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HomeMy Public PortalAbout06-02-1994 BOARD OF PUBLIC WORKS AND SAFETY OF THE CITY OF RICHMOND. INDIANA. JUNE 2. 1994 1 The Board of Public Works and Safety of the City of Richmond, Indiana, met in regular session on Thursday, 2 June 2, 1994, in said City. Earnest Jarvis presided with Janet Hibner and Dennis Grimes in attendance. The 3 following business was had to-wit: 4 5 APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF MAY 26,1994 6 7 Approval of the minutes of the previous meeting was postponed. 8 9 APPROVAL OF CLAIMS FOR PAYMENT 10 11 No claims were submitted by the City Controller. 12 13 REQUESTS 14 15 A. A handicapped parking space request from James Bobbitt on North West E Street was read by 16 Hibner who moved to approve, second by Grimes and the motion was carried on a unanimous 17 voicevote. 18 19 B. A letter from Mike Elstro, president of the Richmond Evening Optimist Club, was read by Grimes 20 who said he was asking permission to have an opening day parade June 11, starting at 10 a.m. using 21 the same route they have used every year, starting at Dennis Middle School and going west on 22 Peacock Road to the ball park. Grimes moved to approve the request, second by Hibner and the 23 motion was carried on a unanimous voice vote. 24 25 C. Chairperson Jarvis noted an added item on the agenda which was a request from Wernle Children's 26 Home for directional signs to be placed on South L Street noting the location of the new Mary E. Hill 27 Youth Shelter at 1400 South 21st Street. Hibner noted the request was for the words Youth Shelter to 28 be in the largest print since the name Mary E. Hill is known mostly to local authorities but not those in 29 adjacent counties or the state who come looking for the youth shelter. Hibner moved to place the 30 directional signs on South L Street going both east and west and to have the Traffic Safety Division 31 32 evaluate as to whether or not a dead end sign is needed, second by Grimes and the motion was carried on a unanimous voice vote. 33 34 CONTRACTS 35 36 A. Grimes reported that Bill Smith, Street Division Manager, and Purchasing Manager Vicki Stevens, 37 had reviewed the bid made last week by Contractors United Inc.for phase one of the street paving and 38 recommended the bid be awarded to that company. Grimes so moved, second by Hibner and the 39 motion was carried on a unanimous voice vote. 40 41 B. Prior to the bid opening for the design build of the Leland Hotel wall, Chairperson Jarvis gave the 42 background of the project, noting the City has been given the single story area north of the main 43 building and will be demolishing it to turn it into a park area. The City then will be responsible for 44 building the north Leland Hotel wall. Bids received and opened were from Kutter Construction of New 45 Paris, Ohio for$74,776;Wiwi Builders of Richmond for$61,870; and Oberle &Associates of Richmond 46 for $85,500. Grimes moved to take the bids under advisement and possibly award them at the next 47 meeting, second by Hibner and the motion was carried on a unanimous voice vote. 48 49 OTHER MATTERS 50 51 A. Police Chief Dennis Rice read a letter he had written earlier to the Board concerning the placing of 52 signs at the intersection at South 16th and E Streets. He stated that three accidents have already 53 happened there this year and in the latest one an automobile went under the fence of a residence 54 adjacent to the intersection, striking a garage. Chief Rice noted that speed played a part in some of the 55 accidents, but said the main cause is the north and south bound drivers failing to yield the right of way 56 to the east and west bound vehicles. He recommended that the City look at the option of placing stop 57 signs at the intersection on a temporary basis and see what impact they have on the volume of 58 accidents. 59 60 Chief Rice cited some of the problems that might create, especially during the winter when the streets 61 are covered with snow and ice. He said it will cause the west bound vehicles to have difficulty in 62 stopping as they come down the hill toward South 16th Street. If the Board chooses to approve his 63 recommendation, Chief Rice said it is of prime importance to place proper signage for both east and 64 west bound traffic prior to coming upon the newly placed stop signs indicating there are stop signs 65 ahead. (1C Board of Works Minutes Cont'd June 2, 1994 Page 2 1 2 Chief Rice said he continued to believe the Traffic Control Manual guidelines need to be utilized in 3 determining the need for traffic control devices and proper signage in the City, but he also believes the 4 Police Department needs to take a different position since enforcement efforts have not reduced the 5 number of accidents at South 16th and E Streets. He noted that some of the other options are to pay 6 $21,000 for a yellow/red flasher at the intersection but he feels it would not curtail the amount of 7 accidents since 90 percent of them are the fault of individuals failing to yield the right of way. He said 8 another option is to put a full-fledged traffic signal there, but he feels that is not called for. And, yet 9 another option, is to cut the roadway down east of the intersection on South E Streets which would 10 require removing eight to 10 feet of curb. He said, looking at all of those, he feels the stop signs placed 11 there on a temporary basis, possibly for six months or even a year, will enhance the safety of the 12 motoring public. 