PUBLIC SERVICES COMMITTEE
MINUTES
JUNE 15,
2006
The meeting was called to
order by Chairman Fogt at 7:00 p.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT: Dan Fogt, Mark Reams, Ed
Pleasant
OTHERS PRESENT: Kathy House, Phil Roush, Tracie Davies,
Police Chief Golden, Fire Chief Johnson, Ron Miller, Barb Miller, Christina
Hitchcock
AGENDA:
·
Mr. Fogt reported that he
had received applications for gates and lights at the crossing. City is waiting to see the results of
the traffic study which was started in May and should be completed in July. Mr. Fogt asked if the City should go
ahead and apply to get the process started. Ms. House said it would depend on how
extensive the applications are. Mr.
Fogt will review and get back to Administration. Mr. Roush will call and check on the
status of the traffic count.
·
Impact fee –
Streets
Mr. Reams talked to Mr.
Wardell Wilcox about a week ago. He
went through the study and had a lot of questions. City asked him to look at
recommendations from the previous study from the existing deficiencies and asked
if they could look at this study and where we have a deficiency, tell us what it
would take to engineer the solution and what it would cost. Mr. Wilcox reviewed the study and said
they could do that, but since this study was six years old, there could be
changes in the deficiencies. One of
the deficiencies was at
Mr. Roush distributed a
couple of maps showing where the counts were done. He also had an itemized list of all the
intersections where the studies were done. He said that Joe Tracey and his
department can do the traffic counts, which would take a while. He expressed concern about traffic count
during school and during summer when school is not in session. Committee should decide which
intersections they want to count.
Mr. Wilcox was asked what
he thought about the count. He
thought it would be best to do the count when school was in session. There are state factors that could be
used to adjust the count if done during the summer; however, they are more the
average for the state rather than local municipality. He also said the count may not hold up
in court by using State average.
Ms. Davies stated it would be more convenient to do the count in the fall
due to heavy workload on the Street Department this summer. It was agreed to wait until the fall to
do the traffic counts. There is no
point in having Mr. Wilcox do his study until the traffic counts are done. The traffic study results should be
available at next month’s committee meeting.
Committee needs to look at
intersections for traffic counts.
Mr. Reams suggested doing counts for all the deficiency intersections
plus all the ones that were one notch away from being deficient. Mr. Roush will look at the list and
report back at the next meeting.
Need to identify projects
and estimates of those projects and how those will be funded other than the
impact fee, because the existing deficiencies cannot be paid for by the impact
fee. From there, indicate
other improvements to be made in the future which will be paid for with the
impact fees. Mr. Wilcox
feels traffic counts should be updated every 3-5 years or more often than that
depending on growth. It has been
six years since the last traffic count.
Ms. House stated a scope of
services and quote for services should be requested.
·
Bokes/Mill Creek Watershed
Coordination
Christina Hitchcock,
Bokes/Millcreek Watershed Coordinator, addressed the Committee. She presented a project she is proposing
for the EPA’s grant for stream improvement project. The project site is along
Mike Sapp, co-author of
Mill Creek TMDL said “one of the poorest quality areas in Mill Creek in terms of
dissolved oxygen, habitat and nutrient assimilation”. Her goal and job is to improve water
quality. The EPA’s goal and why
they offer this grant is to have 80% natural streams in full attainment by
2010.
The project she is
proposing is to install 4-5 riffle sequences within the stream and approximately
270 ft. bank stabilization to prevent some of that sediment load into the
stream. She is looking at about
2,000 linear feet of stream on Mill Creek behind the White’s property.
Project goal is to reach
attainment and eliminate the High Influence Attribute and reduce some of the
Modified Influence Attributes, especially elevate dissolved oxygen levels. EPA considers that to be something of
value in terms of water quality and also, the more you get the water moving and
aeration, it has more ability to assimilate the nutrients and pollutants,
especially in terms of storm water.
That is always a plus.
Advantages to Marysville:
1) Elevate dissolved oxygen levels
(compensates for relocation of WWTP), which is an input of DO), 2) improved nutrient/pollutant
breakdown, 3) attainment, 4)
upstream from new WWTP and 5) improved stormwater assimilation.
