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HomeMy Public PortalAbout08-13-1998 /% BOARD OF PUBLIC WORKS AND SAFETY OF THE CITY OF RICHMOND,INDIANA,AUGUST 13,1998 The Board of Public Works and Safety of the City of Richmond,Indiana,met at 5 p.m.Thursday,August 13, 1998,in the Community Room in the Municipal Building.Chairperson Robert Goodwin presided, with Robin Henry,and Assistant City Attorney Steve Rabe in attendance. Bruce Metzger was absent.The following business was conducted: APPROVAL OF MINUTES The minutes of the August 6, 1998 meeting,were approved on a motion by Henry,second by Chairperson Goodwin and the motion was carried on a unanimous voice vote. CLAIMS FOR PAYMENT Claims for payment submitted by the City Controller's office were read by Henry who noted they totaled $591,476.82 and moved to approve,second by Chairperson Goodwin and the motion was carried on a unanimous voice vote. REQUESTS A. Captain Melody Truitt recommended approval of a request for a reserved handicapped parking space at 1203 Boyer Street,stating that the residence met the ordinance guidelines. Henry moved to approve,second by Chairperson Goodwin and the motion was carried on a unanimous voice vote. B. Tom Mennerick,speaking on behalf of the Aids Task Force Southeast Central Indiana,said the group is planning an Aids Walk on Saturday,October 3,from Glen Miller Park to 5th and East Main Street.He explained the route,saying the estimated number of walkers is between 200 and 400.Captain Truitt asked him if he anticipated the need for some type of traffic control at an intersection as walkers crossed East Main.He answered that he would need that assistance at both crossings. As the conversation progressed,however,it was learned that the registration for the walk is to begin at 11 a.m. and the actual walk would take place at 2 p.m.Captain Truitt said giving any kind of assistance during that time would be difficult,if not impossible,because it catches the officers right at shift change which is 3 p.m.She said she would have to talk to Chief Bill Shake about the situation.Chairperson Goodwin commented that there is enough time before the event to work things out.He suggested the request be tabled until next week. C. Captain Truitt said the Department of Traffic Safety Division received a request from the South Side Neighborhood Association which covered multiple issues,but specifically,the petition addressed the issue of the flow of traffic at South 5th and Q and considerations of possible stop signs at that location. She said during that time she received some additional south side requests that didn't come from the association but she combined those in one summary report to the Board.She said the additional locations include South 13th and 0 Streets and Liberty Avenue and South Q and/or Test Road. She explained the procedure taken with any request for stop signs or multi way stop consideration,which is a 12-month accident review,a site survey and a traffic count. Referring to South 5th and Q,she said the traffic count did not reveal numbers that met the minimum federal guidelines for volume on either the major or minor road.She said the special circumstances did not apply nor have there been any previous accidents.However,she said,there is a legitimate problem at that intersection. Board of Works Minutes Cont'd August 13, 1998 Page 2 As a result of her observation of the problem in that area,she said a time study was conducted to determine when specifically the greatest speeds were occurring.She said it was felt that the speed humps,along with signage,would be effective not only on South Q but also on South 5th Street. Moving on to South 13th and 0,Captain Truitt said,the findings at that intersection were very similar,except that it did not have the speed problem.She said Liberty Avenue and South Q met the federal guidelines in much the same way in that it has had five stop sign related accidents in the last eight months,all of which were related to the lack of a multi-way stop sign.She added that the volumes are very near the federal guideline limits,stating that the average speeds are 55 m.p.h.with many traveling as fast as 75 m.p.h.She said that the excessive speed poses a danger and said a 4-way stop is absolutely recommended. Terry and Sue Mathews,who live in the area,agreed that the speed humps might be a great idea,but were concerned as to whether or not drivers who wanted to take a joy ride might go too fast and possibly become airborne. Sue Mathews said,however,they might be alright for starters if they can't have stop signs.Captain Truitt said the speed humps are not designed to cause a vehicle to become airborne,but to do damage to a vehicle that exceeded the speed limit when crossing.She said the speed humps would be similar to those placed recently on East Main Street in the uptown area,adding that the Engineering Department and the Street Division would decide on the placement of the humps. Chairperson Goodwin said the Board is willing to work with the neighborhoods where these problems exist,adding that he would ask the Engineering Department