GIS Steering Committee

“Where People Count” MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS 1000 Civic Center Drive, Niles, Illinois 60714 Telephone (847) 588-8000 Fax (847) 588-8050 GIS Steering Committee Meeting October 13, 2011 Co-Chairs: Andrew Przybylo – Trustee George Van Geem – Village Manager Persons in attendance: Robert Callero Mayor Bob Pilat Public Services Andrew Przybylo Trustee Bill Shaw MIS Director George Van Geem Village Manager Andrew Vitale MIS – Sr. GIS Coordinator Rich Wlodarski Community Development The meeting was called to order by Trustee Przybylo at 8:08 a.m. Agenda Item #1 – Approval of Minutes The minutes of the September 8, 2011 meeting were approved. Agenda Item #2 – Old Business – Project Updates Maintenance Management System (MMS) B. Shaw reported that work has begun on setting up the security groups to establish who in Public Services will have access to what features. A new release from VueWorks containing a feature we were looking for will be installed in the near future. We will then meet with the leadership of Public Services to review our recommendations for security permission. Then we should be able to begin training. Trustee Przybylo asked if our vehicles will have remote access to MMS. B. Shaw responded that he is looking into the various methods available. Trustee Przybylo asked about the timeline. B.Shaw stated that he would like to begin a test mode before the next meeting for in-house usage. In-vehicle/remote access will be part of the second phase. Trustee Przybylo asked if the system allows for feedback from the residents and evaluation of our service. B. Shaw responded that we do have that capability. Trustee Przybylo asked how much money this is supposed to save the Village. Mayor Callero responded that it is more about managing the maintenance of our services and giving us control of work orders. B. Pilat added that this system will give us an automated/computerized method of record-keeping instead of the paper method currently in use. Trustee Przybylo asked if the Village of Niles is catching up or if this is cutting-edge. The consensus is that we are catching up; but once the system is in place, it will be ahead of other communities. Trustee Przybylo suggested to the Mayor that he should take this as the keystone and make a major announcement – a press conference at Public Services – to introduce MMS to the public to let them know that the turn-around time and customer satisfaction will be so much greater than before, that we have a progressive government here in Niles. Mayor Callero agreed, but suggested we wait until all the kinks are out. He asked B. Shaw to keep him informed of the progress. It was noted that requests for tree trimming can be taken and filled with or without a tree inventory, but a tree inventory will allow us to know the history of maintenance on that particular tree which can then be mapped – linking the tree to an address or a location. Mayor Callero noted that when MMS goes out to the public, we will receive a lot more complaints and requests. Trustee Przybylo declared that “that’s what we’re here for.” B. Shaw stated that whenever you introduce something new there is a “rush,” but after a while it settles down and normalizes. We need to be prepared for the rush and should time the announcement to coincide with a traditional down-time in the Public Works Department. B. Shaw continued that a long term goal of MMS is to make the service request feature available to every department so that a resident can request service for any situation, not just Public Services-related issues. The mechanism will be more manual at first, but will eventually become automated so that every department can participate digitally. Atlas Data Correction Request A.Vitale reported that people have been questioning him regarding keeping the Property Details section of Atlas up-to-date. The MIS Department created a Correction Request Form which is online and active. If an employee logged in to Atlas notices an error, he can use the submission form to report the error. The form will go to A.Vitale who will route it to the data stewards, i.e. the person responsible for that database. That person can make a change or not, and can interact directly with the requestor. A.Vitale will be advised of any change made. B. Shaw added that we hope to meet with all the data stewards next week to review this procedure. GPS Equipment Purchase A.Vitale reported that we are hoping to purchase a GPS device that will gather new, or further refine our existing, GPS data points (manholes, catch basins, sewer features in backyards, elevations for stormwater, etc.) He went out with two of the hardware providers for GPS equipment – Lieca and TopCon – and found that the accuracies of their units are well within specifications and well within our needs. Prices are between $16,000 and a little over $19,000 – well within the budgeted amount of $24,000. He would like the end-users (from Public Services and Community Development) to test these devices before we make a final selection. We are reviewing our options regarding the necessary cellular connections and data plans. Our current equipment is very old and has an accuracy of approximately 3’ to 6’ horizontal, with vertical measurements being even worse. This new device will be shared by all departments. 