Board of Public Works & Safety

REGULAR MEETING – August 17, 2015 The Board of Public Works and Safety of the City of Michigan City, Indiana, met in REGULAR SESSION on Monday morning, August 17, 2015 at the hour of 9:00 a.m., in the Council Chambers, in the City Hall Building, located at 100 East Michigan Boulevard, Michigan City Indiana – a regular meeting room of this Board. The meeting was called to order by President Steve Janus, who presided. Noted present: Steve Janus, Michael Palmer and Virginia Keating (3). A QUORUM WAS NOTED PRESENT. Also noted in attendance: Amber Lapaich, Corporate Counsel Russ Hatfield, Code Enforcement Officer Terry Borolov, Code Enforcement Officer Charles “Spike” Peller, City Engineer Sgt. Darren Kaplan, M.C. Police Department Craig Phillips, City Planner Kalon Kubik, Mayor’s Administrator Robin Tillman, Director M.C. Transit Department Arber Himaj, Engineer M.C. Sanitary District Chief Mark Swistek, M.C. Police Department Gale Neulieb, City Clerk Kim Sliwa, Deputy City Clerk APPROVAL OF MINUTES President Janus asked if there were any corrections to the minutes of the Regular meeting of August 3, 2015, Executive Session of August 3, 2015, and Special Meeting of August 11, 2015. Vice-President Palmer made the motion to approve the minutes as presented of the August 3, 2015 Regular Meeting; August 3, 2015 Executive Session; and Special meeting of August 11, 2015. The motion was seconded by Virginia Keating and carried as follows: AYES: MEMBERS Janus, Palmer and Keating (3). NAYS: None (0). Motion carries. AWARDING OF BIDS FOR SALE OF SURPLUS BUSES President Janus stated it is the recommendation of Robin Tillman, Director of MC Transit that the following bids be award: Eldorado Bus – Transmark RE-29 ID Number 1N9TBAC626C084021 be awarded to Andy Truck & Equipment Co. for $1,189.00. Vice-President Palmer made a motion to award the bid to Andy’s Truck & Equipment Co. in the sum of $1,189.00. The motion was seconded by Virginia Keating and carried as follows: AYES: MEMBERS Janus, Palmer and Keating (3). NAYS: None (0). Motion carries. Regular Meeting –August 17, 2015 Page 2 Eldorado Bus – Transmark RE-29 ID Number 1N9TBAC67C084227 be awarded to Andy Truck & Equipment Co. for $1,249.00. Vice-President Palmer made a motion to award the bid to Andy Truck & Equipment Co. in the sum of $1,249.00. The motion was seconded by Virginia Keating and carried as follows: AYES: MEMBERS Janus, Palmer and Keating (3). NAYS: None (0). Motion Carries. Ford E450 – Supreme Senator ID Number 1FDXE45P46HA97836 be awarded to Roberto Enamorado for $1,520.00. Vice-President Palmer made a motion to award the bid to Roberto Enamorado in the sum of $1,520.00. The motion was seconded by Virginia Keating and carried as follows: AYES: Janus, Palmer and Keating (3). NAYS: None (0). Motion Carries. Ford E450 – Supreme Senator ID Number 1FDXE45P26HA97835 be awarded to Roberto Enamorado for $1,520.00 Virginia Keating made a motion to award the bid to Roberto Enamorado in the sum of $1,520.00. The motion was seconded by Vice-President Palmer and carries as follows: AYES: MEMBERS Janus, Palmer and Keating (3). NAYS: None (0). Motion Carries. Eldorado Bus – Transmark RE-29 ID Number 1N9TBAC679C084035 be awarded to Andy Truck & Equipment Co. for $1,489.00. Virginia Keating made a motion to award the bid to Andy Truck & Equipment Co. in the sum of $1,489.00. The motion was seconded by Vice-President Palmer and carries as follows: AYES: MEMBERS Janus, Palmer and Keating (3). NAYS: None (0). Motion Carries. OPENING OF BIDS FOR VILLAGE GREEN REHABILITATION PROJECT President Janus asked if there was anyone present who wished to submit a bid. There was no response. Vice-President Palmer made the motion to close the acceptance of bids for the Village Green Rehabilitation Project. The motion was seconded by Virginia Keating and carried as follows: AYES: MEMBERS Janus, Palmer and Keating (3). NAYS: None (0). Motion carries. Corporate Counsel Amber Lapaich addressed the Board that there were two (2) bids and are as follows: Woodruff & Sons, Inc. $758,659.03 Base Bid Rieth-Riley $504,148.89 Base Bid Virginia Keating made a motion to refer the bids to the appropriate departments for review, tabulation and to report back at the next regular schedule board meeting. The motion was seconded by Vice-President Palmer and carried as follows: AYES: MEMBERS Janus, Palmer and Keating (3). NAYS: None (0). Motion Carries. Regular Meeting –August 17, 2015 Page 3 RESOLUTION – SALE OF THE VACANT PARCEL AT 6000 S. CLEVELAND AVE The following Resolution was presented to the Board: MICHIGAN CITY BOARD OF PUBLIC WORKS & SAFETY RESOLUTION NO. 2808 APPROVING THE SALE OF A VACANT PARCEL OF LAND CONSISTING OF APPROXIMATELY 7.93 ACRES LOCATED NORTHWEST OF THE INTERSECTION OF CLEVELAND AVENUE AND U.S. HIGHWAY 20 TO THE MICHIGAN CITY REDEVELOPMENT COMMISSION WHEREAS, the Michigan City Redevelopment Commission (the “Commission”) governing body of the City of Michigan City Department of Redevelopment (the “Department”) and the Redevelopment District of the City of Michigan City, Indiana (the “Redevelopment District”), exists and operates under the provisions of the Redevelopment of Cities and Towns Act of 1953 which has been codified in I.C. 36-7-14, as amended from time to time (the “Act”); and WHEREAS, the City of Michigan City (the “City”) currently holds title to a certain parcel of real estate, more specifically a 7.93 acre vacant parcel, located northwest of the intersection of Cleveland Avenue and U.S. Highway 20 in Michigan City, Indiana consisting of one (1) distinct parcel with an identification number of 46-05-04-376-019.000-009 (the “Cleveland Avenue Property”)1 (A copy of the legal description of said parcel is attached hereto and incorporated herein as “Exhibit A”); and WHEREAS, the City desires to sell the Cleveland Avenue Property to the Commission for good and valuable consideration; and WHEREAS, the City and the Commission have mutually concluded and agreed that the purchase price for the Cleveland Avenue Property shall be Two Hundred Fifty Thousand Dollars ($250,000.00), same of which is based on a de minimis deviation of the appraised value pursuant to an appraisal completed by LaPorte County Appraisal Services and Heritage Appraisal Services; and WHEREAS, pursuant to I.C. 36-7-14-11, it is the duty of the Commission to promote the use of land within its jurisdiction in a manner that best serves the interests of the City and its inhabitants, and to such end, select and acquire those areas needing redevelopment; and WHEREAS, as set for the in I.C. 36-7-14-12.2 (a)(1), the Commission is empowered and authorized to acquire by purchase, any interest in real property needed for the redevelopment of areas so needing redevelopment, which may be located within the corporate boundaries of the unit; and WHEREAS, the Commission has heretofore investigated, studied, and surveyed that area within which the Cleveland Avenue Property is situated, and concluded that such property is integral and essential to the overall redevelopment plans of the surrounding area; and WHEREAS, pursuant to I.C. 36-1-11-8, the City and the Commission may effect the transfer or sale of real estate such as the Cleveland Avenue Property pursuant to any terms or conditions, as well as for any amount of consideration which may be mutually agreed upon by the entities. 1 Previously, this 7.93 vacant parcel (west side of Cleveland Avenue) and the Michigan City Fire Department Station #1 (east side of Cleveland Avenue) were both referenced under the same parcel identification number 46-05-04-376- 013.000-009 commonly known as 6000 S. Cleveland Avenue, Michigan City, Indiana. Recently, the LaPorte County Real Estate Office assigned the 7.93 vacant parcel a new parcel identification number of 46-05-04-376-019.000-009. Regular Meeting –August 17, 2015 Page 4 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE MICHIGAN CITY BOARD OF PUBLIC WORKS AND SAFETY AS FOLLOWS: 1. The aforementioned “Whereas” sentences are incorporated herein as if fully set forth herein. 2. The Michigan City Board of Public Works and Safety (the “Board”) hereby finds and determines that the Commission’s acquisition of the Cleveland Avenue Property will be of public utility and benefit, and will be consistent with, and in furtherance of the general plan and intent of redevelopment of property situated in the downtown area of Michigan City. 3. The Board hereby finds and determines that the Cleveland Avenue Property should be sold to the Commission for the mutually agreed price of Two Hundred Fifty Thousand Dollars ($250,000.00). 4. The Board further finds and determines that its President is hereby authorized to execute any and all documents or otherwise engage in any action necessary to conclude all transactions required to effect the sale and transfer of title of the Cleveland Avenue Property to the Commission. Adopted by the Board of Public Works & Safety of the City of Michigan City, Indiana by a vote of ______________ this ______ day of ________________, 2015. Corporate Counsel Amber Lapaich addressed the Board explaining this was an amended Resolution. She has been working with the real estate department to get a separate parcel ID for the vacant lot across from the Fire Station to clarify that the Fire Station is not part of the sale to the Redevelopment Corporation. The Redevelopment Corporation just recently passed a Resolution approving acquiring a little bit less than 8 acres of vacant parcel from the City in the amount of $250,000.00. What needs to happen is if the Board is in agreement, the Board needs to pass this Resolution identical to that of the Redevelopment Corporation and so does the Common Council. Ms. Lapaich believes it is on the agenda for the Common Council for tomorrow night. Vice-President Palmer made a motion to take