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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMN-BPW-2016-11-28BOARD OF PUBLIC WORKS PROCEEDINGS CITY OF ITHACA, NEW YORK Regular Meeting 4:49 p.m. November 28, 2016 PRESENT: Mayor Myrick Commissioners (5) – Darling, Greene, Jenkins, McCormick, Warden OTHERS PRESENT: Assistant Superintendent of Streets and Facilities – Benjamin Director of Engineering – Logue Director of Parking – Nagy Common Council Liaison – Fleming Executive Assistant – Servoss EXCUSED: City Attorney – Lavine Superintendent of Public Works – Thorne Assistant Superintendent of Water and Sewer – Whitney ADDITIONS OR DELETIONS TO THE AGENDA: No additions/deletions were requested. MAYOR’S COMMUNICATIONS: The Mayor had no communications. PRESENTATION: Bronze Level Bicycle Friendly Community Award Junior Transportation Eng. Kent Johnson and Vicki Armstrong from Bike Walk Tompkins joined the Board for the discussion of this topic. Dir. of Eng. Logue explained the award was presented to the City from the League of American Bicyclists. He further stated that Ithaca was lucky enough to have a visit from Steve Clark, a representative from the League, with a presentation and discussion after a bike tour of downtown. Dir. of Eng. Logue referenced the info graphic that was provided in the agenda packet, explaining how the scoring worked for the bicycle friendly awards. Based on all the information, the League of American Bicyclists made a determination on which award a city should receive. The League did provide information on why Ithaca received a bronze level award and how the city could improve. Junior Transportation Eng. Johnson displayed the sign that was sent to the City. He noted a number of things that were occurring within the community to show how the city was becoming more bicycle friendly, including: Bike racks on all TCAT buses Safe Routes to School Program, which included an educational component Several community events were held with a bicycle focus: o Streets Alive! o Bike to Work events o Bike Rodeos Advocacy organizations: o Finger Lakes Cycling Club o BPAC o CCE Way to Go Program o Bike/Walk Tompkins He noted that even though the City had a lot of work to still do to improve and move up through the levels, there were a lot that community members would do and many good ways to plug into the different advocacy organizations to meet different challenges people are facing. Everybody could feel they were part of the process to make biking better in the city. Board of Public Works Page 2 November 28, 2016 Regular Meeting Ms. Armstrong congratulated the City on receiving a bronze level award on behalf of Bike/Walk Tompkins. She stated that studies have shown that as roads that were treated for cyclists also benefited motorists. She further stated that she looked forward to a greater and more connected network of cycling routes to benefit all ages and abilities. She stated, “We should go for gold!” Additionally, she stated that Bike/Walk Tompkins looked forward to working with the City to improve cycling in the community. Commissioner Greene arrived at 4:56 p.m. Commissioner McCormick noted the City did not have any bicycle friendly businesses and asked if that affected the award determination. Tim responded that similar to bike friendly communities, there is a program for businesses to apply to. There hasn’t been much outreach by the City to showcase bike friendly businesses. Cornell is our bike friendly university. Discussion followed on the floor regarding bicycle friendly businesses, local and national including Facebook. Mayor Myrick stated that it was nice to be recognized for what the City does well, and learn how to improve. Excited to receive this award, and the goal could be to become better and climb the rankings. Fernando D’Aragon, Ithaca Tompkins County Transportation Council (ITCTC) Executive Director, joined the Board, stating that for perspective, 1.8% of people in Tompkins County regularly commuted via bicycle to work, compared to Portland, Oregon, which received Platinum status, had 6.8% of their community that bike to work. Just 6-8% of people transform the city, and is very achievable. He stated that if there’s another way to get around the community that did not include vehicles, it was easier for the community