THURSDAY, MARCH 13, 2008

REGULAR MEETING

7:30 P.M.

1. ROLL CALL. Mr. Wisniewski called the meeting to order at 7:30 P.M., with Mrs. Hammond, Mr. Wisniewski, and Mr. Sauer present. No members were absent. Others present were: Tim Hansley, Lynda Yartin, Ed Drobina, Jennifer Frommer, Brenda VanCleave, Nick LaTorre, and others.

2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF February 14, 2008, Regular Meeting. Mr. Sauer moved to approve; Mrs. Hammond seconded the motion. Roll call was taken with Mr. Sauer, Mr. Wisniewski, and Mrs. Hammond voting “Yea.” Motion passed, 3-0.

3. COMMUNITY COMMENTS: No Community Comments.

4. DEVELOPMENT:

A. Development Director’s Report. Mr. Hansley stated he had no report, and he would be happy to answer any questions. He stated we will close on the swimming pool purchase tomorrow, so by tomorrow that should be complete.

5. PLANNING AND ZONING DEPARTMENT:

A. Planning and Zoning Director’s Report. Mr. Hansley stated Mr. Schultz had provided a written report to the Committee and he would be happy to answer any questions.

(1) Planning and Zoning Representative Report. Mr. Sauer stated Planning and Zoning had approved the design of a Family Fun Center that will be at I-70 and S.R. 256. He stated it would be similar to the one that will be on Windmiller.

(2) Review and discussion of development process. Mr. Hansley stated Mr. Schultz is still working on the development process, reviewing the plat process, residential and commercial and for PUD overlay zones.

B. ACTION ITEMS: Mr. Hansley stated there were no action items tonight.

6. SERVICE DEPARTMENT

A. REPORTS:

(1) Service Manager’s Report. Mr. Drobina stated he had provided a written report and he would be happy to answer any questions. He stated we did have an asbestos inspection done on the house at 10065 Diley Road that was discussed last month, and no asbestos was found. Mr. Drobina stated he did receive an estimate for demolition, and staff concurs that would be the best thing to be done. He stated the estimate he received for removal was $7,000 and that was comparable to what he has been paying for houses on Diley Road. Mr. Drobina further stated he had requested our City Engineer provide a quote to design a new culvert for Meadows Blvd., and he and Ms VanCleave have also talked to some of the residents about just closing the road off at the culvert and four or five were in favor of that, but one was against it. Mrs. Hammond clarified that if the road were closed off it would not present a problem for emergency vehicles. Ms VanCleave stated staff had requested the contractor on the Diley Road contract give us a rough estimate on the cost of closing that off and it was about $200,000. Mr. Hansley stated this was mentioned at City Council and he was looking at the option of doing some of the work in-house to cut the cost to less than $100,000. Mr. Drobina stated this was an option we thought we would explore, and Mr. Hansley stated staff will bring it back with a recommendation for action one way or another within the next month or so. Mr. Wisniewski clarified the culvert replacement is considered a stormwater project, and Mr. Drobina stated this was originally in the CIP for 2008, but it was removed before the CIP ever got to Council. He stated he would get with the Finance Director and see what we can do as far as finances.

B. ACTION ITEMS:

(1) Review and request for motion to approve draft ordinance authorizing the City Manager to enter into an Addendum to the Sewerage Service Agreement between the Village of Canal Winchester and the City of Pickerington. Mr. Wisniewski stated the Committee had received this evening a copy of the Addendum with some changes that were requested by Canal Winchester. Mr. Drobina stated that was correct and he had requested our law director to review the requested changes. Mr. Drobina stated language had been included that Canal Winchester will be responsible for any uncollected bills up until the time we accept the contract. He further stated language had also been included so if Canal’s rate ever gets higher than ours, they will reduce their rate to our residents to what we are charging at the time. Mr. Wisniewski further clarified Canal Winchester will make a one time payment to us in the amount of $21,000. Mr. Drobina stated Canal Winchester was requesting subsection 8.D. be added to the addendum, and as he had stated, our law director reviewed their requested additions and approved them. Mr. Wisniewski moved to approve the addendum to the sewer service agreement with Canal Winchester and forward it to Council; Mrs. Hammond seconded the motion. Roll call was taken with Mr. Wisniewski, Mrs. Hammond, and Mr. Sauer voting “Yea.” Motion passed, 3-0.