2 Atlas Training A.Vitale reported that Fire Department personnel will receive Atlas training on Tuesday, October 18 at 9:00 a.m. The fire chief, the administrative staff, district chiefs and possibly the lieutenants will receive training at this time. Other Fire Department employees will be trained in a future session as is deemed necessary. We will schedule Atlas training for the trustees when Fire Department training is completed. Tree Inventory At the last meeting, A.Vitale was asked to poll his colleagues and various communities regarding the value of having a tree inventory. At this meeting, he provided a packet that includes a summary of their responses and their actual responses. A.Vitale noted several common themes among the responses: almost all reported greater efficiency, a greater visualization of their maintenance activities, and several grants that could not have been applied for without a tree inventory. In response to questions from Trustee Przybylo, B. Pilat stated that we received a grant that would give us enough money to do a partial tree inventory (approximately 50% of the town.) Hopefully, the next time there is another grant cycle, we would get money to do the other half. B. Pilat continued: Trees are considered an asset. There is greater value to a home that has mature trees on its property than one that does not. If a storm takes down a number of trees, there is a value associated with replacing those trees. And there are tree pests (Asian Longhorn Beetle, Emerald Ash Borer, Maple Scale, etc.) which can affect our inventory. Over the last 20 years, we have lost trees and gained trees, but we don’t have an accurate record because we don’t have a tree inventory. A tree inventory, as part of MMS, would allow us to catalog these losses and gains. A.Vitale added that without a tree inventory, any work done on a tree is tied to either an address or a parcel. With a tree inventory, the work would be tied to the asset itself. B. Pilat noted that of all the calls for service from residents - for trees, water, sewer, streets, etc. - trees are the # 1 request. Mayor Callero pointed out that in order for a tree inventory to be useful, it must be maintained and updated. Building and maintaining a tree inventory can be time-consuming and costly, so if we can build this when the grants are coming out, it would be very beneficial. He continued that while a tree inventory is not of the utmost importance, it is important and something that should be developed over the years with the grants we can get. G. VanGeem wondered what a tree inventory will mean to the taxpayer. We have gone 112 years without a high-tech system and he isn’t convinced that having one is worth the cost. He stated that this would be another expensive program, and we don’t have that kind of money these days. A.Vitale reminded that the grant will cover 50% of the inventory. Once the inventory is in place, it would be part of MMS. (It was noted that the current tree count is over 15 years old, and that the software used at that time is now obsolete so the removal and replacement of trees has not been updated.) G. VanGeem asked what the whole budget is for committing to a tree inventory program, including buying whatever technology we need and hiring the person that goes out and measures 3 each tree. B.Shaw answered that it is all covered as part of the grant. G. VanGeem countered, saying that the grant only covers 50%. B. Pilat said we have a budgetary cost figure of $40,000 to complete a tree inventory. The grant that we received had some funding available in this current cycle that would cover about 50% of the inventory. We would complete as much inventory as the grant allows. Then we would wait for more funding to finish the grant. The area that we have a tree inventory for would be maintained in the MMS, which we already own so there is really no cost. G. VanGeem stated that if it’s not our money, he’s on board. We should also look into partnering with another municipality. Perhaps we can buy a program where we can both use the technology. A.Vitale will contact the four towns around us and see what the state of their tree inventories is. B. Pilat feels there would not be that much of a difference in price and that we couldn’t partner with