Board of Works

BOARD OF PUBLIC WORKS AND SAFETY MINUTES February 4, 2014 Regular Session: The Board of Public Works and Safety met in regular session on Tuesday, February 4, 2014 at 9:00 a.m. in the Common Council Chambers. Members present were: Gary Henriott, Cindy Murray, Norm Childress, Dawn Ross and Ron Shriner. Ed Chosnek, City Attorney, was also present. President Henriott called the meeting to order. The Pledge of Allegiance was given to the flag of our Country. MINUTES Mr. Childress moved for approval of the minutes from the January 28, 2014 regular meeting. Mr. Shriner seconded. Passed. NEW BUSINESS Fire Department Recommendation for Award-100’ Rear Mount Aerial Platform Deputy Chief Steve Butram presented to the Board and recommended approval of a Recommendation for Award for the 100’ Rear Mount Aerial Platform with Pierce Manufacturing/Global Emergency Products in the amount of $1,075,216.00. It is the recommendation of the Lafayette Fire Department Apparatus Committee that the bids submitted by Ferrara Fire Apparatus and Donley Safety be deemed non- responsive. Mr. Shriner moved for approval. Mrs. Murray seconded. Passed. Engineering Change Order #2-Union Street Drainage Project Bob Foley, Engineering, presented to the Board and recommended approval of Change Order #2 for the Union Street Drainage Project in an increase in the amount of $2,797.35. Mr. Foley stated that the change order reflects final quantities. Mrs. Ross moved for approval. Mr. Childress seconded. Passed. Subdivision Variance-Meeks Minor Subdivision Mr. Foley presented to the Board and recommended approval of a Subdivision Variance for Meeks Minor Subdivision. The variance is to reduce the required non-residential urban collector half-width right-of- way for Progress Drive from 35-ft to 30-ft, matching the existing right-of-way for the Progress Drive frontage. The subdivider’s request before the Area plan Commission is for a two lot commercial subdivision on 12.77 acres, located at the northeast corner of Commerce and Progress Drives, in Lafayette Indiana. Dan Teder, Attorney for Mark Forszt, stated what the variance included and the plans for the site. Mr. Shriner moved for approval. Mrs. Murray seconded. Passed. Board of Public Works and Safety February 4, 2014 Page 2 Veteran’s Memorial Parkway Trail Easement-Park 350 Mr. Foley presented to the Board and recommended approval of Veteran’s Memorial Parkway Trail Easement for Park 350. This easement is for a water main along the entire length of the project where the city wants to put the trail. This easement makes up a portion of the trail easement that is on top of the water main easement. Mr. Childress moved for approval. Mr. Shriner seconded. Passed. Veteran’s Memorial Parkway Trail Easement-Nanshan Mr. Foley presented to the Board and recommended approval of Veteran’s Memorial Parkway Trail Easement for Nanshan. This easement is for a water main along the entire length of the project where the city wants to put the trail. This easement makes up a portion of the trail easement that is on top of the water main easement. Mr. Shriner moved for approval. Mrs. Murray seconded. Passed. Veteran’s Memorial Parkway Trail Easement-DF Properties Mr. Foley presented to the Board and recommended approval of Veteran’s Memorial Parkway Trail Easement for DF Properties. This easement is for a water main along the entire length of the project where the city wants to put the trail. This easement makes up a portion of the trail easement that is on top of the water main easement. Mr. Childress moved for approval. Mrs. Ross seconded. Passed. Veteran’s Memorial Parkway Trail Easement-Castell/FBSC Mr. Foley presented to the Board and recommended approval of Veteran’s Memorial Parkway Trail Easement for Castell/FBSC. This easement is for a water main along the entire length of the project where the city wants to put the trail. This easement makes up a portion of the trail easement that is on top of the water main easement. Mrs. Murray moved for approval. Mr. Childress seconded. Passed. Community Development CDBG Agreement between the City of Lafayette and Tippecanoe County Council on Aging, Inc. (SHARP Program) 2013-2014 President Henriott stated that this item will be tabled until next week due to errors. Release of Mortgage-2524 Edgelea, Lafayette Indiana Mrs. Jacobsen presented to the Board and recommended approval of a Release of Mortgage for 2524 Edgelea, Lafayette, Indiana for Miguel and Elizabeth Rosales. The terms of the mortgage have been met. Mr. Shriner moved for approval. Mrs. Ross seconded. Passed. Release of Covenant for Deed Restrictions-2524 Edgelea, Lafayette Indiana Mrs. Jacobsen presented to the Board and recommended approval of a Release of Covenant for Deed Restrictions for 2524 Edgelea, Lafayette, Indiana for Miguel and Elizabeth Rosales. The terms of the deed restriction have been met. Mr. Childress moved for approval. Mrs. Murray seconded. Passed. Board of Public Works and Safety February 4, 2014 Page 3 Amendment #2-Agreement between City of Lafayette and Mental Health America Tippecanoe County for MHA Day Shelter Restroom Renovation Project 2012-2013 Mrs. Jacobsen presented to the Board and recommended approval of Amendment #2 for Agreement between the City of Lafayette and Mental Health America Tippecanoe County for MHA Day Shelter restroom Renovation Project 2012-2013. This amendment provides an extension of the completion date to March 31, 2014. The project will be close to completion by the end of February but may go into March. Mr. Childress moved for approval. Mrs. Ross seconded. Passed. Economic Development Amendment #1-Shelter Plus Care Contract Adam Murphy, Economic Development, presented to the Board and recommended approval of