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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMN-BPW-2017-04-10BOARD OF PUBLIC WORKS PROCEEDINGS CITY OF ITHACA, NEW YORK Regular Meeting 4:51 p.m. April 10, 2017 PRESENT: Mayor Myrick Commissioners (3) – Jenkins, McCormick, Warden OTHERS PRESENT: Superintendent of Public Works – Thorne Assistant Superintendent of Water and Sewer – Whitney Assistant Superintendent of Streets and Facilities – Benjamin Director of Engineering – Logue Director of Parking – Nagy Common Council Liaison – Fleming Executive Assistant – Servoss EXCUSED: Commissioner Greene City Attorney – Lavine DAC Liaison – Roberts ADDITIONS OR DELETIONS TO THE AGENDA: Supt. Thorne requested the addition of Items 12A, “Award of Contract for Water and Sewer Pipe and Materials Bids,” and 13D, “Spencer Street Retaining Wall Appeal.” No Board member objected. Due to a lack of quorum, votes on the proposed resolutions were postponed to the next Board meeting. MAYOR’S COMMUNICATIONS: The Mayor had no communications at this time. COMMUNICATIONS AND HEARINGS FROM PERSONS BEFORE THE BOARD: No members of the public appeared to address the Board. RESPONSE TO THE PUBLIC No response was necessary. REPORTS Council Liaison Alderperson Fleming reported that at the Common Council meeting on April 5, 2017, she reported that the Dept. of Public Works would begin replacing the existing street lights with LED lamps and three Council members expressed concern for obstructing star gazing, light pollution etc. She noted that these were known concerns, but advised that staff proceed with caution. Superintendent and Staff Dir. of Eng. Logue reported that two open house-style public meetings regarding University Avenue and Martin Luther King Jr. Street Enhancement Project, were scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday respectively. He further reported that the 2017 Sidewalk Program construction project would be re-advertised as no bids were received for the first advertisement. Commissioner Warden arrived at 4:55 p.m. Asst. Supt. Whitney reported that crews were installing the first of 27 lead service replacements; and water crews were replacing the water main across the South Hill Recreation Way. Mayor Myrick arrived at 4:58 p.m. Board of Public Works Page 2 April 10, 2017 Regular Meeting Dir. of Parking Nagy reported that revenues for March 2017 totaled $80,000, March 2016 revenues were $82,000, while prior to 2016, March revenues were $57,000; the best month through Parkmobile was March 2017 at over 12,000 transactions. He stated he attended a conference in Binghamton where there was a lot of talk about driverless cars and the need to begin planning for adjusting for the future. He explained that there were different levels of cars, from basic internet access for smartphones, to driving with a human there just in case, to driverless. Supt. Thorne responded to Alderperson Fleming that the City was hiring a consultant to address the street lighting concerns. A discussion followed on the floor regarding approval of resolutions if a quorum was not present. Mayor Myrick suggested speaking with City Attorney Lavine to determine if a provisional approval would suffice for resolutions that require immediate action. ADMINISTRATION AND COMMUNICATIONS: Approval of the March 27, 2017, Board of Public Works Meeting Minutes - Resolution RESOLVED, That the minutes of the March 27, 2017 Board of Public Works meeting be approved as written. This resolution was not voted on due to the lack of a quorum. BUILDINGS, PROPERTIES, REFUSE AND TRANSIT: A Resolution to Establish Guidelines for the Repair or Reconstruction of Pedestrian Connections between the Sidewalk and the Street WHEREAS, around the City in many locations are pedestrian connections in the public right of way between the public sidewalk, which runs generally parallel with the street, and the street itself; these connections usually take the form of concrete slabs, steps, a staircase, or a ramp, and WHEREAS, it has been the policy and practice of the City that these connections are there for the private benefit of the adjacent property owner and are therefore the responsibility of the adjacent property owner, and WHEREAS, as a matter of practice, when the City sponsors a construction project that would modify these connections (and particularly when the connections are not in a state of good repair), the City has offered to rebuild the connection at the property owners cost, and WHEREAS, if the property owner declined this opportunity, the City would typically remove the connection as serving no public benefit, and WHEREAS, from time to time, adjacent property owners have appealed or will appeal that these connections serve some public purpose and ought to be reconstructed at the City’s cost or in some cost sharing arrangement, and WHEREAS, the Board of Public Works desires to establish a set of criteria to assist in evaluating such appeals with the