them because they already have tree inventories. B. Shaw suggested that it may be easier to get funding for grants if it is more multi-jurisdictional. We should take advantage of what we have now because it is more accepted and is in the works. We could take advantage of this idea for the next half. A.Vitale said that we could do the rest on our own with the new GPS equipment we purchase. Agenda Item #3 – New Business Sewer Infrastructure Updating (Stormwater Commission) A.Vitale reported that late last week, Glenview provided their sewer infrastructure network. He spent the last couple of days integrating that into our existing GIS. It is complete and is now available on all our systems – the water and sewer atlases in PDF versions on the M drive and on Atlas. This data includes anything regarding Glenview, North Maine, Oak Meadows Sanitary District – anything that is touching Niles. Mayor Callero asked A.Vitale to make a specific call to Steve Vinezeano to inform him about the data he received and its implications. This information should help the Stormwater Committee. A.Vitale has also placed a call to Morton Grove to get their sewer information. This is the last village of our surrounding neighbors that he does not have existing water and sewer information for. They were very receptive to the request. It is going through the proper channels and he hopes to hear something by early next week. Once he gets Morton Grove’s sewer, he will be able to confidently say that we have all surrounding communities’ water and sewer infrastructure, at least within a certain range of our borders. Each town usually asks for their border information in return, and we have been satisfying those requests. Again, this exchange of information should help our Stormwater Committee. Permit Mapping A.Vitale stated that, per C. Ostman’s request, he has mapped out all of those permits that have been issued since 2003 regarding flood control measures on a particular address, such as the installation of backflow prevention valves, overhead sewers, etc. He and S. Cusick have come up with some ideas to improve the process, which could enable us to eventually map all types of permits, regardless of their age or their purpose. They are waiting for C. Ostman to advise how he wants the different types of permits represented on these maps. They would come across the same way as the flood control measures, or the maps could highlight the entire building or an entire campus, depending on the kind of permit. A.Vitale included in the agenda packet a copy of Atlas page #16, which shows examples of indicators for flood control measures. C. Ostman does have this data, but now it is in a mappable 4 form. C. Ostman would like people who are using the sewer atlases to know exactly where flood control measures are, and as we gather information, it will provide a better historical record regarding flooding and flood protection. It was noted that garage sale permits are not currently logged into any database. A homeowner whose right to hold a garage sale is challenged has no immediate recourse. Trustee Przybylo suggested that we should instruct the CSO who is responding to a citizen complaint, to issue a warning to the homeowner to get a permit and not demand a tear-down of the event. Agenda Item #4 – Other Projects Stormwater Commission The Stormwater Commission asked for an impervious surface analysis and calculation. A.Vitale provided that to C. Ostman, and S. Neukirch is working with this information. This will be covered in future meetings. Other Mapping Tasks In answer to a request from Charlie Seleen (Fire Department), A.Vitale has produced a series of fire grid response maps, also in relation to a grant request. C. Seleen also asked for some population figures of each one of those geographical areas; A.Vitale used 2010 census information. The fire grid response maps show the primary, secondary and tertiary response areas for Fire Stations 2 and 3 in relation to areas within Niles and outside of Niles in surrounding communities. Agenda Item #5 – Schedule Next Meeting (recommended date: November 10, 2011) The next meeting will be Thursday, November 10, 2011 at 8:00 a.m. in the 2nd floor conference room 218. The meeting was adjourned at 9:01 a.m. Steering Committee Members Andrew Przybylo Trustee atp@vniles.com 847-588-8003 George Van Geem Village Manager gvg@vniles.com 847-588-8002 Bill Shaw MIS Director wfs@vniles.com 847-588-8015 Andrew Vitale MIS – Sr. GIS Coordinator ajv@vniles.com 847-588-8022 Steve Cusick MIS src@vniles.com 847-588-8018 Moses Nazzal Engineering Superintendent mhn@vniles.com 847-588-7924 Scott Jochim Public Services Director snj@vniles.com 847-588-7901 Bob Pilat Public Services rmp@vniles.com 847-588-7926 Rich Wlordarski Community Development rjw@vniles.com 847-588-8085 5