Public Works & Facilities Commission

PUBLIC WORKS & FACILITIES COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 10, 2018 TIME: 7:00 P.M. MUNICIPAL BUILDING ROOM 208 MIDDLETOWN CONNECTICUT Members Present: Councilman Sebastian Giuliano Councilman Gene Nocera Councilman Philip Pessina Councilman Thomas Serra Staff Present: William Russo, Director of Public Works Christopher M. Holden, P.E., Deputy Director of Public Works Absent: Councilman Carl. R. Chisem Others: Peter Stelma, 70 Erin Street Extension Marilyn Hurteau, 320 Calf Pen Lane, Milford, CT 06460 Amy Waterman, 5 Mazzotta Place Jeff Cohen, 15 Columbus Avenue Katherine Marrotte, 23 Columbus Avenue Ron Krom, 23 Mazzotta Place Sarah Steinfield, 2 Mazzotta Place Matt Lesser, 2 Mazzotta Place Councilman Nocera opened the Public Works & Facilities Commission meeting at 7:02 P.M. He requested a motion to approve the minutes dated December 13, 2017. Motion to approve the minutes was seconded and approved unanimously. PUBLIC COMMENT ON AGENDA ITEMS: Councilman Serra made a motion regarding an item relative to this section of the meeting for discussion. A local resident wrote an email to the City in regards to multi-use trail regulations in the River Road area. Motion was seconded to add this item to the agenda as item 5i. Motion was seconded and approved unanimously. An amendment was made to the agenda to allow for a presentation on the proposed roadway reconstruction before public comment is made on the subject. One of the residents asked what kind of curbing is in the area currently. Director Russo stated that the curbing is old and that it is not granite. The new curbing will be made of concrete which is also helpful for maintenance purposes. One of the residents asked a couple of questions about the sidewalk on the east side of Mazzotta Place and how it was mentioned that it will be extended to the end. They mentioned that the sidewalk currently is very high and then it comes to an end. Their first question was whether or not the sidewalk will be kept high and continued along the road. Their second question was whether or not the high sidewalk will continue on to the south side of Erin Street Extension and all the way up to Prospect Street. Deputy Director Holden stated that it will not go up on the south side of Erin Street. There will be an ADA compliant ramp at the end of the sidewalk which will be crossing over to the other side to meet with the existing sidewalk. From there, it will be extended up to Prospect Street. One of the residents had a question regarding the disruption of driving on Columbus Avenue. Since it is a dead end road, they are afraid that coming in and out of the street will be an issue with the construction taking place. Deputy Director Holden stated that there will be access to the house; however, it may be tough during construction since it is a tight area and the road will be dug up. One of the residents asked if there is a timeline for the construction phases. Deputy Director stated that it will occur throughout two construction seasons. If all goes well, the plans will be completed and out to bid for construction to begin this summer, ending next summer. One of the residents asked a two-part question. They wanted to know if there is a certain point when the lateral is the homeowners and not the City’s. They also wanted to know if homeowners can work with the contractors at their own expense to align the laterals when the streets are open. Deputy Director Holden stated that a lot of times this does happen. Sometimes, while aprons are being installed, homeowners are able to make deals with the contractors to have their whole driveway paved. One of the residents stated that there are two catch basins in front of their house that are both clogged and non-functional. One is on Mazzotta and Erin Street and the other is in front of their house at number 70. There is also a line that goes through their yard which drops off at the top of the hill. This causes flooding since there is no place for this water to go except into their driveway. They wanted to know if the line will be removed and also if the catch basins be replaced. Deputy Director Holden stated that in accordance to the plans, the water will be rerouted so that it will go down the hill and away from the residence. One of the residents mentioned that there are a lot of children on all three streets. They wanted to know if there is a lot of equipment around for safety purposes. Deputy Director Holden stated that the earliest the construction will begin is at 7:00 A.M. Sometimes they will start before that to get their equipment warmed up and to get ready for the day. Generally, 3:30 P.M. is the quitting time except for days where they may stay until 5:00 P.M. to finish up. One of the residents asked if there is money in the budget for new trees. Deputy Director Holden stated that there is money in the budget and that they will be working with the Urban Forestry Commission and the neighborhood to ensure that new trees will be planted behind the sidewalks and away from the snow shelf. One of the residents asked if they are expecting most of the Bidwell trees to be cut down. Deputy Director Holden stated that there are 17 trees that will need to be cut down and referred the resident to take a look at the plans to see which trees will be cut. One of the residents asked if there will be any additional lighting installed on the corner of Mazzotta Place and Erin Street Extension. Deputy Director stated that he will look into this to see if additional lighting can be installed. One of the residents was worried about the clean-up after the construction. Director Russo stated that the contractors use chloride on the roads to keep the dust at a minimum since it is so dry in the summer time. He has also had specialists come to power wash some houses if they get hit with large quantities of dust. CORRESPONDENCE: Director Russo stated that there is no correspondence at this time. NEW BUSINESS: a. Proposed Roadway Reconstruction Public Hearing – Deputy Director Holden gave an overview of the neighborhood. The area consists of Erin Street Extension, Mazzotta Place and Columbus Avenue. The Water and Sewer facility is extended down beyond Columbus Avenue. New water mains will be installed in the area. Most of the sewer lines will be lined with a liner, essentially a new plastic pipe that will be in the roadway. The pipes themselves will not have to be dug up in order for the lining to take place since it is installed through the manholes. As a part of the water project, since it is such a tight corridor, the water main is actually going right back in the same location that the current water main is. Temporary water lines will have to be used. The pipes will be above ground along the edge of the road behind the curb which the services will be connected to. As far as the roadway goes, a complete, full-depth reconstruction will take place in the area. This will include a new sub-base, gravel pavement and storm drainage. There are about 17 trees that run alongside the edge of the road that will have to be removed. The Urban Forestry Commission will be in charge of the replanting of trees in the area to replace the ones that will be removed. Different species can be chosen through the residents, the Public Works & Facilities Commission and the Urban Forestry Commission as long as the nearby conditions will allow for it. New driveway aprons will be installed about ten to twelve feet in from the road. All of the sidewalks will be ripped out and replaced. Concrete extruded curbing will be installed at the very end of the project. The sidewalks will be extended up to the corner on the east side of Mazzotta Place where there is no sidewalk; this will require some grading. Some of the stairways will be replaced leading up to the sidewalks. On Erin Street, there is a situation with a sewer line involving a common lateral that connects to a couple of houses. This will be a new sewer main extension which will come partly up Erin Street and pick up the couple of houses on the corner. Drainage improvements will be made including the addition of the realigning of new catch basins. Laterals will not be replaced all the way up to the houses. The lining that will be done at the main will also be done to the laterals at the edge of the road. If there is ever an issue with a sewer lateral, the road will not have to be dug up. The City worked with Eversource to get an easement for the utilities that will be going through the area since they own clear across the road. There is a large amount of work that will occur near the Water Department. The Wetlands Commission has already been involved and a permit has been obtained. b. Farm Hill School Playscape – Director Russo stated that he met with the Superintendent of Schools, John Cross. They talked about the Farm Hill School playscape and the LaRosa Lane construction. One of the things that came up in conversation was the non-toxic virgin rubber. At the next meeting, spendings will be discussed along with a plan for a new playscape. A discussion will also be held in regards to how the project will be correlated with the Board of Education and the Commission. Since sidewalks will have to be installed along with a light and security cameras, an investment up to $200,000.00 for the school can be made and not to be exceeded. A concrete number will be set by next month. If the plan is endorsed by this Commission, it will go to the Finance and Government Commission for their approval. From there, it will go before the Common Council for final approval. c. LaRosa Lane Construction – Director Russo stated that Deputy Director Holden has the whole layout of the LaRosa Lane construction with him. He wanted to commend Tom Nigosanti, Chief Engineer, and Deputy Director Holden for completing the layout all in-house. He asked them to take a look in the mornings and afternoons to observe the flow of traffic. After discussion at this meeting, another meeting will be held with the Principal of Middletown High School. Deputy Director Holden stated that there is an issue with the busses getting in and out of LaRosa Lane. Essentially, there will be a fifty foot driveway where the busses will come in and be able to pass each other. In order for this driveway to be constructed, the islands will have to be cut back about twenty five feet. The student drop off will be right in front of the school with new areas that will extend out on to the existing pavement. No new areas will have to be created. Once they are done, only the flow will have to be rearranged. An ADA compliant handicapped ramp will be added along with a three foot wide raised island in the middle. There will also be one way where the cars can pull out and then go back around the way they currently do around the parking stalls. There was some concern with the curbing in the middle. The engineers came up with a new plan which involved a pavement design that has no lip. Director Russo brought up cross walks and the 3D effect. Deputy Director Holden stated that there will be no raised sidewalks but that it will be painted so that it appears that they are raised. This will trick cars and busses into thinking that they need to slow down. This method is less expensive and there will be no additional drainage needed. A new area will be added for parents to park and wait for their kids to leave the building. A couple of new parking stalls will also be added to a nearby area. Deputy Director Holden stated that the rough cost comes to about $230,000.00 which includes contingencies. The Board of Education will be contributing $21,500.00. Director Russo stated that Sargent David Godwin and Mike Ingalls endorsed the plan earlier in the day. The startup date will be June 9, 2018 which is the day after graduation. Councilman Pessina stated that education material will be distributed by the faculty regarding the new parking so that when school starts, students, teachers and parents will be fully educated.  