Loading...
PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE 2013/12/10 MinutesPUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE TUESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2013 – 6:35 P.M. CITY HALL – 220 E. DEERPATH CITY MANAGER’S CONFERENCE ROOM MEETING MINUTES I. CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL: Chairman Kent Novit called the meeting to order at 6:53 p.m. Alderman Waldeck was present. City staff in attendance included Robert Kiely, City Manager; Michael Thomas, Director of Public Works; Dan Martin, Superintendent of Public Works; Robert Ells, Superintendent of Engineering; Dave DeMarco, Fleet Supervisor; and Donna Dunn, Assistant to the Director of Public Works. II. APPROVAL OF THE OCTOBER 22, 2013 PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES: Chairman Novit moved to approve the minutes of the October 22, 2013 meeting as written. Alderman Waldeck seconded the motion, which carried unanimously. III. REVIEW OF FY2015 CAPITAL EQUIPMENT: Director of Public Works Michael Thomas explained the process that staff follows each year to determine capital equipment requests/purchases for the following fiscal year. The draft list for FY2015 was provided to Committee Members in the packet. Director Thomas noted that the two Police Department Tahoes and the asphalt machine have already been approved and purchased out of the current fiscal year. • #244: A Fire Department ambulance is due for replacement in FY2015. The old ambulance would be marketed and sold. Director Thomas noted that the shared services agreement may impact this purchase in FY2015, and that staff will have a better idea at the March budget meeting if the ambulance will be replaced next fiscal year. Should the ambulance remain on the list in FY2015, it will be replaced with an International, which is consistent with the other three ambulances. City Manager Kiely added that he has informed the Fire Chief, that the Fire Department will not get a new engine and a new ambulance during the same fiscal year. Public Works Committee Meeting Minutes from December 10, 2013 Page 2 of 5 • #502/13: A Police Department Chevrolet Equinox is slated to be replaced with an unmarked sedan in FY2015. The Equinox will be transferred to Community Development for field work. • #402/905: With the consolidation of locating operations, staff proposes that in FY2015, the two current locating vehicles be traded in for the purchase of one that will continue to be used for utility locating. This change would reduce the fleet by one vehicle. • #404: Staff recommends that #404 be replaced in FY2015. The new vehicle is intended for Supervisory use, which will allow the current supervisor vehicle to be utilized in the field for pulling trailers and equipment. • #56 and #52: Both units are utilized by Building Maintenance staff to complete work at various buildings. With the undertaking of Elawa Farm and Gorton Community Center, additional maintenance activities have been assigned to the Section. Replacing both existing pick-up trucks with cargo vans to house tools and equipment needed for maintenance activities in all of the City buildings will allow the Section to be more efficient. • #319: This unit falls under the Parks & Recreation Fund and is due for replacement in FY2015. It is used for transporting tools and personnel, and contains a fuel tank in the bed of the truck that allows staff to transport fuel to different locations for grounds work and other maintenance activities. Much of the maintenance costs over the past year are related to corrosion from this unit being stored on the limestone at the old Municipal Services Building. • #301: This unit has also rotted away due to the exposure to weather from being parked outside on a limestone base at the old Municipal Services Building. The trucks that are purchased now are stored indoors, which should extend the life of the vehicles. • #311 and #612: These two units support each other and can be used in place of one another. The recommendation for #311 is the purchase of a chipper cap, which can be removed as needed. Unit #612 is the last truck in the fleet that needs to be updated with a new hydraulic system, dump body, salt spreader, and plow so that they are consistent with the other trucks. Public Works Committee Meeting Minutes from December 10, 2013 Page 3 of 5 • #872: The final item recommended for replacement is the replacement of a Sand Pro at the Golf Course. Over the years, the Golf Course has begun to convert the equipment to John Deere for consistency in equipment and maintenance. Director Thomas explained that staff will put together specifications in February so that the items can be out for bid in March. He will then return to Public Works Committee for approval in late March or early April. No motion