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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMN-BPW-2017-07-10BOARD OF PUBLIC WORKS PROCEEDINGS CITY OF ITHACA, NEW YORK Regular Meeting 5:00 p.m. July 10, 2017 PRESENT: Vice-Chair – Jenkins Commissioners (4) – Greene, McCormick, Morache, Warden OTHERS PRESENT: Superintendent of Public Works – Thorne Assistant Superintendent of Water and Sewer – Whitney Executive Assistant – Servoss EXCUSED: Mayor Myrick City Attorney – Lavine Assistant Superintendent of Streets and Facilities – Benjamin Director of Engineering – Logue Director of Parking – Nagy Common Council Liaison – Fleming ADDITIONS OR DELETIONS TO THE AGENDA: There were no additions to or deletions from the agenda. MAYOR’S COMMUNICATIONS: Mayor Myrick was not present. 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 Superintendent and Staff Asst. Supt. Whitney reported the following:  staff was wrapping up the last bit of the Water Treatment Plant Replacement Project contract,  three blocks of water and sewer mains were being replaced on Albany Street, and  the city had received about two service replacements per week in response to the letter that was sent to residents in March 2017 about lead water lines. Supt. Thorne reported the following:  The Mayor had distributed the budget guidelines for 2018, which stated operating budgets could not go above a 1% increase. Labor contracts allowed for closed to 3% increases in salary, so the budget would be very challenging. He expected multiple over target requests to be submitted because the department could not function on the guidelines they were given.  A meeting with NYSDEC would be held at the end of the week at dams regarding dredging.  A meeting was scheduled with O’Brien & Gere regarding resupplying water to Cornell Heights. Cornell has been supplying the water for many years, though the area is within city limits.  A meeting with County Administrator Joe Mareane was scheduled for Friday, July 14, 2017, regarding the City’s street light project. Mr. Mareane would like to combine projects, with the City taking the lead for the entire county. Supt. Thorne stated there were about 1,800 street lights in the city, which the city pays a maintenance fee, as well as electricity costs, to NYSEG. The City owned only about 200 lights, for which electricity fees are charged. Supt. Thorne noted that once the City owns the light poles, he expected a $120,000 savings per year in maintenance costs. When changing to LED, electricity costs should go down as well because the wattage for each light would be much lower than current lights. However, the City must own the lights and Board of Public Works Page 2 July 10, 2017 Regular Meeting poles in order to make the change to LED. The City intended hire a street light consultant to help choose the most appropriate LED bulbs.  Bids for the Forest Home Drive Project were due on Monday, July 17, 2017. Cornell is fronting a significant amount of money to the project; staff was excited to see which bids are submitted. ADMINISTRATION AND COMMUNICATIONS: Approval of Board of Public Works Meeting Minutes - Resolution By Commissioner Warden: Seconded by Commissioner Greene RESOLVED, That the minutes of the January 11, February 8, March 14, and May 9, 2016, and the June 26, 2017, Board of Public Works meetings be approved as proposed. Carried Unanimously BUILDINGS, PROPERTIES, REFUSE AND TRANSIT: Request for Encroachment Agreement/License at 235 South Cayuga Street – Resolution By Commissioner Warden: Seconded by Commissioner McCormick WHEREAS, Jason Sidle, Director of Operations for the Coltivare – TC3 Culinary Center located at the property at 235 South Cayuga Street (Tax Map Parcel No. 81.-2-1), in the City of Ithaca, has requested an encroachment agreement/license from the City into the adjacent street right-of-way for South Cayuga Street; and WHEREAS, the encroachment consists of the following: On the western face of building, a canopy approximately 6.5 feet wide, encroaching in the City property to the west by approximately 13 feet, thereby encompassing an encroachment of approximately 84.5 square feet. WHEREAS, it appears that the proposed encroachments are inside the current location of the existing public sidewalks on South Cayuga Street and will not interfere with the sidewalks as currently constituted; and WHEREAS, the Superintendent does not anticipate any conflicts in the near future with public works uses or needs; and  WHEREAS, for use of City-owned property, the City requires an initial application fee of $100 for new licenses, but stipulates that the annual use fee shall be waived for minor encroachments and finds that this encroachment is considered minor, now therefore be it OR  