this off the TABLED to discuss the Resolution. The motion was seconded by Virginia Keating and carried as follows: AYES: MEMBERS Janus, Palmer and Keating (3). NAYS: None (0). Motion Carries. Vice-President Palmer made a motion to approve the Resolution for the sale of vacant parcel of land consisting of approximately 7.93 acres located northwest of the intersection of Cleveland Ave and Highway 20. The motion was seconded by Virginia Keating and carries as follows: AYES: MEMBERS Janus, Palmer and Keating (3). NAYS: None (0). Motion Carries. REQUEST FOR STREET CLOSURE BY THE SALVATION ARMY Sgt. Darren Kaplan stated that MCPD Traffic has no objections with the closure. Vice-President Palmer made a motion to approve the 2nd Annual Block Party for the Salvation Army to be held on September 13, 2015 from 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM. The motion was seconded by Virginia Keating and carried as follows: AYES: MEMBERS Janus, Palmer and Keating (3). NAYS: None (0). Motion carries. Regular Meeting –August 17, 2015 Page 5 REQUEST FOR 4-WAY STOP SIGN AT 4TH ST. AND WABASH ST. Cris Juricic the General Manager of Lighthouse Place Premium Outlets. They are respectfully requesting a 4-way stop sign be permanently placed at the intersection of 4th St. and Wabash St. With the recent 4-way stop sign that was placed in the last two weeks as a result of the construction of the Wabash Project, they are finding far better traffic flow. There are many cars that take a running start northbound from 6th Street and go all the way through to Highway 12. And the same can be held true from Highway 12 going southbound. The installation of the 4-way stop sign in conjunction with the Wabash Project and the expansion of those corners for pedestrian friendly crossing is needed. If we do not install or respectfully put this 4-way stop in, it will be very difficult for pedestrians to cross that street at that location. Especially when the shopping center continues to support the City and all the requests for parking in the north lot to support the beach activities and fireworks. Again, they are respectfully requesting that the current temporary installation become permanent. Spike Peller the Michigan City Engineer thinks that it should be looked at. Maybe work with the consultants, planning and traffic then make a report to the board at the next meeting. Virginia Keating made the motion to send this to the Planning Department, City Engineer and MCPD Traffic Division and have them report back at the September 8, 2015 meeting. The motion was seconded by Vice-president Palmer and carried as follows: AYES: MEMBERS Janus, Palmer and Keating (3). NAYS: None (0). Motion carries. REQUEST FROM THE FARMER’S MARKET TO EXTEND TO WEDNESDAYS Shane Hansen the Farmer’s Market Manager with the Michigan City Mainstreet Association. Mr. Hansen is looking for approval to extend the current Farmer’s Market from 3:00 to 7:00 PM on Wednesdays at its current location. Discussion ensued between Mr. Hansen and Vice-President Palmer about the Farmer’s Market being held in a public parking lot and how would they get the cars out of there for the afternoon. Craig Phillips the Planning Director stated there recently was a parking study completed among other things. It didn’t include Wednesdays but did inventory Tuesdays from 10:00 AM to 10:00 PM and if the Board would like, Mr. Phillips offered to take a look at the study and see what it showed in terms of actual usage for that lot. It was done in both March and June so there is pretty good data about the usage of the lot. Mr. Phillips asked that it be referred to the Planning Department and they would happy to take a look at this and report back to the Board. It was mentioned that the Board does not meet again till September. Mr. Phillips stated since they are not going to use the lot that was just built, there is at least availability of 30 public parking spaces. Mr. Phillips suggested granting this on a temporary bases due to the time restriction. He would still look at it further just to make sure the Board has the information about what the actual usage is of the lot. Vice-President Palmer stated the only issue he had was what will they do with the cars that are already parked in the lot. They cannot be towed out of the parking lot to get them to move. Mr. Hansen stated he was currently working around them, that this is what is done on Saturdays. Virginia Keating made the motion to grant this temporarily for August 26, 2015 and have the Planning Department report back at the September 8, 2015 meeting. The motion was seconded by Vice-President Palmer and carried as follows: AYES: MEMBERS Janus, Palmer and Keating (3). NAYS: None (0). Motion carries. Regular Meeting –August 17, 2015 Page 6 ROAD CLOSURE BY NICTD AT GRACE STREET Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District will have temporary road closures to make the track repairs as follows: Grace