HomeMy WebLinkAboutMN-BPW-2018-08-21BOARD OF PUBLIC WORKS PROCEEDINGS
CITY OF ITHACA, NEW YORK
Regular Meeting 6:05 p.m. August 21, 2018
PRESENT:
Mayor Myrick
Commissioners (5) – Blalock, Greene, Jenkins, Morache, Warden
OTHERS PRESENT:
City Attorney – Lavine
Assistant Superintendent of Streets and Facilities – Benjamin
Director of Engineering – Logue
Director of Parking – Messmer
Common Council Liaison – McGonigal
Executive Assistant – Servoss
EXCUSED:
Commissioner McCormick
Superintendent of Public Works – Thorne
Assistant Superintendent of Water and Sewer – Whitney
ADDITIONS TO OR DELETIONS FROM THE AGENDA:
There were no additions to or deletions from the agenda.
MAYOR’S COMMUNICATIONS:
The Mayor had no communications at this time.
COMMUNICATIONS AND HEARINGS FROM PERSONS BEFORE THE BOARD:
Robert Stundtner, Spencer Road, addressed the Board regarding the collapse of the culvert at
his property, reading a letter into the record:
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Hector Chang, North Cayuga Street, addressed the Board regarding the recently installed Bike
Corrals. He stated he works at Bike Walk Tompkins and is on the Mobility Accessibility and
Transportation Commission. He explained that four bike corrals were installed on August 12th
in locations approved by city staff and had heavy bike usage. In hind sight, Bike Walk
Tompkins and the City should have worked with the businesses in Collegetown to designate
appropriate bike corral locations. He was disappointed that the corrals were removed before
they were tested.
Daina Taimina, Spencer Street resident, addressed the Board regarding the East Spencer
Street Reconstruction Project, noting that she had submitted an e-mail about the sidewalks
along that street. She stated that it’s very good news to have the street reconstructed but was
concerned about what would happen after the construction was done, noting that many of the
houses still had 1940’s retaining wall and bad sidewalks.
David Henderson, Spencer Street resident, addressed the Board regarding the East Spencer
Street Reconstruction Project, noting tha t he could not walk on the sidewalk with his suitcase
because sidewalk was in bad shape. He further noted that he had not received any response
for he e-mailed letter. He requested that East Spencer Street be totally reconstructed,
including the sidewalks.
Jade Mirasol, Manager of Dos Amigos Taco Truck, addressed the Board regarding the mobile
vending spot that was to be discussed later on the agenda. She explained that they continue to
build the business throughout the school year, and was asked to move by a business that just
opened. She noted the food truck had been at the location for three years and had become a
Collegetown staple.
Jan Lawless, Stone Quarry Road, addressed the Board regarding the bus station. She stated
that she understood the need for bike corrals but expressed her opinion that bike riders do not
adhere to the rules of the road. She further found out the intercity bus depot was going to be
gone, and wanted to express her desire for another location to be identified.
Ann Sullivan, Belle Sherman resident, addressed the Board regarding the Lime Bikes, noting
that the parking locations that were used for the bike corrals were constantly used for vehicles.
She would like to have a discussion about where to put the corrals. She requested that
additional burden was not put on the Collegetown businesses.
RESPONSE TO THE PUBLIC
Mayor Myrick thanked everyone for addressing the Board. Re sponding to the concerns
regarding the bus terminal, he stated that the current depot was owned and operated by a
private company. The City didn’t have anything to do with the closure. The person running the
bus terminal gave one month’s notice that they were going to retire. He further stated that he
thought the Green Street bus stop was a pretty good location for a bus terminal, noting that it
was in the center of the county, the busiest TCAT bus station, and fairly walkable for people to
walk to hotels. Though there wasn’t enough shelter, and it was a busy street, there was a
place to buy tickets and Coach and Shortline were working with Green Street Pharmacy to sell
bus tickets. He further stated that the City was trying to figure out how to re-work Green Street
to help people drop off passengers.
Mayor Myrick asked Asst. Supt. Benjamin about Mr. Stundner’s culvert. Asst. Supt. Benjamin
responded that the culvert needed a piece of pipe to fix the culvert, but he was unsure if there
was a channel that was consistent all the way through the culvert. Typically, the City did not
supply the culvert pipes for private driveways, but in this case would put in a new pipe,
supplied by owner, if crews were working in the area. Mayor Myrick asked Commissioner
Warden and Asst. Supt. Benjamin to meet at the property to assess the situation and come
back to the Board with a recommendation. Both agreed.
Mayor Myrick responded to the comments regarding the bike corrals, stating he thought the
City had put a lot of thought into which dockless bikes to allow in the City, but did not put
enough thought into the locations for the corrals. He asked Board for volunteers to assist the
Mobility, Accessibility, and Transportation Commission on this issue.
