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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPublic Works Committee Minutes 07.15.2019Minutes Public Worbs Committee July 15, 2019 6:00 P.M. Council Conference Room Those present: Kurt Marbegard, Staff Advisor Bethany Langve, Clerks Treasurer Emelie Eaton, Committee Chair Karl Dan Koch Marvin Carter Richard Herr Heidi Sparbs The meeting started at 6:00. There was no public in attendance. General items 1. Review and approve minutes of June 17, 2019 meeting. The minutes were reviewed. Heidi 5parhs wished to amend the minutes to state she was in attendance. Emelie Eaton moved the minutes be approved with the amendment to include Heidi Sparbs. K. Dan Koch seconded this motion. The motion passed. New Business 2. Emergency Call Outs. There had only been two call outs since those reviewed at the June meeting. On July 6 the City was advised by Yellowstone Roto Rooter that they had cleaned out the line on Yellowstone Avenue by the old church and they had pushed the material to the main line but that material may cause a clog. City crews discovered a partial clog and cleaned the line. On July 13 crews were called out to 814 West 7t" Street for an emergency. 3. Street Maintenance District Assessments This item was on the agenda because Heidi Sparbs has had, and continues to have, many comments from a variety of constituents who are dissatisfied with the condition of the City's streets. She understood that the City now has a "Large Project" they try to fund every two years but she wanted to know when streets, lite SE 4th Street, might be on someone's agenda for thorough repairs not just patching. Kurt Marlqegard stated that currently property is assessed at 2 cents per square foot of property with an $800 cap on large properties. Clerks Treasurer Langve clarified that the large properties tended to include business properties with large parting lots, schools and churches. She said every year during the Budget process, it falls upon the Public Works Department to determine what can be accomplished with the money in hand. She stated that the Public Works Director, every Budget Cycle, has to find a project where not less than 75% of the assessed money can be used. He is limited by the fact that he cannot over assess the taxpayers yet cannot have excess reserves. Marvin Carter inquired how much money does the 2 cent assessment bring in. Clerk Treasurer Langve responded that $698,000 comes in annually. The question was raised as to whether the Council could increase the amount assessed. Clerk Treasurer Langve stated it could be changed via a resolution. However, she stated that the matter would have to be noticed and there would have to be a hearing. She also cautioned that there would be pushback from citizens who would not want their taxes increased. There was discussion about whether the city residents would complain more about increased taxes or the lousy condition of the streets. Richard Herr commented that if people can see what is being done, they appreciate it. Clerk Treasurer Langve stated that it might be possible to get signs, libe those the State post at a construction site, that state where the funds are coming from and what percentage of the project is paid for by those funds. Heidi Sparks agreed that was a good way of getting information to the public and that it was important to let the public know. Emelie Eaton stated it would be a dependable, permanent, accessible source of information because not everyone thinks of asking the same question at the same time. Marvin Carter made a motion to change the amount of the assessment from 2 cents to 4 cents. K. Dan Koch seconded the motion. Clerb Treasurer Langve stated that she would libe to run the numbers to make sure these increases would not be uncomfortable for the Council to implement or the citizens to pay. Richard Herr inquired what his taxes would be. Public Works Director Marbegard ran the numbers and, not surprisingly, it was double the amount Herr is paying now. However, those numbers were read out loud as a test to see if there was "sticker shock" associated with hearing the figures. Clerb Treasurer Langve also stated that a Council member should propose these changes during the Budget review in September. 4. Large Cap Street Reconstruction Selection Process This item was on the agenda because Committee member Heidi Sparks understood that this was also part of the funding process for city streets. Public Works Director Marbegard stated that the cap for the 2 cent assessment stopped at $800 and, again, this affected large lot properties. He explained that KU had just completed a new study and had provided a much simplified color coded map which indicated that the core of town is in the worst condition. This was understandable since this is also the oldest part of town. When a street is being considered for rehabilitation the condition of the water and sewer pipes under that street are the second consideration in the decision process. He stated that the cost of making those repairs and replacements come out of the water and sewer funds. He said that if