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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPublic Works Committee Minutes 04.10.2000 MINUTES PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE APRIL 10, 2000 7:00 P.M. COUNCIL CHAMBERS MEMBERS PRESENT: Gary Temple Bill Staudinger Lorraine Craig Mark Mace Ed Steffans (7:12 pm.) John Oakes (7:22 p.m.) OTHERS PRESENT: Larry McCann Jeanette Koch Debbie Ricci Bud Johnson Co-chairman Gary Temple opened the meeting. Use of parks by Laurel High School in August for soccer training. Larry McCann informed the committee that Laurel High School would be using Thomson Park and Murray Park for soccer practices beginning in August. The school district field will be used for the scheduled soccer games. Needs assessment - first phase of CIP Program. The grant writer was approved at the April 4t~ council meeting. A needs assessment will be done for the grant applications. DoubleTree completed a census report and reported it to the state for the home improvement program. The report caused the baseline income level to go to around $22,000 per year. Pat Murtagh will review it as the first phase of a needs assessment in order to get the income level lowered and thereby qualify for more grants. Water leak on Beartooth Drive. Most homeowners do not realize that they are responsible for repairs to the water service line in the public right of way of their property. The City o£Billings started an insurance policy to fund the cost of repairing water lines by charging every metered water service user $1 a month. If something happens to the water line between the water main and the curb box, the City of Billings contracts out to have it repaired. A similar service line replacement fund in Laurel would help the lower income people who are unable to repair such problems. The city will continue to repair the water lines, but Larry would like to contract out repair of the line from the curb box to the water meter. Steve Frickel recently had a water leak in his service line on Bear~ooth Drive. There are new houses in this area, and plastic water line was installed except for the last twelve inches of the line that connects to the city's water line~ Electrolysis had taken it out and caused a big hole. Larry negotiated the cost of the repair with Mr. Frickel. Public Works Committee minutes of ApriI 10, 2000 Quotes for the pickup for the WWTP Quotes were received for the pickup for the WWTP. The quotes were: Midland Dodge - $13,985.60; Laurel Ford - $13,990.50; Archie Cochrane Ford - $14,316.00. There was only $4.90 difference between the quotes from Midland Dodge and Laurel Ford. Because of the small difference, Gary Temple asked the committee to consider accepting Laurel Ford's quote because they are a local business that supports the community of Laurel. The committee had a lengthy discussion regarding the difference between the quote and bid processes. Since this was not bid, it would not be required to accept the lowest quote. Motion by Ed Steffans to accept Laurel Ford's quote of $13,990.50 for the pickup, seconded by Bill Staudinger. Motion carried. Fish, Wildlife and Parks Grant available for park development. A Fish, Wildlife and Parks Grant that requires a 50/50 match is available and would be used for park development and control of vehicles at Riverside Park. The installation of square parking curbs at the park would cost approximately $35,000. Riverside Park house and caretaker. In the past, the Riverside Park caretaker received free rent, electricity, gas and a percentage of the income from the camping spots. The house at the park is in need of repair. American Classics Exteriors estimated a cost of $17,924 to replace the wiring, carpet, paint, windows and other necessary repairs, and additional repairs would probably be needed. Larry stated that Riverside Park definitely needs a manager to control vandalism and activities at the park. Laurel Revitalization League: Request to close First Street from First Avenue to Second Avenue every Saturday, from July 15th to October 7th. Larry stated that someone from the LRL would need to be responsible for the traffic candles. Debbie Ricci stated that Don Smarsh has agreed to store the barricades in the back of his business. Motion by Bill Staudinger to grant the Laurel Revitalization League permission to close First Street from First Avenue to Second Avenue every Saturday from July 15th to October 7th, seconded by Mark Mace. Motion carried. South Pond electrical installation. Larry had understood that the Lions Club would be responsible for the electricity at South Pond so it was not included in the contract for the South Pond Project. Both the restroom and 2 Public Works Committee minutes of April 10, 2000 the sprinkler system require electricity, and Larry is working with Montana Power and Ace Electhc to get electricity in the park. Ace is only donating electrical for the shelter. Rules and Regulations: Control of parks. It is necessary to establish definite roles and regulations in order to control the parks. Once something is built or placed in a city park, it becomes part of the City of Laurel and will be used at the city's convehiance. The shelter at the Laurel Liens Park is an example. The City of Laurel is