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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCity Council Committees - Public Works/Planning - 04/16/2012 PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE Minutes of Monday, April 16, 2012 COMMITTEE MEMBERS PRESENT: Committee Chair Elizabeth Albertson and Committee members Dennis Higgins and Dana Ralph were present. The meeting was called to order at 4:01 p.m. Councilmember Higgins noted that minutes from the April 2 n d Public Works Committee meeting would be included in the next packet. Item 1—Amendment to Interlocal Agreement with King County — Stormwater Pond Maintenance: Environmental Engineering Supervisor, Alex Murillo gave an informative PowerPoint presentation with many photographs of storm ponds that are in need of cleaning. He explained that in order to keep the City in Compliance with our NPDES Permit and to reduce our overall costs, the City is proposing to partner with King County to complete the maintenance of 41 stormwater ponds citywide. Murillo stated that King County crews would begin cleaning the stormwater ponds in May, with a September 2012 end date. The City has an existing interlocal agreement with King County that allows the County to perform work at the City's request, based on the County's availability. The cost to use King County crews for this work is not to exceed $620,000. Similar work was done in 2011. Higgins asked how many ponds King County cleaned last year. Murillo stated that 47 ponds were cleaned last year on time and under budget; King County quoted $760,000 to complete the work and came in near or just under $400,000. Ralph MOVED to recommend Council authorize the Mayor to sign an Amendment to the City's Interlocal Agreement with King County to perform maintenance on the City's Stormwater Ponds, subject to final terms and conditions acceptable to the City Attorney and Public Works Director. The motion was SECONDED by Higgins and PASSED 3-0. Item 2 — Contract/Washington Patrol Division — After Hours Remote Watershed Security: Water Field Supervisor, Kevin Swinford gave an informative PowerPoint presentation that explained the need for remote sight security at two watersheds located in the Black Diamond/Maple Valley area; Kent and Clark Springs. These two sites provide a significant portion of Kent's daily water supply. Security is a very important matter at all water facilities and, due to the remote nature of these two primary water sources, the City has contracted with local security firms in the past to provide after hour and weekend security patrols. Washington Patrol Division provided security services in 2011 and has provided a high level of service. Page 1 of 5 PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE Minutes of Monday, April 16, 2012 Higgins asked how many years we have hired security. Brad Lake, Water Superintendent stated we have been providing after hour security for approximately 10 years. Higgins MOVED to recommend Council authorize the Mayor to approve a Goods and Services Agreement between the City of Kent and Washington Patrol Division to provide after hour security patrols for Kent and Clark Springs watersheds in an amount not to exceed $2,550 per month, subject to final terms and conditions acceptable to the City Attorney and Public Works Director. The motion was SECONDED by Ralph and PASSED 3-0. Item 3 - Soil Screener Eauioment Purchase: Environmental Conservation Supervisor, Kelly Peterson and Utilities Superintendent, Greg Reed provided an informative PowerPoint presentation giving an overview of the soil screener they are requesting and why it is needed. Peterson noted that the screener would be purchased through a grant from the Washington State Department of Ecology, Stormwater Capacity Grant and that the grant is to be used exclusively for the purpose of addressing stormwater needs that protect water quality, and are relevant to the City's Phase II Municipal Stormwater National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit. Under the guidelines of the grant, a soil screener is an approved purchase. Utility Superintendent, Greg Reed showed several photographs depicting various uses for the screener and what it would allow Public Works Operations crews to do: 1. Filter out trash and debris from catch basin solids collected during cleaning and maintenance. 2. Aerate the solids to speed the composting process 3. Eliminate the cost of renting a screener 4. Provide low-cost compost for roadside plantings These elements will increase efficiency and allow staff to maintain their rigorous schedule of catch basin maintenance and repairs while simultaneously saving money on rental costs and staff time. To rent a screener last year for a 3 - 4 week period cost approximately $5,000 to $6,000 per week. Reed believes that the life expectancy of this screener would be 20 years. Ralph MOVED to recommend Council authorize the Mayor to sign a purchase order for the purchase of a soil screener subject to final terms and conditions acceptable to the City Attorney and Public Works Director. The motion was SECONDED by Higgins and PASSED 3-0. Page 2 of 5 PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE Minutes of Monday, April 16, 2012 Item 4 — Lease Agreement/Plemmons Industries — Traffic Signal/Street lighting Maintenance Facility: City Engineer, Chad Bieren explained that this lease would provide an offsite traffic operations shop for traffic signal equipment and material; there is no space in existing city-owned facilities for these employees and their equipment. Bieren noted we have been renting offsite for the past five years and that this lease agreement would extend the lease three additional years, giving staff an interim facility to house Traffic Signal and