HomeMy WebLinkAboutMN-BPW-2017-02-27BOARD OF PUBLIC WORKS PROCEEDINGS
CITY OF ITHACA, NEW YORK
Regular Meeting 4:45 p.m. February 27, 2017
PRESENT:
Vice Chair Jenkins
Commissioners (4) – Darling, Greene, Warden
OTHERS PRESENT:
Supt. of Public Works - Thorne
Assistant Superintendent of Streets and Facilities – Benjamin
Assistant Superintendent of Water and Sewer – Whitney
Common Council Liaison – Fleming
Information Management Specialist - Myers
Director of Engineering – Logue
Director of Parking – Nagy
EXCUSED:
Mayor Myrick
City Attorney – Lavine
Commissioner McCormick
Call to Order/Agenda Review:
There were no additions to or deletions from the agenda.
Mayor’s Communications:
The Mayor did not attend today’s meeting.
Communications and Hearings From Persons Before the Board:
Agnes House, City of Ithaca addressed the Board regarding a request she made last
year to increase the number of street lights on West Clinton Street due to safety
concerns because, as of today, nothing has been done. She wanted to know what the
status of the request was. She requested that when this item is on the Board’s agenda
for discussion that she be notified so that she could attend the meeting.
David West, City of Ithaca and Chair of the Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Council,
addressed the Board in support of the request for additional street lights on West
Clinton Street and to request the installation of a stop sign at Plain and Clinton Streets
because of Plain Street’s designation as a bike boulevard. He also expressed his
thanks to Director of Engineering Logue regarding the work he has done to increase the
cost for street permits. It is vital that pedestrian access be maintained anywhere
construction is occurring. He feels that a lane of traffic should be removed before
pedestrian access on the sidewalk is removed. He requested that the Board of Public
Works ensure that maintenance of pedestrian access also be incorporated into the site
plan review process for any new development.
Dariush Farzad, applicant for the request on the agenda for today’s meeting addressed
the Board regarding his request for a license agreement with the City to launch hot air
balloons from Stewart Park.
Commissioner Greene arrived at the meeting at 4:57 p.m.
Response to the Public:
Commissioner Warden encouraged Ms. House to make contact with the Superintendent
of Public Works office to request notification be made to her when the discussion about
additional street lights on West Clinton Street will be on the Board’s agenda.
Vice Chair Jenkins arrived at the meeting at 5:02 p.m.
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Director of Engineering Logue explained that the City will make a request to NYSEG to
install an additional street light on West Clinton Street, unless the Board would like more
involvement with the request.
Reports:
Supt. Thorne reported that staff is working with NYSEG to purchase all the street lights
in the City. A capital project will be requested to purchase all the lights at once. The
City will then request that a capital project be created to pay for the cost of converting
them to LED lighting on an ongoing basis.
Asst. Supt. Benjamin reported that with the recent exceptional weather, crews began
the work on the Six Mile Creek retaining wall. The work will be done in phases since
the entire embankment cannot be removed at once; the work is going well. The
remodeling work at the Streets and Facilities building has been completed, except for
installing the tile flooring. The Parks crew is preparing for the spring planting of
replacement trees.
Asst. Supt. Whitney reported that crews were taking advantage of the recent great
weather by conducting replacement work for various valve boxes around the City.
There have been no water main breaks; however, there was a sewer main break by the
Youth Bureau where an old pipe became decayed and blew a hole. Staff is working on
the annual bid for pipes and materials; that resolution will be on the agenda for one of
the Board’s meetings in April. The construction of the new Water Treatment Plant is
down to just the last 15% - not including site work which will be done in the Summer.
Advertisements for a new Waste Water Treatment Plant Operator and new Assistant
Waste Water Treatment Plant Operator have gone out, and the City is anxious to fill
those two openings as soon as it can.
Director of Parking Nagy reported that he was on vacation last week. Staff have been
running tests for occupancy with the license plate readers; work will continue on testing
to make sure everything is working correctly before beginning to check the on-street
parking occupancy around the entire City.
Director of Engineering Logue reported that work on the Complete Streets and Traffic
Calming Proposals is running a little behind; the earliest it will be ready for the Board will
be sometime in March. The documents will then go out to the public for review and
comment; or, whatever the Board would like staff to do. Construction meetings are
beginning in Collegetown with developers, Cornell University, and NYSEG to discuss
ongoing and upcoming projects. He feels that the coordination between the City and
contractors is going better this year. The City’s contractor will begin installing
countdown timers where there are none at intersections all around the City.
