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HomeMy WebLinkAbout02/05/2015 Agenda ReviewAGENDA REVIEW SESSION FEBRUARY 5. 2015 21 The Agenda Review Session of the Board of Public Works was convened at 10:35 a.m. on February 5, 2015, by Board President Gary A. Gilot, with Board Members David Relos, Kathryn Roos, and Brian Pawlowski present. Board Member Patrick Henthom was absent. Also present was Attorney Michael Schmidt. Board of Public Works Clerk, Linda M. Martin, presented the Board with a proposed agenda of items presented by the public and by City Staff. CHANGES TO THE AGENDA Mr. Gilot noted the addition to the agenda of a Professional Services Agreement with Feathergill & Associates, Inc., for performing psychological testing of Police Department applicants, and the removal of a procession for St. Paddy's Day Tent Party. - Change Orders and Project Completion Affidavits Mr. Toy Villa, Engineering, stated both Demolition of Vacant and Abandoned Homes Change Orders are due to the removal of several properties that will be rehabilitated. - Project Completion Affidavit— Century Center Floor Finish Improvements Ms. Roos asked that Mr. Villa make sure the issue of slippery floors has been addressed at Century Center before closing out the project. Mr. Villa stated the contractor was here this week and is working on it. He added he is very comfortable with closing out the project. - Amendment to Professional Services Agreement — Abonmarche Consultants, Inc. Mr. Toy Villa, Engineering, stated they added $125,000 of extra sidewalks to the Southwood Sewer Separation project, so they needed the consultant to do additional design work. - Professional Services Agreement — DLZ Indiana, LLC Mr. Roger Nawrot, Engineering, stated this Bendix Drive project is a joint federal funded project, but the City pays the entire amount and is reimbursed by the State. Professional Services Agreement -- Abonmarche consultants. hie. Mr. Roger Nawrot, Engineering, stated the City will do two (2) blocks of the Western Ave. Streetscapes this summer, and if there is money left, they will do more. - Requests to Advertise Mr. Jeff Hudak, Central Services, stated CNG was requested on the pick-up trucks being bid, and if not available, an option for installation will be included. Mr. Gilot asked if the asphalt box can run on CNG. Mr. Hudak stated he wasn't sure, but it was a good idea, and he would check with the supplier and manufacturer. Opening of Quotations — Trash Packer Truck Rental Ms. Kara Boyles, Public Works, stated they went out for three (3) quotes for this trash truck rental. She stated the packer trucks being bid will be CNG, and noted the Clean City grant money is to be used for the purchase of the trash trucks. - Special Purchase — Midwest Meters Mr. Al Greek, Utility Director, stated this Special Purchase is for the same water meters previously used for the switch out of water meters. Mr. Gilot noted they would need the same meters for the readers to work, so it becomes a compatibility issue. Ms. Kara Boyles, Public Works, stated the change -out is almost complete on smaller meters; they are now working on large ones. - Professional Services Agreement —KAR Laboratories, Inc. Ms. Kim Thompson, Environmental Services, stated this lab performs required analytical services on dangerous chemicals that Environmental Services can't do in their lab. She noted they are required to do this testing every year. - Change Order— Digester No. 2 Upgrade and Digester Gas Cleaning Mr. Jacob Klosinski, Environmental Services, stated this project will be ready to start moving sludge sometime in March, and seeding will start in early spring. - Professional Services Agreement —Aroadis US, Inc. Mr. Eric Horvath, Public Works Director, stated the Board approved this agreement last year, but only funding for tasks 1 through 3. He stated this is for approval of the final two tasks now that funds are available. - Professional Services Agreement —Xerox Mr. Santiago Garecs, Office of Innovation, stated this agreement is for printer, scanner, and photo copies assessment. He stated this agreement will be a pilot for Xerox for document management, and the initial assessment is free. Professional Services Agreement - MWH Mr, Eric Horvath, Public Works Director, stated they will have a scope for this Long Term Control Plan evaluation and negotiation plan for the Board's regular meeting. Ms. Kara Boyles, Deputy Director of Public Works added that Phase 1 will be a minimum of nine (9) months. Mr. Horvath noted the City indicated their goal is for $100,000,000,00 in savings, vvth new AGENDA REVIEW SESSION FEBRUARY 3, 2015 22 technology. He added they would eventually hope for $200,000,000.00. He notedthere arc a number of sub -consultants involved in this project. - Professional Services Agreement—J.J. Umbaugh & Associates, LLP Mr. Eric IIorvath, Public Works, stated this agreement is to provide financial reports to the utilities to track revenue and expenditures in relation to utility rate increases, in order to be proactive. He noted they will set-up and provide quarterly reports that eventually City staff can prepare. Ms. Roos notes that basically what they are providing is the set-up of the process and staff training. - Traffic Calming Plan — Walnut Grove --- Mr. Gilot asked Mr. Eric Horvath, Public Works, to present the City's traffic calming plan for Walnut Grove. He explained to those present that in the interest of time, the Board would hear the Traffic Calming recommendation under the relevant ordinance, and then allow ten (10) minutes total input for those wishing to speak for the plan, and ten (10) minutes total for those wishing to speak against the plan. He stated there would be no vote and no