expectation that the criteria will provide guidance to staff, Board Commissioners, and the public, now therefore be it RESOLVED, That the Board of Public Works establishes the following criteria as guidance to assist in decision making in cases when an abutting property has appealed for City participation in the cost of repairing or reconstructing pedestrian connections between the public sidewalk and the street:  The City is sponsoring a construction project that affects an existing pedestrian connection as described above;  Due to the City project, there would otherwise be no pedestrian access to the street curb from the sidewalk due to a steep slope or retaining wall;  The vertical distance between the top of curb and sidewalk is at least 4 feet;  The proposed condition would otherwise have a longitudinal distance of more than 150 feet to some other pedestrian access to the street, such as a driveway apron, a set of stairs, a concrete slab, or a ramp;  The Police Chief and Fire Chief have agreed that the stairs would provide an emergency services benefit; Board of Public Works Page 3 April 10, 2017 Regular Meeting  The Transportation Engineer has agreed that either a mid-block crossing is appropriate or that the construction of the stairs is not likely to lead to a significant pedestrian or traffic safety issue, and be it further RESOLVED, That these criteria are not meant to be the exclusive criteria to be used in decision making and that other factors may be considered as needed, and be it further RESOLVED, That it is not the intention of the Board of Public Works to commit the City to future maintenance of such pedestrian connections should they be approved for one time funding and that it is the expectation of the Board that maintenance of the pedestrian connections will still be the responsibility of the abutting property owners in accordance wi th the City Code. This topic was not discussed due to the lack of quorum. Draft Resolution: Board of Public Works Concurrence that the Planning Board be Lead Agency in Environmental Review for the Proposed Residential Project at 323 Taughannock Blvd. WHEREAS, 6 NYCRR Part 617 of the State Environmental Quality Review Law and Chapter 176.6 of the City Code, Environmental Quality Review, require that a lead agency be established for conducting environmental review of projects in accordance with local and st ate environmental law, and WHEREAS, State Law specifies that, for actions governed by local environmental review, the lead agency shall be that local agency which has primary responsibility for approving and funding or carrying out the action, and WHEREAS, the City of Ithaca Planning and Development Board has one pending application for site plan approval for proposed residential project at 323 Taughannock Blvd the City of Ithaca, by Noah Demarest for Rampart Real LLC, and WHEREAS, the project involves approvals for a Planned Unit Development (PUD), subdivision, work on City property, and potentially disturbance to the banks and/or water of the Old Cayuga Inlet, and WHEREAS, the applicant is proposing construction of 8 attached townhomes on Inlet Isla nd, on a 0.242 acre lot. The townhomes will contain up to 2 dwelling units each for a maximum total of 16 units with up to 24 bedrooms. The applicant is proposing zoning for the site that is identical to the City’s adopted WF-2 zoning ordinance. The applicant proposes to subdivide the parcel such that each unit is on a unique parcel. The project includes an 8 space parking area that is accessed through the adjacent City-owned parking lot. The project includes some improvements to the city-owned parking lot- which will require approval by the Board of Public Works. The project also includes an asphalt walkway along the Old Cayuga Inlet, landscaping and lighting, and WHEREAS, this is a Type I Action under the City of Ithaca Environmental Quality Review Ordinance (“CEQRO”) §176-4 (1) (h)[2] and (k) and the State Environmental Quality Review Act (“SEQRA”) § 617.4 9 (b) (11) and is subject to environmental review, and WHEREAS, the BPW and Common Council, the Canal Corporation, NYS DEC and Tompkins County Department of Health have all been identified as potentially involved agencies in the environmental review of this project, and WHEREAS, it is the Planning Board’s intention to act as Lead Agency for the environmental review of this project, now therefore be it RESOLVED, That BPW does hereby consent to the Planning & Development Board acting as Lead Agency in environmental review for the proposed project. Property owner Steve Flash and Architect Noah Demarest joined the Board for a presentation of the proposal for the development of 323 Taughannock Blvd. This project was before the Planning and Development Board for review as well. Mr. Flash explained that the project design had been modified from a 20 unit apartment building to 8 townhouse style buildings with 2 dwelling units in each building. The footprint was Board