Administration and Communications:
Board Meeting Day Change Request:
The discussion of this topic was deferred to a meeting where the Mayor will be present;
since the request was made on his behalf.
Approval of the October 5, 2015 Board of Public Works Meeting Minutes:
By Commissioner Warden: Seconded by Commissioner Darling
RESOLVED, That the minutes of the October 5, 2015 Board of Public Works meeting
be approved as published.
Carried Unanimously
Creeks, Bridges & Parks:
Approval for a Temporary Community Altar in DeWitt Park - Resolution
By Commissioner Warden: Seconded by Commissioner Darling
WHEREAS, Your Art Club has proposed to install a temporary community altar in
DeWitt Park, and presented their proposal to the Board of Public Works on
January 9, 2017; and
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WHEREAS, the Board of Public Works supported the idea, but asked for the
Parks Commission to review the proposal and provide a recommendation; and
WHEREAS, the Parks Commission reviewed the proposal on January 10, 2017,
and recommended that Your Art Club monitor the installation on a daily basis to
remove trash and/or any offensive items placed at the altar; now, therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the Board of Public Works approves the temporary community
altar proposed by Your Art Club, subject to daily monitoring, clean up and/or
maintenance by Your Art Club for a period of one month; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That the Board of Public Works authorizes the Superintendent of
Public Works to remove the altar if it becomes a nuisance, and to review and
approve or disapprove any requests to extend the display period.
Carried Unanimously
Water and Sewer:
Appeal of Water Bill for 108 ½ Fifth Street - Resolution
By Vice Chair Jenkins: Seconded by Commissioner Warden
WHEREAS, on March 31, 2016 a new water meter transponder was installed.
The water meter was read on April 28, 2016 for the May Quarterly billing, and
WHEREAS, the water meter read of April 28th was unusually high the meter
reading system registered a leak alarm prompting a leak letter to be sent by the
Chamberlain’s Office on May 6th to the Owner of the account, and
WHEREAS, the Owner followed up and contacted the City’s Senior Water Meter
Technician making arrangements to meet at 108 ½ Fifth Street on May 27th to
trouble shoot the meter leak alarm, and
WHEREAS, on May 27th a City Water Meter Technician performed a walk through
inspection of the properties plumbing and found a leaking toilet tank overflow,
adjusted the toilet tank overflow mechanism stopping the leak, and
WHEREAS, since the Meter Technician made the adjustment to the toilet tank
overflow on May 27th water usage at 108 ½ Fifth Street has returned to normal,
and
WHEREAS, DPW Staff finds that the higher than normal usage at 108 ½ Fifth
Street was due to maintenance issues with the private household plumbing, now
therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the Owner is responsible for the higher than normal bill.
Carried Unanimously
Appeal of Water and Sewer Bill for 130 East State/Martin Luther King, Jr. Street -
Resolution
By Commissioner Warden: Seconded by Commissioner Darling
WHEREAS, on 10/14/2010 the water was turned off to 130 East State Street and
account for this property was temporarily inactivated while the building was
undergoing renovations. On 11/17/2010 a new water meter was installed and the
water was turned back on, and
WHEREAS, due to the inactive date not being deleted from the City’s billing
software records water and sewer bills were not sent to Owner from November
17, 2010 to January 17, 2017, and
WHEREAS, on January 13, 2017 the City Chamberlains Office discovered that
we had not billed this account since October of 2010, and
WHEREAS, the water meter was read January 13, 2017 and the usage totaled
3210-HCF, a bill for $33,536.00 was prepared and sent to Owner on January 17,
2017, and
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WHEREAS, the Owner of 130 East State Street requested a 5-year payment plan
to be able to maintain his business, keep up with the quarterly water and sewer
bills, as well as pay off the billing for water and sewer from November 17, 2010 to
January 17, 2017, and
WHEREAS, DPW Staff has reviewed this request with the City Chamberlain and
City Attorney’s Office and has found that a 5-year repayment plan is possible, now
therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the $33,536.00 bill not be subject to late fees or interest and a
5-year monthly payment plan in the amount of $465.78/mo. can be set up by the
Chamberlain’s Office with the understanding that if the Owner should let payment
lapse the balance will be relevied to the City tax bill for the property. The Owner
will need to go to the Chamberlains Office with the first payment to set up this
repayment plan within 30-days of the date of this Resolution.
Carried Unanimously
Discussion Items:
Request to Hang a Banner on the Gateway Bridge from the Ithaca City School
District:
Supt. Thorne stated that this request is on the Board’s agenda today for discussion
purposes only.