(2) Review and request for motion to approve draft ordinance authorizing the City Manager to enter into a contract with G&G Enterprises for the Hill Road South sanitary sewer extension. (TABLED, 11/19/07) Mr. Sauer moved to remove from the Table; Mr. Wisniewski seconded the motion. Roll call was taken with Mr. Sauer, Mrs. Hammond, and Mr. Wisniewski voting “Yea.” Motion passed, 3-0. Ms Frommer stated this item was tied to the above action with Canal Winchester so the $21,000 would offset the cost of this project. Mr. Wisniewski clarified this project was to fulfill one of our pre-annexation agreements by running sewer lines on Hill Road South. Ms Frommer stated the original bid from G&G Enterprises was $50,168.50, and they requested an increase because it has been on hold for quite some time, in the amount of $6,685.75, bringing the new contract total to $56,854.25. She stated the reason this is material is because although if we awarded on the base contract with a ten percent contingency, that would exceed the amount of the change order for the delay in time past the 90 days they are required to hold their bid. Ms Frommer stated the draft ordinance could be corrected to show the new amount plus a ten percent contingency on top of that. Ms Frommer stated for this to be valid within the contractor’s timeframe for this dollar amount, she would request three readings by Council at the next Council meeting on March 18^th. Ms Frommer stated the contract was holding the bid until just over 30 days from now. Mr. Wisniewski moved to approve and forward to Council with the new dollar figures and a ten percent contingency; Mr. Sauer seconded the motion. Roll call was taken with Mr. Wisniewski, Mr. Sauer, and Mrs. Hammond voting “Yea.” Motion passed, 3-0.

(3) Review and request for motion to approve draft ordinance authorizing the City Manager to enter into a contract with Lepi Enterprises for construction of the Replacement Utility Facility. Mr. Drobina stated this project was in last year’s budget and it was bid last year, however, the bids came in higher than the engineer’s estimate. Mr. Drobina stated the project was rebid with some modifications and the bids received were below the engineer’s estimate. Mr. Drobina stated the low bidder withdrew his bid the day after the bid opening due to his discovery of some errors in his bid. He stated Lepi Enterprises was the second lowest bidder and they were also under the engineer’s estimate. Mr. Wisniewski clarified this project is to replace the cold storage building at the service garage. Mrs. Hammond moved to approve the contract with Lepi Enterprises and forward to Council; Mr. Wisniewski seconded the motion. Roll call was taken with Mrs. Hammond, Mr. Wisniewski, and Mr. Sauer voting “Yea.” Motion passed, 3-0.

7. ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT CAPITAL PROJECTS.

A. WASTEWATER

(1) Wastewater Plant Expansion - Update. Ms Frommer stated the design contract firm, DLZ and Brown and Caldwell had submitted a set of plans they term as 95 percent complete. She stated URS, city staff, and Stilson have undergone a review of the project plans in their respective capacities and generated a 28-page comment letter that has not yet been received by DLZ. She stated she has been in touch with DEFA and they are also bogged in plan review at present. She stated she has asked them a number of times in the last couple of weeks for a ballpark estimate on when they might see the light at the end of the tunnel as far as their reviews, and they are also putting together environmental documents, and piecing together what was done the last time you applied for funds in 2004 and presently, to give us an idea of what, if anything, beyond the plan review and their environmental document they yet require from us and about when we can see the goal line application for those loan funds. She continued we do have to undergo a bid process before you make your formal application, but the papers are submitted and then after you receive your bids, the dollar amounts are filled in and then they approve the loan. She stated most likely the plan review and the environmental documents are the next logical steps to be complete before we can get the loan application put together and to them. She stated originally the loan application was said to be received by them in late February for an April loan award. She continued at present she does not anticipate that will occur until May, very likely contingent upon how quickly DLZ can make its way through the comments. Mr. Wisniewski stated he understood one of the things in the comments is there is some concern about the fill drain process that they had employed, which was pretty expensive in relation to what we were trying to do. Ms Frommer stated that is still a concern as filters, by far, are the most expensive item in the contract as far as the unit process is concerned and we remain very concerned about the cost of that item. She stated we have expressed concern to DLZ to take some time in their review process to think of ways some money can be saved, take a look at the EPA permit limits for what that box of equipment does, is there a better way to do it. She stated they have made some suggestions that are being considered at this point. Mr. Drobina stated during the design process, in all of the meetings held, the filters have always been a hot topic, and a time consuming topic because we want to make sure we get a good product and the right product. Ms Frommer stated the filter system you are getting is a disc filter system and it is different from a drum filter system, etc., and you have sand filters now. She stated they all do the same thing, but the filter technology and the types of filters you are looking at have not been around that long in the wastewater treatment plant industry, so you are trying to come up with something you know is going to do the job, and be good over the long term. Mr. Wisniewski stated his concern was the life expectancy of the filters because he knows it has been extremely expensive to change the sand out and do all the work we have had to do in the past on our current treatment plant. Mr. Drobina stated this has been his concern as well, because from what he can find out, the media in the disc filter is good for five years, and then all the media will need to be replaced. He stated he was concerned about the cost of the media in five years. Mr. Wisniewski stated it is expensive technology to use disc filters now, because if he recalled correctly it is over $1 million for the filtering system alone. Ms Frommer stated she thought the estimate was $1.4 million. Mr. Drobina stated another reason they were looking at the disc filters is because they were trying to find a filter that would fit in the existing structure so we would not have to abandon the structure and build another one. Mr. Drobina stated it has also been discussed to rework the sand filters and leave them there. Mr. Drobina stated he is not opposed to staying with sand filters. Mr. Sauer inquired which type of filter had the longest longevity, and Mr. Drobina stated sand filters have been around the longest. Mr. Drobina further stated sand is relatively cheap as far as replacing the actual media in the disc filters. Ms Frommer stated the design consultant prepared a one-page summary that compares the types of filters and she would be happy to provide that to the Committee. Mrs. Hammond clarified that decision on this issue must be made in the near future. Mr. Hansley stated, as he understood it we were looking at the life cycle costs of all six options as far as the replacement and maintenance costs, long-term. Ms Frommer stated that was correct, and the design consultant has been very quick to put caveats behind life cycle costs because they are as good as the manufacturer’s that are providing the information and some will not commit because their equipment is new. Mr. Hansley inquired if it should be URS and staff making the decision on which way to go, and Ms Frommer stated she thought so because it is something the City must be happy with and they must rest assured, with the design consultant agreeing, that it is at least somewhat predictable what that number is going to come in at. She stated we know the treatment has to meet the first treatment limits, we know the dollar amount we want the project to come in at, and the decision must be one that makes those two come together. Mr. Wisniewski clarified it is our goal to use the filter tanks that are there, whether we put in disc filters or whether we keep sand filters, or whatever.

