Town Council - Public Works Committee

MEMBERS Braintree Town Council Thomas Whalen, Chairman Charles Kokoros, Vice Chairman Committee On The Department of Public Works Stephen O’Brien, member One JFK Memorial Drive Braintree, Massachusetts 02184 April 23, 2019 MINUTES A meeting of the Committee on the Department of Public Works was held in Johnson Chambers, Braintree Town Hall, on Tuesday, April 23, 2019 at 6:30p.m. There was a moment of silence for all those serving in our armed services, past and present, and the meeting was opened with the pledge of allegiance to the flag. Councilor Thomas Whalen was in the Chair. Clerk of the Council, Susan Cimino conducted the roll call. Present: Thomas Whalen, Chairman Charles Kokoros, Vice-Chairman arrived @6:40pm Stephen O’Brien, member Also Present: James Arsenault, DPW Director David Flewelling, Comcast representative Frank McElinney, resident Greg Pessa, resident Dennis McCaffery, National Grid APPROVAL OF MINUTES • November 7, 2018 Motion: by Councilor O’Brien to Approve Minutes of November 7, 2018 Second: by Councilor Whalen Vote: For (2 - O’Brien, Whalen), Against (0), Absent (1- Kokoros), Abstain (0) NEW BUSINESS The two resident petitions were told their streets were under moratorium for three more years. The street would need to be repaved as per the Street Moratorium Ordinance. • 19 009 Resident Petition: 79 Hayward Street or take up any action relative thereto The resident at 79 Hayward Street hereby respectfully requests to install service as follows: April 23, 2019 Department of Public Works Page 1 of 5  To Install and maintain gas service lateral in Huntley Road to service house number 79 Hayward Street with staff recommendations: BELD: Please note, BELD has an 115,000 volt oil filled transmission line located on Hayward Street. BELD Engineering should be notified in advance of any excavation to be performed in close proximity to this line. BELD will provide onsite support and safety personnel at no cost to the project. BELD also has a 13,800 volt underground system on the road. This is a concrete encased duct bank to be identified through the Dig safe process. DPW: Huntley Road is under the moratorium enacted by the Town in 2015 having been re-paved and microsurfaced in 2015. For transverse trenches in a road resurfaced as Huntley Road was the moratorium is 5 years. Road openings may be made after 2020 without waiving the ordinance. Since the street is under the moratorium, I recommend that the petition not be granted. However, if the Council finds extenuating circumstances and there is no viable option to meet the resident’s needs without excavating the newly re-paved street, I would recommend that the petition for this road opening only be granted on the conditions that since the gas main in Huntley Road is adjacent to the house-side edge of the roadway and since the sidewalk is not under the moratorium, after maintaining the temporary trench through one winter but within one year of placement of the temporary trench repair, the permanent repair be confined to the trench area itself plus a 2-foot overlap of each trench edge and with conditions repaving is crown to curb (as stated in street moratorium ordinance). We also recommend that the following requirement be added to the permit, if it is to be granted: “Neither National Grid nor any contractor is authorized to close any street or to close a direction of travel to facilitate their work without authorization from the Director of the Department of Public Works or the Highway Superintendent. The Chief of Police can also authorize a closure for a police or fire emergency. Construction zone traffic safety issues are to be addressed by using appropriate traffic control signs and devices and the use of police officers for traffic control to safely guide traffic through the work zone. If a closure is authorized by the DPW, it shall not be implemented until signs and police officers (where needed) are properly in place in conformity with the written plan prepared by the contractor’s engineer and approved by the DPW and Police Department.” Motion: by Councilor O’Brien for Favorable Recommendation to the full Council with Staff Recommendations. Second: by Councilor Kokoros Vote: For (3 – Kokoros, O’Brien, Whalen), Against (0), Absent (0) • 19 010 Resident Petition: 17 Jersey Avenue or take up any action relative thereto The resident at 17 Jersey Avenue hereby respectfully requests to install service as follows: To Install and maintain gas service lateral in Jersey Avenue to service house number 17 with staff recommendations: April 23, 2019 Department of Public Works Page 2 of 5  BELD: There are no underground electric utility conflicts or special requirements within the proposed scope of work. DPW: Jersey Avenue is under the moratorium enacted by the Town in 2015 having been re-paved and microsurfaced in 2016. For transverse trenches in a road resurfaced as Jersey Avenue was the moratorium is 5 years. Road openings may be made after 2021 without waiving the ordinance. Since the street is under the moratorium, I recommend that the petition not be granted. However, if the Council finds extenuating circumstances and there is no viable option to meet the resident’s needs without excavating the newly re-paved street, I would recommend that the petition for this road opening only be granted on the conditions that since the gas main in Jersey Avenue is adjacent to the house-side edge of the roadway and since the sidewalk is not under the moratorium, after maintaining the temporary trench through one winter but within one year of placement of the temporary trench repair, the permanent repair be confined to the trench area itself plus a 2-foot overlap of each trench edge and with conditions repaving is crown to curb (as