Public Works Committee

Public Works & Utilities Committee -OFFICIAL Village of Waterford December 15, 2014 – 4:00PM Present: Members Baker, Goldammer, Houston, Chairperson Koeller and Nash Also Present: Jeff Dolezal, Rebecca Ewald, Barb Messick and Doug Snyder Chairperson Koeller called the meeting to order at 4:00PM. The Committee reviewed the Waterford Area Chamber of Commerce’s request for temporary parking arrangements for the Home and Commerce Show at the Waterford High School on March 7, 2015. Motion made by Houston, seconded by Baker to recommend Village Board approval of the temporary parking arrangements for the Home and Commerce Show with the exclusion of Highway 20/83. The Village does not have authority over the state highways, only the Department of Transportation (DOT) can approve this request. Motion carried 5-0. Staff will make contact with the Chamber of Commerce to inform them. Motion made by Baker, seconded by Nash to approve the minutes from the November 17, 2014 meeting. Motion carried 5-0. Doug Snyder from Baxter & Woodman was present to review his December monthly report. In addition he stated he is preparing three reports for the January meeting that will be covered in detail regarding the Main Street Utilities Preliminary Engineering. The Committee reviewed the work order for the water treatment plant study that was provided by Baxter & Woodman. The Village needs to increase the capacity from the water plant that serves Wells No. 4 and No. 5. Currently the water from both wells are blended together to reduce the radium concentration levels. If one of the wells is out of service for maintenance, the drinking water from this plant will be in violation of the drinking water standards. The study proposes a two phase approach. The first phase will provide compliant water no matter which well is out of service and the second phase will increase the supply capacity to match the production capacity from the booster pumps. Motion made by Goldammer, seconded by Baker to recommend Village Board approval to move forward with the Water Treatment Plant Planning Study. Motion carried 5-0. The Administrator gave an update on seawall in Ten Club Park. The Plan Commission recommended that the seawall be replaced with a seawall that ties into the bridge abutment with the DOT and has the same decorative form liner treatment for continuity. The DOT noted that they would not be able to include the entire reconstruction of the seawall in their roadway project; however, they will provide the Village the name of the contractor for their bridge abutment to see if there is a measure of efficiency in working with the same contractor for a consistent look of the seawall as it extends from the bridge abutment into Ten Club Park. At their 11/24 meeting the Village Board concurred that the direction be provided to the Public Works & Utilities Committee for inclusion in the preliminary and final design process of Ten Club Park improvements. The Committee reviewed the proposal for preliminary and final engineering of park and design for the riverfront and Ten Club Park redevelopment area. Motion made by Houston, seconded by Nash to recommend the proposal to the Village Board with the following clarifications: a. Include a statement discussing truck access and the driveway apron in the proposal. b. Public restrooms should not be included in the proposal. Restrooms should be evaluated in the future when there is an anticipated occupant load based upon the finalized park plan amenities so the Village knows the capacity required for design. c. The splash pad should not be included in the proposal because of the expense for construction, extensive geese droppings in this location and maintenance required.  d. The bike/pedestrian trail (both north and south of E. Main Street) should not be included in the proposal or designed until such time that the features (ie. Gazebo/historic outlook or seating areas/driveways from the Safety Building etc.) are finally determined. After these uses and amenity locations are identified, and at such time the projects are ready to move forward with third party funding, the Village should move forward with identifying specific pathway locations for Village implementation. e. The playground (north side) should not be included in the proposal because the location and extent of the playground may change if and when the use of the Safety Building use changes. Should the driving access at the rear of the building not be required, additional room would be available for playground use. f. The ornamental fence near the playground and splash pad should not be included in the proposal. The ornamental fence or landscaping buffer required to meet screening requirements of Village ordinance east and south of the Safety Building parking lot should be included in the proposal. The design of the trash enclosure should be included in the proposal. g. The garden stairs and seating wall area (north side) should not be included in the proposal and designed at this time due to expense and location of key amenities (playground/splash pad/bike-trails) that require further definition prior to design. h. The proposal should include the desire for the historic lookout area be moved away from the