Safety & Public Works Committee

SAFETY AND PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE MINUTES THURSDAY January 4, 2024 8:00 AM VIA ZOOM MEETING Members Present: Anne Williams, Council Chairperson Jonathan Hren, Citizen Member James Sammon, Citizen Member Sara Schiavoni, Citizen Member Nancy Moore, Council Member Kim Harris, Citizen Member Tres Roeder, Council Member Others Present: David Weiss, Mayor Jeri Chaikin, CAO Patrick Sweeney, Fire Chief Jim Heath, Asst. Fire Chief Joyce Braverman, Director of Planning Patti Speese, Director of Public Works Christian Maier, Asst. Direct of Infrastructure Megan Sakacs, Sr. Admin Assistant Arielle Urich, Sr. Admin Assistant The meeting was called to order by Council Chair Anne Williams at 8:11 am. APPROVAL OF December 7, 2023 MEETING MINUTES Council Chair Williams requested a motion to approve the December 7, 2023 Safety and Public Works minutes. A motion was made by Citizen Member Jonathan Hren, and seconded by Citizen Member Sara Schiavoni. The motion carried. Utility Construction Observation Christian Maier, Assistant Director of Infrastructure Christian Maier, Assistant Director of Infrastructure is requesting to enter into an agreement with Quality Control Inspection (QCI) for Construction Observation Services for work within the Right of Way. Public Works has utilized a consulting firm since 2018 for construction observation during utility projects within the Right of Way (ROW). This approach enables Public Works staff to focus on other city activities. On October 30, 2023, the City of Shaker Heights solicited proposals from five consultants for Construction Observer services. The purpose is to have on-site observers for projects exceeding $20,000 or lasting more than two weeks. The contract, based on individual task orders in 2024, may be renewed in 2025 and 2026 at the city's discretion. Payment for Construction Observation will be the responsibility of the utility in the ROW. The fee structure is based on past utilization and hourly rates of the construction observer, outlined in the Request for Proposal (RFP). The evaluation criteria included Technical Approach (40%), Project Team Experience (30%), and Firm's Past Experience (30%). Proposals were received on November 17, 2023, and evaluations were conducted by Public Works officials Council Chair, Anne Williams opened the floor for questions. Councilwoman Moore asked to explain the difference between the responsibilities of the Construction Observer and our Public Works Utilities Coordinator? Christian Maier, Assistant Director of Infrastructure responded the Construction Observer is someone who is onsite daily and works for the consultant firm. The Construction or Public Works Utility coordinator is coordinating between utilities. They typically will not be on site every day, they will be working with the project managers. Councilwoman Moore also asked have we ever discontinued Construction Observer services in mid- contract before? Christian Maier, Assistant Director of Infrastructure stated we have not. Patti Speese, Director of Public Works added, we have dismissed the actual inspector but not the firm because they typically have a real depth of inspectors. This was a program council approved years ago as a result of the construction by the utility companies, as part of their Right of Way program. Director Patti is thrilled council supported requiring observers because it was becoming a full time position that public works didn’t have. A motion to approve was made by Councilwoman Moore and seconded by Citizen Member Jonathan Hren. The motion carried. Van Aken Bikeway Design & Engineering Contract Amendment Director of Planning, Joyce Bravermen Director of Planning, Joyce Braverman is requesting to amend the contract with GPD for Design & Engineering services for the Van Aken Bikeway project. The request is for an additional $27,700 for a total contract price of $277,700. The Director is also requesting to appropriate the additional $27,700 from the General Capital Fund. The discussion centered on the progress and details of the Van Aken Bikeway project, which aims at enhancing connections within Shaker Heights. The project focuses on linking eastern and western residential neighborhoods, as well as commercial centers at Lee Rd and the Van Aken District with a goal of improving accessibility for cyclist. Anticipated benefits include  Increased ridership and improved transportation connections to all residents  Expanded transportation alternatives while prioritizing pedestrian and cyclist safety.  Introduction of new in-road bicycle facilities, landscape and cyclist amenities, signage and signals, pavement markings and intersection upgrades. The plan recommends separated and parking-separated, one-way bike lanes on Van Aken Boulevard, reducing it to one motor vehicle travel lane in each direction. The $1.8M project is set for implementation in 2024, with secured funds from NOACA TAP, City of Shaker Heights grant match, and a 2024 capital budget allocation for Construction Management Construction Inspection (CMCI). Ordinance 23-55 approved a $250,000 contract with GPD Group, and a $27,700 amendment has been requested to address Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) feedback. GPD will perform additional tasks, including traffic analysis with Tran’s modeler software, traffic counts at Kenmore/Ingleside/Glen cairn, crash analysis, a Purpose and Need Statement, feasibility analysis on design criteria, and a final summary document. GPD, chosen through a competitive process, possesses the necessary expertise, and the amendment increases the total contract to $277,700 Council Chair Williams opened the floor up for questions. Councilwoman Moore asked to explain what the purpose and needs statement is within the new requirements. Director Braverman responded “the purpose and needs statement is a statement that ODOT requires for traffic studies and other studies that you submit to them, since the original traffic study was done by the city to inform ourselves if the project was feasible, we didn’t include the statement, so it’s checking off a box for ODOT”. Councilwoman Moore’s second question asked, will this amendment address the citizen’s safety concerns of the traffic patterns as a result of the proposed bikeway? Director Braverman replied, yes, partially. With the 1st contract some of those concerns are being addressed currently through design. In the future, there will be additional work done to make sure it’s feasible to drop down to one lane. Citizen Member, Jonathan Hren asked if the schedule would be impacted by this change. Director Braverman responded, yes now we are a few months behind. This will move us to 2025. We are moving very cautiously, along with ODOT. We agree this extra work should be done to give everyone more comfort and more information. A motion to approve was made by Council Chair Anne Williams. A motion was made by Citizen Member Sara Schiavoni, and seconded by Councilwoman Moore. The meeting adjourned at 8:34am. Respectfully, ________________________________________ Anne Williams, Council Chairperson Safety & Public Works Committee