Three environmental
engineering firms have looked at the design:
Partners: Union SWCD will be covering the bid
process and also supplies, copies, meeting rooms. City of
Future projects: Whether or
not a grant is received, Ms. Hitchcock would like to pursue the project,
removing the
Mr. Reams asked about the
northern quarter mile of
Ms. Davies is on the
Millcreek Watershed Steering Committee.
The group is looking for some sort of participation on the riffle project
from the City. The City is
mentioned in the TMDL as a contributor to the conditions of Mill Creek, so if
there are things we can do to mitigate that, we should look at doing that. Also with the upcoming stormwater
requirements, this is something that would be a positive towards
stormwater.
Ms. House asked if there
would be a participation match required.
Ms. Hitchcock already turned in the application with match requirements,
but she could contact the EPA to tell them she has more match to
contribute. Monitoring is an area
where the City could contribute.
Contract management with environmental engineering firm, permitting, etc.
are suggestions for contribution.
Included in the packet of
information from Ms. Hitchcock are pictures downstream from the wastewater
treatment plant but upstream from the project site. Numerous people from the environmental
engineering firms and Department of Natural Resources and the EPA have come to
look at this and it is a mess. It
is beyond a logjam. The water is backed up 4/5’ because of this. The 319 program does not fund
logjam. This area is located
between the White’s and the Marysville Christian Church. It’s right behind the church. It’s actually cutting a channel through
the White’s property. They were
notified accordingly.
Also included in the packet is the grant application that was
submitted. Information on riffles in the Ohio Stream Management Guide and
information from the U.S. Department of Transportation about stream improvement
with riffles.
Successes in Bokes and Mill
Watershead: 1) Powderlick
Run. Has had huge success in terms
of improving water quality and reducing nitrates. 2) Elmer Heyob’s restoration
along
Ms. Davies stated Joe
Tracey went out to look at the situation and as a municipality, we do not want to get involved in removing
logjams. Would rather the City
contribute with in-kind services. Further discussion will be held as to
what the City can do to participate.
Regarding the bank
stabilization, Mr. Reams asked what needs to be done to get something started on
that. Ms. Hitchcock said she would
be willing to go out with someone to view the area, go out again with an
environmental engineer to get design specifications and cost estimate, then
write the grant.
·
Wastewater Master Plan
Update
Wastewater Master Plan was
completed in August 2004. The Plan
did not take into full account from the corporate limits south and east, down
·
2006
Goals
o
Continue working on the
traffic study (already discussed)
o
Stormwater (already
discussed)
o
Street paving (already
discussed)
o
Water and sewer
projects
o
Explore a comprehensive
impact fee
o
Continue working on the
Town Run
§
Mr. Roush mentioned that
Planning Commission wants to hold a joint meeting w/City Council to discuss
storm drainage in different areas,
§
City “may” own the strip in
between 5th and
§
Ms. Davies said the area of
Court Street that floods, City found a 48” tile that was three quarters of the
way plugged, so they are taking care of that. Minor things are being done to the Town
Run.
§
Mr. Fogt stated there are
saplings growing along the Town Run, where the lumber company used to be. Can or should the City cut the
saplings? Ms. Hitchcock stated Town
Run is not on any type of maintenance plan. If it’s not on a maintenance plan, she
recommended in terms of holding the banks in place, trees are a
benefit. But if trees were to fall into Town Run,
they could cause a problem because it’s too small to flush anything out. One tree could cause a huge
obstruction. She would not remove
the saplings now.
o
Sidewalk maintenance
discussion
§
Finance Committee had a
discussion on this issue. They
recommended this as a part of the additional appropriations suggested for
consideration. Mr. Burke proposed that $10,000 be allotted to start with and
formulate some type of matching program where residents who would like to
replace or install sidewalks could apply to the city and be matched up to $500
for their work. There would be a
certain amount of money for this program.
There was a concern for who would do the work, the contracting,
inspections, etc. That is yet to be
determined. Samples have been
gathered from other municipalities to see what is the easiest
way to go.
It was decided that the
third Tuesday of every month would be the regularly scheduled date for Public
Services Committee meetings 7:00 p.m.
Meeting
adjourned.