there is a lot of repair or replacement that would need to be made, another project with better piping may be considered. Kurt further stated that, as part of their study, KU summarized the costs to bring all city streets to a "Level 10". Level 10 in their study was the condition a street would be in that had just been repaired and chip sealed. The report stated that $6.2 million would be needed to chip seal certain streets to bring them to the Level 6 through 10. Another $2.9 million would be needed for streets that needed an overlay. $17.5 million would be needed for streets needing a structural overlay and $35.5 million would be needed for reconstruction of the worst streets. Those amounts total $62.1 million dollars to improve all city streets to a "Level 10". There was general discussion regarding the condition of certain streets; why some streets are not paved curb to curb, the fact that water and sewer lines run under the parking lanes in many, but not all streets, and a general statement by Mary Carter that county roads are in better condition than Laurel city streets. Committee Chair Eaton inquired what the next Large Cap Street project was going to be. Clerk Treasurer Langve stated that at the present time the Street Maintenance Fund and the Gas Tax Fund are completely drained. She again cautioned that any project that is planned needs to be clearly and specifically stated and that those projects need to be completed within a certain time frame. She also stated that she had learned, in preparation for answering questions at this meeting, that the Street Assessment Fund can take out loans. Heidi Sparks stated she can see the need to raise the cap. Mary Carter stated that he felt if we raise the assessment, we should raise the cap. Heidi stated that her personal preference would be to either raise the cap to $1,600 or eliminate it because everyone would then be assessed equally. Heidi Sparks then questioned the Public Works Director regarding what Large Cap Street project was planned for next year. The Public Works Director stated that because of all the "new information" that had been discovered when preparing to do the East 6t" Street project it needed additional funding and that money is coming out of this year's funds. Thus, there would be no reserves built up until 2021. No new projects are being considered at this time. Emelie Eaton moved to eliminate the assessment caps. Richard Herr seconded. The motion passed unanimously. It was again stated that the easiest way to make these changes would be during the Budget review process. Old Business S. Engineering Reports-KU and Great West Engineering Committee Chair Emelie Eaton noted that there was no report from KL). Public Worbs Director Kurt Marbegard stated that Karl Jachson, from the main office, was taking on a similar position in the new office in Dickinson, North Dal:zota. While the committee was sad that we were losing such an avid advocate for the City of Laurel, it was understood that Mr. Jachson's immediate family would be moving closer to extended family and they felt this was a good personal move. The committee wished him well in his new position. Public Worhs Director Marbegard stated he would later give a brief overview of some of the projects KU is worhing on. The July 12, 2019 Project Progress Update Memorandum from Great West was supplied to all members and reviewed first. Kurt stated that the ribbon cutting for the sed basin project had been scheduled for next weep. It would be delayed until the old sed basins are bachfilled and pavement has been laid. He thought possibly it could be scheduled for August and estimated 20 days from now would be a good time frame. Under KL) projects the Public Works Director stated the East Sixth Street project is on schedule; the Digester and Screw Press projects are finishing up; noon this Thursday (July 18, 2019) there would be a bid opening for the frost heaves repair, the trailer park in east Laurel will be getting overlay because of the severe winter damage, and a proposal for improvements to the parhing lot in north Thompson park was handed out 6. Open House for Water and Wastewater Treatment Plants As mentioned above, this will be moved to a date in August, approximately 20 days from My 15. 7. Thompson Parh parking lot update. As stated above, the map showing proposed improvements and expansion of the parking lot on the north end of Thompson Park had been distributed. The Public Works Director stated Millennium Construction has a mobile crushing unit and estimates it would cost $32,625 to crush stochpiled materials that can then be used for this parking lot. K. Dan Koch made a motion to encourage the Council to accept this bid. Richard Herr seconded. All agreed. Other Items *The Public Worhs Director had provided a brief e-mail which stated that in May 2019 the Septic Haul unit at the Sewer plant had brought in $1,164.28. In June it had brought in $2,754.20. *Heidi 5parbs had received a communication from a constituent who was upset that the City had no tennis courts. In a wide ranging explanation, it was stated by Marvin Carter that in 1995 or 1996 