Dir. of Eng. Logue responded to the statements regarding the Spencer Street Reconstruction
Project, stating that the current project included only about 200 feet of sidewalk, and thought
the Hendersons were asking for the City to invest more into the replacement of sidewalks on
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that street. Commissioner Warden responded that it seemed to be more than just replacing
the sidewalk, but might be an infrastructure issue, along with a few other locations within the
City. Mayor Myrick requested that Mr. Licitra provide an estimate of how much it might cost to
finish the sidewalk on Spencer Street and possible ways to fund it. He thought Common
Council might approve more funding due to the condition of the street. CC Liaison McGonigal
agreed that the sidewalk and the steps going down to the street were in horrible condition.
REPORTS
Council Liaison
CC Liaison McGonigal stated that the City dodged a bullet last Tuesday when Seneca and
Schuyler Counties were flooded. The City should deal with the dredging as soon as possible
to help prevent future flooding. If the flash floods had hit Tompkins County, there would be a lot
of damage. Mayor Myrick responded that the dredging project was being held up by NYSDEC
and their engineer and he was meeting with Barbara Lifton to get the project moving again.
Dir. of Eng. Logue noted that the sediment management facility was on track to be built next
year. Commissioner Morache wondered if the Stormwater Fee could be raised a little bit to
help pay for things like this. Mayor Myrick agreed, but noted the lowest estimate for dredging
was $30,000,000. He stated that it might be cheaper for everyone to pay a little more in fees,
rather than everyone buying flood insurance.
Board Liaisons
Commissioner Blalock, Planning Board Liaison, reported on the Just Be Cause Center
expansion request, stating that the Planning Board had asked the Board of Public Works to
encourage the requestor to submit a sketch plan so the Planning Department could review the
proposed project.
He further reported that a new project on Gun Hill under review that included an accessible
lookout over Ithaca Falls. However, there were concerns about providing additional parking for
people to access the trail.
Superintendent and Staff
Asst. Supt. Benjamin reported that crews were repaving Cornell Street, Maple Grove Street,
Hancock Street, and the 100 Block of Ithaca Road.
Dir. of Eng. Logue reported that the Albany Street Reconstruction Project and the Spencer
Road at Stone Quarry Road Project had begun, the Sidewalk Improvement District program
had about three more weeks of work, and the wading pool installation was on schedule.
BUILDINGS, PROPERTIES, REFUSE AND TRANSIT:
Resolution to Name GIAC’s Wading Pool in Honor of William “Max” Maxwell
By Commissioner Warden: Seconded by Commissioner Jenkins
WHEREAS, GIAC is in the process of reconstructing its wading pool to expand capacity from
10 bathers to at least 25 bathers; and
WHEREAS, the expansion of this pool has been a vision of William “Max” Maxwell; and
WHEREAS, as pool supervisor for over 10 years, Max saw and reported to GIAC
Administration that the size of the wading pool was woefully inadequate to serve the needs of
the community and that it was not handicap accessible; and
WHEREAS, the GIAC Administration finally responded to Max’s (and the community’s)
concern and sought funding to expand the wading pool and make it ADA compliant; and
WHEREAS, Max’s commitment to meeting this need resulted in him donating approximately
37-40% of the cost for reconstructing the wading pool; and
WHEREAS, it is because of Max’s generosity that GIAC is able to afford to expand t he pool
including him donating additional funding when the construction bids came in $200,000 over
budget; and
WHEREAS, GIAC Staff are profoundly grateful to Max for his commitment to GIAC, the
families we serve, and especially the GIAC pools; and
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WHEREAS, GIAC Staff and Administration feel that one small way of thanking Max for his
generosity is to name the wading pool after him; now therefore be it
RESOLVED, That GIAC Staff and Administration respectfully request that the Board of Public
Works and City Council grant us permission to name the newly constructed GIAC wading pool,
“MAX’s Wading Pool;” and be it further
RESOLVED, That upon approval a visible plaque bearing the name “Max’s Wading Pool,” will
be mounted in the wading pool area in an appropriately safe and public spot.
Mayor Myrick noted that Mr. Maxwell was considered the “Mayor of the Pool.”
A Vote on the Resolution Resulted as Follows:
Carried Unanimously
HIGHWAYS, STREETS AND SIDEWALKS:
Request of Maria Pirro Revocable Trust Regarding Curb Cuts at 1006 West Seneca
Street
Russ Maines, Esq., Mr. Pirro, Mrs. Pirro and Shawn DelBrown joined the Board for the
discussion of this topic.