Amendment #1 for the Shelter Plus Care Contract. The amendment revises the monthly client services funding to $16 per client per month, down from $30 per client per month. This is a decrease of $1,536.00 from the original contract amount. The funds are typically used for a monthly bus pass for each participant and move-in/move-out costs. Mr. Shriner moved for approval. Mrs. Murray seconded. Passed. Amendment #2-Shelter Plus Care Contract Mr. Murphy presented to the Board and recommended approval of Amendment #2 for the Shelter Plus Care Contract. The amendment revises the monthly client services funding to $16 per client per month, down from $30 per client per month. This is a decrease of $3,840.00 from the original contract amount. The funds are typically used for a monthly bus pass for each participant and move-in/move-out costs. Mr. Childress moved for approval. Mrs. Ross seconded. Passed CLAIMS Mike Jones, Controller, presented for Board approval, Claims in the amount of $1,691,065.40. President Henriott asked if there were any further questions and there were none. Mrs. Murray moved for approval. Mrs. Ross seconded. Passed. DEPARTMENTAL UPDATE Police Department Chief Flannelly gave the following update: On behalf of the men and women who serve the Lafayette Police Department I present the following information to the members of the Lafayette Board of Works. This document highlights the current activities and projects we are engaging in, as well as others soon to be initiated. The 2013 Annual Report is currently being written and compiled and will be completed by April 1st. This report will be made available for review upon completion. The most current annual report, 2012 was not completed until late in 2012 and it can be found online at this location: http://www.lafayette.in.gov/egov/docs/13752102702474.pdf. In 2013, the LPD partnered with Professor Mark Lehto and iTAP to conduct a productivity/workflow study from our Records Division. The focus for iTAP was to document the workflow in the Records Section and identify potential process inefficiencies as well as possible projects for further study. Board of Public Works and Safety February 4, 2014 Page 4 The results of this study led to renovation of the Records Division. The study was completed in the Fall of 2013. Based on recommendations from iTAP and from our own records personnel, the traffic division counter was closed to the public and creates a single point of access for our customers, eliminating some confusion. The Traffic Clerk position was eliminated and transformed into an additional Records Clerk position. The physical changes we made shifted personnel to workstations built at the front window of the police department, providing increased efficiency and timeliness for those being served. The early feedback is showing a high level of citizen satisfaction. Additionally, some of the traffic clerk functions have been distributed out to other civilian personnel in the department. The feedback from iTAP also recommended hiring additional personnel to support the records operations, so we will continue to monitor this situation closely. The Administrative Services Division’s current priority is on recruitment efforts to hire police officers. Several factors have contributed recently to the prospect that LPD will need to hire 9 sworn officers during 2014 in order to fill positions approved for funding by the City Council, some upcoming retirements, a transfer to LFD. In addition, LPD competed with departments across the country for the 2013 COPS grant and was again successful our endeavor. The $375,000 grant provides $125,000 in funding for each of the next 3 years to aid in the hire of 3 new sworn positions for each of those three years. Officer Duane Himes retirement will be effective this month, completing a career of 24 ½ years of service. Officer Grant Davidson has accepted a transfer to the Lafayette Fire Department also effective in February. Sgt. Max Smith will be retiring in August of 2014 after 33 ½ years of service. On February 1st the division conducted written examinations for approximately 50 applicants. This is the first step in the hiring process. This pool of candidates will supplement a pool of approximately 40 applicants who began the process last fall. The hiring process is a lengthy and intensive effort. We will only hire the best applicants for the position of police officer and will conduct as many hiring cycles as necessary to find applicants that meet our high standards. In an effort to highlight our outstanding community and the Police Department that serves it, we are in the final stages of completing the first ever Police Recruitment video that will be used to market our agency. We hope to debut this video soon. In addition to the video project, the administrative division personnel are actively involved in the recruiting process. They have attended recruiting fairs, community events, and college campuses. The future of the Lafayette Police Department will rely not only on hiring the highest quality officer, but also in how we train them. The addition of the LPD Training Center in 2012 was put to great use in 2013. The early success of the center is evident in the number of training hours conducted and in the quality of training made available to our officers, our partner agencies, and our community. Lafayette Police Training (Police, Dispatch, Hosted Training, Citizens Academy) 333 hours provided. Public Meetings (United Way, Mix Meetings, Family Connection) 38 hours provided. Other Agencies (Purdue Police, Indiana State Police, Tippecanoe) 90 hours provided. Board of Public Works and Safety February 4, 2014 Page 5 The schedule for 2014 is packed, with new classes being added continually. We