Street from August 31 to September 11, 2015. MCPD Traffic had no concerns. City Engineer had no concerns. Planning Department had no concerns. Vice-President Palmer made a motion to allow NICTD to temporary close Grace Street from August 31 to September 11, 2015 so they can make track repairs. The motion was seconded by Virginia Keating and carries as follows: AYES: MEMBERS Janus, Palmer and Keating (3). NAYS: (0). Motion Carries. TWO-WAY STREET CONVERSION PROJECT APPROVAL Brad Minnick from Primera Engineers, requesting permission from the Board of Public Works and Safety to advertise the Two-Way Street Conversion Project on or after this coming Monday, the 24th of August. The bid date is anticipated for early September following the two week advertisement. Craig Phillips stated at the last Board Meeting members of the board had some concerns that he believed were addressed based on the comments that were made. Were there any other questions that the Board had or anything else that needed to be addressed at this time before this request is considered. Vice-President Palmer stated the intersection of Washington Street and Hwy 12 seems to have accidents. There was another one there on Sunday, how is this going to be addressed going north when cars are trying to come south and northbound cars want to go left onto Hwy 12. It was stated that there is no turn lane. Mr. Minnick stated there is a dedicated turning lane and a turn signal. Mr. Minnick stated they are working with the State with any changes. Mr. Phillips agreed it was the safest configuration for that intersection, to have a dedicated turning lane as well as a dedicated left turn signal. It was then asked if there would be striping for cars turning onto Washington St. from Hwy 12 to make sure they go into the right lane if they are not aware Washington St. is now a Two-Way street? That would be for cars to go into the lane by the Post Office, not the lane by the Court House. Mr. Minnick stated striping can be done, but is it the right application to dash that turning movement. More discussion ensued between Mr. Phillips, Mr. Minnick and the board about turning lanes at Washington and Hwy 12 and then at Pine and Hwy 12. Virginia Keating made a motion to approve the Two-Way Street Conversion Project for Pine St., Washington St. and 9th St. from Chicago St. to Pine St. and the from 11th St. to north of 2nd St. The motion was seconded by Vice-President Palmer and carries as follows: AYES: MEMBERS Janus, Palmer and Keating (3). NAYS: None (0). Motion Carries. RETIREMENT- MICHIGAN CITY FIRE DEPARTMENT PATRICK GORDON Michigan City Fire Fighter Patrick Gordon respectfully notifies the Board of his disability retirement on August 7, 2015. President Janus wished to thank Patrick for his service and hopes he enjoys his life in retirement as much as he has his life up until now. Regular Meeting –August 17, 2015 Page 7 CLAIMS AND PAYROLL Vice-President Palmer moved that the claims set forth in the Register of Claims (in possession of the City Controller) and appearing in the Register be severally allowed and ordered paid and proper warrants for payment thereof hereby ordered issued in the stated amounts to person(s) and/or firm(s) as set forth, and payrolls approved. The motion was seconded by Virginia Keating and carried as follows: AYES: MEMBERS Janus, Palmer and Keating (3). NAYS: None (0). Motion carries. The Board signed: Payroll items in Register of Claims for informational purposes (which Register is in the possession of the City Controller) as follows: Page Date Amount 1 of 9 08/04/2015 $440,243.13 Allowance of claims as set forth in the Register of Claims for the Board of Public Works and Safety and the Department of Redevelopment (which Register is in the possession of the City Controller) as follows: Page Date Amount 1 of 4 08/13/2015 $1,063,417.97 1 of 1 08/13/2015 $60,639.55 UNFINISHED BUSINESS – Pending Items Pending Item - 111 Franklin Street Russ Hatfield the Code Enforcement Officer stated Mr. Adams, the owner of the building, is present to answer any questions and update the Board with a status. Mr. Adams stated he is in discussions with another group who is looking to modify the existing plans. This should be complete within the next two to three weeks. Mr. Adams should be able to get started shortly after that. President Janus asked if the plans were modified, didn’t Mr. Adams have to go back to the State and how many months would that be. Mr. Adams stated at this point he had the approval done the end of June, had he gotten started at that time they would not have been complete until October and would have missed the busy season. At this point the plan is to be finished by next spring so that he is in business for the next summer season. Mr. Phillips wanted to express his concern about this, he has worked with this project for over seven (7) years. They basically gave the project a reprieve from being demolished