WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 20, 2010

REGULAR MEETING

7:00 P.M.

1. ROLL CALL. Mr. Wisniewski called the meeting to order at 7:00 P.M., with Mr. Fix, Mr. Wisniewski, and Mr. Sauer present. No members were absent. Others present were: Chief Mike Taylor, Lynda Yartin, Mayor O’Brien, Ed Drobina, Greg Bachman, Lance Schultz, Brenda VanCleave, Rachel Scofeld, Ron Hohman, Don Bleddo, and others.

2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF December 16, 2009, Regular Meeting. Mr. Sauer moved to approve; Mr. Fix seconded the motion. Roll call was taken with Mr. Sauer and Mr. Wisniewski, and Mr. Fix voting “Yea.” Motion passed, 3-0.

3. COMMUNITY COMMENTS: There were no comments.

4. DEVELOPMENT:

A. Development Director’s Report. Mr. Schultz stated he had provided a report to the Committee and he would answer any questions. Mr. Schultz stated Pizza Cottage is completed and has been removed from the list, but there are no further changes.

5. PLANNING AND ZONING DEPARTMENT:

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

(1) Planning and Zoning Representative Report. Mr. Sauer stated Planning and Zoning had a discussion regarding the side curtains that are showing up on patios, and it was the feeling of the Planning and Zoning Commission that they were relatively pleased with the way the ones installed at Happy Endings looked. He stated money was put in the budget to have this issue reviewed, and the idea coming out of P&Z was that this would essentially be a base point or at least what they would like to see going forward with these side curtains. Mr. Wisniewski clarified that the outdoor patios have been requesting these side curtains and we currently have no standards for them. Mr. Sauer stated we will be reviewing the Code to set standards for these.

B. ACTION ITEMS:

(1) Refugee Road Study – Update. Mr. Schultz stated with the Planning and Zoning Department relocating to the Building Department building he does not have an update, but he will have more information by the next meeting.

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. Mr. Wisniewski clarified the three large dump trucks that were out of service have been repaired. Mr. Drobina stated he had not used the Township facility, but they had been repaired in-house. He stated he had contacted the Township on one of them, but we were able to fix it in-house. Mr. Wisniewski further clarified that Lancaster Public Transit has started using our garage and it has not caused any problems as yet. Mr. Drobina further stated he had been contacted by Prevention Works for a Drug Free Fairfield County regarding putting an insert in our utility bills. He stated we can put one page in without any additional cost to us. Mr. Wisniewski clarified they would provide the handout and we would just insert it in the bills. Mr. Wisniewski, Mr. Fix, and Mr. Sauer all stated they did not see a problem with this. Mr. Fix stated we just need to be aware, however, because at some point we may be contacted to do something that borders on advertising, so we need to continue to ask the questions. Mr. Drobina stated he agreed with Mr. Fix and he does not want to get into that. Mr. Wisniewski stated he appreciated the water and sewer rate information Mr. Drobina had provided, and clarified the fee schedule change Finance had reviewed was the update for this year’s rates. Mr. Wisniewski clarified we have a 3,000 gallon minimum. Mr. Drobina stated that was correct and we do have customers that are under that minimum but he did not have the count with him tonight. Mr. Wisniewski stated he would like to see that and Mr. Drobina stated he would have that information for the next meeting. Mr. Wisniewski stated that compared to surrounding communities for water rates we are low, but for sewer we are at the higher end.

a. Review and request for motion to approve draft ordinance authorizing the City Manager to enter into a contract with Neptune Equipment Company. Mr. Drobina stated this is our annual ordinance to allow us to purchase meters. Mr. Wisniewski moved to approve and forward to Council; Mr. Fix seconded the motion. Roll call was taken with Mr. Wisniewski, Mr. Fix, and Mr. Sauer voting “Yea.” Motion passed, 3-0.

(2) Engineer’s Report. Mr. Bachman stated he had provided a written report and would be happy to answer any questions.

a. Water Master Plan and Sewer Master Plan - Update. Mr. Bachman stated he had not received the proposal on the Sewer Master Plan until today, so he hoped to have something by the next meeting.

