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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMN-IURACDC-1980-03-03 D E_BTD CONFEPENSE IG BORHOOD IMPROVEMENTS nH`,r,SE II pn MARCH 1980 PRESENT: Jay Waring Henry Wilhelmi Greentree Nursery Supervising Architect Francis Grubham Duryea and Wilhelmi Giordano Construction Jasmine Lim Tom McGuire Community Development Coordinator McGuire Gardens Kathe Evans James Aislee C.D. Housing Specialist Ampersan , Inc. Press Gill Travis Cortland Paving Company Mr. Wilhlemi reminded those present that the bid opening would take place at 11 :00 in the morning on March 10, 1980, in Common Council chambers. Separate base bids, he said, were being solicited for six separate projects. He passed out copies of Adderrlum Number 2 and noted that Addendum Number 1 was included in the specifications . After briefly going over the projects described in the specs , Mr. Wilhelmi opened t o meeting to discussion and questions. Mr. Grubham asked if New York State iHighway permits were required. Wilhelmi said that he thoua a blanket permit from the District Engineer would be adequate and he said he would provide the necessary documents. With regards to the Soutsi'deCenter it was pointed out that access to the building should be maintained and Evans suggested that the gym entrance should be used instead of the day care entrance so as not to disturb children during their naps . Mr. McGuire asked if any tree removal would be required and Mr. Wilhelmi said no. Mr. Waring asked if homeowners would be advised of the plantings and asked who would be contacting them. Evans said that a list of property owners would be available and that they would be notified of the plantings to occur. She said that in Phase I some problems had been faced when owners did not want trees planted in front of their homes. In these cases , she said, alternate locations were sought if possible but that generally, as the plantings are on public property, the property owners have no jurisdiction over the trees. They are planted for city beautification and the entire community is taken into consideration. Mr. Grubham asked if some of the plantings would be done in paved areas and Evans said no. Most plantings would be done in dirt areas, except for the Old Gas and Electric Works which may require digging up concrete. PRE-BID CONFERENCE NEIGHBORHOOD IMPROVEMENTS PHASE II MARCH 3, 1980 PAGE 2 Mr. Wilhelmi discussed the Washington Park project and said that substantial planting, electrical, and paving work was planned for this area. He noted that the deduct alternate provides for lighting and electrical work to be deleted from the base bids . For the Neighborhood Facilities Signage Program Projects , Wilhelmi suggested • professional photo image panels and referred potential bidders to page 2F-5 for the general requirements. Jasmine Lim, C.D. Coordinator, asked if the Federal Regulations were clear to everyone, _ Evans said that the wage guidelines included in the specs were based upon "residential and site work" according to HUD. She noted that these wage scales were lower than heavy work or highway work and added that she did not know how individual employers handled the raising and lowering of these required wages but said that it was a labor management problem. The bottom line, she said, ' 1s that the quoted wages must be paid and that weekly and monthly wage sheets must be filed. These sheets , she said , are kept in the files for two years and are subject to Department of Labor and HUD review during that period. Lim said that job site monitoring would also be done and laborers on the job would be asked how much they are getting paid. In addition , the wage guidelines must be posted for work persons to see along with Equal Opportunity posters. McGuire asked if the wage scale was subject to chance and Evans said that new guidelines were issued every three months. Waring asked what the completion date would be for these projects and Wiiheimi said he hoped for a June 31st deadline. He added that there would be consideration taken for possible later completion dates and said that in the Southside Center project, for instance, because of the amount of work to be done, the planting could probably not be done until the autumn. The rest of the planting could be done by the Spring. Evans discussed the Affirmative Action program and said that where ever possible, target area crews should be used . In the case where a contractor does not have an Affirmative Action plan , she said, the City would be willing to help them implement one. Lim said that the number of people on a work crew was not the issue but • that the amount of the contract ($10 ,000 or more) determined the HUD required plan. Grubham asked about getting affidavits from sub-contractors when the time constraints were so pressing. Wilhelmi said that these non collusion affidavits need not be signed until the contract signing. PPE-EID CONFERENCE NEIGHBORHOOD IMPROVEMENTS PHASE II MARCH 3, 