recently. He does not think this should be prolonged. Mr. Phillips is really concerned about going for months, even before he receives the State design release to do something different with the property, then wait for construction after that through the winter months which become the spring months. Mr. Phillips will defer to the legal counsel on what that really means but he wants to express his extreme concern about modifying this at this point. Regular Meeting –August 17, 2015 Page 8 Corporate Counsel Amber Lapaich stated if Planning so chooses to start the demo process again, that would be up to any orders coming from Planning not from this Board. This Board would serve as the administrative review for any opportunity for notice and opportunity to be heard if there is a demo order. Mr. Phillips would like to suggest and defer to the attorney as well, that we set up a timeline that improvements need to be made. Regardless of who is operator of the interior portion of the building so that these improvements are made to completion based on the existing order to repair. If this is not addressed, the owner is put on notice that this is what is being required by the City. This project needs to be moved along. President Janus suggested to Mr. Adams that he attend the next Board of Works and Safety meeting and have the timeline. Mr. Phillips added the exterior improvements are one element of the project including completion of the actual building itself such as the outdoor decks. Then there is the actual matter of the build out of the space itself. Mr. Phillips is less concerned about the build out if the building appears to be complete. However, Mr. Phillips added that we needed to take charge of the timeline for the exterior repairs and improvements. Vice-President Palmer stated it was discouraging news to hear this morning but told Mr. Adams he does have to get the repairs going. Mr. Adams was also warned to keep the grass cut since the City already cut it once. There is proper procedures so the Board can continue to do what they want to do, so they are relying on Mr. Adams and Mr. Phillips to get this done and report back at the next meeting. Mr. Phillips added that he will look at the timeline that was purposed and report back at the first meeting in September with a recommendation as to how Planning will proceed. Pending Item – Zoological Society Craig Phillips the City Planner did speak with the Mayor, it is his desire to work with the Zoological Society on the properties on Peru Street. What needs to be done is the City Attorney and Mr. Phillips need to work with the Zoological Society to set a date by which improvements take place. There has been interest expressed by an adjacent property owner to purchase the property but the Mayor wants to work with the Zoological Society. Perhaps a report back to the Board by the Zoological Society in a month or two? Mr. Phillips added the lots have been identified. Vice-President Palmer made a motion to TABLE the Zoological Society request for two City owned lots for planting apple trees till October 5, 2015. The motion was seconded by Virginia Keating and carries as follows: AYES: MEMBERS Janus, Palmer and Keating (3). NAYS: None (0). Motion Carries. Pending Item – Crave LLC, 1701 Franklin Street Craig Phillips the City Planner stated Crave LLC has not contacted him. Vice-President Palmer made a motion to remove Crave LLC request for sidewalk and outdoor seating reason being them failing to complete the requirements that the City Planner requested. The motion was seconded by Virginia Keating and carries as follows: AYES: MEMBERS Janus, Palmer and Keating (3). NAYS: None (0). Motion Carries. Regular Meeting –August 17, 2015 Page 9 Pending Item – Fire Training Center, Paving Spike Peller the City Engineer stated he is working with the Sanitary District to provide a legal description for the parcel to be transferred to the City. Pending Item – 228 W. Coolspring Avenue Russ Hatfield the Code Enforcement Officer stated he has heard from the family members and they are soliciting for their own bids for demolitions. Mr. Hatfield requested this be carried over until the next meeting. Joann Garwick stated they are in the process of removing property from the house. She will get the bids to have it demolished as long as she can afford it. Ron Deutscher who lives at 224 W. Coolspring stated Ms. Garwick was at the last meeting requesting a 30 day extension so they could get everything out of the house. Now they are back again today to request another 30 days, there is nothing in that house, you cannot even walk into the house. Mr. Deutscher stated he has five (5) windows along his house facing theirs, he has the curtains shut, people ask why he doesn’t open his curtains, he shows them. He stated it has been like this for three or four years. Russ Hatfield stated he understand Mr. Deutscher’s concerns, through Mr. Hatfield’s process it would