PUBLIC WORKS & SAFETY COMMITTEE
March 2, 2005
Minutes
The meeting was called to order at 1:30 p.m.
Clm. Paul Skrede, Jon Monson, Public Works Supervisor Jerry Hudlow, Administrator Dana Young
None
Teresa Pendleton and Police Chief Virgil Gustafson were also in attendance as members of the Deephaven Safety Committee.
Discussion was held regarding annual training that is required of the Public Works Department. Paul Skrede stated he would like to see a schedule of the annual training requirements for the Department. Dana Young added that he would like a schedule of the annual training provided by SafeAssure.
Dana Young stated that he had contacted SafeAssure and they confirmed that they could provide the training for the Police Department on bloodborne pathogens under the existing contract with the Public Works Department. Virgil Gustafson stated that SafeAssure was unable to provide the training because their instructor was not POST certified. Dana Young stated that he had been informed that SafeAssure was properly certified and would call them again to confirm whether they have the proper certifications to perform the training.
Jon Monson stated that he had a concern regarding traffic visibility at the intersection of Minnetonka Blvd and Vine Hill Bridge. He stated that the bridge guardrail and traffic signs severely restricted visibility for those individuals turning north on Minnetonka Blvd. Dana Young asked Jerry Hudlow and Virgil Gustafson to look into the matter and report back to the Safety Committee with their recommendations.
Paul Skrede inquired whether a school zone should be established on that portion of Vine Hill Road in front of Deephaven Elementary School? Virgil Gustafson stated that there haven’t been many accidents in front of the school and didn’t know if a reduced speed limit through this area would be beneficial. Discussion was held concerning the pedestrian crossing lights at the school and whether they were working. Virgil Gustafson stated that he would ask Principal McKinney.
Virgil Gustafson stated that a bigger problem regarding public safety at the school concerned the number of no parking signs on Vine Hill Road and Ridgewood Road. He stated that the streets surrounding the school are filled with cars during special school events, despite the no parking signs, and the Department is unsure whether to ticket these vehicles because there is such a lack of available school parking during these events. Teresa Pendleton stated that the problem is particularly acute at the intersection of Ridgewood and Vine Hill Road where it is very difficult to see past the parked vehicles. Jon Monson suggested that the City could be more selective on the location of no parking signs by leaving those signs that would enhance public safety and removing the rest. Dana Young recommended that Virgil Gustafson and Jerry Hudlow review this area, meet with Principal Brian McKinney, and submit their recommendations to the Safety Committee on the location of no parking signs at next month’s meeting.
The Safety Committee adjourned at 2:00 p.m.
Dana Young provided a brief overview of the proposed Stormwater Pollution Control Ordinance.
He stated that the Ordinance was a requirement listed in the City’s Stormwater Pollution Prevention Program. Discussion was held on whether the Ordinance was related to stormwater management or stormwater pollution control. Jon Monson stated that the Ordinance was designed to control erosion or sedimentation and did not deal at all with stormwater management.
Discussion was held on the scope of the ordinance and whether it mandated controls on new developments and the disturbance of property in excess of 1 acre or on all disturbed property. Further discussion was held on whether the adoption of a Storm Water Pollution Control Ordinance was mandatory or simply a recommendation from the MN Pollution Control Agency.
Jon Monson stated that the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District typically controls storm water erosion control through the issuance of a permit and wondered how much of the proposed Ordinance would be a repetition of Watershed District requirements? Paul Skrede asked if the Committee could obtain a copy of the Watershed District’s requirements?
Paul Skrede stated that he had a number of concerns regarding the proposed Ordinance including the language regarding the definition of buffers and on Financial Security requirements. Dana Young stated that he would like to defer further discussion on this proposed Ordinance until next month when he could properly address the Committee’s questions on the Ordinance. He added that he does not want to present a final draft of this Ordinance to the City Council until the Committee is clear on the impact and scope of the Ordinance.
Dana Young stated that Jerry Hudlow has recommended a change in the listing of the streets that are proposed to be seal coated this year by deleting Linwood Lane and adding Huss Street, Pederson Street and the alley between Jefferson and Water Street. Jerry Hudlow stated that he had estimated the cost of the seal coating project at approximately $75,000 by using an estimated cost of $0.69 per square yard.
The Committee recommended that the City Council authorize Plans & Specifications and the Advertisement of Bids for the 2005 Seal Coating Project on a motion by Paul Skrede, seconded by Jon Monson. Motion declared carried.
Further discussion was held on the engineering services for this project. Dana Young stated that the City Engineer provided the Plans & Specifications for the project and inspection services in 2002. He estimated the cost of engineering services at $2,500 - $3,000. Paul Skrede asked if City staff couldn’t put together Plans & Specifications for 2005 Seal Coating based on the 2002 Plans & Specifications. Jerry Hudlow recommended that the Plans & Specifications include such items as the City retaining the right to keep the excess rock that is swept off the streets and that the Contractor be required to document quantity amounts and where the rock came from.