The request was submitted by the Transportation Supervisor for Ithaca City School
District (ICSD). The district would like to hang a 12’ long banner on the Gateway bridge
over Route 13 at the south city line. She said that the Ithaca Police Department has a
banner there currently, and an officer referred her to the Engineering Department for
approval of the district’s request. The banner will display recruitment information related
to openings for school bus drivers; the district would be happy to hang it either or both
directions for somewhere between a few weeks and a few months (or for whatever the
City will allow).
Supt. Thorne explained that the Board had discussed this type of request recently when
a similar request was made by the Ithaca Police Department. During that discussion
the Board talked about the history of signs/banners being hung on city property. The
Parks Commission recommended that business signs not be allowed any longer in City
parks. They did think that the City should allow some signs to be hung from city
property as long as they served some public purpose. The police department wanted to
hang a banner on the Gateway Bridge for to advertise their recruitment efforts for police
officers and to encourage the public to submit applications to the City of Ithaca. He
stated that the request from the Ithaca City School District is similar in that it also would
advertise for job openings for bus drivers and encourage the public to submit
applications for the positions. He is not opposed to approving their request approved
since it serves a community purpose.
Elizabeth Brenner, Transportation Supervisor for ICSD, participated in the discussion
with the Board. She explained that there is a problem State wide with a shortage of bus
drivers; the banner is a way to get the word out to the public about the availability of the
positions with the ICSD. The district would be happy to hang the banner for whatever
length of the time the Board feels is appropriate.
Supt. Thorne noted that some of the steel structures on the bridge are in need of repair.
Discussion followed on the floor regarding how the sign for IPD was installed and
whether the same could be done for this banner.
Asst. Supt. Benjamin responded that the City put the banner up for IPD using a bucket
truck. He stated that with some coordination, the City would be able to hang the banner
for the school district. It was also noted that it’s in the City’s best interest to install the
banner to make sure it's done safely.
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Vice Chair Jenkins suggested that in the future, these types of requests be handled
administratively by Supt. Thorne. The Board agreed, and suggested that
specific guidelines be developed for that all requests must have some sort of public
benefit and be for public agencies only. If a request is denied by the Superintendent, an
appeal can be made to the Board of Public Works. In the meantime, the Board agreed
that they would expressed their support for the request.
Discussion followed about it being a policy decision to allow the Superintendent to make
these decisions in the future on each request. The Board needs to develop specific
guidelines, with input from the Attorney’s Office that would then be put into a resolution
for the Board to approve. The Board agreed that was how they should proceed.
Supt. Thorne will prepare a resolution in support of the school district’s request for the
Board to vote on at their March 13th meeting.
The school district should wait to install the banner until the Board approves the
resolution.
Request for License Agreement from Southern Tier Balloon Tours:
Supt. Thorne explained that “Southern Tier Balloon Tours” is requesting the use of
Stewart Park to launch hot air balloons in Stewart Park from launch sites "Alpha" and
"Bravo" for the months of April- November, yearly. Each time they launch from the park
it would generally be no more than 35 minutes of field usage. The balloon launches will
require a vehicle to drive onto the requested launch site(s) to set up equipment and
ensure that the balloon always has a safe take off. They would not drive on launch sites
if they are soft or if possible damage to them would occur from their vehicle(s). The
balloon launches would occur about 60 times a year give or take a couple flights. The
business is fully insured and they have provided a copy of their policy with the
appropriate additions of The City of Ithaca as defined in 170-90(1) of the City of Ithaca
Municipal Code. The balloon flights do have paying customers on board that set up
their balloon rides online through “Southern Tier Balloon Tours” booking software which
is how they do all of their bookings. Balloon flight transactions never occur on City
property nor do they advertise on city property in regards to purchasing a balloon ride.
They understand an issue arose concerning their balloon flights as “concessions” that
sell flights on City property, but to the best of their knowledge they do not believe this is
the case with their request.
Dariush Farzad, applicant, joined the Board for discussion of the request.
Vice Chair Jenkins questioned why the launches couldn’t occur from the Hangar
Theatre property.
Mr. Farzad responded that weather patterns play a vital role in the ability to launch a
balloon. If they launched from the Hangar Theatre property, which is on the west side,
they would end up on the east side for their landing; that would not be the case with
launches from Stewart Park.
Discussion followed on the floor regarding the City’s prohibition of driving on the grass
at the park. If one person is allowed and other people see it happening, they assume
it’s okay and it's not. The City has a similar problem with tent installers; and it takes a
lot of work by city crews to repair the grassy area once it is damaged.