of Public Works Page 4 April 10, 2017 Regular Meeting not changed, but access to the apartments was modified. He requested an adjustment to the curb cut in the West End Parking Lot that would remove 5 spaces and add 9 parking spaces at a different location in the lot. He stated that conceptually, the project related to city-owned property was very similar to what was already approved, though the layout was a little different. Discussion followed on the floor regarding the changes to parking, and the number of planned units, the previously approved plan as it related to parking spaces, which was very s imilar to the current proposal. Dir. of Eng. Logue stated that a street permit would be required and noted the details of the project, such as the concrete crosswalk versus a painted crosswalk at the driveway, should be discussed with the transportation engineers. Mr. Demarest noted that a staging area would need to be planned with the engineers. Commissioner Warden noted that the previous staging area went right up to the road and closed the sidewalk, which could cause a problem. The Board thanked Mr. Flash and Mr. Demarest for their presentation, and agreed to vote on a resolution at their next meeting. HIGHWAYS, STREETS AND SIDEWALKS: A RESOLUTION TO DELAY IMPLEMENTATION OF NEW STREET PERMIT FEES FOR “EXISTING PERMITS” FOR USE OF STREET OR SIDEWALK IN BUILDING DEMOLITION OR CONSTRUCTION WHEREAS, Section 342 of the City Code requires a street permit for work within the City right of way and authorizes the Board of Public Works to set fees for such permits, and WHEREAS, on February 13, 2017, the Board set new fees for street permits issued for use of street or sidewalk space in building demolition and construction to be effective February 15 th for any new permit and March 15th for any “existing” permit issued before February 15th, and WHEREAS, on March 13, 2017, the Board extended the implementation date for “existing” projects to April 15th, and WHEREAS, issues about implementation for existing permits have continued and staff has recommended again delaying implementation, now therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the Board of Public Works amends the implementation of the new street permit (as authorized on February 13, 2017) such that the new fe es are in effect as of July 1, 2017 for permits issued before February 15, 2017. Due to a lack of quorum, the Board was not able to vote on this resolution. Dir. of Eng. Logue stated that there was time for the Board to pass the resolution at a later date. Mayor Myrick stated that he did not have any new applications for the Board of Public Works. The Board agreed that they would approve this resolution at the Board’s next meeting. Dir. of Eng. Logue stated he would not send out invoices for current permits until after the resolution was approved. Dir. of Parking Nagy left at 5:19 p.m. Award of Contract Construction Materials Testing Services for 2017 Construction Program – Resolution (Provisional Vote) By Commissioner Jenkins: Seconded by Commissioner Warden WHEREAS, three Proposals were received on Friday March 13, 2017 for the contract for the 2017 professional services for construction materials testing services, and WHEREAS, the lowest price proposed that met the terms of our request for propo sals was provided by SJB Services, INC. located at 60 Miller St, Cortland, NY, with a proposal not to exceed $25,000.00 for testing and inspection services, and WHEREAS, funding for the contract for professional services for construction materials testing services for the 2017 construction program shall be provided through operating budgets and capital programs, and Board of Public Works Page 5 April 10, 2017 Regular Meeting WHEREAS, It is the recommendation of the City’s Engineering Department that the contract be awarded to, SJB Services, INC., now therefore be it RESOLVED, That the Board of Public Works award the contract for professional services for construction materials testing services for the 2017 construction program to SJB Services, INC. located at 60 Miller St, Cortland, NY, for the amount not to exceed of $25,000.00, and be it further RESOLVED, That the Superintendent of Public Works be authorized to enter into and administer this contract. Dir. of Eng. Logue explained that the contract was for professional testing services at project sites. If there was so much testing required this year that we went over $25,000, an addendum would need to be added to the contract. A Provisional Vote on the Resolution Resulted as Follows: Carried Unanimously A Proposed Resolution to Declare Lead Agency Status for the Environmental Review of the West Martin Luther King Jr. Street Corridor Enhancements Project – Resolution WHEREAS, the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQR) and the City of Ithaca Environmental Quality Review Ordinance (CEQR), Section 176 of the City Code, require that a lead agency be established for conducting environmental