1. Review and request for motion to approve draft ordinance authorizing the City Manager to execute a contract with Burgess & Niple, Inc., for professional engineering services on the Water Master Plan project. Mr. Bachman stated he has worked out a scope of services with Burgess & Niple and he would like to move ahead with this contract. Mr. Wisniewski clarified that Mr. Bachman is comfortable with the agreement with Burgess & Niple and they can complete the work for the not to exceed amount of $50,000, and Mr. Bachman stated he was. Mr. Fix moved to approve and forward to Council; Mr. Sauer seconded the motion. Roll call was taken with Mr. Sauer, Mr. Fix, and Mr. Wisniewski voting “Yea.” Motion passed, 3-0.

b. Diley Road Speed Study – Update. Mr. Wisniewski stated this was going to be handled by Safety Committee and stated he would remove it from the agenda.

c. Review and request for motion regarding Refugee Road Elevated Water Storage Tank. Mr. Bachman stated representatives from Caldwell Tanks and CB&I were present to address the Committee regarding the tank styles.

Mr. Don Bleddo of Caldwell Tanks presented a brief power point presentation on the composite elevated tanks. Mr. Bleddo stated he wanted to express their interest in the project, they felt they had put in a very competitive bid, and they would ask the City evaluate it and hopefully they would award the project to Caldwell Tanks. Mr. Wisniewski clarified the cost savings was $92,000 to $93,000 when doing a life cycle cost analysis comparing the spheroid and composite styles over 60 years. Mr. Sauer questioned if the concrete base of the tank would have a propensity for mold to grow on the shadowed side, and Mr. Bleddo stated you do not see that on a composite elevated tank; they have been around for 25 years or so and it has not been an issue. He further stated that is an issue on the waterspheroid as dust will collect on the bottom of the bowl and that will be a maintenance issue. Mr. Sauer further questioned if there had been any problems with discoloration of the concrete and Mr. Bleddo stated during construction they blend the concrete to get a more consistent mix and control the shading. He further stated the concrete shaft will be sand blasted to minimize the shading.

Mr. Ron Hohman of CB&I provided a brief presentation on the waterspheroid style tank. Mr. Hohman stated his intent is to provide information to help the Committee make the best decision for the City of Pickerington. He stated some of the advantageous of this style tank would be the appearance and the cylindrical dome roof that prevents water from collecting. Mr. Hohman stated with regard to maintenance, with a waterspheroid tank if it is maintained it can last indefinitely. He stated he had done a maintenance analysis also; however, the composite tank has only been in service in the United States for a little over 25 years. He stated it is difficult to make a long term maintenance analysis because you don’t know how much maintenance a concrete shaft will require in 40 years or 50 years.

Mr. Wisniewski questioned if there were any design considerations with the composite versus the waterspheroid, and Mr. Bachman stated they have done soil borings on site and he did not foresee any problems with either tank. Mr. Bachman stated engineering wise, both style tanks do the exact same function. Mayor O’Brien stated the other waterspheroid tank in the City is visible from his home, and it is a very narrow profile, with the shape of the top there are no sharp lines to catch your eye, it blends into the sky, and the red light on top is the only thing you really notice. Mr. Wisniewski stated he still had some questions as to the need for this water tower. He stated he understood the need for more pressure, but Mr. Bachman had spoken about any development to the north end of the City, and he questioned if Mr. Bachman were referring to the vacant land north of Refugee Road, anything north of the current water tower, or what? Mr. Bachman stated this tank would provide additional water and additional pressure for basically anything north or Diley Road. Mr. Fix inquired if the Fire Department has ever commented on the lack of water pressure and Mr. Bachman stated they knew this project was coming so they have not. Mr. Fix further clarified the need for the additional water storage tank was a water pressure issue and we do not have adequate fire flow on that end of town. Mrs. Sanders stated as a resident of the neighborhood where the tank would be located she does prefer the waterspheroid tank for aesthetic purposes only. Mr. Blair stated he agreed with Mrs. Sanders. Mr. Wisniewski moved to award the contract for the construction of the Refugee Road Elevated Water Storage Tank to CB&I, Inc., for the waterspheroid style water tank; Mr. Fix seconded the motion. Roll call was taken with Mr. Wisniewski, Mr. Sauer, and Mr. Fix voting “Yea.” Motion passed, 3-0.

d. Review and request for motion to approve draft ordinance amending Ordinance 2009-25 and authorizing the City Manager to execute an agreement with Beheler Excavating, Inc., for CIP SM-04 Olde Pickerington Village Outfall construction and W-18 S. East Street and Fanchers Street water main replacement. Mr. Bachman stated we are going to incur some additional cost on this project. He stated when we awarded the contract we included five alternates and we deducted some amounts that should not have been deducted. He stated this is approximately a $24,000 increase and it should have been included in the original contract award. Mr. Wisniewski clarified that when we took the alternates we thought the quantities were going to be less and they were not. Mr. Fix stated then that we had an error in calculations on our end, the original legislation reflected that error, and now Mr. Bachman is requesting we correct that error in calculation. Mr. Bachman stated that was correct. Mr. Fix moved to approve and forward to Council; Mr. Sauer seconded the motion. Roll call was taken with Mr. Fix, Mr. Wisniewski, and Mr. Sauer voting “Yea.” Motion passed, 3-0.