responsible for the reservations of the shelter, not the Lions Club. Larry distributed a list of park rules to be included in the Rules and Regulations that will be adopted by the City Council. The rules will be adopted by ordinance but could be changed by resolution to allow for flexibilky. Larry is still considering some suggestions for the park rules. Casa Linda residents: responses regarding curb obstruction situation- Six of the nine Casa Linda residents signed up to participate in the project by the April 7th deadline. The six driveway obstructions will be removed and repaired, and the other three obstructions will only be removed. The cost of the repairs will be applied to the property owners' taxes over the next three years. Mark Mace stated that this should not be done on a regular basis. Dia onal arkin . Larry stated that there has been negative public reaction to the diagonal parking in the survey that was sent out in the newsletter. At the March 13th meeting, the Public Works Committee voted to "implement diagonal parking on a trial basis on First Avenue, Colorado Avenue and Montana Avenue, subject to studies by Cai Cumin and the Laurel Revitalization League and the cooperation of the business and property owners." Cai Cumin contacted Carter-Burgess, a Helena company, who would complete a study for $38,000. Larry stated the need to go out for bids so that local engineers could participate. Larry has received negative feedback from the public and suggested that the public needs to be positively involved in the change. The committee had a lengthy discussion regarding traffic, traffic flows and diagonal parking. Regardless of whether or not an outside study is done, the committee agreed that input from residents of the City of Laurel is essential to making the necessary decisions. South First Avenue sewer line. The bottom of the old steel sewer line of South First Avenue is rusted out in the four blocks from Railroad Street to South Fourth Street. It may be feasible to repair it by lining the pipe. Unscheduled matters. Public Works Committee minutes of April 10, 2000 Misuse of water in Cherry Hills Subdivision. Lorraine Craig informed the committee regarding a fire hydrant in Cherry Hills Subdivision that was turned on and allowed to run down the street for a considerable length of time during the past weekend. She stated that some residents identified Carl Rookhuizen as the person who had turned the water on and allowed it to run in the gutter. Larry stated that the City of Laurel has encountered numerous problems with Mr. Rookhuizen, and he will address this problem. Little League/Legion Club request. Mark Mace stated that the Little League and Legion Clubs have requested the water to be turned on in Thomson Park. Larry is addressing some problems that occurred when he turned the water on last Friday. Motion by Bill Staudinger to adjourn the meeting, seconded by Mark Mace. Motion carried. The meeting adjourned at 8:25 p.m. After the meeting adjourned, Larry presented a review of the solid waste rate increase proposal to be presented at the Town Meeting scheduled for April 12, 2000, at 7:00 p.m. in the City Council Chambers. Respectfully submitted, Cindy Alien Council Secretary 4 PARK RULES CITY OF LAUREL April 2000 1. All plantings in the parks of the City will be at the direction and location as determined by the Public Works Department. This includes a Memorial trees, and any other type of planting. All memorial trees require a plaque constructed of metal to identify for whom the tree is planted. No memorial trees are allowed in the Cemetery. 2. Buildings if allowed_ by the Public Works. Committee will be located as directed by the Public Works Department and will meet all codes and regulations. 3. All construction, placements, decorations, buildings, recreation facilities, monuments, play ground equipment, shelters, decks, gazebos, will be at the direction of the Public Works Department. 4. All construction, placements, decorations, buildings, recreation facilities, monuments, play ground equipment, shelters, decks, gazebos, placed in any park becomes the property of the City of Laurel to be utilized to the benefit of all Laurel residents. The property will be maintained or removed at the direction and discretion of the City of Laurel Public Works Committee. 5. The Public Works Department must approve all group activities and / or events in the City Parks. 6. All activities must meet all laws and regulation of the City of Laurel. 7. All motorized Vehicles except for those owned by the City are prohibited in all parks unless approved in writing by the Public Works Department. The Public Works Department must approve the use of any shelter in any park. 9. All parks in the City of Laurel are open from 6:A.M. to 12 midnight. N /M0j . 