WHEREAS, the 2017-18 schedule of fees for use of City-owned property requires an initial application fee of $100 for new licenses, and stipulates that annual use fee for All Other Downtown Commercial license fee category shall be calculated at $0.72 per square foot resulting in an annual use fee of $60.84, with such rate thereafter subject to adjustment by the consumer price index and property taxes assessed against the City, now therefore be it RESOLVED, That the Board of Public Works hereby grants the request for an encroachment at 235 South Cayuga Street, as proposed, contingent upon the execution of a license/agreement and submission of the required application form and fee (and renewal fees for any subsequent terms) and proof of required insurance, and be it further RESOLVED, That the Mayor, upon consultation with the Superintendent and City Attorney, is hereby authorized to execute a license/agreement allowing said encroachment, revocable upon 90 days’ written notice by the City in the event that the encroached upon City property is required for any City purpose, and containing the usual terms and conditions, including those specified in Chapter 170 of the City’s Municipal Code. Supt. Thorne noted the options that were available for the Board to choose. The first option would be to waive annual fees for minor encroachments. The second option was to charge a nominal annual fee because this request was a little bigger than a minor encroachment. He further explained the request from the manager of Coltivare to install an awning across the sidewalk that was previously discussed by the Board. The Planning Board has made a decision on the design. Commissioner Warden suggested choosing the second whereas option (6th whereas clause) because the awning was a bit more than usual awnings and crossed the sidewalk. Supt. Board of Public Works Page 3 July 10, 2017 Regular Meeting Thorne noted that City Crews were okay with the location of the awning and the poles to ensure their ability for maintenance. The Board agreed that an annual fee should be charged. A Vote on the Resolution Resulted as Follows: Carried Unanimously HIGHWAYS, STREETS AND SIDEWALKS: Resolution to Amend Vehicle and Traffic Schedules By Commissioner McCormick: Seconded by Commissioner Morache WHEREAS, the Board of Public Works is authorized by Section 346-4 of the City Code to adopt and to amend a system of Schedules in order to administer the Vehicle and Traffic Law, and WHEREAS, the City’s Transportation Engineer has determined that the intersections of Hancock Street/Lake Street and Hancock Street/Willow Avenue should be changed to all -way stop control to improve safety and operation, now therefore be it RESOLVED, That the Board of Public Works hereby adopts the amendments below: Schedule VIII: Stop Control Intersections. In accordance with the provisions of §346-12, the following described intersections are hereby designated for control by an all-way stop as follows: Hancock Street and Lake Avenue Hancock Street and Willow Avenue The following intersecting streets or locations are hereby designated for control by stop sign(s) (not “all-way”): Intersection Direction of travel Hancock Street and Lake Avenue Northbound/Southbound Hancock Street and Willow Avenue Northbound/Southbound Commissioner Warden questioned what parking would be allowed on First Street once construction at 210 Hancock Street ended. Supt. Thorne responded that he did not have the answer, and that the Director of Engineering should be asked. Carried Unanimously DISCUSSION ITEMS: Environmental Review for a Lease Agreement for the Alex Haley Municipal Pool and Expansion of the Wading Pool, CP #834 A Proposed Resolution to Declare Lead Agency Status for the Environmental Review of a new Lease for the Alex Haley Municipal Pool and the Wading Pool Expansion project. 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 res ponsibility 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 new Lease for the Alex Haley Municipal Pool and the wading pool expansion (Capital Project #834) are “Unlisted” actions under SEQR and “Unlisted” actions 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 new lease for the Alex Haley Municipal Pool and the proposed expansion of the wading pool at the Alex Haley Municipal Pool project. Board of Public Works Page 4 July 10, 2017 Regular Meeting Environmental Review for a Lease Agreement for the Alex Haley Municipal Pool and the Expansion of the Wading Pool WHEREAS, the Board of Public Works has declared itself to be the lead agency for the environmental review of a lease agreement for the Alex Haley Municipal Pool and for a project (“the Project”) entitled “Alex Haley Municipal Wading Pool Expansion” (CP 834) 