Mr. Pirro explained that when he met Mr. Del Brown at the site , he was shocked to learn the
curb cut had been removed. Though the City spoke with the previous tenant, the owner was
not notified. He stated it was crucial that the curb cut remain as an entrance from West State
Street and would be happy with an entrance-only curb cut from West State Street. The
potential new tenant was not interested in continuing with the lease if the curb cut was
removed. Mr. Del Brown addressed the Board to explain that he had been excited to lease the
property and cater to the west end of the City with ethnic food.
Discussion followed on the floor regarding the reasons for removing the curb cut, the method
of notification of the change, and the anticipated affects of losing the entrance from West State
Street.
Discussion followed on the floor regarding the intent and determination of why the curb cut was
to be removed. One of the most compelling reasons of the project was the area where
Brindley Street, State Street, Pete’s driveway, and Seneca Street all came together. Dir. of
Eng. Logue indicated that the intersection had 46 accidents in 3 years, which was 1,371%
higher than the rest of the state in crashes at similar intersections. He stated the City wanted
to improve conditions for pedestrians. He further explained the conversations he’d had with
the business owners located along the corridor and stated that best practices seen in traffic
engineering talked about taking driveways off main arterials and move them onto secondary
roads. In an effort of trying to improve safety and traffic flow, it seemed to make sense to
remove this driveway since there was another driveway immediately around the corner.
Further discussion followed regarding truck access and the turn radius to get to the driveway
on the secondary street. Commissioner Warden suggested that having a one-way entrance
might be a good idea so that cars were not pulling out onto the main road. Mr. Pirro suggested
extending his neighbor’s curb cut to his property.
Mayor Myrick stated he was sympathetic to putting a small curb cut and making it one way.
CC Liaison McGonigal agreed, but wanted the opening big enough for a truck to pull in. The
new intersection would be much safer, but if trucks had to turn around into the cul-de-sac to
deliver, the intersection would not be safer.
Discussion followed on the floor regarding making a site visit, possible safety issues if trucks
tried to enter the property by crossing West State Street, and the engineers drawing up new
designs that include an entry-only curb cut vs. no curb cut on West State Street.
City Attorney Lavine stated that, while the property owner and his attorney was present, now
was a good time to confirm the following specific points:
1. Owner was willing to accept an entrance-only driveway and to put that in writing that
would carry over to future owners,
2. The owner was prepared to cover the material costs to restore the curb cut, and
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3. He asked if the law suit filed by the property owner could be stayed since the court
conference was scheduled prior to the next Board of Public Works meeting. Mr. Maines
responded that he would contact the judge and arrange a stay of the suit.
The Board agreed to wait to make any decisions until after more information was provided.
Complaint and Information Letter about a Food Truck from Yassine Yajid, owner of
Sweet Spot
Commissioner Warden stated that staff and the Board spent a lot of time setting up the
guidelines to encourage food trucks in the City, and he was reluctant to pull the rug out from
under them. The new restaurant came in knowing that the food t ruck was parked in that
location on Eddy Street.
Mayor Myrick stated that the policy says “may be” relocated, and businesses bring more
businesses. He suggested allowing the food truck to remain and keep an eye on the situation.
Commissioner Greene noted that there had not been any other complaints, which said a lot.
The owner of the Sweet Spot restaurant joined the Board for the discussion of this topic and
explained that he spent a lot of money to open his business and he was not getting customers.
A food truck can move; he cannot.
Mayor Myrick responded that owners of food trucks also look at brick and mortar restaurants
and wish they had things, like bathrooms, that the restaurant had. Protecting one from the
other was a slippery slope. He recommended waiting and seeing if business picks up now that
the students have returned to Collegetown. He suggested Sweet Spot take up the offer from
Dos Amigos Taco Truck to not sell dessert tacos and see if the students switch at the last
minute from going to his restaurant. He further suggested the restaurant owner contact Tom
Knipe, the City’s Economic Development Director, and ask for a site visit and
recommendations to increase business.
Sweet Spot owner disagreed with the determination and complained that the food truck should
not be within 200 feet of a restaurant. The Board disagreed.
Bike Corrals in City Parking Spaces
Commissioner Greene suggested focusing less on the perception of a mistake and work on
solving the problem. Dir. of Eng. Logue explained that the Board had discussed the idea two
meetings ago and had agreed with putting in the corrals. He noted that communication could
have been better he took responsibility. He further explained that impacts may not have been
gigantic, such as one chosen location in Collegetown was not a paid parking location.
He stated he would discuss the issues with Supt. Thorne to understand the reasons why the
corrals could not be placed behind the curb. There were at least two locations that were paid
parking spaces and the Board should be conscious of the loss of revenue.