13 14 Hibner commented that she drives that route quite often and it is difficult to see coming over the crest of 15 the hill heading west. She said she would like to see what is going to happen in the winter when there is 16 ice on the roadway. She added that she feels it is imperative that warning signs be placed for those 17 going west since it is a heavily traveled street at all hours of the day and night. Chief Rice suggested 18 that perhaps the news media would be helpful in getting the word out. Hibner suggested to Roy and 19 Dorothy Combes, who live on the northwest corner of the intersection, that it would be helpful if there 20 were not quite so many things on their corner, noting that she felt they were distracting to motorists. 21 Chairperson Jarvis said he was not sure that six months is enough time, noting that he felt the signs 22 needed to be there through the winter into the spring,then be evaluated as to their effectiveness. 23 24 Roy Combes said he agreed with Chief Rice's recommendation and would like to see some road 25 flasher signals noting the new stop ahead alerting motorists of the addition of the signs. He added that 26 his prime concern is the physical damage to people. 27 28 Councilmember Jane Brookbank, representing District 3, said the intersection has been a concern of 29 hers for several years. She asked Roy Combes to show the photographs of the damage done in the 30 latest accident. She said that she, like Hibner, lives in that neighborhood and travels that street several 31 times a day and it takes a lot of patience to wait for a chance to cross South E Street. Chairperson 32 Jarvis reminded Board members and those in the audience that this intersection is no worse than some 33 others in the City, adding that it has been under close surveillance. He noted that in looking at the traffic 34 writeup, this last accident should not have happened and was due to total negligence, adding that this -- 35 Board cannot legislate against stupidity. He said stop signs would not have prevented the accident. 36 However, if stop signs are placed there it will hopefully make people more aware of the situation, noting 37 that Roy and Dorothy Combes have brought it to the Board's attention on numerous occasions but 38 traffic studies have not shown a need for any type of traffic control device. In spite of that, Chairperson 39 Jarvis, said it is this administration's feeling that Chief Rice's recommendation be heeded. He noted his 40 appreciation that the Combes couple were in the audience. Hibner moved to install stop signs on South 41 E Street, making the intersection at South 16th and E Streets a four-way stop and to place warning 42 signs on South E Street for the east and west bound traffic to be alerted to the newly installed signs, 43 second by Grimes and the motion was carried on a unanimous voice vote. 44 45 Commenting on the recent articles in the Palladium-Item about traffic problems on Chester Boulevard, 46 Chairperson Jarvis said the City has sent at least six letters to the state requesting traffic studies be 47 done since that roadway is a state highway, asking for a traffic light at Sylvan Nook Drive and Chester 48 Boulevard. He read a letter dated May 13, noting that it is the most recent one received from the state 49 and once again denied the installation of that light. Chairperson Jarvis suggested that if citizens want to 50 do something to get action from the state they should write the Indiana Department of Transportation at 51 100 North Senate Avenue, Room N755, Indianapolis, Ind. 46204-2249. He added that he would like to 52 see many letters written and sent there. Roy Combes noted that perhaps letters to State 53 Representative Dick Bodiker and State Senator Allen Paul might also be beneficial. 54 55 Councilmember Brookbank noted that the same situation existed on Elks Country Club Road and it took 56 40 years to get the state to do something there. She said another example of waiting a long time for the 57 state to get something done was the traffic light at Toschlog Road and National Road West. 58 Chairperson Jarvis stated that the blame lies with the state, not the City, and he, personally, takes 59 exception to the criticism leveled at the City. 60 61 B. Grimes read a letter from Ralph Willis, manager of the Sanitary District, indicating a storm water 62 runoff problem in Hidden Valley subdivision. Willis said he feels a feasability study needs to be 63 conducted at the expense of the Sanitary District and asked for the City Engineer's help since they are 64 understaffed to do the study alone. Chairperson Jarvis said he knew of the problem and it would be 65 money well spent to come up with a solution. Grimes moved that the City join with the Sanitary District to solve the problem of storm water runoff at the open channel in the Hidden Valley area, second by Hibner and the motion was carried on a unanimous voice vote. ( If Board of Works Minutes Cont'd June 2, 1994 Page 3 1 2 C. Noting the Board had received a bill from Beals Surveying Corp. in the amount of $100 for the 3 survey for the widening of the Dana Parkway Roadway project, Hibner moved it be paid out of the T.I.F. 4 bonds,second by Grimes and the motion was carried on a unanimous voice vote. 5 6 D. Grimes read a letter from Paul Miller, Chairman of the Telecommunications Council, referring to a 7 special meeting of the Council in which it was voted unanimously to recommend to the Board that the 8 Form 393 information provided to the City by TCI be audited with the stipulation that the cost of the 9 audit not exceed$3,000. 10 11 The four firms contacted to obtain estimates of their charges to conduct a Form 393 audit included R.W. 12 Beck and Associates, an accounting firm based in Orlando, Fla.,with an estimate of$7,000; Fredrikson 13 & Byron, a Minneapolis, Mn. law firm with which Adrian Herbst is now associated with a $1,500 14 estimate; Moss & Barnett, a law firm that aided the Council during its franchise negotiations with TCI 15 and with which Herbst was formerly associated with an estimate of $1,500; and Crowe & Chizek, an 16 accounting firm out of Chicago, Ill.,with an estimate of$2,400 to $3,000. 