Public Works Committee Minutes 2023 03-21-23APPROVED 4/18/23
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UNITED CITY OF YORKVILLE
PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE
Tuesday, March 21, 2023, 6:00pm
Yorkville City Hall, Council Chambers
800 Game Farm Road
In accordance with Public Act 101-0640 and Gubernatorial Disaster Proclamation issued by Governor Pritzker
pursuant to the powers vested in the Governor under the Illinois Emergency Management Agency Act, the
United City of Yorkville is encouraging social distancing during the ongoing pandemic by allowing remote
attendance for this meeting.
IN ATTENDANCE:
Committee Members
Chairman Matt Marek Alderman Joe Plocher (via Zoom)
Alderman Ken Koch
Other City Officials
City Administrator Bart Olson Public Works Director Eric Dhuse
Assistant City Administrator Erin Willrett Engineer Brad Sanderson, EEI
Other Guests: None
The meeting was called to order at 6:00pm by Chairman Matt Marek. He recognized staff and acknowledged the
remote attendance policy.
Citizen Comments: None
Previous Meeting Minutes: February 21, 2023
The minutes were approved as presented.
New Business:
1. PW 2023-24 Snow Operations Report
Mr. Dhuse said salt usage was down this year and about 450 tons remain in storage. He said there are about
1,000 tons at the county which can be stored there as long as necessary since the space was purchased.
2. PW 2023-25 Bristol Bay – Grant of Easement
Mr. Sanderson said the developer has requested an easement for drainage and stormwater. He noted that a plat
of dedication referenced in the memo actually went to the county. He is seeking approval of the request which
the Committee approved and it will move forward to the Council consent agenda.
3. PW 2023-26 Well No. 10 and Raw Water Main Agreement – Design Engineering
This is one of the first Lake Michigan water source expenses, said Mr. Olson. Well No. 10 will be located near
the high school and will need to be designed. This well is needed to meet capacity before the hookup to Lake
Michigan water and will also serve as the backup water source. He recommended approval for the amount of
$282,000 which is already budgeted for design work.
Alderman Koch asked how the high school location was chosen. Mr. Dhuse replied it is far enough away from
the present Tower Lane well to not affect operations of the first well, but close enough to keep costs down. It
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will be a well-head only with no building and will look like the well at Kennedy and Bristol Ridge Rd. Mr.
Sanderson and Mr. Dhuse will meet with the school to discuss the location and this moves forward to the regular
Public Works agenda.
4. PW 2023-27 Lake Michigan WIFIA Letter of Interest – Engineering Agreement
This is the first phase of the WIFIA loan process, said Mr. Olson. A formal application will come later after an
invitation from the EPA and a letter of interest from the city. He is hopeful for an 80% loan. He met with the
head underwriter in December and the city was encouraged to immediately apply. The WIFIA process requires
many different steps and reports. The cost of this agreement is $30,000 which is budgeted and will cover work
with EEI as well as a national firm Stantec who has done work with Joliet on their project.
Chairman Marek asked if the city has worked with Stantec before. The city has worked with them on other
projects and they have done several WIFIA projects. Stantec will eventually be taking the lead on the
application with EEI supporting. Alderman Koch asked if the $140 million will be the final number. It could be
tweaked depending on inflation or other factors. This item will move forward to the consent agenda.
5. PW 2023-28 Seal Coat Machine Purchase
Director Dhuse said this machine should be very useful with the many trails and parking lots to maintain, all of
which could be done on a 5-year rotation. He said the machine was budgeted last year, but was not available. If
it is ordered now, sealcoating can be done this summer. This is a sole source bid with Sealmaster which is a
nationwide company and there is a 8-week delivery time. Mr. Olson mentioned that Aldermen Funkhouser and
Tarulis had some questions about this purchase and whether this maintenance should be done in-house or
outsourced. Mr. Dhuse provided a financial analysis for a 5-year period showing in-house vs. outsourcing the
work. Sealcoating operations would be determined by area, said Mr. Dhuse, and some of the newer areas may
be done first to preserve them. This will move forward to the regular Public Works agenda.