Streetlight Maintenance activities of the Public Works Department. The cost of the rental agreement increased 5 percent over last year's cost. Higgins MOVED to recommend Council authorize the Mayor to sign a Lease Agreement with Plemmons Industries for a period of 3 years to lease warehouse space to be used as the Traffic Signal and Streetlight Maintenance Facility per attached lease agreement, subject to final terms and conditions acceptable to the City Attorney and Public Works Director. The motion was SECONDED by Ralph and PASSED 3-0. Item 5 — Information Only/Railroad Quiet Zone - Update: City Engineer, Chad Bieren noted that it has been almost a year since we had the wayside horn demonstration at the corner of Titus and 1't Avenue. The wayside horns allow the trains not to blast the full horn at the locomotive, but to use horns on each side of the crossing to reduce the noise of each individual crossing in town. The City does not have money budgeted for the entire project, but as the economy recovers we may be able to assemble an adequate funding package to complete the entire quiet zone. The following crossings; 259th Street, Willis, Gowe, Meeker, Smith and James Streets are in the current plan to either place wayside horns or install treatments in the medians at the crossings thus further reducing wayside noise. Bieren addressed questions regarding the cost for each crossing, stating a cost of approximately $120,000 for installation only. Maintenance would be an additional, ongoing cost. Bieren stated we are looking at a total cost of hundreds of thousands for Burlington Northern and around $1.5 to $2 million for the Union Pacific. We are working out agreements with the railroads. Higgins asked about money previously budgeted for the project. The exact amount was not known. This information will be provided at a later date. Information Only/No Motion Required Item 6 — Information Only/Riverview Park Side-Channel Restoration and Ground Breaking Ceremony: Environmental Engineer, Beth Tan noted the project has been ten years in the works trying to secure grant funding for the City's share of the project. The project is located on City parks property known as Riverview Park which is Page 3 of 5 PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE Minutes of Monday, April 16, 2012 located along the Green River, south of Willis Street by LA Fitness. The project is under construction in partnership with US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) through the USACE Green/Duwamish Ecosystem Restoration Program. The Corps will pay for 65% of construction and the City will be responsible for the remaining 35%. Tan noted that the City has secured a couple of grants to cover our costs. Tan showed an artist's rendition of the area depicting what it will look like once the project is completed, with the creation of a new, side-river channel with woody debris and habitat plantings. The project will provide summer rearing habitat and high flow winter refuge for juvenile salmon along the Green River. A pedestrian bridge will also be added to aid in maintenance and watering the plants at the site. The site is primarily used as a passive park. Once construction is complete there will be an interpretive sign, a walking trail and continued fishing along the bank. Construction has started and will continue into the fall. A Ground Breaking Ceremony is tentatively scheduled for June 6, more information to follow. No Motion Required/Information Only Item 7 — Information Only/2012 Street Update: Public Works Director, Tim LaPorte stated that because of the overall budget situation we are endeavoring to keep the Committee updated regarding street funds. Street Superintendent, Bill Thomas provided an update on the 2012 street work plan, numerous photographs and maps depicting work completed to-date and work that is planned for the next three months. He touched on the following: • Sidewalk Repairs • Hazardous Tree Removal • Vegetation Maintenance in Planted Traffic Islands • Sidearm Shoulder Mowing • Litter Removal • Type III Barricade Installation • School Zone Crosswalk Sign Upgrades - The goal is to upgrade 70 of the 200 City wide signs. This will take approximately six months spread out from January- June and September- December, with a crew of two. • Sign Maintenance In the next three months crews will be working on: • Thermo Plastic — Goal is to replace 20,500 feet of the 60,000 feet that are worn out. Work is anticipated to take six weeks between April and September, with a crew of three. • Hazardous Tree Removal — Scheduled 56 hazardous tree removals Page 4 of 5 PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE Minutes of Monday, April 16, 2012 Traffic Islands and Gateways To report potholes you can call (253)856-5600 or go online to http://myciovhelp.com/KENTWA/ cs/RequestSelect.aspxx , then select "Potholes". Information Only/No Motion Required Item 8 — Information Only/Transportation Advisory Committee - Update: Public Works Director Tim LaPorte stated that the Transportation Advisory Committee met for the third time last Tuesday, April loth and are scheduled to meet this Tuesday, April 17th. At the April loth meeting, Finance Director, Bob Nachlinger defined for the Committee where the money comes from for streets and how it's spent. The committee is focusing on finalizing recommendations and compiling information for a draft report that will be presented at the Council Workshop on May 1. At the last meeting the committee discussed the potential for additional sales tax funds to be used for roadway maintenance. They will be talking about Capital improvements next. No Motion Required/Information Only The meeting was adjourned at 5:23 p.m. Nancy Yoshitake Council Committee Recorder Page 5 of 5