vast understanding and empathy of your problem. The rates, also go for system pipe replacement
and at $130 /foot, your water main would have cost the rate payers $143,000 for Woodcrest alone and the City
is not granting capital replacement projects as it once did. In addition, direct replacement of your water lines
would have inconvenienced your area, not for just a few days as is the case of the recent service work, but for
several months. Because your area is a dead end, your water would have been shut off every single day that
pipe replacement occurred. The pipe cleaning operation that was chosen has had a good deal of success in
other areas around the City that are very similar to yours. It is essentially a pressure washer that removes the
scale and buildup that I mentioned earlier. The catch 22 is that now that the bare walls of the iron pipe are once
again exposed, the piping will need time to develop it's own "skin" on the walls. The skin is mostly derived from
the hardness of the water and rusting and until that skin redevelops you will likely notice some continued brown
rust conditions. One of our responsibilities as a utility provider is keeping costs at bay so that your rates do not
skyrocket and at $14 /foot, Woodcrest cost the City rate payers roughly $15,000 which is $128,000 less for the
inconvenience of rusty water that will clear up in time. Respectfully, your water and sewer rates are some of the
lowest commodities that you pay for on a regular basis; and yet are the most important. In short, it is easy to
take them for granted until something goes wrong. Just last week, Watkins had a massive water main failure
that literally pulled my home into vacuum. This caused the water softener media to be pulled out of the tank
and into my service line blocking all of my toilet valves and sink aerators. Let me tell you, I was not at all
pleased and it's easy to blame those who provide the service, and I'm in the business. The bottom line, is that I
completely understand where you're coming from.
I hope I've at least explained some of the logic behind our approach on your situation and that, although you
may not agree with it, understand where we're coming from. At this point, it is of my opinion that we'll need to
keep a consistent hydrant flush going until this issue is resolved and I will speak with Don about how we'll set
that up.
Have a great day!
Scott
Scott D. Gibson, Environmental Engineer
City of Ithaca
510 First Street
Ithaca, New York 14850
T: (607) 272 -1717
F: (607) 277 -5028
C: (607) 327 -1401
Scott D. Gibson, Environmental Engineer
City of Ithaca
510 First Street
Ithaca, New York 14850
T: (607) 272 -1717
F: (607) 277 -5028
C: (607) 327 -1401
>>> On 6/3/2014 at 8:51 AM, in message < 538D90EA .7FAB.0070.0 @cityofithaca.org >, Camille Little wrote:
Dear Mr. Whitney,
I've spoken to you several times on the phone. I'm a resident on Woodcrest Ave. in Belle Sherman. I'm getting
very frustrated with the water situation, which is definitely worse than it was before this project was
undertaken. Donny was just here to run the water today, but he did it for such a short time (approx. 20 -30 min)
that it did almost nothing, and there is no indication that the situation is improving. Given the large amount of
precipitate in the water, I don't think it's fit to drink and it's also a problem doing laundry (as I mentioned, many
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of my towels and sheets have been stained). Moreover, the pavement of our street has been damaged (there
was a sinkhole right in the middle of the street, which they did come and repair the other day after I pointed it
out, and there is now another huge gash in the pavement near one of the hydrants. There is no point in
repairing this problem until the water quality problem has been resolved.
It has never been explained to us what actions your dept. was taking to alleviate the preexisting situation; nor
has there been any follow -up. I think it would behoove you to come out here and take a look at the quality of
the water yourself. Given that this project must have cost many thousands of dollars, it seems that the quality
of the water should be better, but that is definitely not the case (everyone on this block that I've spoken to has
been buying bottled water for drinking, and others are going to laundromats). It now seems that there is a
reluctance to continue to flush the system out, despite the fact that this is the only thing that works (although
that was the case before as well, so I'm not sure how we have made any advances). I suspect that the only real
solution would be new pipes, but flushing out the existing pipes is probably not going to work, and I'm not sure
why this project was done.
It is getting tiresome to call in every day, but I feel that we have been extremely inconvenienced for no good
reason. Our water is not drinkable (no matter what you say - -there is visible rust sediment in the water, and it's
also not safe to wash light colored clothes since they stain). If this situation persists, there is no doubt that this
work has detracted from the value of our property since anyone can see immediately that the water is not clear
(all the bathroom fixtures and even the walls are now stained).
Given the exorbitantly high rates that we currently pay for water, it seems to me that the quality of the water
should be drinkable and that we should be able to wash our clothing in our own homes. This job must have cost
many thousands of dollars, but I cannot figure out why the water and sewer dept. believed that simply flushing
out rusty pipes would help, since there still seems to be a huge amount of rust in the system. Again, I reiterate,
a supervisor (someone above Donny) needs to come out here to check on the water quality and develop a long-
term plan to alleviate this problem. It is rather mind - boggling that there has been absolutely no follow -up and
we are now being left to our own devices.
Thank you very much for your attention to this matter.
SIncerely,
Vicki Caron
52 Woodcrest Ave.
Ithaca, New York 14850
phone: 607 -275 -1226
email: vc21 @cornell.edu
file://CADocuments and Settings\kgehringTocal Settings \Temp\XPgrpwise \538DF577coim... 6/3/2014