12/18/1978 Board of Public Works Minutes

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OR REGULAR MEETING DECEMBER 18, 1978 REQUEST FOR STREET REPAIRS IN BELLEVILLE AREA Councilman Walter Kopczynski submitted to the Board a letter requesting a complete assessment of street repairs needed in the Belleville area and the securing of the necessary funds for the repairs. Mr. Kopczynski was present and made a statement to the Board that an immediate program should be approved to repair and reconstruct streets in the Belleville area. He said he took exception to statements made by administration officials in the past few days which are not based on fact. He said such statements degrade the Belleville area and will not be tolerated by the residents. Mr. Kopczynski said the real cause of the street problems is insufficient repair of the streets and of the sewers which can undermine the streets and the shifting of sand around the manholes over the past twenty -five years. He said the answer to the problem is preventive maintenance by the City and said a negative attitude of the administration has led to the present problems. He requested that the City use funds available in con - crete items in the budget to address the serious problems in the Belleville area. Mr. Kopczynski then displayed to the Board a report of the St. Joseph County Soil Committee regarding the area and said he would make the report available. He also displayed a piece of concrete removed during the reconstruction of the Olive Street sewer to illustrate how the material had eroded. He said recurrent failures in Olive Street have been eliminated by the reconstruction of the sewer. Mr. Kopczynski said any additional false statements regarding the street problem which tend to degrade the neighborhood might result in the filing of a class action suit against City officials by the Belleville residents. He then asked. that the Board of Works prepare a report showing the amount of money needed for repair of streets in the Belleville area and for the repair and separation of the sewer system. Mr. McMahon responded that he would .take exception to most of Mr. Kopczynski's statements. He said the Engineering Department staff is aware of street repair problems but makes determinations on the need for repairs not based on political motives. The City has done `a fair amount of work on the West side this year, including approximately $10,000 in repairs atthe,intersection of Ford and Rowantree. Mr. McMahon pointed out that money in the City budget for concrete is for maintenance items and not major repairs. He said he had a meeting with Mr. Kopczynski for the purpose of discussing street repairs in the Belleville area and had suggested proposed repairs on Ford Street from Sunnyfield to Scenic Mr. Kopczynski indicated at that time that he was not interested in that street repair because there were not many voters at the school. Mr. McMahon said he is familiar with the St. Joseph County Soil Report. Much of the Belle - ville area is mucky under the streets. There is also a record of water main failures and their locations in the area. He pointed out that the City does have qualified people to address the problem of street repairs, noting that one of his Bureau heads lives in the Belleville area and that the Street Commissioner also lives on the West side. Mr. Kopczynski said the statement about the Ford Street repairs was false. He said he is familiar with the vein of muck in the area and it is small. The entire area is not muckland. He asked for an.affirmative program for street repairs in the Belleville area to be laid out by the City. Mr. McMahon said the Engineering Department would respond to the Councilman's request. 1