The Committee recommended that City staff develop Plans & Specifications for the 2005 Seal Coating Project and obtain quotes on inspection services from Bolton & Menk and Schoell & Madson on a motion by Jon Monson, seconded by Paul Skrede. Motion declared carried.
Paul Skrede stated that he, Dana Young, Jerry Hudlow, Gus Karpas and City Engineer Dave Martini had met with Eric Evenson and Mike Wyatt of the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District on February 16th to discuss the availability of grants for two stormwater projects in Deephaven. He stated that the meeting was disappointing in that the Watershed District seemed more interested in promoting rainwater gardens than providing funding for the proposed stormwater projects.
Jerry Hudlow provided a brief update on the lack of available storage space for annual street sweepings at the City’s Gravel Pit. He stated that Mueller has a limestone quarry in Carver that would accept street sweepings for a cost of $1.00 per ton. He stated that he was told that the quarry would be available for sweepings for several more years. He estimated that it takes approximately 90 minutes to drive roundtrip to the quarry.
He stated that he also looked into the possibility of renting screening machines that could filter the street sweepings into useable material. He stated that he was told that screening machines use a 2” mesh, which is not small enough to filter out dirt or leaves. As a result, the screening machines are not able to sort out good, usable rock from dirt and other debris and would only be useful for providing fill material from the street sweepings. He added that the cost of renting a small screening machine is $900 per week and is capable of screening 40 yards per hour. A larger screening machine costs $3,000 per week to rent and is capable of screening 300 yards per hour. It was the consensus of the Committee that renting a screening machine would not be beneficial in producing reusable rock material from street sweepings and would not be a viable option for disposing of annual street sweepings.
Further discussion was held on hauling street sweepings to Mueller’s quarry. Jerry Hudlow stated that the City of Deephaven typically generates 63 loads of street sweepings each year and the combination of street sweepings from Greenwood, Woodland and private streets totals an additional 55 loads. Jerry Hudlow stated that he charged Greenwood, Woodland and private associations $26 per load in prior years when the City simply stored the material at the Gravel Pit. But now that the City was running out of space at the Gravel Pit and now have to truck the sweepings to Mueller’s quarry, he stated that he proposed to raise their fee to $107 per load. The Committee estimated that the 118 combined loads equaled approximately 826 tons of annual street sweepings from all three cities and from private roads. It was estimated that it would take the City’s three dump trucks, with a capacity of 7 tons each, around 9-10 days to haul all the sweepings to Mueller’s quarry.
The Committee recommended that the City of Deephaven haul its portion of the 2005 street sweepings to Mueller’s quarry at $1.00 per ton, offer to haul the 2005 sweepings from Woodland, Greenwood and private streets at $107 per load, remove additional quantities from the Gravel Pit to establish a reserve for future sweepings and develop a plan to remove the remaining sweepings from the Gravel Pit on a motion by Paul Skrede, seconded by Dana Young. Motion declared carried.
The Committee reviewed the following 2005 Project and Purchase List for the Public Works Department:
Item Budget
Blacktop Trailer $ 20,000
Plow Truck $110,000
Seal Coating $ 75,000
Hwy 101 Contribution $ 9,000
Total $214,000
The Committee recommended the purchase of a Blacktop Trailer not to exceed $20,000 on a motion by Paul Skrede, seconded by Dana Young. Motion declared carried.
Discussion was held regarding the purchase of a plow truck at an estimated cost of $110,000 for 2005. Jerry Hudlow stated that the primary purpose of this vehicle would be to plow snow in Greenwood. The Committee recommended that Paul Skrede and Dana Young meet with Mayor Anderson to discuss the framework for a future Agreement with the City of Greenwood that would take into account the depreciated cost of a plow truck that only serves the City of Greenwood.
Dana Young provided a brief review of the proposed Sewer Maintenance Policy. The Committee recommended approval of the Sewer Maintenance Policy on a motion by Jon Monson, seconded by Jerry Hudlow. Motion declared carried.
Dana Young stated that the following bids have been received for 2005 Sweeping:
Bidder Bid
Pearson Bros., Inc. $65.00 / Hour
Allied Blacktop Company $70.00 / Hour
Crosstown Sweeping Corp. $100.00 / Hour
Reliakor Services $101.50 / Hour
The Committee recommended approval of the sweeping bid submitted by Pearson Bros., Inc. in the amount of $65.00 per hour per sweeper on a motion by Paul Skrede, seconded by Dana Young. Motion declared carried.
Motion to adjourn by Jerry Hudlow, seconded by Paul Skrede. Motion declared carried. The meeting adjourned at 4:05 p.m. The next regularly scheduled meeting of the Public Works & Safety Committee will be held on Wednesday, April 6, 2005.