intersection of First/Main Street and relocated next to the gazebo part due to traffic noise. The Committee concluded that these amenities would be best accomplished in close proximity to each other. i. The proposal should request the engineer to identify the best location in Ten Club Park for the historic outlook/gazebo location. In the future it is recommended that a third party(s) sponsor the project development. j. The proposal should request the engineer to design an entrance to Ten Club Park that focuses attention on the entrance of the park, draws you in to the park and a part from the roadway near the intersection of First/Main Street. k. The proposal should not include the ornamental fence located along First Street. The proposal should specify that a two feet wide buffer area be provided between parking stalls the south property line of the Elizabeth Street parking area to allow for the possible construction of a fence at a future point in time if deemed appropriate by the Village. Motion carried 5-0. The Committee further concurred that they would be available on February 19 to interview firms if deemed necessary for the group. The Administrator gave a brief update on the Fox River Water Trail. Staff reached out to Fox River Commission to be placed on their December meeting agenda to make a presentation on the water trail and enlist their support and leadership. The Administrator and Administrative Analyst met with the Commission on 12/5 and presented our vision for the Fox River Water Trail. The Commission was very positive and asked if the Village would be interested in participating at the Fox River Summit that will be held at the Veterans Building in Burlington on 3/20/15. Staff will continue to keep the Committee updated. Discussion was held on the possible direction regarding the Racine County Farm Drainage District’s request for annual winter draw down of the Fox River. The Racine County Farm Drainage District has requested a permit from the DNR for the annual draw down of the Fox River from October 1 to March 1 to decrease the operational maintenance of the canals extending through the drainage district. The DNR is completing a review of the application and anticipates providing a response to the permit application in 2015. In order to complete the process the DNR will hold a public hearing on the request. Staff recommends the Village send a letter to the DNR requesting that the property owners on the Fox River and others with a vested interest in the river be provided notification of the public hearing well before the proposed meeting to allow sufficient public input. DNR staff was informed that the Village is making a substantial financial investment to enhance and provide public access to the waterway through canoe/kayak launches, funded in part by DNR grants, and the public parks along the river. The Village has a vital interest in adequately informing our policy makers and residents of the permit requests in a timely manner. Complete information is essential to decision-making for the common good of the entire community – residents, property owners, businesses, farmers, and visitors. It is typical for Village residents to inquire routinely as to when the water is to be drawn down. There is limited information regarding the Drainage District’s activities. While the draw down impacts the District, it also affects the Village, the public, and anyone seeking to use the Fox River for enjoyment and recreation. The Village values this natural resource that defines who we are as a community. The Drainage District has scheduled the following meetings for 2015 at the Racine County Ives Grove facility: March 3, 1:30 – 5:30 p.m., June 4 – 7 p.m., September 3, 2015 – 7 p.m., December 3, 1:30 – 5:30 p.m. The Village Board has assigned Board member Ron Kluth to attend the meetings, but if he is unavailable, the Village may consider recommending someone to attend in his absence to assure timely access to information. Motion made by Houston, seconded by Nash requesting the Administrator send a letter to the DNR requesting the public be notified of the public hearings and the Village be notified about the water levels. Motion carried 5-0. The Committee reviewed the final payment to Payne & Dolan for the 6th Street project. Baxter & Woodman has recommended making final payment to Payne & Dolan, Inc for $229,564.00. Motion made by Nash, seconded by Goldammer to recommend Village Board approval of final payment to Payne & Dolan, Inc for $229,564.00 for the 6th Street project. Motion carried 5-0. Director gave his report. November was busy with snow events. They had the trucks out 6 or 7 times. Well #3 went back on-line today. It had been pulled for the annual inspection and needed to replace the pump, but was able to stay within the budgeted amount. Meter replacement program continues and they just completed 4th quarter reads for billing. The Committee reviewed the Plan Commission Minutes for November 19, 2014 and the Joint Finance Committee and Village Board Minutes for December 10, 2014. Motion made by Goldammer, seconded by Houston to adjourn the meeting. Motion carried 5-0. Meeting adjourned at 6:20PM. Respectfully submitted, Stephanie Charapata, Deputy Treasurer/DPW Utility Clerk