arguing today, and asked those present as they give their recommendation, not to repeat what's already been said. Mr. Horvath stated the traffic calming in Walnut Grove is an important issue for safety and quality of life. He explained in the past the City hasn't bad a formal traffic calming process but there is an attempt now to start formalizing the process with Walnut Grove, the first area to approach the City. Mr. Horvath stated the idea is to find a balance in ways to implement safety, reduce vehicular traffic, and improve the quality of life. He noted Walnut Grove is a little different with local roads, and arterials and minor arterials. He stated the balance is trying to keep all those things in harmony. He stated when the City was approached, the initial concern was the speeding. The City closed 27" St. for a temporary measure to see what the impact would be. He noted they are looking for low cost ways to achieve three (3) goals; but what you are trying to do is change human behavior which isn't justan engineering process, therefore they may have to try different things to see what works. Mr. Horvath noted the City could come in and spend a lot of money to try to fix the problems, but the City doesn't have the money. He explained part of the process for traffic calming was to circulate a petition, which 167 residents signed in favor, with three (3) people calling in and asking to remove their names from the petition, resulting in 165 signatures. He explained the petition was all about trying to calm traffic. Subsequently the City developed a plan based on speed counts that were done indicating 85% of cars were in excess of 20 mph speed limit. He added there is a large elderly population in Walnut Grove and the homes are close to the streets. Mr. Horvath stated 27`h St. is used as a cut - through at times, and once closed, the cut -through traffic moved to other areas and created problems. Mr. Horvath stated after closing 27" St., the City received fifty-two letters against the closure. He noted the reasons given were the hill on Tuxedo St., the alternate cut -through street, is icy when you come to the main arterial road; there is a sight distance problem due to the hills on Tuxedo; there are two (2) school bus stops on Tuxedo and a large number of children in the neighborhood; the left turn off of McKinley onto Tuxedo is difficult and dangerous; increased traffic makes it difficult for home owners to back out of their driveways and there are more homes on Tuxedo St.; 27s' St. is a public street, not private; and street bumps were suggested. Mr. Horvath stated the City had a number of meetings with the residents of Walnut Grove. The City's recommendation is traffic calming in a number of ways including three (3) way stops; painted crosswalks; posted speed limit; a speed hump; and solar speed indicators. He explained the closure was a temporary measure done by the City engineer that needs Board approval to continue. Mr. Gilot asked what the City budget is for traffic calming. Mr. Horvath stated they only have $50,000.00 for 2015 and they have received approximately a dozen requests so far. Councilman Derek Dieter stated he is in favor of the traffic calming plan and asked when the three (3) way stops could be put in. Mr. Horvath stated they could be put in anytime, but the crosswalk paint would have to wait until spring. He stated it would take about a month for the opening of 2711'-, once the stop signs are in place. Mr. Gilot asked if any residents would like to speak in favor of the traffic calming at this time. Mary Ann Piechocki of Tuxedo St. asked if the street would stay closed until the signs are up. Mr. Gilot restated the recommendation was not to open the street until the stop signs were installed Mary Waechter, of S. Holiday St. suggested they also need a three (3) way stop at Wilson St. and 26" St. Mr. Horvath stated they looked into that but they can't do that because the Ordinance requires it meet warrant on traffic control devices, and this location didn't meet the warrants. Myron Busbee of Fern Way, stated one thing happening since the street closure is people are driving across the common area and cutting over to McKinley Ave., posing another dangerous issue. AGENDA REVIEW SESSION FEBRUARY 5, 2015 23 Patrick Shanley of Beechwood Ln. stated he is in favor of the traffic calming because most of the residents are senior citizens and are in fear of walking on the sidewalks. Mary Ann Piechocki commended Mr. Horvath on his presentation and stated he did an excellent job and thanked him for reading all of the resident's letters and emails. Mary Fisher, of S. Tuxedo stated she is in favor of the calming measure, and is opposed to the closing of 27" Street - Dan Demler of Tuxedo Dr. stated he is in favor of the traffic calming plan due to more traffic diverted to Tuxedo Dr. now. He added residents of Tuxedo can't back out of their driveways without difficulty. Ann Germano, of Swanson Circle stated she is in favor of the traffic calming, not closing the street. She stated she wished the City would have let her neighborhood know about the plans, adding only the Walnut Grove residents knew. Elaine Smith of Hemlock Way noted there was an article in the Tribune regarding 271h Street. She added she is in favor of opening 27" St., it is inconvenient, and just moving traffic from one street to another. Anthony Germano, of Swanson Circle stated he is also opposed to the closure of 27`h St. He noted it is an access road to Walnut Grove, and to other areas and he disagrees about walkers, adding he doesn't see a lot of people walking. He noted that emergency vehicles can't access in an emergency, it is dangerous to have it closed. He stated 27'h St. is one of