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HomeMy WebLinkAbout09/28/2004 COW minutes MINUTES COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE SEPTEMBER 28, 2004 I. CALL TO ORDER The meeting was called to order at 7:02 p.m., in the Village Board Room of Village Hall, 50 South Emerson Street, by Mayor Gerald Farley. Present at the meeting were: Trustees Timothy Corcoran, Paul Hoefert, Richard Lohrstorfer, Michaele Skowron, Irvana Wilks and Michael Zadel. Staff members present included: Village Manager Michael Janonis, Assistant Village Manager David Strahl, Public Works Director Glen Andler, Deputy Public Works Director Sean Dorsey, Project Engineer Matt Lawrie and Village Engineer Jeff Wulbecker. II. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Approval of Minutes of August 10, 2004. Motion made by Trustee Lohrstorfer and Seconded by Trustee Zadel. Minutes were approved. Approval of Minutes of September 14, 2004. Motion made by Trustee Zadel and Seconded by Trustee Skowron. Minutes were approved. Trustees Corcoran and Lohrstorfer abstained. III. CITIZENS TO BE HEARD None. IV. COMBINED SEWER EVALUATION STUDY AND MAPPING PROJECT-FINAL REPORT Village Manager Michael Janonis provided general introductory information regarding this topic and stated that over the past two years staff and selected consultants have been cleaning, televising and evaluating approximately 260,000 linear feet of Village- owned combination sewers ranging in size from eight inches to 72 inches in diameter. Deputy Public Works Director Sean Dorsey highlighted a map showing the study area in question and stated this sewer system is the oldest in town. He stated all sewers were televised which amounted to approximately 4500 hours of video tape with locations documented for GPS locations. He stated the GPS information enabled a computer database to be compatible with the existing GIS mapping system that the Village currently has. He stated that the evaluation categorized all sewers in five categories so that a priority discussion could take place. He stated the report also included an estimated cost of $14.1 million in today's dollars. He stated that of the 260,000 linear feet of sewers, there are also 3,177 structures. He stated that of the five categories created for the rating system, 8% are considered as category five, 10% category four, 21 % as category three, 36% as category two and 25% as category one. Therefore, 18% which are category four and five are considered in poor condition and are recommended for repair within three years. 1 He stated much of the repair could be accomplished through cured in place pipe sleeves such as Instituform and spot repairs. He stated the defects are wide spread throughout the study area. There is no pattern relating to why some sewers are in poorer shape than others. However, he did state that the use of clay pipe in the past has caused many areas to become dislodged or cracked due to the brittleness of the material. He also stated there are some areas where the sewer pipes are reinforced concrete and the sewer gases have eaten away at the concrete leaving the steel or metal frame of the concrete. He stated that based on the current condition of the Water Fund, it would be impossible to cover this capital cost from that fund as it exists today. He stated there are several options available including the increase of rates for capital expenses, possible diversion of Sales Tax revenue or create a Special Service Area. He stated that it appears as if there is limited capacity in Sales Tax before 2009 due to previous commitments of the revenue. After 2009, there would be approximately $600,000 available annually. He stated that the Village has had good results with replacing the brittle and concrete pipe with plastic pipe and the lined pipe has held up very well. Village Manager Janonis stated that the staff has not undertaken any type of discussion with the Finance Commission to date regarding possible funding for this work. He stated the typical annual budget for maintenance work is approximately $300,000 annually. Consensus of the Village Board was to refer the topic to the Finance Commission for review and recommendations for possible funding solutions. John Korn, Chairman of the Finance Commission, spoke. He stated that there have been several mandates which have impacted Village funding and wanted to confirm that it would not be required by the Federal government to separate the combined system in the future thereby incurring additional costs. V. FEDERAL RAILROAD ADMINISTRATION (FRA) WHISTLE BLOWING RULE UPDATE Village Manager Janonis stated that the final rules will soon be issued and the Village is prepared to complete its application for Quite Zone relief. Project Engineer Matt Lawrie stated that effective December 19, 2004, whistles are required at all grade crossings, according to the Federal regulations. The Northwest Municipal Conference has requested relief for the