take him longer then if Ms. Garwick were to do it herself. If Mr. Hatfield was given permission to go ahead with demo, you would be looking at a month and a half. Ms. Garwick stated she did not know how quickly she would get the house done, she does not have the bids and does not know how much it would cost but she hopes within a month the house will be demolished. Corporate Counsel Amber Lapaich wanted to clarify, at the last meeting the board did not approve demo order and Mr. Hatfield stated correct and the hearing was carried over to today. Ms. Lapaich stated the board could order the demo giving her an opportunity to still demo it herself. Mr. Hatfield stated if she gets bids and he gets bids and Ms. Garwick does it herself, he has wasted his contractor’s time and energy. Vice-President Palmer asked that Ms. Garwick attend the next meeting and have the bids ready to provide to the board. Vice-President Palmer stated he wants to keep the hearing open at this time. Vice-President Palmer made a motion to continue the hearing until September 8, 2015 and that the property owner is to provide the Board with her bid of her choice for tearing down the house. The motion was seconded by Virginia Keating and carries as follows: AYES: MEMBERS Janus, Palmer and Keating (3). NAYS: None (0). Motion Carries. Pending Item -1120 Elston St. Russ Hatfield the Code Enforcement Officer, stated this will be on hold, he knows it has changed banks and will issue a new 10 day notice. Pending Item – 1204 W. 7th St. Regular Meeting –August 17, 2015 Page 10 Russ Hatfield the Code Enforcement Officer would like to keep this one on hold until the Property Maintenance Ordinance is finalized. Pending Item – 1125 W. 8th Street Russ Hatfield the Code Enforcement Officer stated he would bring this in front of the board in September. Pending Item – Old Chrysler Building Michigan Blvd. & 11 St. Russ Hatfield the Code Enforcement Officer stated this is still on hold, hopefully Property Maintenance Ordinance will assist with getting something done. Pending Item – Sinking/receding property at northwest corner of Franklin & 7th Street Russ Hatfield the Code Enforcement Officer stated he did have a conversation with Mr. Haas last week and were trying to come up with an idea to work with the owner of the property and put the Santa House on the property. Also to arrange it so it is more accessible and ADA compliant. So hopefully this can be taken care of together. Pending Item – 915 Green St. Russ Hatfield the Code Enforcement Officer stated on hold. Pending Item – 1214 E. Michigan Blvd. Russ Hatfield the Code Enforcement Officer stated Mrs. Karallas was present. Mr. Karallas has been making slow but steady progress on this property. Mr. Karallas has now started the garage repairs. Hopefully Mr. Karallas will keep moving and keep it cleaned up. Mrs. Karallas stated that they have applied for a permit for the garage but have not received it. Mr. Hatfield said that he will check on the permit, Mrs. Karallas added they are ready to go just as soon as they have the height requirements. Since the last meeting there was more demolition inside and they have done the entire front office. In the back there was a huge cement slab that will eventually be a staircase going upstairs and a patio that has been removed. Today they are just cleaning up some more and waiting on the permit. Discussion ensued about a broken window on the Michigan Blvd side and the Board was told it was re- broken but by tomorrow it will be back up, another pane was ordered. There was more discussion about the items that are showing through the windows in the showroom and the Board was told they are still working on that room and this was stuff that would be coming out. There is a dumpster that they are putting debris in at another location and there will be a dumpster there soon. Mrs. Karallas was asked to take the blinds down and paper over the windows. Mr. Hatfield mentioned they are trying to keep the property clean, they have got quite an amount there, there was a dumpster and it does take a while to change the dumpsters out. Mrs. Karallas asked if there was a way to get a public trash can placed at the corner, something like what is on Franklin St. President Janus stated it would be looked into. Mr. Hatfield asked that the Board continue the hearing. Virginia Keating made a motion to continue the hearing till the next meeting on September 8, 2015. The motion was seconded by Vice-President Palmer and carries as follows: AYES: MEMBERS Janus, Palmer and Keating. NAYS: None (0). Motion Carries. Regular Meeting –August 17, 2015 Page 11 Pending Item – 710 E. Barker Ave Russ Hatfield the Code Enforcement Officer stated he has not had any type of contact with the owner other than the neighbor said there was someone in the building over the weekend removing personal items. Mr. Hatfield would request that the Board authorize Mr. Hatfield to solicit