Discussion followed regarding the locations, how the locations were chosen by Bike Walk
Tompkins and City staff , and the loss of revenues from the paid parking locations that were
taken up by a corral. It depended on the business as to whether they wanted bike parking vs.
car parking. Mayor Myrick suggested that the Board should ask Engineering to work with the
Mobility, Accessibility and Transportation Commission to determine appropriate locations for
the bike corrals. He further stated the he would not personally rule out removing on-street
parking spaces.
Jennifer Dotson joined the Board and stated that Bike Walk Tompkins worked with bike share
companies they felt would work well in Ithaca. Lime Bike donated for the equipment for the
bike corrals, but the corrals should have room for other bikes, not just Lime Bikes.
She further stated that the Carshare parking spaces had been chosen in collaboration with City
staff. She explained Bike Walk Tompkins was already talking with City Attorney about
donating the corral equipment to the City. An MOU exists with Lime Bike acknowledging the
business, but it could be modified. Commissioner Warden noted the Lime Bike was a private
company making a decent profit.
Mayor Myrick suggested asking the Mobility, Accessibility and Transportation Commission to
develop a plan that would work with the public. Commissioner Greene suggested the issue
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should be reviewed by the Planning Board as well. He further suggested that Bike Walk
Tompkins and City staff determine a short-term solution. He expressed his concern that if the
topic was opened up for the public, it would take many months and nothing would happen. Dir.
of Eng. Logue responded that there may be locations within the City that weren’t creating
revenue that could be used first.
Updated 2019 Sidewalk Improvement District Work Plan
Dir. of Eng. Logue explained that the only change from last month’s meeting was for District 5,
and the Hector Street project was added. On the summary sheet, the 5% money that had
been used for street repairs had been removed. The Board generally agreed with the work
plan for 2019.
WATER AND SEWER:
Denial of Appeal of Water Bill for 228 Wood Street – Resolution
By Commissioner Morache: Seconded by Commissioner Warden
WHEREAS, the Owner of the property and water account at 228 Wood Street requests the
March and June 2018 billings be adjusted since she did not receive timely notice of her
plumbing leak from the City, and
WHEREAS, the Owner states that she had rented her house out to grad students who did not
inform her of the leak, and
WHEREAS, the water meter read of March 1st 2018 was unusually high and the meter reading
system registered a leak alarm prompting a leak letter to be sent by the Chamberlain’s Office
dated March 8th to the Owner of the account, and
WHEREAS, the Owner received the leak notice postmarked March 13th on March 20th and
called a plumber who repaired the leak on March 21st, and
WHEREAS, the City provides Customers with notification of higher than normal water
consumption as a courtesy, as efficiently as possible, however the City is under no obligation
to do so, and
WHEREAS, City of Ithaca Code Section § 348-22. Meters. J. States that “All water passing
through a meter will be charged for, whether used or wasted,” now therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the Owner is responsible for the higher than normal bills, and be it further
RESOLVED, That any balance of these remaining on the current water bill not be subject to
late fees or interest until 30-days beyond of the date of this Resolution. Owner may also at her
option contact the City of Ithaca Chamberlains Office to arrange an extended repayment plan
for the amount of the billings over and above the historical normal billings for these two
quarterly periods.
Carried Unanimously
Appeal of Sewer Use Billing for GreenStar Co-op at 700 West Buffalo Street
Chris Kale, treasurer for Greenstar’s Board, joined the Board to discuss this topic.
Commissioner Warden stated that the policy was that if the water was used, it is owed.
Typically, the procedure was the contractor obtained a permit, which then gets communicated
with the Chamberlain’s office who takes care of the billing. He was unsure how the sewer bill
was missed but not the water bill for four years. Mr. Kale noted that Greenstar handled many
bills and this issue was missed by staff.
Mr. Kale explained that Greenstar had finally decided to expand the business, and there were
concerns that they may not be able to afford the expansion, let alone the sewer bills. The error
that the City made would affect the next 20 years. Mayor Myrick responded that he thought a
repayment plan could be set up over a 10-15-year timeframe in this case. Mr. Kale expressed
his appreciation.
Commissioner Jenkins expressed her opinion that because it was the City’s mistake, she
agreed with splitting the costs down the middle. Mayor Myrick moved to ask Asst. Supt.
Whitney to find out if this was a unique situation. If it was not, he suggested the Chamberlain’s
office work with Greenstar to set up a long-term payment plan without penalties. The Board
agreed.
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ADJOURNMENT:
On a motion, the meeting adjourned at 8:44 p.m.
Kathrin D. Servoss Svante L. Myrick
Executive Assistant Mayor