Mr. Farzad responded that they would not drive on the grass if it was wet or the
conditions were such that the vehicle would cause damage to the grassy area.
Supt. Thorne stated that one of the major issues with the request is the use of city park
land by a for-profit-business. He also noted that the Board of Public Works would not
be able to approve this request, because it needs to be approved by Common Council.
He explained that the request from the kayak vendor at the park went through Common
Council for approval. This request is similar, it would require a license fee, agreement,
and approval by Common Council for permission to operate a business at a City park.
He is also not sure if the Hangar Theatre area would be an option; he doesn’t know who
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the request would go through for approval – maybe State Parks. He further noted that
the Parks Commission had reservations about the request and recommended that it be
denied. He is curious as to why Stewart Park has been chosen as the site to launch the
balloons.
Mr. Farzad responded that he would not be running his business from Stewart Park; it
would only be used as a launch site. All the reservations and payments are made
online, he will not be advertising nor collecting money at Stewart Park. He is confused
about it being considered as running a business in a City park; he is not doing that. He
is not selling anything in the park.
Supt. Thorne responded that it’s still a business that originates from the park and where
the customer can get a ride.
Mr. Farzad explained that he had a permit from Broome County Parks to launch
balloons, with certain guidelines. Their permit fee is only $25.00 per year, he is not sure
what the permit cost for the City of Ithaca would be. The request is based on his
experience at other parks in different counties.
Supt. Thorne recommended he speak with the City Attorney’s office about the request
and explain why this is not a business operating out of a City park. The Attorney’s Office
can explain what approvals would be needed in order for the request to be approved.
Mr. Farzad explained that the reason he made the request to launch from Stewart Park
is because it’s gorgeous, friendly and everyone sees it. He has also received a lot of
positive response back from users of the park regarding past launches. He does
understand why the City is having reservations about the request.
Director of Engineering Logue asked the applicant whether he would go somewhere
else to request permission to launch from or delay launches pending a decision from the
City.
Mr. Farzad stated that weather plays a big factor in the business, and safety is a huge
factor and his number one priority.
Commissioner Greene stated that, conceptually, he thinks adding more activities in City
parks where appropriate makes a lot of sense. The City doesn’t have the infrastructure
yet to permit this type of activity like it does for the water activity related vendor. He
likes the idea of having more tourist type activities in the City’s parks - with safety a
priority for all of them. He would be interested in other Board members opinions on the
request. He would also like to encourage the City to see if there is a way to somehow
accommodate the request; perhaps some sort of deposit and inspection process in case
the grassy area become damaged – this would incentivize the vendor to maintain the
grass in the condition it was found.
Commissioner Darling stated that for him, it's the process, like the kayak rentals. New
York State fined the City for not charging enough for the use of its property; he has
nothing against launching from a park. He does want to know what impacts launching
from the park would be and to ensure the City is charging the appropriate amount. He
noted that Broome County runs a balloon festival each year which allows for some
recoupment of costs. He would like to find the answers to the questions about process
and cost and go from there before any approval is granted.
Commissioner Warden stated that he likes the idea of a balloon launch from Stewart
Park. However, he agrees that the process and fee needs to be determined prior to any
approval. He is also concerned about future maintenance costs of the park with such
use. He feels that the request does involve a business using a City park to sell
something, because this type of business has to have a place to launch.
Mr. Farzad explained that he would like to obtain permission from the City to use
Stewart Park to launch the hot air balloons. He is not sure what the right way to do that
is, and can’t seem to find the answers to some of the questions being raised as to
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whether his is a business being run from a City park. He wants to follow the rules, has
no problem with a deposit, and work with the City to gain its permission. He stated that
it was seeing a balloon launched from a public park that got him into this aviation
interest and is the reason for his going into this type of business. It’s the children’s
excitement and enthusiasm and making people happy with the balloon rides. He is
happy to work with the City to determine what needs to be done in order to get obtain a
permit.
Supt. Thorne stated that he is not against hot air balloons; however, he encouraged Mr.
Farzad to contact the City Attorney’s office which will be able to guide him through the
process as far as fees and insurance requirements. Once that has been done, the
request will still need to go through Common Council for approval.
CC Liaison Fleming stated that she is in sympathy of trying to make this work for the
applicant. She stated that if a caterer had a customer who wanted them to cater at the
park, it would be running a business from the park; this isn’t all that different. She also
wondered whether the high voltage lines in Stewart Park would interfere with launches.
