HomeMy Public PortalAbout11-14-1984 •
BOARD OF PUBLIC WORKS AND SAFETY OF THE
CITY OF RICHMOND, INDIANA, NOVEMBER 14 , 1984
1 The- Board of Public Works and Safety of the City of- Richmond, Indiana, met in
2 regular session November 14, 1984 at the hour of 9:00 A.M. in the Municipal
3 Building in said City. Ms. Maness presided with Mr. Brown and Ms. Silberstein
4 in attendance. The following business- was had to—wit:
5
6 APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF NOVEMBER 8, 1984
7
8 Ms. Silberstein moved to approve the minutes of the previous with the
9 following correction: Page 2 Lines 54 and 55 — The Police Department items
10 should be declared saleable not obsolete, seconded by Mr. Brown and on
11 unanimous voice vote the motion was carried.
12
13 CLAIMS FOR PAYMENT
14
15 Ms. Maness stated there are no claims for payment due to an early meeting.
16
17 INTRODUCTION OF STUDENTS ACTING AS DEPARTMENT HEADS
18
19 Department Heads introduced their acting Department Heads for the day.
20 This is through the Optimist Youth Week Activites .
21
22 DEPARTMENT REQUESTS AND COMMENTS
23
24 .FINANCE
25
26 Awarding of bid to NCR for computer upgrade system
27
28 Ms. Maness recommended to the Board that the Bid of NCR be accepted as follows:
29
30 Optional Part A for a cost of 92,832.07, buy out of existing equipment
31 'at 25,796.75 , Part B 'at 7;066.79.:and-,the City will purchase one (1)
32 additional CRT. -
33
34 Ms. Silberstein moved that the Board o.-f .Public. Works- and Safety of the City
35 of Richmond acting for the Richmond Sanitary District and the Civil' City
36 accept the bid as recommended from NCR, seconded by Mr. Brown and on unanimous •
37 voice vote the motion was carried.
38
39 Declaration of obsolete items
40
41 Ms. Maness presented the list of obsolete items from the City Building, Street
42 Depantinent: and the Police Department for action. Ms. Silberstein moved to
43 declare these items obsolete, seconded by Mr: Brown and. on unanimous voice vote
44 the motion was carried.
45
46 Ms. Maness presented a list of three (3) vehicles from the Police Department
47 that should be declared of no value and obsolete in order to be junked.
48 Ms. Silberstein moved to declared these items of no value and obsolete,
49 seconded by Mr. Brown and on unanimous voice vote the motion was carried.
50
51 PLANNING AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT •
52
53 Approval of Change Order No. 4 for the Northwest T Street Project
54
55 Ms. Maness explained that this is the final change order on this project and is
56 a decrease of 1,057.11 for a total project cost of 155,071.91. This change
57 order deals with decrease of funds spent in street -materials .
58
59 Ms. Silberstein moved to approve and' execute Change Order No. 4, seconded by
60 Mr. Brown and on unanimous voice vote the motion was carried.
61 •
62 REPORT FROM CABLE TV
63
64 Mr. Rich Cody, Manager of the local cable company introduced Mr. Chuck McMann,
65 Marilyn Young and Mr. Don Morris, the area'manager for .'-
Board of Works Minutes Cont 'd.
November 14, 1984
Page 2
1 Mr. Don Morris stated that he was prepared to address the Board regarding their -
2 questions on the local cable station. Ms. Maness reminded Mr. Morris that the
3 Board had requested a written report from the Cable Company and further stated
4 that the Board expects the written report to be filed and made a part of their
5 minutes.
6 •
7 Mr. Morris indicated that he would address the questions in person today and
8 would follow with a written report.
9
10 Six questions had been forwarded to Mr. Morris for reply and each were addressed
Tl as follows:
12
13 1. How long will the retrofit rebuild take? Mr. Morris stated that they are
14 working with 400 miles of cable plant and weather permitting that would be
15 completed June 1, 1985.
16
17 2. Extension of cable service to the Reeveston Area. Mr. Morris stated that
18 easement problems were being worked out -and that this project had been included
19 in the 1985 capital budget and approved. Work will start with the spring thaw.
20
21 3. Correcting the problem with Charm _ 13 without shifting the chapel. Mr.
22 Morris stated they would be requesting the FCC to allow them to offset this
23 frequency to avoid the interference, but that this was rarely allowed. The only
24 other alternative would be to relocate Channel 13. This request will be submitted
25 to the FCC within two (2) weeks.
26
27 4. Plans for expansion. Mr. Morris stated that in 1985 he wanted to work with
28 the Board of Works regarding expansion plans. After expansion plans are completed
29 the cable should be capable of handling thirty (30) channels and that six (6)
30 to eight (8) channels would be added for local viewers. Mr. Morris also stated
31 that with plans to upgrade and move ahead they would also be discussing their
32 return on their investment and possible rate increases.
33
34 Mr. Morris told the Board that he has heard talk in the past about the City
35 purchasing the local Cable Company and wanted to make it very clear that the
36 company is not for sale. Mr. Morris reminded the Board of the passage of Senate
37 Bill 66 which was passed this fall and stipulates that Cities cannot regulate.
38 rates charged by the cable industry. This portion: of the Bill will become effective
39 at the end of two (2) years.
40
41 5. Continual management turnover within local cable company. Mr. Morris stated
42 that this was an internal business matter and would not comment any further.