1980 PAGE 3 Evans said she would like to check this out with City Engineer Phil Cox. If she finds that different affidavit requirements apply, she would notify potential bidders either by telephone or by mail . Wilhelmi said that with regard to the consent of surety on page 11 , if a contractor intends to supply a performance bond, the retainage need not be accepted. Evans said that if nobody heard from her within the next few days , it could be assumed that no information was needed on the subcontractors prior to the bid-opening. Waring asked if there should be a maintenance bond on plantings , and Evans said she would get back to him within 24 hours on this issue. Mr. Aislee said that McPherson would not be on the bidding list ; instead, Ampersand , the union contractor under McPherson , would be substituted. Cobies of the Addendum Number 2 will be sent to potential bidders who were not present. As the meeting was taped , any contractor will be able to follow the meeting 's proceedings by listening to the tapes at City Hall . The meeting adjourned at 5:10 P.M. Respectfully submitted, Approved, ate--- 's''`- Natalie de Combray Jasmine Lim 1 /v II IURA/CDA MINUTES 5:00 - Council Chambers March 10 , 1980 PRESENT: Mayor Raymond Bordoni , Chairman , IURA/CDA Clarence Reed, IURA/CDA Anne Jones, IURA/CDA James Dennis , IURA/CDA Tom Hoard, Building Commissioner Sharon Brown, 312 Program H. M. Van Cort, Director, Planning and Development Jon Meigs , Planning and Development Jasmine Lim, C.D. Coordinator Katherine Evans , C.D. Housing Specialist Press Mayor Bordoni opened the meeting at 5:05. MINUTES APPROVAL Jones MOVED to approve the Minutes of February 11 , 1980. Reed SECONDED and MOTION PASSED. REPORTS St. James A.M.E. Zion Meigs presented communications from Carol U. Sisler, Executive Director of Historic Ithaca, and from Tania Werbizky, Vice Chairman of the Ithaca Landmark Preservation Commission. Both organizations urged release of C.D. funds for rehabilitation of the St. James A.M.E. Zion church. Meigs then read a memo from the City Attorney which advised holding back funds until HUD issues a guarantee that the City would not be held liable if the action were determined to be unconstitutional . In addition, Meigs said Shapiro had mentioned problems he had with the various constitutional tests. As a result of this statement, Meigs said he has been in touch with the Syracuse Deputy C.D. Administrator, with Jim Coon of the New York State Department of State, and with C.D. consultant Nat Parrish. The response of all three was that although the issue has not yet been decided in court, there is no known example of HUD holding a community liable retroactively for an action deemed eligible at the time. That HUD left the decision to be made locally, Meigs said, should be interpreted as a consent to go ahead. Jones asked if Agency members would be personally liable if court decision found the action unconstitutional . Lim answered that members were insured for up to $100,000 by bond and they would be protected if litigation ensued. • • IURA/CDA MINUTES MARCH 10, 1980 PAGE 2 After further discussion during which the rising cost of rehab work was brought up, Reed MOVED and Jones SECONDED the following RESOLUTION: WHEREAS the deteriorating appearance of the exteriors of St. James A.M.E. Zion Church a'nd First Baptist Church have been determined to be blighting influences on the C.D. target area and the DeWitt Park Historic District, and WHEREAS both structures are designated local landmarks , and one is also a major contributing structure in a National Historic District, and WHEREAS monies from HUD have been allocated for exterior restoration of historic buildings , including the two churches , and WHEREAS exterior restoration of these buildings has been a longstanding C.D. project with community support, and WHEREAS INHS, Historic Ithaca and the ILPC have urged recently that these monies be used asproposed,and WHEREAS HUD Central has advised the city that unless and until HUD determines that use of C.D. monies for these activities is illegal , the city may make its own decision whether or not to proceed, NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that this IURA/CDA does direct that staff proceed with release of funds for the exterior facade improvements to the St. James A.M.E. Zion Church and the First Baptist Church. MOTION PASSED 312 Report Van Cort said that when the 312 program was initially being set up there had been talk of-administertin it through INHS. At that time the proposal was rejected by the INHS Board. Subsequent to the HUD monitoring letter's recommendation to bring 312 under INHS, the INHS Board expressed interest in exploring the possibility of the transfer. He said that in the near future, IURA/CDA members would have to make a decision regarding the transfer. Hoard said that the 1st year of the 312 program had been primarily concerned with ironing out administration problems . In particular, Hoard said, it took