Asst. Supt. Benjamin responded that there are no high voltage lines at the park; the
Mr. Farzad stated that balloon pilots avoid power lines at all costs, balloons go over
them. Every pilots takes the appropriate steps to avoid wires when operating the
balloons.
Asst. Supt. Benjamin asked what kind of maintenance and inspections are performed
on the balloons, because the public will look to the City to be responsible if there is a
problem.
Mr. Farzad responded that every air craft is inspected once every year or 100 hours of
operation. He can provide all inspection and maintenance records as well as provide
education of what the business is already required to do.
Commissioner Greene suggested that those records also be provided to the City
Attorney’s office. He also noted that the Board of Public Works would not be able to do
anything in regards to the request for this spring/summer season. He does think the City
should think about and develop some sort of process for recreational activities at City
parks as there will probably be more requests in the future.
Mr. Farzad responded that he was informed that this could be a long process. He was
hoping to have approval for summer, but they do have other launch sites so they’d be
okay if that didn’t happen. In any case, the process needs to be started so this is at
least the first step.
Supt. Thorne stated that if the request were not for a City park, the approval might be
easier to obtain.
Mr. Farzad stated that they do launch balloons from the airport and have a permit to do
that. However, there is a very strong north-south wind in Stewart Park which is good for
balloonists. They launch right at sunrise or sunset, except for fall where take off is about
3 p.m.
East Spencer Street Sidewalk Replacement:
Sidewalk Program Manager, John Licitra, joined the Board for discussion of this topic.
The Board discussed this at their last meeting, and he was going to check with the City
of Ithaca Fire Department regarding their thoughts on the sidewalk and stairway
replacement. Please see minutes from Board’s January 9, 2017 meeting for the lengthy
discussion of this topic. Chief Parsons feels there would be a benefit if there was a
staircase breaking up the retaining wall on East Spencer Street. Right now, there is the
street, curb, 5’ high retaining wall and 4’ fence so its 9’ to get over if there was an
emergency; stairs would be beneficial but not critical. Other considerations would be
who would be responsible for maintenance of the stairs, winter maintenance as well as
who would pay for them. The answers to these questions have not been determined
yet.
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Commissioner Darling spoke to the topic of setting up of precedence. Will the City put
the stairs in and maintain them; if so, there has to be money to maintain them in
perpetuity and the City does not have money. He noted that there are similar situations
all around the City. Does the City want stairs that go down to the street, or do they want
residents to go to the end of block to access the stairs that then take them to a cross-
walk at the street level. At what point does the City determine that after a certain
number of feet then stairs are needed and the should the City be responsible for them in
perpetuity.
Commissioner Warden stated that when this topic first came up, the one property owner
wanted to pick up some cost, but not the entire cost to construct a stairway. If stairs are
constructed in front of a house, then is that property owner responsible for them, would
that work? He doesn’t see how the City can guarantee that the property owners will
take on responsibility for the general maintenance and winter maintenance unless it's
written into the deed. The simplest solution would be for the City to take over all the
maintenance of the stairs; however, then the City would need both money and staff to
do that.
Director of Engineering Logue pointed out that if, for example, he wants to build a house
on a bank, would it then be the responsibility of the City to make the connection to
associated amenities? The answer would be no; the guidelines from the City indicate
that it doesn’t want a stairway to end at the street, there needs to be a landing area. He
is not sure why the City would take over responsibility here because there is no public
benefit; the benefit is only to these properties which are private. The primary benefit
(just like a driveway apron) of stairs is the property owner’s responsibility. This is the
guideline that the City has had for decades and if the City doesn’t follow it now, it would
setting a huge precedence.
Commissioner Warden noted that owners of corner properties have more responsibility
for maintenance, especially winter maintenance and removal of snow from the curbs
and no adjustment has been made by the City for them in the Sidewalk Program.
Commissioner Darling wondered whether or not the Board should follow the
requirements in the City Code where the City would bear the cost of the construction of
the stairs, and then the property owner has responsibility for its maintenance in
perpetuity. Something needs to be determined; does the cost of the stairway become
part of the Sidewalk Program? If stairs were added to the Sidewalk Program, then the
sidewalk assessments would need to increase.
CC Liaison Fleming asked where trash and recycling is placed currently; can some kind
of analogy be made with water and sewer as far as public/private property in this
instance with the stairs.
