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HomeMy WebLinkAbout03/25/2008 COW minutes COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MINUTES March 25, 2008 I. CALL TO ORDER The meeting was called to order at 7: 13 p.m. in the Village Board Room of the Village Hall, 50 South Emerson Street, by Mayor Irvana Wilks. Present at the meeting were: Trustees Timothy Corcoran, Paul Hoefert, Arlene Juracek, John Korn, Richard Lohrstorfer, and Michael Zade!. Staff present were Village Manager Michael Janonis, Fire Chief Michael Figolah, Public Works Director Glen Andler, Finance Director David Erb, Community Development Director William Cooney, Village Engineer Jeff Wulbecker, Village Attorney Everette Hill, and Administrative Analyst Michael Dallas. II. ACCEPTANCE OF MINUTES A motion to approve the minutes of February 12, 2008, was made by Trustee Korn and seconded by Trustee Juracek. Minutes were approved. Trustees Lorhstorfer and Zadel abstained. III. CITIZENS TO BE HEARD None. IV. FIRE STATION 14 CONSTRUCTION MANAGER Fire Chief Michael Figolah provided a brief overview of the Phase I Facility Improvements (Fire Station 14, Emergency Operations Center (EOC), and Public Works construction) project. First, he stated that the Village continues to meet with the River Trails School District 26 and River Trails Park District to negotiate a land agreement. He noted that he is confident that a land agreement can be reached. Second, he recommended that Village staff issue a request for proposals (RFP) to select a construction manager for the project. He noted that SRBL Architects will help draft the RFP and manage the selection process. Finally, he recommended that the Village negotiate a design services contract with SRBL Architects to conduct the design services for the Phase 1 facility improvements. In support of his recommendation, he claimed that SRBL Architects designed Fire Station 12 under budget and on-time, and is satisfied with their performance thus far. He stated that the design services potentially provided by SRBL would include the schematic design, design development, and construction documents. He indicated that the Village would be free to halt or abandon the project at any time. As further support for his recommendation, he opined that the Village could save money on construction costs if they adopted his recommendation. General comments or concerns from the Village Board members included the following: . SRBL is not the only company that can provide design services for fire stations. . In general, the Village receives a better work product when it uses the RFP process. . In the past, the Village has used the RFP process to hire a design firm for municipal building projects. . Postponing the project by 3-4 months in order to use the RFP process will not jeopardize the community's public safety. . Others suggest that the 3-4 months necessary for a RFP process is an unnecessary delay. . Admittedly, the fire department has a good working relationship with SRBL. . There are other reasons to hire a firm to conduct services, other than low prices, including the firm's experience and existing relationships with the Village. . The construction of the EOC as well as the replacement of Fire Station 14 are very high priorities and should be considered when making this decision. . There is a desire to have more public meetings between staff and the Board regarding this project. . There is also a desire to hire a design firm with EOC design or construction experience. Gene Quirini, 2003 East Hopi Lane, was concerned that the public was not being included in the discussion of the Phase I Facility Improvement process. Mike Brown 2005 East Hopi Lane, was worried that the size of the proposed fire station was too large and too expensive. Village Manager Michael Janonis briefly summarized the reasons why Fire Station 14 is being replaced with a new fire station and the public process that has occurred thus far. He noted that SRBL originally went through a RFP process in order to conduct the space needs analysis for the project. He acknowledged that the fall 2008 project construction start date articulated by staff is an aggressive goal. He stated that if the Board chooses to use a RFP process in selecting a design firm, that a single RFP should be drafted to select both the design firm (architect) and construction manager. There was no majority consensus in favor of staff's recommendation to negotiate a design services contract with SRBL Architects. As such, the decision to negotiate with SRBL or use the RFP process to hire a design firm was postponed until the next Board meeting, on April 1 , 2008. V. IDOT JURISDICTIONAL TRANSFER DISCUSSION Prior to his discussion on jurisdictional transfers, Village Engineer Jeff Wulbecker briefly identified two road projects, Busse Road (Golf to Higgens) and the west portion of Kensington Road (Route 83 and Forest), that IDOT has agreed to patch and resurface during 2008. As part of the agreement to resurface the west portion of Kensington, he acknowledged that the Village must add the section of roadway into the Village IDOT Maintenance