until August of 19 19 to resolve the question of how the 312 program and the INHS program could work together in the target area. At that time, through the advice of Walter MacMurray of the HUD Buffalo Area Office , it was decided that the 312 program should be concentrated in the areas that have the most IURA/CDA MINUTES MARCH 10, 1980 PAGE 3 mixed commercial/residential rental property. This area included West State Street, West Seneca Street, West Green Street, Fulton Street, and Meadow Street. Once this action was established, contact was made with various individuals and organizations from the designated area to disseminate information about the 312 program. To date, two applications have been processed and approved. One for $4,500 and one for $9,700. Three other applications are pending. Hoard said that one frequent problem is that many of the properties are tied up in legal complications such as estate and multiple ownerships. He said that as 312 guidelines are very strict, if an applicant can qualify for a bank loan, then he is also eligible for a 312 loan and the difference is in the interest owed which results in lower monthly payments. Therefore, the rehabilitaion becomes more affordable or the property owner can complete more rehabilitation at the same cost. Hoard said that they had lost their original rehab specialist and now had a part-time person hired from INHS. He said that HUD had been concerned about this as it might lead to payments being made twice for the same job. A letter was sent to HUD clearly outlining the differences between the times that the rehab specialist would be working for INHS as distinct from the 312 program. Hoard said the biggest problem in the 312 program is that there is no money available for relocation which means that the properties needing the most work cannot be done as the work would require moving the people out of the buildings. Although the original proposal said that the program should be operational nine months after being set up, they are two months behind schedule. Hoard said that over 50 inquiries were received and he said he believes more will be generated once the construction season begins. Hoard said he had mixed feelings about moving the program to NHS and added that he was reluctant to let it go. The fact that the Deputy Building Commissioner position is still vacant leaves him little time to devote to the program. _ However, now that the initial problems have been ironed out, he said that the program will show positive results no matter where the program is located. Dennis asked about relocation funds and Evans said that the funds allocated to relocation had been set aside for the West State Street project. A strong city policy had been to avoid relocation which ends up as displacement. Ithaca 's tight-housing situation, she said, makes it difficult for an indivi- dual to find a new home in their same neighborhood. One solution would be to set up a local rent control agreement for properties improved with 312 loans 3% money would be made available to property owners on the condition they maintain their levels of rent close to Section 8 rent levels in the community for a period of five years or so. This proposal is still • IURA/CDA MINUTES MARCH 10, 1980 PAGE 4 in the hands of the City Attorney. At the moment, however, there is nothing to keep a landlord from pricing out a lower income person thereby forcing displacement of that person into housing which is worse than what they moved from. Van Cort said the improvements landlords may make can be so costly that it would force them to raise the rent above the level of low income persons . Brown said that this also applies to the new rules and regulations regarding the commercial owner. If he is displaced, he is entitled to the income he would have generated during his displacement. Evans said that it is a big problem and that HUD does not want to fund huge relocation budgets. Lim noted that in other cities , vacant units are improved one at a time. Then a family in the same building is relocated into the rehabilitated unit while improvements are made to their apartments and so on. This becomes a phased program of relocation within the same building. Van Cort said another possibility would be to use the houses NHS is recycling as temporary relocation solutions. Evans noted that there is little Section 8 Standard housing within the target area. Neighborhood Improvements , Phase II - Bid Approval Evans explained that the bid opening had been scheduled for this morning but that as more time was needed to work out a deferred payment plan, all contractors had been telephoned about the postponement on Friday. She said that the way the specifications are written is to divide a large neighborhood improvement program into five or six parts so that small local contractors will be encouraged to bid on the projects. In addition, a policy was developed whereby CD will accept either a performance bond for materials and labor or a deferred