to achieve its goals, including bringing more people to live in the city. Ms. Armstrong noted that Portland went from 1% to 6% in a very short period of time not very long ago. Discussion followed on the floor regarding the possibility of creating a formal bicycle coral application process in the City. Dir. of Eng. Logue responded that there was not a formal process; the City was hoping to find local businesses to agree to maintain the corals, which would include only easy tasks such as trash cleanup within the corals because street sweepers did not fit inside the corals. He noted that no businesses have agreed to do this maintenance and keep corals clean yet. Discussion followed on the floor regarding speaking with local businesses, particularly Gimee Coffee, about adopting a bike coral near their business. Commissioner Green asked if the League of American Bicyclist accounted for the fact that Ithaca and Tompkins County has hills everywhere when scoring the community. Junior Transportation Eng. Johnson responded that topography and weather were barriers for many people who wished to bike more, but he was not aware if/how that factored into the scoring for this award. Mayor Myrick congratulated staff on receiving the award and thanked them for the presentation. COMMUNICATIONS AND HEARINGS FROM PERSONS BEFORE THE BOARD: No one addressed the Board. RESPONSE TO THE PUBLIC No response was necessary. ADMINISTRATION AND COMMUNICATIONS: Approval of the July 13, 2015, and August 10, 2015, Board of Public Works Meeting Minutes – Resolution By Commissioner Darling: Seconded by Commissioner Jenkins RESOLVED, That the minutes of the July 13, 2015, and August 10, 2015, Board of Public Works meeting be approved proposed/with noted corrections. Carried Unanimously REPORTS Board Liaisons Commissioner Darling, Planning and Economic Development Board liaison, reported that the Board reviewed City Centre designs at their last meeting. He noted that this project would Board of Public Works Page 3 November 28, 2016 Regular Meeting change how the downtown area looks, and it would be interesting how it will change the interface with Green Street. There are few other interesting projects in process for downtown. He further reported that landlords in Collegetown are planning to take down buildings in order to put up bigger buildings, taking away green space. The City might want to think about closing down streets from time to time in Collegetown to get more people outside. Mayor Myrick noted that the Schwarz Center was planning to take down the existing wall outside the center to make a more open space. Commissioner Green reported that the Waterfront Resources Committee would hold two public sessions on December 17, 2016, at The Space @ Greenstar. Good, positive discussion is expected, including about accessible housing vs. mixed use applications. He further noted that a lot of discussion was held regarding branding the waterfront corridor (such as a waterfront or historical area) that contained a central theme. The conversation included development incentives for attracting the kinds of projects that would spur more activity in that area from an economic and a social perspective. David West, Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Council (BPAC) Chair, thanked staff, the Board of Public Works, Common Council, ITCTC, local advocacy groups, Friends of Stewart Park, and the Cayuga Waterfront Trail for all their work that resulted in the League of American Bicyclists award. He stated that the bronze status award was something to be proud of; the City previously received honorable mention, then a significant number of positive changes have been made to get to bronze level. He explained that Junior Transportation Eng. Johnson tasked BPAC with developing a Complete Streets Policy, a draft of which had been e-mailed to the Board for review. He suggested that the Board designate a committee to work on any changes or to move toward adoption of the policy. He noted that it was important to keep City on track toward completing the Comprehensive Plan. Superintendent and Staff Asst. Supt. Benjamin reported that the season started out with snow, with most equipment holding up well. He stated that crews were on the night snow watch shift, which included picking up leaves when there