Mr. Penniman, property owner for the stairway in question, responded that the trash all
goes on the sidewalk because there is no level slope on which to place it. He is not
sure how the garbage trucks would pick it up, so everyone would have to take all their
trash and recycling to the corner to be picked up.
Sidewalk Program Manager Licitra stated that currently the garbage is picked up by one
person standing on the sidewalk who throws the garbage over the bank to the truck for
collection.
Commissioner Greene stated that a stair solution in the middle of a block seems like a
good idea. He wondered about compliance issues with ADA requirements, does that
open the City up to some kind of future situation. Maybe this type of situation should be
revisited as part of the City’s Sidewalk Improvement District program. He is not sure
how many other similar situations exist around the City at this time.
Director of Engineering Logue responded that there are dozens of locations around the
City that have sidewalks at different elevations than the curb.
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Sidewalk Program Manager Licitra stated that he feels the City needs to determine the
right solution, whether it is ADA compliant, and its costs so a determination can be
made as to whether or not it wants to do something or not in these cases.
Supt. Thorne suggested that, as a City policy, decisions like this one be made on a case
by case basis following certain criteria.
Director of Engineering Logue stated that the current City policy will not change, which
is that the City does not pay for nor provide maintenance for stairways. However, the
Board of Public Works can make determinations on a case-by-case basis following
established criteria/guidelines as to whether or not the City pays for any portion of a
stairway or agrees to provide for the maintenance of it in perpetuity. It will be a staff
decision that the property owner bear 100% of the cost to construct and maintain such a
stairway, if property owners do not wish to do that, then they can make an appeal to the
Board of Public Works. When appeals are made, staff will have the fire department and
transportation engineer evaluate the property and provide a recommendation to the
Board. The Board’s determination would be that the City would only bear the cost of the
construction, and that the property owner agree to bear the cost for maintenance in the
short and long term.
Supt. Thorne added that also in the determination would be the consideration of ADA
requirements.
Discussion followed on the floor regarding new development and the importance of
having city engineers review site plans to ensure sidewalks and stairways are located
appropriately and following ADA guidelines going forward.
Director of Engineering added that the guidelines will also include language they this
only applies to City sponsored sidewalk projects and only then would they come into
play.
Mr. Penniman stated that if the City would pay for part of the cost of the construction of
the stairway in front of his property then he would commit to maintain it and pay for the
other half of the cost. He is concerned about not having a stairway, and feels that in
this case it is something for the public good because everyone will be using it.
Sidewalk Program Manager stated that in this case, there is no need for any changes to
be made to the City’s code; a permanent easement can be developed which is an easy
way to ensure the property owner’s maintenance of it in the future.
Director of Engineering Logue stated that staff could clarify if it's not the property
owners’ responsibility to maintain otherwise all of the requirements are already in the
City Code. The City Code currently reads that the City will split the cost 50/50 the first
time the infrastructure goes in, and then it becomes completely the property owners’
responsibility from that point on.
Sidewalk Program Manager Licitra wondered if there is a way to encourage adjoining
property owners to assist in payment of stairways in the spirit of the Sidewalk
Improvement District program, since it will benefit more than Mr. Penniman. He does
feel that when a public benefit is being created that other property owners will benefit
from that it’s not fair to have only one property owner pay the cost for construction and
maintenance in the future.
Director of Engineering Logue stated that the other factor to determine is the funding for
this particular project - right now it's through a Capital Project and not through the use of
the Sidewalk Improvement District’s funds. The project could be put into the 2018 SID
work plan after staff talk with the attorney's office as to whether this can be done or not;
or staff can go back to Common Council to ask for additional funds through the general
fund for work to be done this year or next. A determination should be made as to when
the work will be done. In addition, something else to consider, if the adjoining property
owners don't assist with the cost for the construction, then the stairs will be constructed
near Mr. Penniman's property; the cost is approximately $10,000 for each set of stairs.
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The Attorney's office will need to determine whether or not this policy will be a change to
Sidewalk Improvement District program in which case it would have to go to Common
Council for approval.
Request for a Parking Space Rental Agreement from Miller Mayer, LLP:
Director of Parking Nagy reported that he spoke with the City Attorney’s office, and the
Board of Public Works doesn’t need to reconsider this request, unless it wants to. The
agreement is finalized and he is ready to take it to Miller Mayer for signature.
The Board agreed that it did not need to discuss this topic again.
Adjournment:
On a motion the meeting adjourned 6:35 p.m.
________________________________ ______________________________
Sarah L. Myers, Claudia Jenkins,
Information Management Specialist Vice-Chair, Board of Public Works