(2) Review and request for motion to approve draft ordinance authorizing the City Manager to enter into a contract with URS Corporation for construction management of the City of Pickerington Wastewater Treatment Plant Expansion project. Mr. Wisniewski stated he met with Stilson, URS, and Mr. Hansley this morning and they had gone over some of the concerns about the shop drawings, the fee, and he did have a revised contract where URS dropped their shop drawings and samples price considerably $67,700 down to $55,766, although the total cost goes up to $710,373. He stated Stilson would be performing the inspection services, contracting through URS, so they will be intimately involved with the entire process. He stated URS would still be the construction management firm responsible for the project. Mr. Wisniewski stated he felt it was to late to go out and start this process all over again, so he is open for comments. Mr. Sauer questioned with regard to the shop drawings, what was DLZs quote and Mr. Wisniewski stated it was $54,090. Mr. Sauer further questioned if there was any advantage to having a single source responsibility in terms of the design and review. Mr. Wisniewski stated he preferred, of the two firms, URS. Mrs. Hammond stated, as she understood it, no matter which firm we decided upon, the optional tasks might be added on if required by the EPA or whatever. Ms Frommer stated she had spoken with individuals at DEFA, and they have a lot to do with the operation and maintenance side, and they have indicated to her that they would look to the treatment plant operators after substantial completion, to engage in a period of stressing the equipment during certain conditions, and if the plant operators are concerned at all they would then look for additional documentation from an engineer. She stated, however, if the plant operators were saying things were doing what they should, then there would not be any formal overtures for a larger document. Mr. Sauer stated he felt it seemed to him that it would be better to have the design firm review the shop drawings. Mr. Wisniewski stated he understood that, however, the design was supposed to be 90 percent done in November and we got 28 pages of comments regarding the work we have so far, so his desire to award this back to that firm is less than desirable. Ms Frommer stated the shop drawing person is basically taking what the contractor wants you to buy and checking to see if it meets the specifications of the construction documents. Mr. Wisniewski moved to approve the URS contract reviewed this evening and forward to Council; Mr. Sauer seconded the motion. Roll call was taken with Mr. Sauer, Mr. Wisniewski, and Mrs. Hammond voting “Yea.” Motion passed, 3-0. Mr. Wisniewski stated he would request this legislation be on the agenda for the April 1, 2008, Council meeting.

B. TRANSPORTATION:

(1) Diley Road Improvements Project:

a. MORPC/ODOT Project – Update. Mr. Wisniewski stated this was discussed earlier. Ms Frommer stated the first progress meeting is scheduled for next week. Ms Frommer also stated the City’s web site has been updated for the Diley Road project and the City has procured www.DileyRoad.com. Mr. Hansley stated when the utility bills go out this month they will contain a three-page letter regarding the Diley Road project and will include pictures of the sound wall, and he had provided copies of that to the Committee members.