the schools quit having Tennis Teams. The tennis courts were subsequently removed because the City swimming pool leaked and undermined the cement of the tennis courts. The leaks have never been stopped and no contractors would guarantee work to build new courts in the same location when all parties knew there were% continuing leaks from the pool. A previous School Superintendent, Tim Bronb, had tried to build support for Laurel hosting Tennis Tournaments and thus Laurel would have to build new courts. It was determined that the only location for new courts would require taking out the baseball fields. Since it was further determined that Billings could not support the cost of maintenance for its tennis courts it would be a bad investment for Laurel to attempt to compete with the baseball supporters for the same space in Thompson Park. *Richard Herr inquired about the new chip seal on 51h Avenue. He wanted to know why it was so black in color. The Public Works Director explained that KL) had added a sealant as a topcoat to the chip seal. The sealant will seal the rocks in and reduce the amount of dust in that area. It was stated that Cottonwood Avenue would have the same topcoat added. 8. Announcements The next meeting will be on August 19th 2019 at 6:00 p.m. in the Council Conference room. Richard Herr moved for adjournment. Heidi Sparks seconded. The)uly 15, 2019 Public Works meeting was adjourned at 7:40 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Emelie Eaton Public Works Chair July 15, 2019 Public Works Emergency Call -outs since last meeting in June. 7-6-19 Sewer Yellowstone Ave. Cleaning 7-13-19 Emergency Locate 814 West 7th Kelly Strecker From: Kelly Strecker Sent: Friday, July 12, 2019 1:11 PM To: Kurt Markegard Subject: Septic Haul Charges Here are the charges for the last couple of months: May $1164.28 June $2754.20 City of Laurel, Montana "On -Call" Engineering Contract Great West Project No. 2-07128 and 2-14114 MrlN"o ty=1kIA11 Date: July 12, 2019 To: Kurt Markegard, Public Works Director — City of Laurel From: Chad E. Hanson, PE Subject: Project Progress Update Qo� r� en9(nWIN The following sections summarize the current status and recent progress on active task orders under our "on-call' engineering contract with the City. Please let me know if you have any questions and/or would like more information. Task Order No. 26 — New Water Intake Amy Chadwick completed the site work this week for the third and final wetland monitoring included in our scope of work. She will prepare the monitoring report and provide it to the City by the end of the month. Once the City has reviewed the report and finds it acceptable, it can be forwarded to Robert Cole at the Army Corps of Engineers. - I Task Order No. 29 — Phase 3 Water System Improvements COP Construction requested Substantial Completion for the project as of July 2, 2019. Both trains of the new basins are on-line and working well, and all major the major equipment has been installed and tested. Consequently, we recommended providing Substantial Completion as of the requested date. COP will continue working on miscellaneous punch list items, demolition of the old covered sedimentation basins, and the site work to complete the project through the end of July. A walkthrough of the project with the City, COP, and Great West is scheduled for Thursday, July 18th to update the punch list. The City has scheduled a ribbon cutting ceremony for Monday, July 22"d, and COP plans to have as much of the site cleaned up by that time. 1 City of Laurel, Montana "On -Call" Engineering Contract Great West Project No. 2-07128 and 2-14114 Task Order No. 38 — Phase 4 Water System Improvements No work has been performed since the Progress Update Memo dated July 10, 2018, which stated: The Phase 4 Improvements include lowering the 2003 inteke, adding an additional raw water pump otthe VVTP,and installing VFDaonall ofthe large raw water pumps. T8EPand DyJRC grant applications for the project were submitted in the spring of 2016 but fell below the funding Uno' The City needs to complete the lowering of the 2003 intake to comply with the Army Corps permit for the new intake but imundecided nnoschedule for the work. Wehave done nowork onthe project and will not until sodirected by the City. 2 Exhibit A Millennium Construction & Consulting Inc. 7241 st. Ave. North BILLINGS, MT 59101 (406)690-8897 builtstrongerCa)me.com ESTIMATE ADDRESS ESTIMATE # 1081 City of Laurel DATE 10/16/2018 PO Box 10 Laurel, MT 59044 USA DATE ACTIVITY OTY RATE AMOUNT 10/16/2018 Concrete & Asphaft Recycling 4,500 7.25 32,625.00 all labor and equipment necessary to process material at the Laurel Public Works Shop into an 1-1/2" minus base course (work will be done on site at the Public Works facility and materials will be stockpiled on site. Estimated quantity is 4500 tons. Final stockpile will be surveyed for final payment). ............. ..... -- ........ ............................ ............ ....... ............ — .......... Laurel Public Works Shop - crushing pile TOTAL $32y625.00 Accepted By Accepted Date Respectfully Submitted by Rob Ferguson ?A A'A'