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 actions include a new lease for the whole Alex Haley Municipal Pool area and a project to expand an existing wading pool to approximately 800 square feet, to include a spray feature, and all associated appurtenances, and WHERAS, the actions are Unlisted actions according to CEQR and SEQR, and WHERAS, Short Environmental Assessment forms have been prepared by staff for CEQR and for SEQR, and WHERAS, on July ____, 2017, the Board of Public Works declared 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 July ____, 2017, reviewed and accepted as complete Short Environmental Assessment Forms prepared by staff, and schematic Project plans prepared on behalf of the City by Trowbridge Wolf Michaels Landscape Architects, and other project materials, now therefore be it RESOLVED, That the Board of Public Works determines that the new lease for the Alex Haley Municipal Pool and the project for the Alex Haley Municipal Wading Pool Expansion, 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. Supt. Thorne stated that GIAC wanted to expand the wading pool to make it larger, but the property the pool was located belongs to the Ithaca City School District, so it would require a new agreement between the City and the school. Commissioner McCormick stated that the memo was pretty clear about what was necessary and the changes seemed quite minor. He noted that one question was who else could be lead agent? Dir. of Eng. Logue stated in his memo that no one else would want to be lead agent. The Board agreed to vote on these resolutions at their next meeting. Request to Contribute to the Purchase of 125-Acre Parcel in the Town of Caroline as part of the City’s Six Mile Creek Watershed Protection Funding Commitment Supt. Thorne explained that this was the second property the City was asked to contribute to the purchase. Usually when Finger Lakes Land Trust identified land that would assist in strategically protecting the watershed, they would approach the City for funding. He noted that city staff had reviewed the request and the location of the land. Erik stated that when conservation easements were offered by land owners, but they don’t have funding available for the surveys and filing fees, the Land Trust would offer to purchase the land. He noted that $20,000 per year has been deposited into the watershed account for the purchase of land to protect the watershed. Discussion followed on the floor regarding the City’s contribution to this and past property purchases, and the deadline for the grant application. Commissioner Morache asked if there was a way to restrict the use of pesticides on the property. Commissioner noted that memo stated some agricultural activities would be maintained on the property. The Board asked that Andy Zepp from Finger Lakes Land Trust attend the meeting to discuss the use of the property. Board of Public Works Page 5 July 10, 2017 Regular Meeting Commissioners Greene and McCormick noted that they would not be at the next Board meeting, which would limit the Board with voting on resolutions. Asst. Supt. Whitney noted that this request did meet the intent of the funding, and the agricultural concern didn’t affect the resolution to approve the easement. Commissioner Morache asked if the Board could approve the funding but require that they be consulted on the easement language. Further discussion followed on the floor regarding restricting the use of pesticides on the property. The Board agreed to wait until the next meeting to vote. Supt. Thorne agreed to pass the Board’s concerns along to the Planning and Economic Development Department before the easement was written, and would involve the City Attorney in the review. Request to Waive Small Pavilion Fee for Friends of Stewart Park in order to Build an Accessible Ramp Commissioner Jenkins asked if the fees for the pavilion rental was turned over to the Supt. She further expressed that the Friends of Stewart Park should not need to request a waiver of fees. Supt. Thorne agreed that he could approve the request administratively. Extensive discussion followed on the floor regarding whether to pass a resolution on the floor to waive the pavilion fees for this particular event vs. all events held by the Friend of Stewart Park. The Board decided to approve this individual event, and to discuss future requests at a later date. Resolution By Commissioner Warden: Seconded by Commissioner Morache RESOLVED, That the Board of Public Works hereby approves the request to waive the Small Pavilion Use Fee from the Friends of Stewart Park for their July 31, 2017, event. Carried Unanimously ADJOURNMENT: On a motion, the meeting adjourned at 5:43 p.m. Kathrin D. Servoss Claudia Jenkins Executive Assistant Vice-Chair