are working toward our goal of being a regional training hub where we can share knowledge and improve the overall quality of law enforcement service for our community and those around us. When the City of Lafayette renovated City Hall in 1995, the project included locker rooms for sworn police personnel. The men’s locker room design provided lockers for 58 officers. The agency has expanded significantly since that time and the need for more space in the locker room was evident from the day it was first occupied. The project to expand the locker room was approved in 2013 and is now nearly complete. We anticipate beginning to utilize the new space later this month. The 47 locker expansion will now allow for 105 male officers to utilize the space. This project is greatly appreciated by LPD and we look forward to putting the expanded space to use! LPD began a new wellness initiative in 2013. Every employee from the LPD, sworn and civilian, attended a nutrition lecture presented by a local I.U. Arnett Physician. In addition, each sworn officer was mandated to complete two physical fitness assessments. The standards were based on the ILEA exit standards for new police officers. These assessments were not done for any punitive measure; they were merely a guide to provide self-assessment and reflection for each individual officer. These assessments will again be conducted in 2014 as we continue to research and pursue opportunities to improve the health and wellness of all of our employees and officers. Mayor Roswarski implemented a Customer Service program in order to receive feedback from constituents on the level service provided by city employees. LPD has introduced a complement to that program wherein supervisors will somewhat randomly make contact with citizens recently receiving police service to ensure the service was satisfactory and the employees were professional. The department continues to expand its presence in the world of social media. In 2013, we increased our “reach” utilizing social media outlets such as Nixle, Twitter, Nextdoor, and other means. Nextdoor Lafayette now has over 2,100 households engaged. This accounts for approximately 7% of neighborhood households. While our long term goal is to reach 20% of households, our early success has been praised by Nextdoor.com and they have used our roll out as a model for other cities nationwide. With just over 4,800 registered users, Nixle continues to be our most important and effective method to almost instantaneously reach the just over 4,800 registered users with emergency and essential information. Twitter is used in conjunction with Nixle, and independently as well, with over 1,800 followers. The LPD will continue to expand and pursue communication and investigative pathways made available through social media technology and remains dedicated to engaging the public in all available platforms. The Lafayette Communications Center has been extremely busy and has experienced a significant increase in the volume of calls being handled due to implementation of Phase 3 of the Wireless 9-1-1 project, which uses cell phone location information to route calls to the appropriate Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP). The Lafayette Police Department again faced increased demands from a growing community. The 2013 Crime Statistics are being finalized as we speak. A draft of the initial numbers is available. Some of the highlights provided by Crime Analyst Steve Hawthorne include: A total of 3754 Part I offenses were reported in 2013, an increase of 3%. Board of Public Works and Safety February 4, 2014 Page 6 Of that total, Violent Crime accounted for 318 reports (8%). Eight of the twelve months exhibited totals that were less than the previous year’s months. Two homicides, 34 rapes and 67 robberies occurred during the year. Aggravated assaults accounted for 68% of all violent crimes (215 reports). There were 3436 Property Crime reports accounting for 92% of all major crimes for the year. An increase of 4%. Monthly crime totals were higher during every month but three. Thefts accounted for 66% of the total number of all Part I offenses during 2013. Shoplifting was the most frequent theft offense for the year (660 or 27%). The Administration is committed to meeting the mission statement of the Lafayette Police Department: To efficiently provide quality police service to our community by promoting a safe environment through a police-citizen partnership, with an emphasis on mutual trust, integrity, fairness, and professionalism. ANNOUNCEMENTS Mayor Roswarski thanked Chief Flannelly for his efforts engaging the community and the relationships that he as established throughout the community. Mayor Roswarski also thanked the Board for approving the recommendation for the platform fire truck and thanked the committee for their time in choosing the best truck for the fire department. Mayor Roswarski stated that he would be declaring a Snow Emergency at 10:00am until 10:00pm today in preparation of the snow storm that is going to happen in the Lafayette area. The Mayor urged the citizens to clear vehicles from all roadways to help with the snow removal effort city wide. Time: 9:41 a.m. BOARD OF PUBLIC WORKS AND SAFETY Gary Henriott s/s President ATTEST: Mindy Miller s/s Mindy Miller, 1st Deputy Clerk Minutes written by Mindy Miller, 1st Deputy Clerk *A digital audio recording of this meeting is available in the Lafayette City Clerk’s Office. Ordinance Violations Bureau From the Office of the Engineer: 1st Letter Summary (105 issued) 2nd Letter Summary (0 issued) and Ticket Summary (20 issued) from the Ordinance Violations Bureau for the month of January 2014. Board of Public Works and Safety February 4, 2014 Page 7