to submit a design showing how all this could take place.Captain Truitt said plans are to meet with the neighborhoods to discuss the problem.Henry moved to approve the installation of a four-way stop at Liberty Avenue and South Q and to request the Engineering Department to investigate the feasibility of speed humps at South 5th and Q,reporting back to the Board,second by Chairperson Goodwin and the motion was carried on a unanimous voice vote. BID AWARD A. Stan Lambert,superintendent of Parks and Recreation,said bids have been received at a Park Board meeting this summer to replace two bridges in Glen Miller Park which are in a dilapidated condition. He said the bridges are on Rose Garden Drive adjacent to the Charles House and the Rose Gardens. He said bids were received from Bridgetek,Independent Concrete Pipe and CSR Hydro Conduit,all of Indianapolis.He recommended the Board accept the bid from Bridgetek for $32,500 to purchase the prefabricated culverts with headwalls.Explaining the reason for the recommendation,Lambert said while the other bids were less costly,each of them would require extensive additional time/labor to complete the project consisting of building the head walls and related work typing them to the box culverts. He also said the scope of this project was to enable the new bridges to retain the aesthetic quality of the existing bridges and this was stated as a requirement in the bid to provide additional costs for retaining the aesthetic quality.He said Bridgetek was the only bid to offer an option to provide head walls of heights to allow the retention of the original appearance. Board of Works Minutes Cont'd . August 13, 1998 Page 3 Lambert said that since Glen Miller Park is on the historic register and retaining the original appearances of these bridges is a priority based on that listing.He added that funding is also available to complete this project in the capital improvement category of the department budget for this year.Henry moved to award the bid to Bridgetek for$32,500,second by Chairperson Goodwin and the motion was carried on a unanimous voice vote. OPEN BIDS A. Henry opened the first bid received for the No.2 Fire House roof,stating that it was from Paul Bisker Contractor of Richmond for$5,495 for Option No. 1 and$650 for Option No.2. Chairperson Goodwin noted that the second bid was from Russell&Geier Contracting Inc.of Richmond and was for$5,870.He said both bids would be forwarded to the Purchasing Manager and the Fire Chief for review and recommendation to the Board. B. Chairperson Goodwin read the one bid received for tree and stump removal,stating that it was from Larry Fitzwater Tree Care of Greenville,Ohio.He aid the bid for stump removal was for $1,736 and for tree removal,it was for$9,950.He said the bid would be given to the proper people for review and they would come back with a recommendation to the Board. CONTRACTS A. Assistant City Attorney Steve Rabe asked the Board to table the signing of the contract on the new pumper engine for the Richmond Fire Department.He said he had,just prior to this meeting,received an additional request from Pierce Manufacturing and had not had an opportunity to thoroughly review it.As a point of clarification,Chairperson Goodwin explained that the contract had been awarded at a previous meeting of the Board and it was contingent upon getting the additional warranty for the underbody of the pumper engine. MISCELLANEOUS BUSINESS A. Chairperson Goodwin stated that a franchise fee check for$77,692.78 had been received from TCI and had been forwarded to the Finance Department. B. He also gave an update on the status of the former Medical Arts Building,noting that the deadline for all bids was August 10.He said the City is continuing to negotiate with the high bidder on that property and the Board will continue to keep abreast of the matter. C. Captain Truitt said the Traffic Safety Division had received a request from Marsha Lackey,a resident of the 1200 block of South F Street,for signage in regard to"Children At Play."She said she had discussed the request with the Street Division and Rabe and as a result of that meeting it was determined that the Street Division is not placing such signs at this time.She • said Rabe was concerned about the liability,stating that the signs tended to lend implied consent to children playing in the actual roadway.She said she had called Lackey to inform her of their findings and she understood the reasoning behind the decision.Captain Truitt said the area would be earmarked for selected enforcement for speed control,adding that she would keep the Board informed about the issue. 1 Board of Works Minutes Cont'd August 13, 1998 Page 4 D. Henry announced that Bobby Farris,inspector for the Richmond Fire Department,had received the"Fire Investigator of the Year"award at a conference recently in Merrillville. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business,on a motion duly made,seconded and passed,and carried on a unanimous voice vote,the meeting was adjourned. Robert Goodwin,Chairperson ATTEST: Norma Schroeder,City Clerk