City Council

Minutes of the Planning and Economic Development Committee Meeting Troy City Council Thursday January 12, 2017 6:00 pm The meeting was called to order at 6:00 p.m. by Committee Chairman Dean Bodnar. Roll Call: Committee Member Present: Chairman Dean Bodnar, Committee Members McGrath, Ashe-McPherson, Gulli, Corporation Glasheen, and Steve Strichman. Committee Member Kopka was absent. Also in attendance were: Council President Mantello, Council Members Sullivan-Teta, Doherty, Donohue, Deputy Mayor Kurzejeski and Deputy Comptroller Piotrowski. Chairman Bodnar noted the purpose of the meeting was to review the Planning Agenda items. Steve Strichman stated he would be discussing the CDTA Rapid Transit and the creation of the Uncle Sam Transit Center. Strichman noted this project will require City Council approval for three streets to turn into two way streets and approval for widening of the some streets. Strichman introduced Ross Farrell, Director of Planning from CDTA and Doug Teter, Project Engineer from Creighton Manning. Farrell presented a power point presentation that included the Project schedule, maps, project description, project benefits and an rendition of the Uncle Sam Transit Center. Farrell stated the Rapid Transit Center will be at 4th and Fulton Street and that CDTA is working with David Bryce to finalize an agreement to use part of his property. CDTA will purchase the property and give it to the City of Troy. Farrell anticipated construction would be in 2018 and opening of the Transit Center in Spring/Summer 2019. He noted the Transit Center will be staffed; there will be an indoor and outdoor waiting, heated sidewalks and heat lamps. Farrell explained that they will have to take a block from 3rd Street, 4th Street and Fulton and turn it into a two-way street bus only lane. Chairman Bodnar asked how they would identify the bus only lane. Teter stated they would stipe and use signage and are open to suggestions. Councilman Gulli asked if there was enough room for the buses to turn around and Teter said they will widen the roads. Councilman Gulli asked how the cars will exit the parking garage and Teter answered they will exit into the alleyway. Councilman Doherty asked how many parking spaces will be eliminated. Teter said we will be down two spaces. Council President Mantello asked about the time frame and Teter said they hoped to have City approvals by late spring and then would have to get OGS approval and start construction in June/July. Chairman Bodnar asked Deputy Mayor Kurzejeski to give an update on the South Troy Industrial Roadway. Strichman said the eminent domain hearings are complete and the survey of the parcels and the acquisition is underway and they anticipate construction to commence in April 2018. Council Member McGrath how much property they are taking and Strichman replied 12-14 parcels of land and that the acquisition should be complete between now and October. Deputy Mayor Kurzejeski stated the project goes from the north of the jail to the railroad tracks. Deputy Mayor Kurzejeski stated that the overall project is $9 million and it’s a reimbursement grant and that we will be reimbursed 95% of whatever we submit. Deputy Mayor Kurzejeski moved forward to the abatement of asbestos at the Scolite site and that we were awarded a grant from National Grid and DEC did the cleanup. Strichman states we have a RFP out now for the demolition that is due February 7th. Chairman Bodnar asked if we have spent our match and Strichman replies we have spent our match on remediation related events. Council memberAshe- McPherson asked for specifics and Kurzejeski states she will get them the report on the expenditures. Deputy Mayor Kurzejeski addresses the Powers Park rehabilitation as a cash flow project which means we have to have the funds to expend the funds to get reimbursed for the project. She further stated that the grant is for $449,000 and that $27,500 they submitted for reimbursement is in-kind services performed by our staff. Strichman states a design firm has been chosen and they anticipate a public participation date in March/April and construction in the fall. Council President Mantello asked what the plans are if there are no more events and would the plans include an amphitheater. Strachan states the plans include an amphitheater as they anticipate concert series in the future. Deputy Mayor Kurzejeski states it will be built to scale for Powers Park. Committee Chairman Bodnar asked for clarification that if there are no concerts this year will the grant be jeopardized. Deputy Mayor Kurzejeski responded no. Strichman moves to the Ingalls Ave boat and kayak launch and he explains they are involved with Department of State, National Grid and the Army Corps of Engineers and there is a limited amount of time to do the work due to the migration of fish in the Hudson. Deputy Mayor Kurzejeski explains the launch will go in