Chicago area to remain under the ICC regulations so that communities have the opportunity to apply and/or implement Quiet Zones. Communities must complete the notification forms to maintain the Quiet Zones and the Conference is working with the communities along the Northwestern line to develop a Quiet Zone Corridor since the sound impacts other communities. There are numerous liability issues and cost impact issues related to Corridor regulations which have yet to be resolved. He stated this information is for general information to the Village Board at this time. 2 Village Manager Janonis stated there is one train intersection at the border of Mount Prospect which is currently not exempt from whistle blowing and it would impact residents in Mount Prospect, therefore, there is discussion underway to address this crossing. Project Engineer Matt Lawrie also stated that the four-quadrant gate option as defined for relief is not practical in some areas of the community. He also stated that accident history is based on risk factors mandating the appropriate control devices. The Federal Railroad Administration has not recognized intersection improvements at 83 and Prospect which were implemented to improve safety. They only look at physical improvements to the crossing itself. VI. UNIFORM TRAFFIC CONTROL PROGRAM Project Engineer Matt Lawrie stated the Engineering Division is' looking at new ways to address the traffic issues. He is recommending a joint traffic approach instead of the reactive approach which has been utilized in the past. He stated reactoy approach is quite labor intensive. Staff typically follows the three Es: Education, Enforcement and Engineering. He stated in 2003, the Village received approximately 85 requests for studies; 13 were acted on by the Safety Commission. He feels that a proactive approach where staff utilizes the expectation of what traffic volume could be or may be doing at a specific intersection would be beneficial. One of the items that is recommended is the consideration of a uniform speed limit on residential streets. He stated that staff has currently completed a consistent weight limit restriction, crosswalks and school crossing locations on residential streets. A new program that the Engineering Division could undertake would involve: 1) residential speed limit study and implementation; 2) residential intersection reviews; 3) review of applicable Village Code sections; 4) education of vehicle operators and 5) traffic calming. He stated that the study of the 913 intersections would involve significant time commitment by staff and suggested workshop consolidation of the areas that have been identified as problematic. He also stated that there are other issues which will need to be discussed in the workshop including what would be the process addressing warrantless traffic control signs and what should be done about such traffic control devices in the future. He stated there is a need to define what measures are usable in program development so that the criteria can be clearly understood and implemented. He stated staff has initially drafted a plan that has 18 zones throughout town whereby speed data would be collected for representative streets and a speed zone would be defined within the overall zone for the creation of a uniform speed. He stated he took a sample zone and created a uniform speed in zone 12 and illustrated the variations of speed enforcement zones in a specifically defined zone. General comments from Village Board members included the following items: 3 VII. VIII. IX. DS/rcc It was suggested that a joint Safety Commission and Village Board discussion be undertaken to define the groundwork necessary for moving forward on this project. It was also commented that the test area approach was very creative and could address citizen input in a uniform manner. It was also suggested that staff undertake some type of test for traffic calming including speed humps. It was also noted that any physical alterations to streets requires substantial study. Village Manager Janonis stated he would try to schedule the Workshop on a weeknight in the near future. VILLAGE MANAGER'S REPORT Village Manager Janonis stated that the Village Hall Open House and Dedication is scheduled for October 2 from 10:00 a.m. until 1 :00 p.m. and the Welcome New Resident event is scheduled for October 16 from 9:00 a.m. until 10:30 a.m. at the Community Center at the Village Hall. ANY OTHER BUSINESS Trustee Wilks inquired regarding the need to address drinks and food which may be brought into the Village Board Room. CLOSED SESSION Motion made by Trustee Zadel to move into Closed Session to discuss Property Acquisition. The meeting adjourned at 9:09 p.m. to move into Closed Session. ADJOURNMENT The meeting returned to open session at 9:42 p.m. and immediately adjourned at 9:43 p.m. since there was no other business. Respectfully submitt~d~ / /l ~eL~'~ s;;: ~ DAVID STRAHL Assistant Village Manager 4