6. PW 2023-29 Compact Wheel Loader Purchase
This smaller loader should be very useful for brush pickup/snow removal and make operations more efficient
than with the skidsteer, said Mr. Dhuse. He said the skidsteer is still worth money, so the budget impact is not
as great. This item is budgeted for FY24, but delivery would not come for 6 months. It is a single source
purchase with Bobcat and the skidsteer would be traded, but the attachments kept. He said the Bobcat is much
less expensive than other manufacturers. This item moves to the consent agenda.
7. PW 2023-30 Resolution in Support of the “Wyland Mayor's Challenge for Water Conservation”
Ms. Willrett said there is a resolution of support and this is the 6th year of participation. In 2018 the city placed
5th in their population category. Residents participate on line at no cost to them or the city and this challenge
promotes conservation. There will be a press release on March 31along with social media notifications. This
moves to the consent agenda.
8. PW 2023-31 Lake Michigan Capital Improvement Plan- Overview
Mr. Olson said this is an overview of the project with explanations of the $142 million cost from Mr. Dhuse and
Mr. Sanderson. This plan will show general timing, costs and components of the project.
Mr. Sanderson said the IDNR allocation will occur this summer and the city is under contract for preliminary
engineering work. This plan also contains the WIFIA application. He said there are certain commitments
needed from the city such as annual water audit, annual leak detection, leak areas found last year will have
watermain replacement work done this year, meter retrofits, corrosion control, subsequent study, transmission
mains and buy-in costs for purchased line capacity at $300,000 per year for 20-30 years after the system is
connected.
Infrastructure items needed are delivery systems via large pipes and storage tanks by Grande Reserve and
Raintree. Mr. Sanderson recommended moving forward with the storage tanks sooner than later to take
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advantage of possible funding and because there are not many tank manufacturers. He said there is stiff
competition for funding. The Joliet area alone is proposing 10-12 tanks. After these improvements are in
place, the existing water treatment plant will be decommissioned, but the wells will be kept as backup. Mr.
Sanderson also said metering of water is needed to monitor water losses. There will be an emergency backup
connection on Galena Rd. to connect with Montgomery in case the pipelines malfunction.
Alderman Koch asked that staff provide a chart 2 to 3 times per year, similar to that in the packet, to monitor the
costs. He asked when it will be decided when to raise the water rates. Mr. Olson said a bond would likely be
issued next year and there will be water rate discussions with a goal to keep the Fund Balance at 25%. If the
Fund Balance falls below 25%, the bond rating could be hurt and interest rates could rise. Mr. Koch asked about
the time period for the bonds. Mr. Olson said they will vary and he briefly discussed timelines. Mr. Koch also
asked if there would be a water rate increase each fiscal year and how Aldermen will be educated on that
decision for public relations purposes. Mr. Olson said there will be special meetings or meetings over the
summer. There will be fewer estimated reads and residents will see an increase immediately.
Mr. Olson said the hardest decision coming up will be the DuPage Water Commission IGA and Memorandum of
Understanding to address buy-in costs. They will need a deposit and there will be a study with the three
communities splitting the costs. He said Yorkville would likely pay more since the city is farther away.
Chairman Marek asked how many storage tanks Montgomery and Oswego will have. There will be at least two
for each town and there could be solar panels on the tanks, said Mr. Olson.
Mr. Koch commented that the numbers in the chart are at the top end , however, Mr. Sanderson noted there is a
large contingency and the numbers have inflation factors built in.
9. PW 2023-32 Water Department Transit Van Purchase
Mr. Dhuse said he located a Ford transit van after searching for a year. The meter installer will drive this instead
of the large truck which will be used for heavy-duty jobs. This will help with gas mileage as well. The van is a
sole source purchase since they cannot find one elsewhere. It is $45,000 and two are actually budgeted. This
moves to the consent agenda.
Old Business: None
Additional Business: None
There was no further business and the meeting adjourned at 6:52pm.
Minutes respectfully transcribed by
Marlys Young, Minute Taker