review of projects in accordance with local and state environmental law, and WHEREAS, State Law specifies that for actions governed by local environmental review, the lead agency shall be that local agency which has primary responsibility for approving and funding or carrying out the action, and WHEREAS, SEQR and CEQR both provide for an uncoordinated review for “Unlisted” projects that involve more than one agency, and WHEREAS, the proposed construction of the West Martin Luther King Jr. Street Corridor Enhancements project (PIN 395050, Capital Project # 790) is a “Unlisted” action under SEQR and is an “Unlisted” action under CEQR; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the City of Ithaca Board of Public Works does hereby declare itself lead agency for the environmental review of the proposed construction of the West Martin Luther King Jr. Street Corridor Enhancements project. Dir. of Eng. Logue noted that an open house for this project was scheduled for April 12, 2017. He explained that the project included W est State Street from Fulton Avenue to Floral Avenue. He further explained the two alternatives that were presented, which included a connection to the trail network and realigning the driveway at Pete’s Grocery. Both alternatives show different ways of crossing West State Street, with different pedestrian signals at the east end of the bridge across the flood control channel. One of the first steps was to complete the environmental review, then begin discussing design options. The only environmental concern that had come up related to traffic impacts due to going from four lanes of traffic to three lanes; though there wasn’t a significant delay for motorists in this corridor. Commissioner Warden noted that another concern was access to the businesses along the corridor. Dir. of Eng. Logue responded that both alternatives allowed access to the businesses in different ways. Mayor Myrick asked about the timeline for a final vote. Dir. of Eng. Logue responded that a public meeting was scheduled for Wednesday, final design should be approved in July or August, bidding would occur over the winter, and construction could begin next spring. Mayor Myrick noted that the resolutions would be brought back for the Board’s next meeting. Board of Public Works Page 6 April 10, 2017 Regular Meeting Environmental Review for West Martin Luther King Jr. Street Corridor Enhancements project – Resolution WHEREAS, the Board of Public Works has declared itself to be the lead agency for th e environmental review for a project (“the Project”) entitled “West Martin Luther King Jr. Street Corridor Enhancements” (PIN 395050, CP 790) in accordance with Section 176 of the Ithaca City Code (CEQR) and in accordance with Article 8 of the New York State Environmental Conservation Law (SEQR), and WHEREAS, the Project includes construction or reconstruction of walkways, bikeways, driveways, intersections, and traffic control to enhance conditions for people walking and biking in the corridor, and WHERAS, the Project is an Unlisted action according to CEQR and an Unlisted Action according to SEQR, and WHERAS, a Short Environmental Assessment form was prepared by staff for CEQR and for SEQR, and WHERAS, on April ____, 2017, the Board of Public Works de clared itself lead agency for an uncoordinated environmental review for CEQR/SEQR, and WHEREAS, the Conservation Advisory Council has received a copy of the CEQR/SEQR short forms and a set of plans for the project, and WHERAS, the Board of Public Works, acting as lead agency, has, on April ____, 2017, reviewed and accepted as complete Short Environmental Assessment Forms prepared by staff, and Project plans prepared on behalf of the City by C&S Engineers, and other project materials, now therefore be it RESOLVED, That the Board of Public Works determines that the project for West Martin Luther King Jr. Street Corridor Enhancements located in the City of Ithaca will result in no significant negative environmental impact and that a Negative Declaration for purposes of Article 8 of the NYS Environmental Conservation Law be filed in accordance with the provisions of Part 617 of the State Environmental Quality Review Act and that a Negative Declaration for purposes of Section 176 of the City Code be filed in accordance with the City Environmental Quality Review Ordinance. This topic was not discussed due to the lack of quorum. WATER AND SEWER: Award of Bids for “Water & Sewer Division Pipe and Materials Bids” – Resolution (Provisional Vote) By Commissioner Jenkins: Seconded by Commissioner Warden WHEREAS, bids were received on March 16, 2017, for pipe and materials to be used during the 2017 construction and maintenance season, and WHEREAS, the bid package consisted of 8 separate bid items, each to be awarded separately, and WHEREAS staff has reviewed the 5 bids received and made recommendations for award, now therefore be it RESOLVED, That the Board of Public Works hereby awards