Councilman Serra moved that the Commission endorse the plan to bring to the Principal of Middletown High School, Finance and Government and the Common Council. Motion was seconded and approved unanimously. d. Wenger Quote for Showmobile Stage – Director Russo stated that if the City wants to invest in a Showmobile, it will cost $123,338.00. The current Showmobile was built in 1982. The Showmobile that is in question for purchases is a little larger than the one used currently with all of the proper structure. This past Christmas, the City was unable to use it since the amount of children needed would not fit inside. The Showmobile is not used as much as it used to be. However, it is used for Motorcycle Mania and for the Car Show. In order to purchase a new Showmobile stage, the money would have to come from CNR. Councilman Serra stated that this item should remain on the agenda and that the fee structure should be obtained for the Commission to review. The Commission will evaluate whether or not changes can be made so that the City will receive a return. The old Showmobile will be traded in. Councilman Serra made a motion to leave this item on the agenda for a discussion on fees. Motion was seconded and approved unanimously. e. Green Street Art Center Discussion – Director Russo stated that he was asked to add this to the agenda for discussion. Councilman Giuliano asked what is going and what is staying in terms of what Wesleyan University added to the Green Street Art Center. He mentioned that it is more cost effective to leave the recording studio equipment there rather than to remove it and pay the money to remove it and re-install fifteen year old equipment somewhere else. Councilman Serra stated that an analysis should be done by the Recreation Department relative to this project so that the Commission is aware of what needs to be done when it is taken over. Councilman Nocera stated that he would like to have a Special Meeting to hold a public hearing in regards to the Green Street Art Center. A motion was made, seconded and approved unanimously to schedule a Special Meeting next month. f. Coleman’s Carnival Contract – A motion was made to approve of the Coleman’s Carnival Contract. Motion was seconded and approved unanimously. g. CT Tree Protective Association 96th Annual Meeting; Rick Romano – Director Russo stated that Rick Romano will have to attend this meeting in order to maintain his required credits. Motion was made, seconded and approved unanimously. h. Certified Stormwater Inspector Municipal Class; Bob Demanche – Director Russo stated that Bob Demanche will have to attend this class in order to maintain his required credits. Motion was made, seconded and approved unanimously. i. Multi-Use Trail Regulations; River Road Recreation Area – A local resident wrote an email to the City in regards to multi-use trail regulations in the River Road area. The email states that the ordinance limits use of the River Road area to Sundays and the penalty is $500.00 per the original ordinance which was adopted 20 years ago, September 1998.  One of the Councilmen read ordinance 214-40 H: “All persons using the multi-use trail, including but not limited to cyclists, rollerbladers, joggers, wheelchair users, walkers, and skaters, shall comply with all applicable state statutes regulating their conduct on a roadway.” Another Councilman read ordinance 214-40 A (2): “The recreational use of River Road between the Silver Street intersection and the Eastern Drive intersection on Sundays between 7:30 A.M. and dusk.” They stated that according to this, it does sound like the use of the River Road Recreation Area is only to be used on Sundays during the day. Director Russo stated that this road is plowed so that it is kept open for the water plant in the area. It is not an abandoned road, but it is not accessible to traffic since the wells are exposed. Councilman Serra stated that the easiest way to solve this issue is to install video cameras in the area. A motion was made to look into pricing to install working cameras in the area. Motion was seconded and approved unanimously. A motion was made to move this item to the GCC. Motion was seconded and approved unanimously. OLD BUSINESS: a. December 2017 Public Works Overtime Report – Director Russo stated that $237,000.00 is taken out of Town Aid for overtime. As of today, $110,000.00 has been used from this line. $150,000.00 of the total $300,000.00 has been used for sand and salt from the Town Aid line as well. $237,000.00 from the Town Aid will be used for overtime first. Once this is used up, the General Fund holds $150,000.00. The current amount of funds leftover will cover about three or four more storms depending on when they hit. If Christmas Eve falls on a Friday and the City is not working, Double Time is earned for the full day. If the City is working that day, double time starts at 6:00 P.M. that night. b. December 2017 Building Permits – To date, $463,000.00 has been collected out of the $550,000.00 projected revenue for building permits. A large permit for Liberty Bank in the old Xerox building was pulled for $155,000.00.01.07 OTHER: a. December 2017 Monthly Report – Highway Division – The Public Works & Facilities Commission reviewed their December 2017 monthly reports for the Highway Division. b. December 2017 Overtime Report – Parks Division – At this time, there is no overtime report for the Parks Division for the month of December 2017. PUBLIC COMMENT ON NON-AGENDA ITEMS: As there was no further discussion, a motion was made to end the meeting. Motion was seconded and approved unanimously. The Public Works & Facilities Commission meeting adjourned at 8:08 P.M.