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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCity Council Minutes 01.06.1981Minutes of the City Council of Laurel January 6, 1981 A regular meeting of the City Council of the City of Laurel, Montana, was held in the Council Chambers and called to order by Mayor Larry D. Herman, at 7:00 p.m., on January COUNCIL MEMBERS PRESENT: 6, 1981. Albert Ehrlick Bill Brennan Harold Burns Susan Carter Duane Behm Terry Fink Donald Meyers Ervin Metzger COUNCIL MEMBERS ABSENT: none INVOCATION: Invocation given by MINUTES: Minutes of the regular presented. CORRESPONDENCE: Letter from HKM Mr. Ken Beven. meeting of December 16, 1980, approved as Associates regarding amendment and grant increase of $2,500.00 for Step I of the 201 Facility Plan. This contract amendment is to cover services required to revise the Step I, Facility Plan Report to conform to the 1980 census data. Motion by Alderman Behm~to approve the amendment and grant increase of $2,500.00, and to give the Mayor~authority to sign the contract amendment, seconded by Alderman Metzger. Carried. Letter from Sanderson/Stewart/Gaston Engineering, Inc. regarding street work on SID 100. Since the City Engineer has not had the.opportunity to review the letter, this matter was scheduled for the next regular Council meeting on January 20, 1981. BID OPENING - PAGERS FOR FIRE DEPARTMENT: .This being the time and place advertised, all 'b'i'ds' received were opened and read aloud. Signal Division Federal Signal Corporation Santa Clara, California Package A 1 each TES w/ (1)tone $ 141.81 Additional tones 8.48 30 each VA4L*2 Tone and 223.76 Monitor Pager, low band 30 each RP124 Mercury Battery 4.03 (not rechargeable) Total Package B 1 each 30 each 30 each 30 each TE5 w/ (1)tone $ 141.81 Additional tones 8.48 VA4L*2 Tone and 223.76 Monitor Pager, low band RP123 Nicad Battery 6.59 (rechargeable) RPll9 Charger Amplifier ~.81 Total $ 141.81 6712.80 120.90 $6975.51 $ 141.81 6712.80 197.70 1434.30 $8486.61 Bid Bond Attached page 2 Minutes of the City Council of Laurel Package C I each 30 each 30 each 6 each TE5 w/ (1) tone $ 141.81 Additional tones 8.48 VA4L*2 Tone and 223.76 Monitor Pager, low band RP123 Nicad Battery 6.59 (rechargeable} RP121*i Five unit 55.67 Battery Charger $ 141.81 6712.80 197.70 334.02 Total $7386.33 Sonar Radio Corporation Hollywood, Florida serviced by Communication Services Billings, Montana i EN-2985 - 100 Call $ 295.00 $ Encoder - 10 Group Call Capacity 30 SP2519 - Pager and Nickel Cadmium Battery 260.00 30 GCB Long B Group Call 20.00 30 CH-2931 Battery Charger N/C Including 1 year limited warranty Maintenance contract $4.50 per month per unit per year Equipment Lease - $350.23 monthly for 36 months.. 10% down payment required Equipment buyout at end of lease is 10% of price Bid Bond: Company check in the amount of $869.50 295.00 7800.00 600.00 Total $8695.00 Motorola Communications and Electronics, Inc. Schaumburg, Illinois serviced by Industrial Electronics Billings, Montana 1 EO8ENCOIOO-L Moden 100 Encoder with connecting cable $721.00 30 H01EAB1712N Minitor Receivers with Dual Call 285.00 30 110 volt chargers 20.00 Equipment Total Installation Pricing of additional equipment not quoted in Amplifier Charger $75.00 each Leather Case 15.00 each Helmet Headsets 55.00 each Earpiece 15.00 each $ 721.00 Bid Bond Attached 855O.OO 600.00 $1(4592.00 ~g?s" 187.50 $19779.50 ~ above'price: page 3 Maintenance Annualized maintenance includes all parts and labor to i preventative maintenance check per year. Minitor receivers - $4.30 each = $129.00 per month Moden 100 encoder - $5.00 per month Terms and Conditions 1. Minutes of the City Council of Laurel years 9701.55 x years 9701.55 x keep system turn key. 90% of equipment value, items as shipped, with 10% balance due upon completion of installation and acceptance by the City of Laurel. Lease purchase 10% down $1,077.95 B years 9701.55 x .0377 = $365.75 per month 4389.00 annual .0312 = $302.00 per month 3632.00 annual .0241 = $262.91 per month 3154.92 annual All bids were referred to the Fire Chief, Dave Powers, recommendation. for review and CLAIMS: A copy of the "Statement of Items Released for Payment" for the December claims has been presented to the Council for review and