C. WATER:

(1) Review and request for motion to approve draft ordinance authorizing the City Manager to enter into a contract with Sam’s Excavating Unlimited for the WTP Waste Pump station Upgrade project. Ms Frommer stated if this were approved by the Committee this evening, she would request two readings at the next Council meeting. Mr. Drobina stated this project was in last year’s CIP and budget and is to upgrade the pump station that removes the waste from the water plant because with the amount of water we produce right now the current lift station cannot pump the water out quickly enough. Mr. Drobina stated if the lift station gets full, it will actually stop production of the water plant. Ms Frommer stated some of this has to do with the size of the pumps and other has to do with the deposits in the force main and the length it has to pump to receive gravity flow. Mr. Drobina stated we would put in new pumps and upsize the line from a six-inch to an eight-inch. Mr. Sauer moved to approve and forward to Council; Mr. Wisniewski seconded the motion. Roll call was taken with Mrs. Hammond, Mr. Wisniewski, and Mr. Sauer voting “Yea.” Motion passed, 3-0.

Ms VanCleave stated in her report to the Committee she had provided information on the Refugee Road water tower. She stated we were initially looking at a one-million gallon water tower, however, she thought it might be a good idea to get prices for a 750,000-gallon water tower as well. She stated she had provided three styles of tanks and depending on the cost of steel and concrete at the time we bid, one style could be more or less than the others. She stated she had thought then to ask for six bids, the one million gallon tower in the three styles and the 750,000 gallon tower in the three styles. Ms VanCleave stated in speaking with URS, they were discouraging having six options because contractors will bid on only one or two and we would not have a very representative bid to compare. She stated URS felt if we picked one size and asked for bids on the three styles we should be okay. She stated further, if we bid for the one million gallon size and it came back to costly, we could rebid for the 750,000 gallon size. Mr. Wisniewski inquired what size the City actually needed, and Ms Frommer stated the one-million gallon tank would be best because the EPA requires you have 24-hours storage in the air for what you consume and currently you are consuming a little over two million gallons. She stated usage will be going up, and the model projected you to be at 3.5 million gallons per day, so she would recommend the one million gallon tower. Mr. Wisniewski stated he could not see bidding for the smaller size and then in a few years having to come back and start over with finding a location and everything that goes with having to put in another water tower. Mrs. Hammond clarified the styles were basically equal, it was just personal preference. Mr. Hansley stated the price on each style might make a difference as well. Ms VanCleave clarified that she will put the bids out for a one million gallon water tower in each of the three styles.

D. STORMWATER. No Report.

8. CHAIRMAN. Mr. Wisniewski stated he would like to commend the Service Department for the services they provided in the recent snowstorm. He stated they did an excellent job and he has heard a lot of kudos from residents.

Mr. Wisniewski stated some communities have an exclusion list for contractors as to ones that they have had bad experiences with or their neighbors have had bad experiences with. He stated he felt it was time we did that so we are not wasting time receiving bids from contractors that have been less than stellar. He stated he would like to ask staff to get something together for the next Service Committee. Mr. Sauer questioned who would determine that list, would it be staff or Council. Mr. Wisniewski stated he felt staff would be the appropriate group, and Mrs. Hammond stated staff would know more because they are the ones who work with the contractors. Mr. Wisniewski stated he felt it would be the prudent thing to do as soon as possible. Mr. Hansley stated then it was Mr. Wisniewski’s goal to establish that list prior to the bid process for the wastewater treatment plant. Mr. Wisniewski stated at least an initial one, and he would like to get something in place. Mr. Hansley stated staff could recommend a list, but it would have to be adopted by ordinance and Mr. Wisniewski stated that was fine. Mr. Hansley stated he would try to have something for the next meeting.

9. OTHER BUSINESS:

A. Review and request for motion to approve draft ordinance authorizing the petition for annexation of certain property, located in Violet Township, Fairfield County, to the City of Pickerington, Ohio. Mr. Hansley stated this is the water plant on Diley Road, and as Diley Road is going to be widened we want to begin to bring properties that we own in the area into the City. Ms Frommer stated since the Diley Road design process began, they have recommended the City consider the annexation of property that abuts land you purchased for several reasons including speed limit jurisdiction and the fighting of access versus property development. Mr. Wisniewski moved to approve and forward to Council; Mrs. Hammond seconded the motion. Roll call was taken with Mr. Wisniewski, Mrs. Hammond, and Mr. Sauer voting “Yea.” Motion passed, 3-0.

10. ADJOURNMENT. There being nothing further, Mr. Wisniewski moved to adjourn; Mrs. Hammond seconded the motion. Mrs. Hammond, Mr. Wisniewski, and Mr. Sauer voted “Aye.” Motion carried, 3-0. The Service Committee adjourned at 8:30 P.M., March 13, 2008.

RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED:

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Lynda D. Yartin, Municipal Clerk