Agreement for snow removal. After his discussion regarding IDOl's 2008 construction plans, he began his presentation on jurisdictional transfers. He described three separate sections of Kensington Road, currently owned and maintained by IDOT, that require significant improvements. He explained that state funding constraints and the streets priority within IDOl's inventory would limit future improvements to resurfacing. To address this issue, he recommended that the Village Board consider jurisdictional transfers of these sections of Kensington Road in exchange for Village preferred improvements. In support of his recommendation, he identified issues associated with each of the road sections, explained proposed improvements, and noted 2 the localized benefits. He stated that obtaining the Village's preferred road improvements (including sidewalks, curbs, gutters, storm sewers, street lights, and traffic signals) are the primary benefit to a jurisdictional transfer, whereas accepting the road's future ownership and maintenance responsibility is the primary weakness. General comments or concerns from the Village Board members included the following: . Would like staff to identify future maintenance expense estimates and design life associated with road sections. · Concern that state funding may not be available to match federal funding. . As a part of any jurisdictional transfer, want to design any proposed road improvements so that road will last. · Is the Motor Fuel Tax (MFT) funded according to the number of miles a municipality maintains? · Curious if business owners could be included as a possible funding source. . Jurisdictional transfer is an excellent opportunity to improve roads to Village standards. · Concern about future maintenance costs and lack of state accountability. Public Works Director Glen Andler acknowledged as a part of IDOl's agreement to patch and resurface the west portion of Kensington Road (between Route 83 and Forest) that the Village would have to conduct minor patch and repair work in the future, in addition to the snow removal. Village Manager Michael Janonis briefly described the road improvement selection process through the Northwest Municipal Conference and what happens to federal funds if there is no state or local funding available. In response to a question about the MFT, he stated that it is a flat tax based on consumption and not based on the miles of road the Village maintains. To address the Board's funding concerns, he stated that the Village may have to consider funding some portion of the improvements depending on what level of sustainability the Board desires. There was Board consensus to further explore jurisdictional transfer discussions with IDOl. VI. NOISE REGULATIONS Village Manager Michael Janonis highlighted the changes made to the noise regulations. General comments or concerns from the Village Board members included the following: · Need language to exempt a school bus. . Need language to permit exceptions for emergency situations (no time to provide 12 hour notice) and define what an emergency is. . Concern that events at park district locations would be limited by noise regulations. . Desire to change language from "his or her" to more gender neutral. · Need to ensure that snow removal, street sweeping, and other municipal operations are unaffected by these regulations. · Clarify what is meant by a "device." 3 Village Attorney Everette Hill addressed the Board's concerns and agreed to revise the regulations accordingly. The Noise Regulations ordinance is scheduled for a first reading on April 15, 2008. VII. MANAGER'S REPORT Village Manager Michael Janonis stated that the Village Hall will be open on Saturdays, from 9 am - 12 pm, through the entire month of April so that residents can purchase their vehicle stickers. He stated that stickers must be purchased and displayed by May 1 to avoid penalties. He noted that stickers could still be purchased by mail. VIII. ANY OTHER BUSINESS A. Trustee Arlene Juracek stated that the Earth Hour campaign is schedule to take place on Saturday, March 29, from 8-9 pm. To participate in the campaign, she explained that individuals must turn off all non-essential lighting. B. Trustee Paul Hoefert sought the support and approval from the Village Board to stop the Heimbaugh Capital Development Corporation proposal (redevelopment plan for sub-area #1) from continuing forward to the Planning and loning Committee. Additionally, he requested that the Board direct staff to conduct a RFP process for Sub-Area #1. He addressed his concern regarding a staff memo in support of the development. Community Development Director William Cooney responded to concerns regarding the staff memo. Mayor Irvana Wilks briefly addressed Trustee Hoefert's comments and sought a motion to adjourn the meeting. IX. ADJOURNMENT A motion to move into closed session was made by Trustee Hoefert and seconded by Trustee ladel at 9:58 p.m. to discuss Litigation and Land Acquisition. A motion to adjourn the Committee of the Whole meeting was made by Trustee ladel and seconded by Trustee Korn at 11: 17 pm. L DALLAS Administrative Analyst 4