was necessary. IV. REVIEW OF 2013 – 2014 SNOW PLAN: Superintendent of Public Works Dan Martin reviewed the proposed Snow Plan. Most of the Plan remains the same from last year, but there were minor adjustments made to the sidewalk plowing program based on feedback from the Public Works Committee in previous years. The four sidewalk routes have been modified to better fit the equipment that is used for each route. This allows for greater efficiency by using certain snow equipment in specific areas. The equipment itself has been refurbished to improve the program as well. Additionally, the sidewalk program has been improved by expanding the number of employees trained to perform sidewalk plowing. Sidewalks around the schools are the priority and the routes work their way outward from the schools. Another item that Superintendent Martin highlighted within the Snow Plan is the second (night) shift. Last year, staff increased the night shift from one employee to four employees working 10-hour shifts, but there was no coverage on Saturday and Sunday. This year, staff expanded the second (night) shift to 10-hour shifts with coverage occurring during all seven days of the week. Contractual snow plowing will also be introduced this year to provide supplemental support to City operations from December through April. An outside contractor will manage a small number of contractual employees and provide required workers’ compensation coverage. The contractual employees will follow the established City policies and be paid a flat hourly rate. Mr. Martin explained that this is different from the typical snow bird program in that the City does not have any overhead costs from bringing in employees for 40 hours per week during the entire winter season. Staff solicited former employees that participated in the Early Retirement Program (ERI) with years of plowing experience. Though Public Works Committee Meeting Minutes from December 10, 2013 Page 4 of 5 the City cannot hire these employees directly, they can be hired to work within Lake Forest for an outside contractor working for the City. The benefit to utilizing these former employees is that they know the policies, equipment, routes, etc. Director Thomas noted that the employee count for December, 2008 vs. December, 2013 has decreased by 21 people, which is causing staff to come up with creative ideas to address manpower shortages. Although there has been a reduction in employees, the expectation of the snow program has not changed. Superintendent Martin added that he met with every workgroup in Public Works and Parks & Recreation to explain the pilot program, noting its necessity due to the reduction of employees over the years. The pilot program is meant to be a supplemental program, not a replacement program. No motion was necessary. V. INFORMATION ITEMS • January 6, 2014 Committee of the Whole Meeting: − Water Plant Capital Presentation by Strand & Associates – Staff and Strand & Associates will present an overview of the proposed 5-year capital items for the Water Plant. − Request for Early Purchase of Water Plant Replacement Filters – membranes will also be discussed as part of the January 6, 2014 presentation. • January 2014 Public Works Committee (date to be determined): − Water Rate Discussion – The next Public Works Committee Meeting will occur on January 13, 2014. Finance Director Elizabeth Holleb will attend to discuss the City’s water rate structure. The Committee asked that staff compare the rate to produce water vs. the water rate. Additionally, staff will compare Lake Forest water rates to other communities’ production rates, but noted that unit pricing is going to be significantly different because Lake Forest is one of the few communities that supplies water to a small population as opposed to selling water to other communities. At the meeting, the Committee will be given three to five options to review and Public Works Committee Meeting Minutes from December 10, 2013 Page 5 of 5 discuss. Each option will show how the different customers would be affected. • February 2014 Public Works Committee (date to be determined): − ADA Transition Plan by Mary Van Arsdale – Director of Parks & Recreation Mary Van Arsdale has been working to condense the report staff received and make the information more current. To date, there is only one item on the forced compliance list. − Award of Bid for PSB Vertical Lift Project. VI. OPPORTUNITY FOR PUBLIC COMMENT: None. VII. NEXT MEETING: The next meeting of the Public Works Committee will take place on Monday, January 13, 2014. VIII. ADJOURNMENT: Alderman Waldeck moved to adjourn the meeting of the Public Works Committee at 8:03 p.m. Chairman Novit seconded the motion, which carried unanimously. Respectfully submitted, Donna Dunn Assistant to the Director of Public Works