payment plan acceptable to the City Attorney. In the few cases where the deferred payment plan was used , this was interpreted by the City Attorney and the Engineering Department to entail a witholding forat least 30 days after the project finished of as much as 40 to 50% of the total cost of the project. At the Pre-Bid conference on March 3rd, one of the contractors informed the Agency of a new State law which limits the deferred payment to 10% of the total cost of the ixoj ect. If the contractor holds a performance bond there shall be a retainage of 5% of the final payment for 30 days after completion of the job. The architects took this information back to Syracuse with them to discuss this issue with their lawyers and with colleagues in other communities. They discovered that Ithaca is one of the very few cities in upstate New York IURA/CDA MINUTES MARCH 10 PAGE 5 that has only a few contractors able to get performance bonds. In an attempt to meet Section 3 goals , CD has therefore looked to the deferred payment plan. In addition, the landscape architects found out that this law, passed in 1978, is binding on CD projects. Evans said that a decision must be made between two alternatives. The first is to require only 10% retainage and in this way encourage small contractors. The disadvantage of this plan is the risk that the contractor will default and CD would have to self insure and bring suit against a defaulted contractor. In addition, more CD funds would have to be used to finish the job. The second alternative would be to require a performance bond. This decision would exclude many small contractors and would also mean higher bids. After discussion Dennis MOVED and Reed SECONDED the following RESOLUTION: RESOLVED that the IURA/CDA accept the staff recommendation of 10% retainage plan for the Neighborhood Improvements Program, Phase II , on an experimental basis , and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the IURA/CDA recommends staff investigate other options for the future. MOTION PASSED. Evans said contractors would be informed of this decision by mail-o-gram and that the bid opening would be re-scheduled for 10:00 AM on March 12, in the Planning Department. ADMINISTRATION Supervision of Public Works Evans said there were two ways that supervision of the Neighborhood Improvements projects could take: the first would be to get firm assurances from the DPW that someone from their staff would be out every day to observe that the work is being done appropriately. The other, is to hire a person as a clerk of-the-works through the architect. She and Lim will meet with engineer Phil Cox to discuss ti-se possibilities. Evans reported that the DPW contract is close to being signed. Instead of using the usual form, a unique and special contract has been typed that will go for review to the City Attorney this week. The option to hire a clerk -of -the works through the architects would include an amendment to the contract with Duryea and Wilhelmi to an additional $5000. IURA/CDA MINUTES MARCH 10, 1980 PAGE 6 Evans said that the architects are concerned about the curing of the concrete and want to assure that it is done differently than it was on the Commons and the peripheral streets . They have suggested hiring someone locally as clerk-of- the- works for field supervision. This person would supervise daily and also be responsible for seeing that the signs are posted and that the weekly and monthly wage forms are filled out and handed in. Evans said that possibly someone about to retire could be hired; someone with at least ten years experience in supervision of construction. Jones asked if the person would be hired by and responsible to the archi- tects and Evans said yes. Evans added that there would be a lot of work going on simultaneously and that the architects would be down once or twice a week during the peak construction period, but this could mean that without daily supervision, rather large mistakes could occur before the architect arrived on the scene. Reed asked if the architects could hire someone from the DPW but Evans said there might be problems with the union rules in substituting federal funding for a person who had been on City payroll . Dennis said he was concerned that if the DPW took on the responsibility they might come to Common Council and say they need an extra person. Van Cort asked the Agency to approve a resolution leaving the decision of job site supervision to the staff. Dennis MOVED and Reed SECONDED the following RESOLUTION: RESOLVED that the IURA/CDA delegates the decision regarding supervision of Neighborhood Improvements projects to CD staff and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the IURA/CDA directs the Mayor to sign a contract amendment regarding the supervision Of, Neighborhood Improvements if deemed necessary by CD staff and approved by the City Attorney. MOTION PASSED. ACC Contract Van Cort reported that he and planner Mick Bottge had visited Columbia to meet with the