e. Review and request for motion to approve draft ordinance amending Ordinance 2009-47 authorizing the City Manager to execute a change order with Beheler Excavating, Inc., for the extension of Town Square Drive. Mr. Bachman stated our original ordinance was for a cost not to exceed $125,000. He stated as we got close to the cul de sac in the project we encountered a lot more top soil, a lot more organic material than you would normally encounter, and to make an adequate roadbed he needed to take out the top soil, thereby increasing the cost. Mr. Bachman stated he was asking for a $10,000 increase to cover the issue with the soil conditions. Mr. Sauer clarified this additional amount would come out of the General Fund. Mr. Fix moved to approve and forward to Council; Mr. Wisniewski seconded the motion. Roll call was taken with Mr. Sauer, Mr. Wisniewski, and Mr. Fix voting “Yea.” Motion passed, 3-0.

f. Review and discussion regarding Long Road improvement options from Diley Road to Colony Park. Mr. Bachman stated Long Road; from Diley Road down to Colony Park is about one-third of a mile. He stated it has been in the CIP for several years to install curb and gutter, five foot sidewalks on both sides, and we are looking to connect the sidewalk with the bike path on Diley Road. Mr. Bachman stated at Council’s retreat one of the goals identified was to add sidewalks focusing on areas around the schools, and this project would certainly do that. Mr. Bachman stated he was just presenting the concept of this project to allow Council time to think about it. Mr. Bachman presented his concept plan for Long Road to the Committee and stated it would fit in with the Complete Street concept; the road would be two 11-foot travel lanes, one in each direction; a 5-foot bike lane; street trees; and, a sidewalk. Mr. Wisniewski stated his question would be why there would be bike lanes on the road versus a bike path like we have on Diley Road? Mr. Bachman stated one reason is because there are several more driveway cuts on this road, however, that is an option. Mr. Bachman stated he had provided a cost estimate for the complete street concept and that would be about $1 million for construction. Mr. Bachman stated his recommendation would be to go with the complete street concept and if Council determined they did not want to do that, he would recommend not doing the project. Mr. Wisniewski stated he would like to know the cost estimate of the complete street versus a smaller road with 11-foot lanes and a bike path on one side. He stated he would also like to see if there were any other funding mechanisms such as Corps of Engineers, etc. Mr. Wisniewski stated obviously he liked the idea, however, funding is certainly an issue.

B. ACTION ITEMS:

(1) Review and discussion regarding TDS options and costs. Ms VanCleave stated she has no update at this time.

7. ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT CAPITAL PROJECTS.

A. WASTEWATER

(1) Wastewater Plant Expansion – Update. Ms VanCleave stated the project is moving along on schedule.

B. TRANSPORTATION:

(1) Diley Road Improvements Project – Update. Mr. Drobina stated there was no update. Mr. Wisniewski stated this item can be removed from the agenda.

a. Review and Discussion of Diley Road project complaints (Mr. Starr). Mr. Wisniewski stated as we have not heard anything further from Mr. Starr, this item can be removed from the agenda.

C. WATER: No Report.

8. CHAIRMAN. Mr. Wisniewski stated he has received some phone calls with complaints on S.R. 256, northbound at S.R. 205, during non-peak hours, with traffic backing up. Mr. Wisniewski inquired when the deadline was for ODOT to install the ACS system. Mr. Bachman stated he has not had an update on that, but the Director for District 5 is coming to a meeting at the City next week and he will bring this up for discussion. Mr. Wisniewski stated he does not feel we are getting the service that we need for that corridor, and if they are not going to work on it and address this issue then we need to work on getting control of that signal back. Mr. Wisniewski stated he would like to have discussion on the ODOT controlled signals added to the Service agenda.

9. OTHER BUSINESS: No other business was brought forward.

10. ADJOURNMENT. There being nothing further, Mr. Wisniewski moved to adjourn; Mr. Fix seconded the motion. Mr. Fix, Mr. Wisniewski, and Mr. Sauer voted “Aye.” Motion carried, 3-0. The Service Committee adjourned at 8:15 P.M., January 20, 2010.

RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED:

________________________________

Lynda D. Yartin, Municipal Clerk