10. Swimming is prohibited in all City Parksfexcept in the swimming pool c ®'`"' 0 { J 0 U R C E Friday, April 17, 1998 V WATER LINE INSURANCE FUND Fund may. make repair -costs vanis 11 1 1 J By EU KEMMICK Of The Gazette Staff A proposal that would cost most city taxpayers 112 a year - and save hundreds of taxpayers thousands of dollars - is being developed by the city's Public Utilities Department. Under the department's pro- posed water service insurance pro- gram, property owners would no longer be responsible for repairs to the water service line in the ppublic right of way. The city woufd use funds generated by the insurance program to pay for all repairs to the water lines beneath city property: sidewalks, boulevards and streets. Scott Emerick, head of the Collection and Distribution System for the PUD, said many property owners already assume that the city owns the water service line and equipment beyond their property line. It's only when their water line starts leaking or the curb box valve breaks that they learn that they own the lines - and that they must pay hundreds or thousands of dollars for repairs. Repairs can be relatively cheap Water From Page 1D considerably more expensive. Curbs, sidewalks, driveways or streets might have to be dug up, and if the water has been leaking long enough, it could create a sinkhole or otherwise damage streets, curbs and other improvements. "That stuff gets pretty spendy when you start having to replace it," Emenck said. Spot repairs on leaks have averaged $1,400 over the past three years, but service line replace- ments run from $2,500 to $3,000. And even the supposedly cheap repairs can come as a shock, espe- cially to people living on fixed incomes, Emerick said. In an aver- age year, about 250 residents have to make service line repairs. The defects of the existing sys- tem involve more than expensive bills for unlucky property owners and soured relations_ between the city and its taxpayers, Emerick said. Charging property owners for repairs inevitably leads to delays in getting leaks repaired, increasing the likelihood of damage to the city right of way and to private property, he said. Emerick saw the chance to try a new system about a year and a half ago, when he was reading a profes- sional publication about South Bend, Ind., which adopted an insur- ance program to address the same problems Billings is dealing with. Emerick got a copy of the ordi- nance that South Bend used to insti- tute the insurance program last year and prepared a proposal for the City, if the problem is a broken curb valve, which can be manipulated with what is known as a curb key to turn water service on and off, or if the problem involves a bent curb box, which is a pipe down which the curb key is inserted to reach the valve. Over the past three years, Council, which he and PUD Director Gerald Underwood deliv- ered Monday night. There was no vote, but no council members objected to the idea and the depart- ment was instructed to develop an ordinance establishing the program. If the ordinance is adopted, the owner of every metered water ser- vice would pay $1 a month into the insurance program. Eighty-two cents of each dollar would go direct- ly toward repair work, Emerick said, with 8 cents paying for administra- tion and 10 cents going into a work- ing reserve. . Emerick said administrative tasks would include the time and paperwork involved in selecting and. paying private contractors to do the repairs. The reserve would be estab- lished to cover a rash of repairs that could be caused by a stretch of bitter cold or some other factor. After three years, he said, depending on the size of the reserve at that time, the 10-cent charge could be reduced Emerick said the city would probably ask private businesses, as well as the Public Utilities Department, to offer base bids on each type of repair job. The bidders would then be ranked, with each job going out to the lowest bidder first. Opening the process up to com- petitive bidding doesn't mean that one company or the city would per- Emerick said, repairs to a curb valve or curb box have averaged $500. If water is leaking at the curb valve, in the service line or at the corporation stop - where the service line meets the main water line, usually in the middle of the street ---- repairs are (More on Water, Page 6D) form all the repairs, Emerick said. If the city put in a low bid, for exam- ple, its crews would handle only as many repairs as it could squeeze in around repairs to main lines and other projects and would go down the list of bidders to farm out jobs it couldn't get to. Whoever performs the work would not be strictly bound by the bids, Emerick said, since there would have to be allowances made for unusual repairs or additional work, but the bid prices would gov- ern typical repair work. "'T'hat way we're trying to get the best price for these homeowners as possible," Emerick said. That portion of the Heights served by the Heights Water District -- most of the area west of the Billings Bench Water Association canal and south of Wicks Lane already has the kind of system. the PUD is proposing. There, the costs of repairs are fig- ured into the rate structure, and rates are higher in the district than in the-t;ist,.i? 'n."o?_ --•. _??::_ _? Emerick said paying $1 a month for the insurance program would cost a homeowner $360 over 30 years, less than the minimum cost of repairs to a broken water valve. Emerick said he will be working with City Attorney Jim Tillotson on drafting a proposed ordinance, with hopes of having it ready for City Council consideration sometime in July. ® Water service covered by © Water service under property Insurance program owner's responsibility