President and two Vice Presidents of the American Cities Corporation. The Senior Vice President, who will be in charge of the job, has visited Ithaca to meet with local elected officials , Mr. Rothschild and McRobb/Goldberg. At present the contract is being worked out regarding timing , scope of work, scheduling and personnel . IURA/CDA MINUTES MARCH 10, 1980 PAGE 7 Jones pointed out that the Agency has never discussed "reasonable progress" and Van Cort said that they are moving as quickly as possible to set the project in motion. In addition they are working on a UDAG application due the first of May. He asked that the Agency act as grantee of the UDAG but said that no decision on this will be necessary until the scheduling is worked out. Emergency Grants Evans asked the IURA/CDA to amend its contracts with respect to the homeowner Emergency Grant program giving CD staff authority to authorize assistance to individuals for amounts greater than $1000 when health or safety are endangered, without going through review of the Agency. She cited an example whereby flaking paint in a home with 10 children in it required immediate attention. The problem had been resolved by authorizing a $2000 grant for the family after Evans had contacted and gotten approval of each IURA member. After discussion Reed MOVED and Dennis SECONDED the following RESOLUTION: BE IT RESOLVED that if special emergency situations occur not outlined in the EOC or iNHS Citywide Housing/Emergency Grant Program, in which the unusual health and safety of individuals and families are involved, the administration of the C.D. Agency can make a decision to assist in making the grant immediately available to the client without review by the IURA/CDA. MOTION PASSED. Sciarabba & Walker Van Cort said that as accountants Sciarabba and Walker had for a long time recommended physically moving the check writing and bookkeeping services to the CD offices , he had decided to hire Donna Siewrattan on a part time, experimental basis within the guidelines for such actions as set forth in the CD Administrative Manual . She is currently working out of the CD office on a trial basis and Van Cort said he would continue to report on the developments of this system before making a firm recommendation on whetherto hire her on a permanent basis. Because she is working as a temporary consultant, she does not receive benefits. Evans added that Sciarabba and Walker are still being used as consultants where their technical ability is necessary such as at recent meetings with the School District regarding depreciation schedules on GIAC. The remaining items of the Agenda were postponed to the next meeting. Meeting adjourned at 6:45. Respectfully Submitted: ,'— /� _ - Natalie de Combray Approved: i , Jasmine Lim E IURA/CDA SPECIAL MEETING MARCH 17, 1980 5:00 pm - Council Chambers PRESENT: Mayor Raymond Bordoni , Chairman IURA/CDA Stuart 'Stein, IURA/CDA Anne Jones , IURA/CDA James Dennis , IURA/CDA Clarence Reed, IURA/CDA Jasmine Lim, CD Coordinator Kathe Evans , CD Housing Specialist H.M. Van Cort, Director, Planning & Development Jon Meigs , Planning Staff Stan Goldberg , Developer, Ithaca Center Scott McRobb, Developer, Ithaca Center Press Review of and Approval of Bids - Neighborhood Improvements II Evans recommended that contracts be awarded to the lowest responsible bidders for the Neighborhood Improvements Project, Phase II . The bids were opened on Wednesday, March 12. Referring to the Bid Tabulation and Analysis Sheet and correspondence from architects Duryea and Wilhelmi , Evans asked the Agency to adopt a Resolution accepting bids from Giordano, Ampersand, and Bradley. Stein asked if any of the contractors were minorities and Evans said no, that no minorities had bid on the projects . She noted that there was only one minority contractor in the Ithaca area and said that without a minority Business Enterprise program to assist information of-minority companies, it will be difficult to-award contracts to minority contractors . Bordoni said that althouth the projects had been split up into smaller parts they all require a good deal of manpower and equipment not available to small contractors. Lim asked if Giordano Construction and Ampersand fell under HUD guidelines of Small Business Associations (SBA) and Evans said yes , that profits of less than $100,000 qualified a company as a Small Business . Jones asked if it would be feasible to bid out future projects as one entity and thereby make the work cheaper. Evans said this might be possible in Neighborhood Improvements III . She said however that Ampersand will be using Greentree Nursery as sub-contractor for the Washington Park project and that Giordano will be using McGuire Gardens as sub-contractor so that there is a good distribution of work. She added that the prices were good for this time of the year and that all contractors met with contractor compliance according to HUD guidelines. Iirrr ^r U r r-,,'�.iJ A March 17, 1 980 Pace 2 Stein MOVED and Jones SECONDED the following RESOLUTION: WHEREAS, bids have been received for the Neighborhood Improvements II projects , and, WHEREAS, a statement has been received by IURA/CDA members from their consulting architects Duryea and Wilhelmi , recommending acceptance of 5225,185.67 worth of construction work and $6,814. 