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Public Works Minutes 2010 08-17-10 APPROVED 11/16/10 PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE MEETING Tuesday, August 17, 2010 6:00 pm City Hall Conference Room Committee Members: Chairman Joe Plocher Alderman Marty Munns Alderman George Gilson City Staff Eric Dhuse - Director of Public Works Joe Wywrot – City Engineer Bart Olson – City Administrator Rose Spears – Alderman Others Present John Philipchuck Walter Stagner Angel Trenado Jessica Trenado Minutes for Correction/Approval None Items Recommended for Consent Agenda 1. PW 2010-49 Water Department Report for May 2010 2. PW 2010-50 Water Department Report for June 2010 3. PW 2010-54 Kendall Marketplace – Earthwork Letter of Credit Expiration New Business ( out of sequence) 8. PW 2010-62 Rush Copley – Regional Stormwater Easement Joe Wywrot reported that this easement is needed along Rt. 34 and he recommended moving this forward to the consent agenda for discussion. Additional Business In another matter, Alderman Gilson read a letter from a concerned citizen, Mr. Trenado, who had had water in his basement following recent heavy rains. Bart Olson said the insurance company had investigated the claim made and was not yet ready to make a decision. He asked Mr. Trenado to document the events including cleanup. Alderman Munns commented on the lack of speed in handling this claim and this will be reviewed when insurance companies are considered in the future. There was extensive discussion on how this situation will be handled and the extent of the cleanup by the homeowner. Mr. Olson will contact Veolia to determine contract coverage regarding pickup of the damaged goods. 1 New Business 1. PW 2010-55 Traffic Study – Faxon Road and Alan Dale Lane Mr. Wywrot said the intersection has been reviewed to determine if a 4-way stop is warranted and it is not, with no backlog of accidents, etc. No further action. 2. PW 2010-56 Route 47 Widening – City Easements IDOT is requesting 3 separate easements at 2 locations: near the city parking lot on Hydraulic St. and also a temporary easement to replace the entire parking lot when finished. IDOT is asking the city to grant the easement at no cost. The third request is for a no-cost temporary easement in front of Town Square Park. Landscaping items and a sign need to be moved and IDOT is offering $5800 for that move. Recommendation is to grant the easements and this will move to the consent agenda. 3. PW 2010-57 Weight Limit Ordinance (E. Main St. & McHugh Road) In reference to the Rt. 47 widening project, IDOT notified the City of several weight limit signs on Rt. 47 and it was found that ordinances established these limits. McHugh and E. Main St. will be signed, however, Mr. Wywrot is recommending fewer signs. The notification also reviewed using “no-thru truck traffic”, however, Mr. Wywrot recommended against this except on Countryside Parkway. The weight limit portion will move forward to City Council. 3. PW 2010-58 ISAWWA Hold Harmless Agreement Mr. Dhuse said this would be an educational tool for Hometown Days. This item will move forward to consent agenda. 4. PW 2010-59 ISAWWA Mutual Aid Agreement This is a mutual aid agreement for nearby towns that agree to assist each other with water and wastewater matters in the event of a disaster. Moves to consent agenda. 5. Miscellaneous Bituminous Patching – MFT Appropriate Resolution Mr. Wywrot said $50,000 is budgeted for small patching projects on Kennedy Road and Game Farm Road. IDOT said 10% more should be budgeted to move this project forward since the agreement states this item must go before Council if it exceeds $50,000. Road improvements such as this are based on traffic volume and speed according to Joe. Since Game Farm Road will be replaced in 3-4 years, he advised against spending more money on this road. The committee agreed and it will move forward to City Council consent agenda. 6. PW 2010-61 Standard Specifications for Improvements This matter concerns a builder who questioned a street-cleaning deposit of $5,000 for one home. After review, Mr. Wywrot recommended a sliding scale with replenishment triggers. He also made recommendations regarding stormwater storage, fire hydrants and driveway approaches. These items will move forward to City Council and a resolution will be drafted with review by the Attorney. This will be part of the Zoning Code. 2 9. PW 2010-63 Grande Reserve – Letter of Credit Expirations In July, 19 letters of credit were received regarding Grande Reserve. Mr. Wywrot contacted the bank and a letter of retraction was to be sent, however, it has not been received. He asked that this item be placed on the agenda to authorize the Clerk to call these letters if necessary. All these letters pertain to property owned by Pasquinelli. This item will move forward to the Council consent agenda. Old Business 1. PW 2010-47 Proposed Revisions to the Nuisance Ordinance (Weeds and Grass) This item has been reviewed in previous months and Mr. Olson said the issue is whether plantings should be allowed to grow over 8 inches, but a decision could not be reached at those meetings. Alderman Spears made reference to a meeting the previous night where a decision was made to allow prairie plants. Alderman Spears had suggested a mandatory fine for repeat offenders. Currently, a notice is sent for weed violations and it proceeds to the adjudication process with no option to pre-pay. According to Mr. Dhuse, the repeat offenders this year were for vacant lots. Alderman Gilson said he received many calls regarding weeds and feels the limit should be 8 inches and not 12 inches. He also feels mowing 3 times a year is not adequate. Plantings in ponds were also discussed. After much discussion, it was decided to bring Laura Schraw, who is an expert on such plantings, to the next meeting to discuss with the committee. 2. PW 2010-48 Proposed Water Ordinance Revision Bart Olson said there are many changes with an overall revision of the ordinance. He not said the notice procedures for water billing were changed. Currently a bill is sent, 30 days are given to pay, if no payment another notice is sent, 10 more days are given and then the water is shut off. He said this has been successful. Liens are placed after a certain dollar amount. Alderman Spears said a realtor had called her about an incident where new homeowners were being asked to pay the overdue water bill. Liens must be cleared before a house can be sold. Alderman Gilson asked if water revenues are used for other costs. Mr. Olson replied they are used for employee insurance, administrative fees and other items. A certain percentage of money is allowed to be transferred to the General Fund to offset customer service costs. The committee was divided regarding the transfer of funds. Fire protection system inspections were also discussed. Gilson asked if language to require back-flow systems should be included in the ordinance. Mr. Dhuse said he thought this was already included in the Building Code adopted this year, but could be added to this ordinance also. Gilson suggested an annual inspection be included in the language. This will move forward to City Council. Additional Business Alderman Gilson asked for updates in response to emails he received. One concern was about an overgrown pond on Garden Circle. Bart Olson has contacted the complainant and naturalization was discussed. The developers decide on the design of the ponds. 3 In another matter, weeds have been trimmed on Adrian Street and permission was granted by the rear year neighbors for access to the back. Bart Olson will also contact this resident. Gilson also discussed the crack sealer program and weed growth throughout Countryside and other streets. He asked for a plan to address the problem. Chairman Plocher discussed sewer repairs, but not all repairs will be done due to lack of funds. Gilson questioned why the liaison to the sanitary district would not be involved in the discussions. Munns addressed why some of the $10 million surplus money cannot be rebated back to the residents since it originally came from the City. As liaison to the sanitary district, Gilson said he would try to relay that to the district for an answer. There was no further business and the meeting was adjourned at approximately 7:20pm. Minutes submitted by Marlys Young 4