43
44 6. Meeting the requirements in the franchise agreement for local government
45 and public access channels. Mr. Morris told the Board that sometime in the past
46 the City had opted for the weather radar station instead of an access channel
47 and that currently no channels were available to provide an educational access
48 channel. The weather channel is a subscription channel and Mr. Barden stated
49 that he feels this will not meet the requirements for a government or educational
50 access channel. Mr. Morris told the Board that possibly they may want to look
51 into better utilizing this channel. ' -
52
53 Ms. Silberstein asked Mr. Morris if subscribers can expect clear uninterrupted
54 service with the completion of the retrofit rebuild. Mr. Morris indicated that
55 there will always be interference. He cautioned the Board about interference
56 between the cable company and the subscribers with their policy regarding cable
57 complaints. He stated that the subscriber should go directly to the cable with
58 complaints and not a city official since complaints are the main way they realize
59 trouble exists.
60
61 Ms. Maness stated the policy of this Board was not interference, but to allow
62 persons with. repefitive problems a change to document those problems with the
63 City. All callers are encouraged to call the cable before any complaints are
64 taken. Ms. Maness also asked Mr. Morris why the educational and government access
65 channel cannot be met if the local cable is capable of twenty—one (21) channels .
Board of Works Minutes Cont 'd
November 14, 1984
Page 3
1 Mr. Barden stated that the cable company should have come back to the city
2 and updated. the contract if they were only capable of nineteen (19) channels.
3 The contract specifically calls for twenty (20) channels. Mr. Barden stated .
4 that if there is a possibility of twenty-one (21) channels and even though
III5 one (1) was declared unusable by the FCC there still remains a channel to be
6 used for public access since the weather, channel is part of the nineteen (19) .
7
8 Mr. Morris stated that he feels the Cable Company is in compliance with the
9 contract since they are capable of broadcasting on twenty (20) channels.
10 •
11 Mr. Barden stated that he feels they are in non-compliance with th'e contract
12 since they are only broadcasting on nineteen (19) channels and that it was
13 the responsibility of the Cable Company to come to the city and renegotiate
14 the contract if they could not meet the terms. •
15
16 ' Ms. Silberstein stated that the Board was interested in the Cable
17 Company providing good cable service to all areas of the city on the existing
18 channels, expansion of existing channels, overall quality service and public
19 access:
20
21 Mr-. Bodiker told Mr. Morris that he had quoted the portions of Senate Bill
22 66 that were of interest to the cable industry and that cities can purchase
23 cable ,companies at fair market value. Mr. Bodiker also stated that this was
24 the fourth (4) time this year that he has heard committments to do better.
25
26 Ms. Morris stated that she felt like Mr. Cody and Ms. Young had dealt with
27 the community in good faith and that Mr. Morris was being insulting to the
28 Board of Works by threatening them with Senate Bill 66 and yet requesting
29 the cooperation of the-Board. Ms. Morris told Mr. Morris that the 'current
III30 administration had made no attempt to purchase the Cable Company.
31
32 Ms. Silberstein told Mr. Morris that since he considered each channel vital
33 that the community considers the twentieth channel vital also.
34
35 Ms. Maness reminded Mr. Morris that a written report had been requested and
36 that the Cable Company was not acting in good faith.
37
3 8- Ms. Brookbank stated that the people living in the Reeveston area want committments
39 for good service since they are' having to cooperate in the giving of easements.
40 She also told Mr. Morris that she has received many unsolicited complaints
41 ' regarding the local staff being rude to subscribers.
42
43 Mr. Homer-Maddock, TV Coordinator for the Richmond Community Schools, told
44 the Board that the schools have not had their access channel since the construction
45 for the new Tiernan Center began. At that time an underground cable was cut
46 and the local Cable Company was unable to repair the cable. Mr. Maddock stated
47 that the schools had requested quotes on the repair several times and had always
48 received excuses. It was not until June of 1984 that Mr. Maddock was told
49 that the weather channel had replaced the access channel and they would not
50 promise another access channel for the schools: He was told they would only
51 get the access channel with the addition of channels after the upgrade.
52
53 Ms. Silberstein thanked Mr. Morris for his cooperation with the Board.
54 .
ill5.5 Ms. Silberstein then moved to request the Cable Company to provide the Board
56 of Works with a written report within two (2) weeks from this date,- seconded .
57 by Mr. Brown and on unanimous voice vote the motion was carried. •
58
59 Mr. Morris stated he would prepare a written response 'and was willing to work
60 with the City. .
61 •
62 Ms. Maness told Mr. Cody that the Board would be glad to accept -his invitation
63 to tour the local facility and wanted to be involved in channel selection with
64 the upgrading of the facility.
65
•
Board of Works Minutes Cont'd
November 14, 1984
Page 4.
1 MEETING DATE CHANGED TO NOVEMBER 21, 1984
2
3 Ms. Maness reminded the public that the next meeting of the Board would be
4 Wednesday, November 21, 1984 due to the Thanksgiving Holiday.
5
6 ADJOURNMENT
7 Ill
8 There being no further business on a motion duly made, seconded and passed the
9 meeting was adjourned.
10
11
12 Cathy A. Maness
13 President
14
15 ATTEST: Mary Merchanthouse
16 City Clerk
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
97
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39 •
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