Bid 1 for water main pipe to HD Supply Waterworks of Binghamton, NY, for a tota l contract of $9,270.00, and RESOLVED, That the Board of Public Works hereby awards Bid 2 for water main fittings to HD Supply Waterworks of Binghamton, NY, for a total contract of $8,376.90, and RESOLVED, That the Board of Public Works hereby awards Bid 3 for hydrants to Blair Supply Corp. of Rochester, NY, for a total contract of $25,977.00, and RESOLVED, That the Board of Public Works hereby awards Bid 4 for valve boxes to HD Supply Waterworks of Binghamton, NY, for a total contract of $3,061.00, a nd Board of Public Works Page 7 April 10, 2017 Regular Meeting RESOLVED, That the Board of Public Works hereby awards Bid 5 for valves to HD Supply Waterworks of Binghamton, NY, for a total contract of $11,625.50, and RESOLVED, That the Board of Public Works hereby awards Bid 6 for flexible couplings to HD Supply Waterworks of Binghamton, NY, for a total contract of $240.00, and RESOLVED, That the Board of Public Works hereby awards Bid 7 for water service components to HD Supply Waterworks of Binghamton, NY, for a total contract of $2,346.50, and RESOLVED, That the Board of Public Works hereby awards Bid 8 for sanitary sewer pipe to Martisco Corp. of Syracuse, NY, for a total contract of $550.00. A Provisional Vote on the Resolution Resulted as Follows: Carried Unanimously DISCUSSION ITEMS: Request for Consideration on Outswing Entrance Door at 308 East Seneca Street Brian Buttner, architect for the restaurant owner, joined the Board for the discussion of this topic. He explained that the previous tenant had a door that swung inside but it ha d been changed to allow the entrance to be more wheelchair accessible. The original building floor was approximately five inches above street level; the previous tenant had unsuccessfully tried to build a ramp, but it caused wheelchairs to have to back up the ramp in order to open the door from the inside. He stated that the owners understood and appreciated the concerns the city’s engineers had. He compared the outswing door at Collegetown Bagels and the stone stairs at the neighboring tattoo parlor to the east of this building that caused pedestrians to walk toward the center of the sidewalk. He noted that there were several locations within the downtown area with outswing doors that caused a decreased walk space in the sidewalk. Dir. of Eng. Logue responded that the city tried to maintain ADA compliant walkways, and the driveway aprons would need to be modified to adjust the steep slope of the driveways. Mr. Buttner stated that he would work with the city to design a plan, because the contractor was hired only for the interior modifications. Dir. of Eng. Logue asked for a grading plan to be submitted to the Engineering Office to ensure ADA compliance. Mr. Buttner noted that the Building Department did not want to return to an inswing door. He stated he would work with the Transportation Engineer to create the grading plan. Elm Street and Chestnut Street Intersection Re-alignment Project Dir. of Eng. Logue explained that the sidewalk program had been looking to extend the sidewalk near the Lehman Alternative School. In looking at the sidewalk considerations, staff also looked at the intersections and came to the realization that the island in part of the slip lane was not in the city’s right of way. Staff spoke to the Ithaca City School District who agreed to realign the property lines so the city could realign the intersection. The city agreed to take responsibility for the entire intersection. Discussion followed on the floor regarding the school’s property lines, and agreed that the re- alignment would simplify the traffic at that intersection. A resolution would be on the Board’s next meeting agenda. BPW Meeting Schedule Mayor Myrick explained that he had talked about changing the Board’s meeting day because he was now the Executive Director of an organization that worked with young politicians, which caused him to travel the country over the weekends, returning to New York on Mondays. He noted that most contracts were awarded to the lowest bidder, and the Board approved most staff recommendations. It was suggested that the Mayor should not change the day of meetings, but change the Board’s responsibilities to reduce the need for resolutions. Commissioner Warden expressed concern regarding legalities, and suggested looking into the charter. He noted that in the previous administration, the meetings were longer. Supt. Thorne suggested that staff review the Board minutes from the past six months to note whether the topics could have been handled by staff or not. The Board agreed. Board of Public Works Page 8 April 10, 2017 Regular Meeting An Appeal for Private Staircases in the City’s Right of Way and Cost Sharing on East Spencer Street This topic was not discussed. ADJOURNMENT: On a motion, the meeting adjourned at 6:03 p.m. Kathrin D. Servoss Svante L. Myrick Executive Assistant Mayor