was no snow plowing. Day crews were cleaning out catch basins, catching up on training, and the employee recognition event was scheduled for December 16, 2016. Dir. of Parking Nagy reported that the City had raised about $75,000 more in November 2016 than in November 2014; promotion of new the 2017 parking rates would begin soon to get information out to the public, including trying to get city-owned garage permit holders over to the Cayuga Garage; the water feature on the Commons would go through its first test this week; a city-wide parking study with on-street occupancies was in process, with the hope that solid data would be gathered by beginning of January 2017. BUILDINGS, PROPERTIES, REFUSE AND TRANSIT: Request to Install Telecommunication Conduit within the Commons Telecommunication System Space – Proposed Resolution By Commissioner Darling: Seconded by Commissioner Jenkins WHEREAS, as part of the Commons Project, the City installed a comprehensive structure to facilitate installation of telecommunications equipment by multiple providers; and WHEREAS, Ithaca Renting Company (hereafter, “Applicant”) has submitted a request to occupy conduit space in the new telecommunication conduit system installed as part of the Commons rebuild project; and WHEREAS, Applicant has requested permission to place fiber optic cable and associated splice cases within the Commons telecom space as shown in the diagram attached here as Exhibit A; and WHEREAS, City staff is supportive of this use of the Commons’ telecom system space and on October 26, 2015, the Board of Public of Works set a base license fee schedule; and WHEREAS, the Superintendent does not anticipate any conflicts in the near future with public works uses or needs, now therefore be it RESOLVED, The Board of Public Works hereby grants Applicant permission to install fiber optic cable and associated splice cases subject to the following: Board of Public Works Page 4 November 28, 2016 Regular Meeting 1) Applicant shall provide bonding or other sufficient security in an amount that the Superintendent deems appropriate to compensate the City for damage to its property during the course of installation and in the event the City must effect removal of the equipment 2) Applicant shall submit its final installation plan for Superintendent of Public Works’ prior to installation 3) Applicant agrees to, and shall execute an agreement with the City for continued use of the telecom system space as authorized by Board of Public Works. Discussion followed on the floor regarding number of cables that could fit in the conduits, which are many. A Vote on the Resolution Resulted as Follows: Carried Unanimously HIGHWAYS, STREETS AND SIDEWALKS: Award of Professional Services Contract for East State Street Retaining Wall – Capital Project 833 – Proposed Resolution By Commissioner Greene: Seconded by Commissioner Warden WHEREAS, professional services proposals were received on July 28, 2016 for the East State Street Retaining Wall project (CP 833, PIN 375616), and WHEREAS, staff has reviewed the seven proposals received and made recommendations for award, and WHEREAS, engineering studies and designs are a Type II action requiring no further review under the State Environmental Quality Review Act and the City Environmental Quality Review Ordinance, now therefore be it RESOLVED, That the City of Ithaca Board of Public Works hereby awards the professional services contract for the East State Street Retaining Wall project (CP 833, PIN 375616) to Erdman Anthony and Associates, of Rochester, New York, for an amount not to exceed $408,000, and be it further, RESOLVED, That the Superintendent of Public Works for the City of Ithaca be hereby authorized to enter into said contracts under the usual terms and conditions. Dir. of Eng. Logue noted that this project has the standard 80%/15%/5% (federal, state, city) funding split. A Vote on the Resolution Resulted as Follows: Carried Unanimously PARKING AND TRAFFIC: 2017 Parking Rates – Resolution By Commissioner Jenkins: Seconded by Commissioner Warden WHEREAS, the Board of Public Works has considered the proposed 2017 rates for municipal parking facilities in order to meet the adopted 2017 budget revenue projection, and WHEREAS, the following chart contains the entire rate structure for all rates