diagonally like Waterford. Council President Mantello asks if this will be handicap accessible and Strichman replies it will part of the design. Deputy Mayor Kurzejeski explains they are pushing National Grid to get the work done so we don’t lose this opportunity. Mantello asks who is dredging and Strichman replies the bid will go out in the end of the summer and anticipate having the dredging done this year. Committee Chair Bodnar asks about the seawall update. Deputy Mayor Kurzejeski states the application is submitted to the Army Corps of Engineers and we should be letting this project in the fall. Deputy Mayor Kurzejeski further explains this is a two phase project, 2018 and 2019 and the project is 100% reimbursed. Council President Mantello asks if we have received inquiries about One Monument Square and Strichman responds there is interest and he is confident we will have responses. Deputy Mayor Kurzejeski states the current administration has inherited the OCA project and it is over budget. She states the project started in 2014. The building was acquired in 2014 and original estimate for both projects, including acquisition were for a total of $1.5 million. Deputy Mayor Kurzejeski. stated the bids came in for $1.9 million so they were already over budget. McGrath asks if this went out to bid, Kurzejeski states yes and there are four separate components HVAC, plumbing, electrical and general contractor. Deputy Mayor Kurzejeski further clarifies that the bids were just for the Police station not the court. McGrath asks if the contractors came back after the bids were awarded and to ask for more money. Deputy Mayor Kurzejeski states no, the bids came in two years after the project was designed and when the bids come in they were for roof replacement and not roof repair and there was asbestos abatement and they had to purchase a new generator. Council President Mantello asked who designed the project and Deputy Mayor Kurzejeski stated the initial estimate was done internally. Deputy Mayor Kurzejeski stated this is a mandated project from the Court System. Council President Mantello stated in February the Council approved another $100,000 for this project for a total of $1.6 million and wanted to know they realized they didn’t have the money for the court. Deputy Comptroller Piotrowski stated he noticed this in October when he was doing the Capital Project reconciliation. Deputy Mayor Kurzejeski noted there was a previous grant for $250,000 and she secured a grant in 2016 for another $250,000. Kurzejeski further explained this is a “turn-key” project. McGrath stated this is a $1 million dollar mistake and we are still paying for problems of the past. Deputy Mayor Kurzejeski stated the timeline for the project and the multiple items that attributed to the increase. Council President Mantello asked why did we buy without inspecting. Committee Chair Bodnar replied he believed it was inspected and in retrospect, the primary reason the bids were unrealistically low was due to city staff doing the initial remodeling estimates.Committee Chairman Bodnar further stated that this is state mandated project that we had to do or the state would do and bill us and it could cost up to $5 million. Council member Ashe-McPherson asked who was in charge of this project and Kurzejeski explained she took over the project in April 2016 after Donovan, the City Engineer left. Council President Mantello asked what increased the project, Kurzejeski stated it was the drawings and Mantello asks when did the drawings come in and Kurzejeski stated in February of 2016. Mantello stated at that at point someone should have come to the Council to address this problem especially when we increased this project by $100,000. Deputy Mayor Kurzejeski stated we didn’t have the Court designed as of February 2016, however they are actively engaged with the Court system and have a team approach for the project. Council President Mantello asked what if we bond and the bids come in over $1 million. Deputy Mayor Kurzejeski stated the pre- estimate came in at $700,000 and she doesn’t anticipate going above $800,000. Deputy Mayor Kurzejeski states the second phase is out to bid now. Mantello asks how Bond Schoeneck was chosen, Deputy Comptroller Piotrowski states we have been using Bond Schoeneck and Council President Mantello states we have to start putting out RFP’s. Deputy Comptroller Piotrowski says he will be forwarding the legislation to Corporation Counsel and asked for a Special Meeting and that he would like to have two issuance dates (February and August) instead of three issuance dates in order to save $22,000. Council President Mantello asked when they approved a May issuance, Piotrowski states it’s from the previous Council. Piotrowski explains his goal is for Feb and May BAN issuances for a cost savings benefit. Adjournment Motion to Adjourn: Ashe-McPherson, 2nd McGrath Meeting adjourned – 7:26 p.m.