Board of Public Works and Safety

MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING BOARD OF PUBLIC WORKS AND SAFETY CITY OF HOBART, LAKE COUNTY, INDIANA October 15, 2014 Call to Order – Moment of Silence: Mayor Snedecor called the meeting to order at 4:05 p.m. followed by the Pledge of Allegiance. Roll Call: The following members were present: Mr. Lain, Mr. Ehrhardt and Mayor Snedecor. Also present: City Attorney DeBonis and Clerk-Treasurer Longer. Reading of Minutes: Motion by Mr. Lain, seconded by Mr. Ehrhardt, to accept and approve the minutes of the Regular Meeting of October 1, 2014 as presented. All aye, motion carried. (3-0) Correspondence: Police Chief Zormier presented Promotion to the Rank of Sergeant to Ronald Russo and Garrett Ciszewski, and gave a brief overview of each of their duties over the years with the Hobart PD. Motion by Mr. Snedecor, seconded by Mr. Lain to accept the promotions of each officer to the rank of Sergeant. All aye, motion carried. (3-0) Approval of Register of Claims and Payroll Claims: Motion by Mr. Ehrhardt, seconded by Mr. Lain, to approve the register of claims and payroll claims as presented. All aye, motion carried. (3-0) Approval of Agenda: Motion by Mr. Lain, seconded by Mr. Ehrhardt, to approve the agenda as presented. All aye, motion carried. (3-0) Unfinished Business: Follow-up on dangerous tree issue: Code Enforcement action/Officer Sipes re: 3020 Crowsnest Dr.: Officer Russo stated the tree has not been removed and a Notice to Abate had been issued to the homeowner and the letter from the Arborist was also forwarded, recommending removal of the tree. He requested permission to issue a 10-day notice and if no action is taken to have the tree removed and the matter will be referred to City Court as a citation and to recover the costs. Motion by Mr. Ehrhardt, seconded by Mr. Lain, to authorize Notice to be given ordering removal of the tree by the landowner pursuant to Sec. 95.03 of the Hobart Municipal Code. All aye, motion carried. (3-0) New Business Discussion of snow removal downtown: Zac Fuller, Rhythm Rhyme & Party Time LLC re: 433 E. Third St.: Mr. Fuller was present and stated the plowing of 3rd Street in front of his business last year left an area of the street unplowed and requested the City get closer to the curb when plowing this winter. Mr. Dubach, Supt. of Public Works, stated the snow will be moved back and pushed off the street in this area. Mr. Snedecor stated the sidewalks are to be maintained and cleared by the business owners and the Park Dept. is trying to help by clearing the cross-walks. Mr. Dubach stated he will work with the business owners to move the snow as close to the curb as possible. Discussion of Continuing Issues at 49th & Liverpool Road: Peter Baltrus and Polly Bilski, 431 S. Liverpool Rd., were present and expressed concerns regarding the excavation work being done, the dirt from the berms blowing everywhere, the dumping of fill and the noise from the trucks as they dump and work at the berms. Mr. Baltrus stated the property is zoned A-1, Agricultural and questioned whether this was a permitted use in an A-1 zone. He presented photos of the work being done on the property. Mr. Board of Works Minutes: October 15, 2014 1 Snedecor stated the City staff is monitoring the work being done at the property and noted the ditch line is not city property but belongs to the landowner. Tim Kingsland, MS4 Coordinator, stated a letter was sent to the property owner today informing him he must stabilize the berms by October 24th. Phil Gralik, City Engineer, stated the 8 foot berms are part of the plans and permitted but noted the fill must be “clean”, not concrete and rubble. Councilman Vinzant stated he noticed that rubble is being used as fill. Mr. Snedecor stated a site visit is needed by City staff with the landowner present to address the issues including the noise. Attorney DeBonis questioned whether IDEM or DNR had issued permits for the pond being excavated. Motion by Mr. Snedecor, seconded by Mr. Lain, to set this matter for review at the November 5th meeting of the Board after City staff meets with the landowner to address the issues. All aye, motion carried. (3-0) Request to pave easement: Michael Stupar re: 40 N. Illinois: Mr. Stupar was present and stated he wants to pave the easement to allow for parking as he has a narrow driveway and this will allow his vehicle to be parked more off the street. Mr. Dubach recommended approval of this request. Mr. Lewis, Zoning Administrator, reminded the residents that parking is not permitted on the sidewalk. Motion by Mr. Ehrhardt, seconded by Mr. Lain, to approve the request to pave the easement at 40 N. Illinois at the homeowner’s expense and the work is to be completed by the summer of 2015. All aye, motion carried. (3-0) Request for handicap parking sign: George Butler, Jr., re: 132 N. Cavender St.: The owner was not present. Mr. Butler had presented a letter stating his father is disabled and there is no driveway or garage and only has street parking. Mr. Lain noted a parking area is very limited at the property and there is rental property adjacent with multiple vehicles. Mr. Ehrhardt concurred and stated the signs should have a time-limit and the sign should be removed at the expiration date. Councilman Vinzant noted that these reasons are why the ordinance was adopted by the Council, to allow for some discretion and control as to when and where a handicap parking sign was placed in a residential area and how long it would be placed. Discussion followed as to imposing a time limit for the sign with allowances for the homeowner to renew the request in future years. Councilman Herzog stated the Council could look at additional guidelines to be put in an ordinance in the future while allowing the Board some flexibility in the decision-making. Mr. Snedecor stated there has been some discussion about the renewal process and whether the resident would be required to reappear in front of the Board or could just petition a renewal with staff. Mr. Snedecor stated it is also imperative for the residents to understand that the handicap parking space is not exclusive to the homeowner. Motion by Mr. Ehrhardt, seconded by Mr. Lain, to grant the request for placement of a handicap parking sign at 132 N. Cavender St., to expire December 31, 2016. All aye, motion carried. (3-0) Request for handicap parking sign: Debra Blatz, re: 1331 W. Cleveland Ave.: The owner was not present. She had presented a doctor’s note regarding her need for the designated parking. Mr. Lain stated he visited the site and talked with the owner and there is a garage and a car was parked at the rear of the property off an alley. Motion by Mr. Lain, seconded by Mr. Ehrhardt, to table this request to the November 5th meeting of the Board to allow further investigation of this site relative to the need. All aye, motion carried. (3-0) Request for handicap parking sign: Dennis Ripley, re: 1216 W. 7th Place: Mr. Ripley was present and stated he had been granted permission for a sign approximately 10 years ago by the City and his physical situation has not changed. He noted he has no driveway, no garage and no alley parking. Motion by Mr. Snedecor, seconded by Mr. Ehrhardt, to grant the request for placement of a handicap parking sign at 1216 W. 7th Place, to expire December 31, 2016. All aye, motion carried. (3-0) Board of Works Minutes: October 15, 2014 2 Consideration of Storm Water Long Term Maintenance and Operation Agreement: Indiana Land Becknell Investors LLC re: Multi-Tenant Facility on Lot 3C: Tim Kingsland, MS4 Coordinator, recommends approval of this agreement. Motion by Mr. Lain, seconded by Mr. Ehrhardt, to approve the Long Term Maintenance and Operation Agreement as presented. All aye, motion carried. (3-0) Announcement: Mr. Snedecor asked if there was anyone who wished to address the Board and there was no response. Adjournment: Motion by Mr. Ehrhardt to adjourn. All aye, motion carried. (3-0) The meeting adjourned at 4:58 p.m. ____________________________ ______________________________ SECRETARY PRESIDING OFFICER Board of Works Minutes: October 15, 2014 3