only three (3) access roads currently between Jefferson Blvd. and McKinley Ave. and the neighborhoods, and the only through street from Pleasant St, to McKinley. Carl Fisher of Tuxedo Dr. stated he has never had a problem with 26`h St. and he is opposed to a 20 mph speed limit, noting that will set a precedent for other neighborhoods. Anna Knapp of Cottonwood Lane stated she is in support of the City's traffic calming plan. She added she felt pressured to sign the Walnut Grove's petition and questioned its accuracy and how many signed under pressure. She noted you can't close every road where there is speeding. Neil Stiles of Cypress Way stated she has heard a number of people talk about speeding, and it's a problem in a number of areas. She suggested wouldn't they also need patrolling by the Police to enforce the speed limit. She added there used to be many walkers out, but you don't see any anymore because of speeding traffic. She statedpeople are scared to walk and cross the street, and added she is against the traffic calming plan. Mr. Gilot stated the time limit was up for those speaking in favor of the City's traffic calming plan and asked if anyone wished to speak opposed to the plan. Jon Burke of 26°i St. stated the petition that was circulated was not for a traffic calming plan but for closure of 27`h St. He explained that Walnut Grove was never intended to be a part of the traffic pattern, never meant to be a part of the grid. He provided a drawing and pointed out that it was never built with the intent for a traffic grid. He stated when it was originally planted, it was designed for social interaction, with a cul-de-sac design. He noted it pre -dates Area Plan's requirements of a 25' setback and some homes have only an 8' setback from the street. Mr. Burke stated "We as a community do not have the protections afforded by the Area Plan Commission and Building Department". Mr. Burke thanked Eric Horvath and Kara Boyles, Public Works, for being bold to tackle this process and enabling citizens to have a voice in the process. He added they probably should have included the Swanson neighborhood in the process, but that was not done by design, they were trying to determine who would be involved in the process. He reiterated that Walnut Grove was never meant to be part of the traffic grid, and it has become a thoroughfare, and not a social area anymore. He noted people are afraid to walk around the neighborhood due to speeding cars. Jim Frye of S. Holiday stated his father used to sit on the Walnut Grove board. He stated if they are having issues they should call the Police Department or the Mayor's Office. He noted Walnut Grove is vital to the community with its unique history. He added Tuxedo Dr. has a substantial hill that is slippery. Joan St. John of stated she lives at the top of the hill in Walnut Grove. She stated she sees it all and the city stop sign is for decoration only, nobody stops there. She noted that in the morning, she has four (4) or five (5) cars go by now, where before she had a steady stream of cars. She stated they race, and they won't pay attention to signs. Andy Cook stated he doesn't currently live in Walnut Grove but he is familiar with speed bumps, and they don't work. He noted he is a former Police officer. He added stop signs don't work either. Lindsay Horak, of N. Tuxedo stated since the closure of 27`h St. there is a large increase in traffic on Tuxedo. She stated she supports calming traffic in Walnut Grove, but this closure took Walnut Grove traffic and moved it to Tuxedo. She added there arc also elderly people on Tuxedo, but also children on Tuxedo. AGENDA REVIEW SESSION FEBRUARY 5, 2015 24 Mr. Gilot thanked everyone present for their comments and for following the process he set out at the beginning of the meeting. He informed them that what will occur now is the Board will take everything discussed today under consideration and vote on Tuesday on the City's recommended traffic calming proposal. He suggested if anyone has any other comments that were not discussed today, they be sent to Mr. Eric Horvath, noting he will make the recommendation to the Board on Tuesday on how the City is recommending to proceed. The Clerk was instructed to post the agenda and notify the media and other persons who have requested notice of the meeting agenda. No other business came before the Board. The meeting — adjoumed at 12:03 a.m. BOARD OF PUBLIC WORKS Gary A. Gilot, President �Relos, Member�--- thryn E. Roos, Member Patrick M. Henthom, Member Brian J. Pawlowski, Member ATTEST: (� '��1 ///^A^^�j� LiMartin, Clerk CJ REGULAR MEETING FEBRUARY 10, 2015 The Regular Meeting of the Board of Public Works was convened at 9:35 a.m. on Tuesday, February 10, 2015, by Board President Gary A. Gilot, with Board Members David Relos, Kathryn E. Roos, Patrick Henthom, and Brian Pawlowski present. Also present was Board Attorney Michael Schmidt. ADDITION TO THE AGENDA Mr. Gilot noted the addition to the Agenda of a renewal of a Transient Merchant License for Maple Hill Golf. APPROVE MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING Upon a motion made by Mr. Roos, seconded by Mr. Relos and carried, the Minutes of the Agenda Review Session of January 22, 2015, Regular Meeting of January 27, 2015 and Claims Meeting of the Board held on February 3, 2015, were approved. This was the date set for receiving and opening of sealed bids for the above referenced project. The Clerk tendered proofs of publication of Notice in the South Bend Tribune and the Tri- County News, which were found to be sufficient. The following bids were opened and publicly read: PYRAMID EQUIPMENT INC 211 South Prairie Street Rolling Prairie, IN 456371 Bid was signed by: Greg Dadlow