approval. Motion by Alderman Metzger to approve the December claims as presented, seconded by Alderwoman Carter. Carried. SAM STODDARD - 809 WEST 6th POSSIBLE ANNEX AND HOOKUP TO CITY SERVICES (WATER AND SEWER): Neither Mr. Stoddar'd'nor anyone representing him were present. FOUR-WAY STOP AT 1st AVENUE AND 6th STREET: Polli VanNice representing the Safety Committee of the Fred Graff Elementary School P.T.O. We would like to go on record as favoring a 4-way stop at the intersec- tion of 1st Avenue and 6th Street. I would like to address two questions: 1. Is this intersection safe as it is now? 2. If it isn't, what is the most economical and feasible way to make it safe for a school crossing? General problems: A great number of cars are using 1st Avenue. 1. The new Post Office has drawn a lot more traffic to this location. 2. Students travelling to and from the high school in the morning, lunch time, and after school. 3. First Avenue tends to be used as an arterial highway by people from the northern end of the City who are driving downtown to jobs or out to the interstate. page4 Minutes of the City Council of Laurel 4. The times that First Avenue is most highly travelled seems to coincide with the times school children are using the intersec- tion to get to Fred Graff School. 5. Besides having the number of cars increase, the number of children using that crosswalk has also increased. Because Laurel has ex- panded a lot to the west, the West Grade School has been growing and to take the pressure off their facilities, the boundaries of Fred Graff School have been extended to Fourth Avenue. So there are more children crossing First Avenue than there were a year ago. We now believe that the present system isn't very effective. Most people entirely ignore the flashing yellow light; and from my own observa- tion I can tell you that very very few cars are stopping. There are no school signs at the present time~ and also no pedestrian signal. There are also some specific problems related to the school children them- selves: 1. A car will stop for them, but they will get into the middle of the highway and then there will be a car coming from the opposite direction which will not stop -- trapping them in the middle of the street. If it were you or I, it wouldn't be much of a problem, but with little children they get rather frightened and confused. I saw several instances of that. 2. First Avenue tends to be one place in town where people take the liberty of speeding. Some of the children do not have a lot of judgment as to know how fast a car is travelling, and they don't seem to make a good street. When there is heavy for children to get take chances. judgment as far as when to get out into the traffic, there isn't always a lull long enough accross; and they tend to get impatient and 4. Children have a tendency to drop things -- papers, jackets~ etc. and they will run after it without regard to traffic. 5. Children cross on their bikes. In response to some of the problems that are child related, the P.T.O. sponsored a Safety Awareness Week. It did help a lot. Also the Police Department has cooperated quite well in our efforts to make this a safer intersection. Mike Bloom came over personally to talk to the children. When I was counting cars and children, I saw the police patrolling that intersection very heavily, but they can't be there all of the time. Why do we favor a 4-way stop? 1. Volume of traffic . 2. The age of pedestrians using that crosswalk. 3. Complicated intersection beoause of the turns in and out of the Post Office. If it were made a safer intersection by a 4-way stop, thc school administrator has assured me that they would try to encourage all the parents of children west of 1st Avenue to funnel their children to the 6th Street crosswalk. Right now children cross the street to the north page 5 Minutes of the City Council of Laurel and south of this intersection. If it were made a safe intersection, we would try to get everyone to cross here. Then they would have 3½ blocks of uninterrupted sidewalk to the sehool. The P.T.O. has checked into several other ways of regulating traffic, but we put them aside because of their disadvantages: 1. Electric signal {a) very expensive {b) time involved - ordering and installation {c) First Avenue is a State regulated highway and it would require a State study. (There was a State study made, but it did not take into account the full operation of the Post Office and the extension of the Fred Graff School boundary over to Fourth Avenue.) 