stated in street moratorium ordinance).. We also recommend that the following requirement be added to the permit, if it is to be granted: “Neither National Grid nor any contractor is authorized to close any street or to close a direction of travel to facilitate their work without authorization from the Director of the Department of Public Works or the Highway Superintendent. The Chief of Police can also authorize a closure for a police or fire emergency. Construction zone traffic safety issues are to be addressed by using appropriate traffic control signs and devices and the use of police officers for traffic control to safely guide traffic through the work zone. If a closure is authorized by the DPW, it shall not be implemented until signs and police officers (where needed) are properly in place in conformity with the written plan prepared by the contractor’s engineer and approved by the DPW and Police Department.” Motion: by Councilor O’Brien for Favorable Recommendation to the full Council with Staff Recommendations. Second: by Councilor Kokoros Vote: For (3 – Kokoros, O’Brien, Whalen), Against (0), Absent (0) • 19 013 Comcast Petition: 120 Ivory Street or take up any action relative thereto French Avenue and Pearl Street to service 120 Ivory Street, to install and maintain approximately 308 feet of communications cable in 2 (one-above-the-other) 4” PVC concrete encased conduits 24 inches deep, 180 +/- feet in French Avenue and 118 +/- feet in the northerly sidewalk of Pearl Street and including 1 new 2’ X 3’ vault in the Pearl Street sidewalk at the driveway into 120 Ivory Street with staff recommendations: BELD: There is a 115,000 volt oil filled transmission line located on Pearl Street/Ivory Street. BELD Engineering should be notified in advance of any excavation to be performed in close proximity to this line. BELD will provide onsite support and safety personnel at no cost to the project. BELD also April 23, 2019 Department of Public Works Page 3 of 5 has a 13,800 volt underground system on French Ave, Pearl Street and Ivory Street. This is a concrete encased duct bank to be identified through the Dig safe process. A letter has been sent to Mr. Flewelling (Comcast) stating the new installation specifications required by BELD. DPW: Neither French Avenue nor the Pearl Street sidewalk is under the moratorium. The DPW recommends that the permit be granted with the normal conditions imposed by the DPW Highway Division plus that: 1. Where sidewalk surfaces are disturbed the surface is to be replaced in kind, at ADA compliant slopes and for the full width of the sidewalk and including fully ADA compliant curb ramps; 2. all matches with existing surfaces be smooth, safe, properly surfaced and satisfactory to the Town; 3. the work be coordinated with the abutters to ensure that the properties are accessible at all times, including ADA compliant pedestrian access; 4. the conduit be installed outside of the trenches of the water and sewer mains and other utilities in service and that the trench pavement not be left low for any length of time; 5. the DPW be notified when the construction conflicts with Town utilities so the resolution can be mutually agreeable; 6. as-built plans be prepared and submitted satisfactory to the Department of Public Works; 7. the construction portion of the permit period not exceed two months from the start of construction and that the entire permit period be set at one year beginning at the date of Council approval. Regarding the Traffic Management Plan, 1. In phase 1 paint the “temporary crosswalk” as permanent at the existing curb ramps just north of the location shown. The W11-2 (Pedestrian Crossing) and W16-7P (downward arrow) should be fluorescent yellow-green instead of yellow, should be permanently mounted and should be left in place, if possible; 2. In phase 2 a second traffic control person is probably needed at the Pearl Street end of the work zone; April 23, 2019 Department of Public Works Page 4 of 5  3. In phase 4 the existing crosswalk from the west side of French Avenue crossing Pearl Street should be shown and an accessible temporary pedestrian crossing from Ivory Plaza to Pearl Plaza must be added at the point of sidewalk closure. We also recommend that the following requirement be added to the permit, if it is to be granted: “Neither Comcast nor any of its contractors is authorized to close any street or to close a direction of travel to facilitate their work without authorization from the Director of the Department of Public Works or the Highway Superintendent. The Chief of Police can also authorize a closure for a police or fire emergency. Construction zone traffic safety issues are to be addressed by using appropriate traffic control signs and devices and the use of police officers for traffic control to safely guide traffic through the work zone. If a closure is authorized by the DPW, it shall not be implemented until signs and police officers (where needed) are properly in place in conformity with the written plan prepared by the contractor’s engineer and approved by the DPW and Police Department.” Motion: by Councilor O’Brien for Favorable Recommendation to the full Council with Staff Recommendations. Second: by Councilor Kokoros Vote: For (3 – Kokoros, O’Brien, Whalen), Against (0), Absent (0) OLD BUSINESS • NONE It was unanimously voted to adjourn the meeting at 7:14p.m. Respectfully submitted, Susan M. Cimino Clerk of the Council Documents provided for Meeting • 19 009 Resident Petition: 79 Hayward Street or take up any action relative thereto • 19 010 Resident Petition: 17 Jersey Avenue or take up any action relative thereto • 19 013 Comcast Petition: 120 Ivory Street or take up any action relative thereto April 23, 2019 Department of Public Works Page 5 of 5