33 for contingency, and WHEREAS, the apparent low bidders are not on the list of debarred and suspended contractors issued by HUD quarterly, and WHEREAS , the Year II Small Cities Budget for Neighborhood Improvements II shall cover construction work and contingency reserves , now THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the IURA/CDA accepts bids from Giordano, Ampersand and Bradley for a total of $225,185.67 and sets aside 56,814. 73 for Contingency from Line S205. MOTION PASSED. Retainage - Neighborhood Improvements I Evans explained that when Giordano had been accepted as low bidder for work on the Neighborhood Improvement Project, Phase I , a delay in HUD contractor clearance had resulted in Giordano's losing their bonding ability before the contract was signed., The problem with the contractor clearance, Evans said, was because another company of the same name in Connecticut was on the disbarred contractors list. Because of the unique circumstances , GiordanoConstruction Company met with Evans and City Attorney Shapiro and agreed to accept 20% retainage of the total cost of each project for 30 days after completion. Evans asked the Agency to approve a resolution to this effect. Lim added that City Engineer Phil Cox had said that local contractors had always been reliable and that the city has never had to call on a performance bond in the last four years. Evans said that for the Neighborhood Improvements Project, Phase II , Giordano would be working on the 10% retainage system as required by recent legislation. IURA/CDA March 17, 1980 Page 4 than 90 days so the first problem to be faced was how to accomplish two things simultaneously. Developers McRobb and Goldberg feel it is essential to begin construction in 1980 because of the rapidly increasing costs of construction. If they want an '80 start, they must begin in August and construction drawings must be started before April . This would be before ACC has finished its retail survey and the survey includes questions that had to be answered before preli- minary drawings were begun. Another question to answer is how does the YMCA fit into the project. Discussions are under way to see if the developers and the Y can work together or if part of the site should be given to the Y for their own development. Design is another aspect under consideration. What the building should look like: its height, size, open space, the circulation under the garage and the Home Dairy alley are some of the items that need to be faced. Van Cort said that developers should have some idea that the preliminary design is acceptable to the City. As there had been some expression from the community that they would like to see the design before construction begins, Van Cort said that he thought the best course of action would be to get approval from the Agency so that the developers can move ahead with some assurance. He added that there would still be design questions such as materials to be used, but said that the basic questions of site placement, mass ,and bulk, need to be decided quickly. Van Cort then presented a tentative schedule for discussion. Dennis asked for more details about the situation of the YMCA and Van Cort said that though McRobb and Goldberg were the preferred sponsors , the Y was still interested in entering into a cooperative effort. McRobb said that the door is open and that he had discussed his position with the new executive director of the Y but had not yet heard from the Board of Trustees. He said that some confusion resulted from there being a Board of Directors as well as a Board of Trustees. Goldberg said that he felt the YMCA facility belongs on the site but added that if the Y also became a developer, it would be too difficult to work. He said that the lot could be split up but said he would prefer to develop the entire site including the Y in its design. Van Cort said the developers needed direction from the Agency. Mayor Bordoni advised going ahead with the meetings with the Y and Van Cort said he would write a letter from the Mayor to all members of the Boards advising them that the Agency would like to talk with them within the week. McRobb asked how fast the Y would be able to react and said he hoped it would be sooner than mid-April . IURA/CDA March 17, 1980 Page 5 Bordoni suggested setting a firm date for a special meeting towards the end of March. Reed said that in the letter, Van Cort should make it clear that sponsorship has been designated to McRobb and Goldberg. Stein asked how neighborhood input could be achieved. He said that as it was a community project, It must be kept open so that people feel that their ideas have been