within the City for 2017, and RESOLVED, That the Board of Public Works hereby adopts the proposed 2017 parking rates as follows in the attached table; and, be it further, RESOLVED, That all rates shall go into effect January 1, 2017, and shall remain until the Board of Public Works directs otherwise. Monthly Permits Actual 2016 Rates Effective 1/1/16 Proposed 2017 Rates Effective 1/1/17 Amount Changed Board of Public Works Page 5 November 28, 2016 Regular Meeting Seneca Garage, Day and Night All Levels, Full Access (24/7) $96.00/mo $96.00/mo No Change Contract with Hotel1 $56.00/mo $56.45/mo 0.81% increase CPI Contract with Cascade Plaza, LLC $96.00/mo $96.00/mo No Change Worker’s Special (M-F/10 hrs/day, 210 hrs/mo) $78.00/mo $78.00/mo No Change Part time Special (24/7, 105 hrs/mo) $67.00/mo $67.00/mo No Change Overnight Only Special (5pm-8am) $46.00/mo $46.00/mo No Change Primo Part time Special (24/7, 68 hrs/mo) $42.00/mo $46.00/mo 9.5% increase Green Street Garage, Day and Night All Levels, Full Access $85.00/mo $96.00/mo 13% increase Contract with Cascade Plaza, LLC2 $55.18/mo $55.63/ mo 0.81% increase CPI Worker’s Special (M-F/10 hrs/day, 210 hrs/mo) $69.50/ mo $78.00/mo 12% Increase Part time Special (24/7, 105 hrs/mo) $60.00/ mo $67.00/mo 12% Increase Overnight Only Special (5pm-8am) $41.00/ mo $46.00/mo 12% Increase Primo Part time Special (24/7, 68 hrs/mo) $38.00/mo $46.00/mo 21% Increase Cayuga Street Garage, Day and Night All Levels, including long-term storage $67.00/mo $69.00/mo 3% increase Worker’s Special (M-F/10 hrs/day, 210 hrs/mo) $56.00/mo New option Contract Cornell Rate $49.06/mo $49.46/mo 0.81% increase CPI Contract with County (Library)3 $67.00/ mo $69.00/ mo 3% change Premium Area Rates $123.00/mo $123.00/mo No Change Dryden Road Garage July 1, 2017 Full Access (24/7) $159.00/mo $164.00/mo 3% increase Worker’s Special (210 hrs/mo) $129.00/mo $133.00/mo 3% Increase Part time Special (24/7, 105 hrs/mo) $70.00/mo $72.00/mo 3% Increase Overnight Only Special (M-F/6pm-9am/ Free Weekends) $129.00/mo $133.00/mo 3% Increase Primo Part time Special (24/7, 68 hrs/mo) $46.00/mo $47.00/mo 2% Increase Other Non-Meter Permit Parking Contract with County (DSS)3 $50.00/mo $51.00/mo 2% increase Weekly Rates Actual 2016 Rates Effective 1/1/16 Proposed 2017 Rates Effective 1/1/17 Amount Changed Seneca Garage, Day and Night $30.00 $30.00 No Change Green Street Garage, Day and Night $28.00 $30.00 7% Increase Dryden Road Garage, 24 Hours $50.00 $51.00 2% Increase Hourly Rates4 Actual 2016 Rates Effective 1/1/16 Proposed 2017 Rates Effective 1/1/17 Amount Changed Seneca, Green, Cayuga Street Garages5 Per hour $1/hour $1/hour No Change Maximum $7/day $7/day No Change Dryden Road Garage 0 – 24 $1/hour $1/hour No Change Maximum $15/day $15/day No Change Bulk Purchase: Garage Tokens or Tracer Tickets $26.00/ $26.00/ No Change Board of Public Works Page 6 November 28, 2016 Regular Meeting Hourly Rates4 Actual 2016 Rates Effective 1/1/16 Proposed 2017 Rates Effective 1/1/17 Amount Changed 40 hours 40 hours Special Event Rate (weekend day entrance fee, 24 hour parking limit) Downtown garages $5 $5 No Change Parking Meters and Pay and Display Surface Lot: Green Street Garage $2.25/hour No max. $2.25/hour No max. No Change Downtown (begin As Pay Machines are installed) $1.50/hr 2 hr. max. $1.50/hr 2 hr. max. No Change Collegetown (begins as pay machines are Installed) $1.50/hr 2 hr. max. $1.50/hr 2 hr. max. No Change Thurston & Stewart Ave. & Edgemoor (begins as pay machines are installed) $0.75/hr 9 hr. max. $0.75/hr 9 hr. max. No Change Foot Notes 1 – Volume discount rate for 104 spaces – see contract dated June 6, 2006. Rate adjustment annually on 8/1 based on average increase in other rates, but not more than 3% 2 – Up to 100 permits in Seneca Street Garage at posted rate (except handicap permits, are at special Cayuga Garage rate); up to 20 permits in Green Street Garage (these permits will not be usable at any other garage), up to 150 permits in Cayuga Street Garage, total not to exceed 250 permits. Right to purchase additional 150 permits at posted rates – see contract dated June 6, 2006. Rate to change for first 250 permits after August 1, 2007, “from time to time” based on percentage change in the CPI between adjustment dates. 