bids for demolition. It was added that there was a window broken that the City had to go out and repair and now there are several more windows boarded up over the weekend and Mr. Hatfield was not sure who did that. Vice-President Palmer made a motion to solicit bids to demo 710 E. Barker Ave. The motion was seconded by Virginia Keating and carries as follows: AYES: MEMBERS Janus, Palmer and Keating (3). NAYS: None (0). Motion Carries. Pending Item – Fire Training Center, Paving Spike Peller the City Engineer wanted to add that the Sanitary District is looking at dedicating that property to the City, working on the descriptions and legal stuff. Once it becomes the City’s then the City can do what they want with it. Pending Item – Memorandum for Special Summer Events Corporate Counsel Amber Lapaich stated she is still working on this for the Board. She does want to speak with Chief Swistek about a few items that might be involved with this. Pending Item – 5K run September 12, Briana Billups Ms. Billups stated at the last meeting the Board requested that she pick another route. She went through the Park Department and they approved Ms. Billups to use Washington Park. However, in addition she wanted to use ½ mile of Lakeshore Dr. and she was told to come back to the Board for this. Johnny Stimley who just did a route through there stated Ms. Billups could use his route. Ms. Billups then explained what the route was, Washington Park starting at the Zoo going down Lakeshore Dr. and coming back through Fedders Alley and around the park. They would be going down Lakeshore Dr. to Center St. and then back up. MCPD Traffic had not had a chance to look at the new map, the only one they had was for Edgewood. Ms. Billups clarified a little more and stated it would go up Lakeshore Dr., up Krueger Hill to Center St. than over to Forgerty and then back up Lakeshore Dr. back into the park. Discussion ensued between Ms. Billups and Sgt. Darren Kaplan about officers that could volunteer, they had offered when the 5K was going to be in Edgewood and pending the approval of Washington Park those officers are still willing to volunteer and help out. Sgt. Kaplan stated they would have to look at that because if Ms. Billups is talking about shutting down Center St. at Forgerty St., there is at least four (4) intersections including Lakeshore Dr. and Krueger Hill that would take up all five (5) of those officers. He would have to look at the route and determine how many points MCPD would have to have somebody manning or barricading. He was thinking about five (5) intersections that would need to be barricaded or manned by someone. Sgt. Kaplan stated the route really needs to be looked at, maybe they could close one lane and have officers at two (2) points to direct traffic. Ms. Billups stated that since a run was just done in the same location she feels it is possible but she does not mind doing the extra leg work. Regular Meeting –August 17, 2015 Page 12 Virginia Keating made a motion to approve contingent on receiving the Liability Insurance making the City an additional insured, and that the traffic analysis is done and approved by MCPD. The motion was seconded by Vice-President Palmer and carries as follows: AYES: MEMBERS Janus, Palmer and Keating (3). NAYS: None (0). Motion carries. PUBLIC COMMENTS Mark Swistek the Michigan City Police Chief stated he has a Change Order request for the Police new building. It is the second one, it is for the change with electrical and data drawings. There was a meeting with Andy Matanic City IT. They brought forward some concerns that were not initially discussed at the implementation of the building. Therefore, $3,750.00 needs to be sent to American Structurepoint to approve the change in services to allow them to go in and change the construction blue prints. Chief Swistek wanted to address the Board about this today because there cannot be a delay, it will hold up the actual pouring of the concrete at the building. Chief Swistek assured the Board they do have the funds, he is working on approximately $30,000.00 credit that they received at the on start of this project for change in our elevator through Otis Elevator. Just to recap the first Change Order request was for $9,500.00, this one is for $3,750.00 therefore they are still working off the credit that was given. Vice-President Palmer made a motion to approve Change Order #2 in the amount of $3,750.00. The motion was seconded by Virginia Keating and carries as follows: AYES: MEMBERS Janus, Palmer and Keating (3). NAYS: None (0). Motion carries. While Chief Swistek was up and he does appreciate the Boards concern on the walks, runs and special events that come before the Board. He does know Corporate Counsel Amber Lapaich is working on this as well, but he wanted to share with the Board one of his concerns. Before he used to operate the department with 93 officers, now going into 2016 there are 87 officers. With