heard. Adequate opportunity should be given , he said, for people to express their concerns. He added that this opportunity should be more than perfunctory. McRobb said that most business men that were interested had come to the Sept- ember presentation, and he said that most downtown business men and bankers had reviewed their plans before they went to Common Council . Goldberg asked if the City could get the press to cover an announcement of these meetings and Van Cort said yes . Stein said he was not happy with the design that he had seen but that he had not yet had an opportunity to discuss this with the developers. He wondered how many other community members might have the same feelings. Van Cort said that the upcoming five week period would be enough to work this out. Jones asked how decisions on open space, bulk, mass , and height could be made without input from the ACC and Van Cort said that the design can be reshuffled after the survey is done. Lots of give and take is possible without affecting the bulk of the building. He added that the developers were willing to take the risk of re-design. Goldberg said that after two days spent with the ACC on March 27 and 28, it will be possible to see if construction will be able to be begun in 1980. If not, he said, he would be ready to make the necessary step backward. Both the architects and the ACC must be in accord before work begins. Stein said that something had changed since the original schedule had been presented to the Agency. Both the IURA and Common Council , he said, had passed Resolutions when the circumstances were different. The original 90 day periods have now been exchanged for one 90 day period and the developers are going ahead, speaking of construction drawings, without the ACC having begun their work. Stein said that ACC could be eliminated and $90,000 could be saved. Van Cort answered that the first $45,000 was worth it to the City and the de- velopers to have a general market study of the area. He added that there must be flexibility if the .project is to be started in summer of 1980. If we are stuck with any sentence of the Resolution, he said, the project could be jeo- pardized. Hard work and willingness to cooperate will get the job done, Van Cort said. If the developers are unable to make a go of it, the City will at least have the study to fall back on. Van Cort said that he was trying to make it possible to have work begin in 1980. A decision against the proposal could stop the works. IURA/CDA March 17, 1980 Page 6 Bordoni said that a lot of time had been spent hearing about what was wanted from responsible developers. These wants included housing, retail , office, and open space. Prices are skyrocketing. If the project is slowed down at this point he said , the Agency will be repeating the mistakes of before. He there- fore recommended the Board take a positive attitude.With the proposed schedule, good newspaper and media coverage on the meetings , a 1980 starting date seems possible. Reed asked the developers if they believe in their work and McRobb said yes and that the ACC study would confirm their drawings. Stein said that this was a public project being built: with public funds in the center of town. He wants assurance that it is an open process so that everyone can have their say. He agrees with the Mayor but still feels that the ACC money could be saved. One argument, he said, was that preliminary studies could be made before the drawings . Now that idea has been scrapped. The study now merely gives some marketing advice. The $90,000 is not a wise expenditure, he said. He suggested that if it were possible to spend less , it should be done. ACC is not doing what was originally asked of them and the money could be better spent in the target area. Van Cort noted that most of the money was originally targetted for the West State Street survey and that $45,000 would be coming from the EDA. Jones said she was concerned that changes had been made without the Agency being involved. Van Cort said that the Agency still had to approve the contract and that the schedule it contained would be close to what was originally asked for. Dennis asked if ACC would help with the drawings. He said he understood that ACC would give advice to help the developers with the leasing. Bordoni said that the Economic Study would be beneficial to the project. Van Cort told the Agency that his staff was in the process of applying for an Urban Development Action Grant of $1 .6 million and that this had to go for A-95 Review in May. He said that the PNRS Letter of Intent had already been submitted and that a HUD decision would be made on July 31 . He said that he wanted the Agency to think about being the grantee of the funds and to let him know if they approved of this idea at the next meeting. After further discussion, Chairman Bordoni adjourned the meeting at 7.25. Respectfully Subrnitt , Approved, ,AQ&,,4{- i4 L,,,,,_,/,7 ,-,. . 6,,,„„„ ii„„..... Natalie de Combray Jasmine Lim