17 18 Miller stated that it was the recommendation of the Council that the firm of Moss & Barnett be retained 19 to conduct the audit not only because their estimated fee was the lowest but because of the confidence 20 they had in their performance in the past and they are familiar with the contents of the City's franchise 21 agreement with TCI. 22 23 Speaking on behalf of Miller, John Von Pein noted that Byron Grogan had taken the place of Herbst in 24 the Moss& Barnett firm and the Council had faith in his competence.He added that the $3,000 figure in 25 the recommendation was made in order to cover all options, noting that the Council feels the audit 26 should be done by someone who is familiar with the TCI forms since they are extremely complex. 27 28 Grimes moved to approve the recommendation of the Council to hire Moss & Barnett to audit the 393 29 Form as provided by TCI not to exceed $3,000, second by Hibner who stated she did so reluctantly, 30 and the motion was carried on a unanimous voice vote. Hibner explained the reasoning behind her 31 32 reluctance was that by the time the audit is done and the City gets an answer back, either the FCC or Congress will have changed their minds again as to how the City should approach the local regulation. 33 34 Chairperson Jarvis commented on the accident at the airport which took place over the Memorial Day 35 weekend, explaining that Richmond has what is called an uncontrolled airport which means it does not 36 provide any type of service to airplanes using the airport and it means to see and be seen. He said he 37 was concerned about some of the statements in the newspaper accounts of the accident which might 38 have led to some misconceptions. 39 40 He stated that there is no requirement to have radio on air and one person is on duty on weekends who 41 pumps gas, shows people around and answers questions. He added that there was nothing that the 42 person on duty that weekend could have done to prevent the accident although he saw the two 43 airplanes, one heading north and the other west, and called them but they either did not hear nor heed 44 his warning and neither responded. He noted that the FAA representatives were there and found no 45 fault with the Richmond airport in the way it conducts its business. 46 47 Councilmember Brookbank said that as a member of the Aviation Board, she felt it would be 48 appropriate for Chairperson Jarvis, as the president of that Board, to write a letter to the newspaper 49 explaining exactly what he had stated here this morning. 50 51 Chairperson Jarvis said he wanted to clarify the comment he made to the newspaper that day, noting 52 that his comment was that since the pilots had been taken to the hospital and were in medical hands, 53 his primary concern was cleaning up the wreckage and opening the airport as soon as possible. 54 However, he said, only the last part of that quote was used, making him appear extremely callous. He 55 stated that, of course, his first concern was for the folks flying those airplanes. He also commended all 56 those who helped in the rescue operations. 57 58 Dorothy Combes thanked the Board for its action in approving the stop signs at South 16 and E Streets, 59 noting that she and Roy had put forth so much effort to get something done to eliminate a death at that 60 corner. Roy Combes, giving an example of what people might do to get some action on Chester 61 Boulevard,said he contacted the people who had been in accidents at that intersection and asked them 62 to write letters. He added that you have to get people who have actually be involved because the 63 ordinary citizen doesn't care. 64 65 Board of Works June 2, 1994 Page 4 1 2 PUBLIC COMMENTS 3 .. 4 A. Nancy Anderson and Carol Waddell, employees of Office Functions with offices on the third and 5 fourth floors of the 600 Building, stated their concerns about the use of the municipal parking lot north of 6 Bank one for Poor Jack's Amusements the week of June 13 and June 17. Both purchase monthly 7 parking passes to use that lot and are concerned about security in the parking garage and some of the 8 activity on the Promenade. Anderson noted that it will be an inconvenience for them to use the parking 9 garage and she felt more security was needed there. Waddell cited an incident on the Promenade 10 which,she said made her hesitant about walking there. 11 12 City Clerk Norma Carnes noted that much thought was given to the using of the parking lot for the Rose 13 Festival event and explained that it was either use that lot or not have Poor Jack's Amusements for the 14 Rose Festival. She said to compensate for displacing the monthly parking pass holders for that week 15 they will get a reduced rate for the month, will be allowed to park in the parking garage free of charge 16 and the security guard's hours in the parking garage will be lengthened. Chairperson Jarvis said the 17 Rose Festival is a community event and the City tries to do everything it can to help support it. He 18 added that the decision was made a month ago in the Board of Works meeting to make the parking lot 19 available for use by Poor Jack's Amusements. He commented that it is too late to make any changes 20 now. Hibner suggested that perhaps closer surveillance of the Promenade during that week might be 21 called for. 22 23 ADJOURNMENT 24 25 There being no further business,on a motion duly made, seconded and passed the meeting was adjourned. 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 Earnest Jarvis, Chairperson 34 35 36 37 38 ATTEST: 39 Norma Carnes, City Clerk 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65