the cut in staffing, he had to find an area that he needed to remove staffing for the reduction. The area that staffing has been removed from is the traffic division. The Traffic Division used to operate with 6 or 7 officers. He now has a traffic division of a commander and two officers one of them is Sgt. Kaplan who is present, Sgt. Ken Havlin and Capt. Steve Jesse. So a lot of the special events that the Board does see coming before them will require overtime almost every time. On average you can say that 4 to 6 officers will be needed because of the number of intersections that need to be blocked. There is a concern for safety for both pedestrians and traffic. It is Chief Swistek’s strong opinion that everyone continues to encourage people wanting to hold these special events to utilize our parks. When this began some years ago, it was a lot easier to do when there was the staffing, now Chief Swistek’s priorities are in the neighborhoods, answering the normal operational day to day calls. So any special events that come before the Board, he can pretty much assure will cost him some overtime. PUBLIC COMMENT Michael Warnik the social media for ArtSpace Uptown Artist Lofts. This past summer they had a really successful time with the Art Walks in the Uptown Arts District with highlighting art and art making. They are scheduled for another Art Walk on September 4, 2015 and asked the Board if they can proceed the exact same way which they did at the last Art Walk with a request for barricades. Mr. Warnik really liked the idea of having an event in Westcott Park, he wants to go back to ArtSpace to see if there is something they can do there. If possible, move this Art Walk to Regular Meeting –August 17, 2015 Page 13 Westcott Park. Mr. Warnik explained why he would like to move this to Westcott Park, to help bring more attention to the art work and the park. Virginia Keating made a motion to approve five (5) barricades for Art Walk on September 4, 2015. The motion was seconded by Vice-President Palmer and carries as follows: AYES: MEMBERS Janus, Palmer and Keating (3). NAYS: None (0). Motion carries. BOARD COMMENTS President Janus asked if there were any Board comments. Vice-President Palmer stated to MCPD Traffic, he was concerned because the South Shore has intersections closed at Washington and Wabash, now traffic is forced to Franklin St., it seems 10th and Franklin are bottle necking especially if you want to turn left from Franklin and head south, it is almost nearly impossible. Should there be a temporary stop sign installed at that intersection? Sgt. Darren Kaplan made the suggestion of Yes, because basically the only point you can turn south would be 10th and Franklin or all the way down to Kentucky south to Garfield. Discussion ensued between Sgt. Kaplan and Vice-President Palmer about traffic concerns with the tracks being right there. Chief Swistek added they can take a look at today and the Mayor’s office has been getting a weekly update from the South Shore, that project is moving along at a faster pace than they thought. If it is ok with the Board, if they do see that a stop sign would be suitable for that intersection, they will go ahead and install it by close of business today. Craig Phillips suggested that on the Two- Way street conversion project they are using the blinking LED outlines on the stop signs, even if they are installed temporarily, it might want to be considered at that intersection as well. Chief Swistek agreed with Mr. Phillips suggested, that any temporary stop signs put out, should be LED. Vice-President Palmer made a motion to allow the Police Department to make a determination of whether to put a temporary 4 way stop at the intersection of 10th and Franklin. The motion was seconded by Virginia Keating and carries as follows: AYES: MEMBERS Janus, Palmer and Keating (3). NAYS: None (0). Motion Carries. Chief Swistek wanted to add that they are seeing more LED stop signs in other communities across the nation currently. One of the complaints that he has received are the stop signs that were recently installed at Tremont and Cleveland, the rear entrance and exit of the new Public Safety facility. He will work with Bob Zondor on getting LED added to those. President Janus asked if construction on Michigan Blvd was complete, Spike Peller addressed the Board and stated yes. President Janus wanted them to know there are still construction signs on some of the side streets. Mr. Peller will check on those. President Janus inquired whether there was anything else to be considered by the Board at this time and, there being none, declared the meeting ADJOURNED (approximately 10:17 a.m.). Virginia Keating made the motion to adjourn. The motion was seconded by Vice- President Palmer and carried as follows: AYES: MEMBERS Janus, Palmer and Keating (3). NAYS: None (0). Motion carries. _________________________________________ Gale A. Neulieb, City Clerk