3 – The County’s Mental Health/Library agreement for 100 spaces in Green Street Garage (and/or Lot D) has expired. The Board of Public Works agreed to transition the rate charged to County employees to the full market rate over a period of five years. Commencing in 2015, THE rate is 100% of the market rate. County’s DSS agreement for 20 spaces on West State Street (in “Fire Station lot”) expires December 31, 2016 (needs to be negotiated). 4 – Fees charged: Downtown garages, 3:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., Monday through Friday: Dryden Road garage, 24 hours / 7 days. 5 – The City has an agreement with TC3 that allows TC3 to issue passes for students, clients, and customers, for which the City charges TC3 88 percent of posted rates for the accumulated parking fees. Carried Unanimously DISCUSSION ITEMS: Floral Avenue Community Garden Update Chrys Gardener, Cornell Cooperative Extension, joined the Board for the discussion of this topic, providing the Board with good news: All 20 available plots in the Floral Avenue Community Garden were leased in 2016, showing a need and high interest in a community garden in that part of the city. She noted that one plot was even leased to the Ithaca Children’s Garden, and one plot was used as an educational plot for gardening classes. Still a lot of empty space available to add more garden plots. She stated that organizers realized that there was no need to create a parking lot near the garden because most people live within walking or biking distance to the garden, while others would park in the public parking lot to the north of the garden and walking to the garden. Ms. Gardener noted that the lack of rain this year was really tough: they were not allowed to draw water from the water main; water from the flood control channel worked until herbicide was pumped into inlet for hydrilla from June through September; and the City did fill the water tanks a couple of times, but they could not count on that on a consistent basis. Therefore, she asked the Board about building a small pavilion to help collect rainwater. She stated that both the Ithaca Children’s Garden and the Dryden Community Garden both had a pavilion or gazebo on their property to facilitate the gathering of water. Discussion followed on the floor regarding the number of tanks that the Community Garden would want to have on site. Ms. Gardener responded that they are looking at getting a 1,000 gallon tank and hooking it up to the two existing tanks that were much smaller. Board of Public Works Page 7 November 28, 2016 Regular Meeting Commissioner Darling stated that the Community Garden would need to check with the Building Department about obtaining a permit to build a pavilion. He noted that the more temporary the pavilion was, the more comfortable staff might be. The Board did not express any objections to the request. Proposal for a Mobile Community Garden on North Titus Avenue Ms. Gardener remained with the Board, explaining that the Southside neighborhood still lacked a community garden location. She stated that she was part of a team that looked around the city for green space that was not city parkland and that could be used for community gardens. Nothing suitable was located in the Southside neighborhood within walking distance for most people. She explained that milk crate gardens have been used in other urban areas and have been successful as they are movable. Discussion followed on the floor regarding the South Titus Avenue dead end being a turnaround for fire trucks and snow plows, noting there were homes near the CVS driveway toward the end of the road. Other options for garden locations were discussed by the Board. Ms. Gardener agreed to follow up on her communication with Diane Cohen about using part of the Finger Lakes ReUse Center parking lot. Mayor Myrick expressed interest in taking under-utilized areas in the City and creating community gardens for local communities. Ms. Gardener stated she would do more research on suitable locations and come back to the Board with more details. Mayor Myrick thanked Ms. Gardener for making the City a better place to live. He noted that she had created a great model for community gardening. ADJOURNMENT: On a motion, the meeting adjourned at 5:50 p.m. Kathrin D. Servoss Svante L. Myrick Executive Assistant Mayor