2. School signs (a)Probably wouldn't be very effective~ because the drivers are ignoring the yellow flashing light,that is there now. (b) Because of the amount and speed of traffic, we feel signs might be helpful but not adequate. (¢) It would not help the problem of a oar stopping in one lane of traffic and not the other lane. B. Crossing guards (a) Expense $B.5~ an hour per guard. (b) Voluntary guards are unreliable people not showing up. (e) A question of liability should a child still get hit while crossing. ADVANTAGES OF A FOUR-WAY STOP. 1. Stop all traffic and allow a safe crossing for grade school children. 2.Least expensive of any other method. There are already two stop signs in place. 3. It will help to slow down traffic on 1st Avenue. You stop at the intersection and go when it is clear - unlike a red light where you would have to wait even when there is no other traffic around. 5. It would also help other pedestrians - older people walking to the Post Office. 6. In the summertime it would help children erossing the street to get to the swimming pool. DISADVANTAGES OF A FOUR-WAY STOP. 1. Inconvenient for drivers on First Avenue to learn to stop at the intersection, where they have always been able to drive right through. 2. Possible bottleneck to traffic at particular times (it may not create a new one, but just move it from downtown to a few blocks north.) We are lucky that no one has gotten hurt yet at this intersection. I hope you will take some action before it does happen. From everything that we have looked at, the t-way stop seems to be the eheapest and most effec- tive way to solve the pedestrian problem. pago ¢ Minutes of the City Council of Laurel CAM CALVERT We wouldn't argue the merits of putting in a stop system there, but we would maintain in an editorial position that if there is some traffic control device it should be so established that the children cross at the crosswalk. Discussion. Motion..by Alderman Meyers to install a four-way stop on First Avenue at East 6th Street and West 6th Street and also to change the current flashing yellow light to red, seconded by Alderman Brennan. Carried, with Alderman Fink voting "no." DUANE BEHM - GARBAGE RATE - OUTSIDE CITY USERS: There was discussion regarding the fee for outside city users dumping garbage at the landfill. ORDINANCE NO. 686 (lst reading) ESTABLISHING GARBAGE FEES FOR OUT OF CITY RESIDENTS FOR DEPOSITING OF GARBAGE, TRASH, AND WASTE AT THE CITY OF LAUREL LANDFILL DUMP. Motion by Alderman Behm that Ordinance No. 686 be passed and adopted, seconded by Alderman Meyers. (The second reading will be 1/20/81.) DON MEYERS An amendment to an ordinance regarding the position of Mainte- nance Director and Public Utilities Director. Discussion. ORDINANCE NO. 687 (lst reading) AMENDING CHAPTER 2.08 OF THE LAUREL MUNICIPAL CODE. Motion by Alderman Meyers that Ordinance No. 687 be passed and adopted, seconded by Alderman Behm. (The second reading will be 1/20/81.) SEWER BUDGET: There was.an item in the 1980-81 budget that was overlooked and should have been brought forward from the 1979-80 budget. EPA Step III Sewer Rehab had a balance of $94,883.94 which should have been included in this year's budget. RESOLUTION NO. 1835 BEING A RESOLUTION AMENDING NUNC PRO TUNC NO. 1823. Motion by Alderman Behm that Resolution No. 1835 be passed and adopted, seconded by Alderman Metzger. Carried. There will be a Budget/Finance Committee meeting on January 19, 1981, at 7:00 p.m. There will be a Public Utilities Committee meeting on January 7, 1981, at 5:00 p.m. A "Committee of the Whole" meeting was called by the Mayor immediately following the Council meeting tonight to listen to a presentation by Jim Smith of Community Consultants regarding a water audit proposal for the City of Laurel. There being no further busine~come before the Council at this time, the meeting was adjourned ~7:4~p~. ~ ~ ~ Donald L. Hackmann, City Clerk Approved by the Mayor and passed by the City Council of the City of Laurel, Montana, this 20th day of January, 1981.