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Work SessionTue, Aug 2, 2022

Staff walked council through the proposed FY22-23 five-year Capital Improvement Program, including Recreation and Aquatic Center upgrades and stormwater, water and sewer projects.

4 items on the agenda

On the agenda

  1. 1Call to Order - Roll Call0:00
  2. 2

    You arrived here from a search for “Penny for Pasco — transcript expanded below

    Review of the FY22-23 Proposed Capital Improvement Program

    discussed

    Staff presented the FY22-23 Proposed Five-Year Capital Improvement Program, walking through projects funded by the General Fund, Stormwater Utility, Capital Improvement, and Water and Sewer Construction funds. Projects discussed include Recreation/Aquatic Center improvements, pool resurfacing, Beach Street stormwater, Fire Station 2 reconstruction, Grand Boulevard bridge replacement and multiuse path, Sims Park boat ramp improvements, Meadows Dog Park, HVAC replacement at City Hall, and the fleet/warehouse replacement, among others. The work session was for review and discussion; no formal action was taken.

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    [00:00:15] review of the 22-23 proposed capital improvement program. It's our pleasure to present to you [00:00:22] our five-year capital improvement project budget. The goal is to complete projects which [00:00:35] meet three priorities. One, secure the city's assets and promulgate appropriate design and [00:00:43] maintenance standards, and of course, mobilize reinvestment. There are six funding sources [00:00:51] that the city relies on to fund capital improvement projects. They are the General Fund, the Community [00:01:01] Redevelopment Fund, the Capital Improvement Fund, the Street Improvement Fund, the Sewer [00:01:12] and Water Construction Fund, and the Stormwater Utility Fund. The city also uses a myriad [00:01:20] of grant funds as they become available from state and federal sources to leverage our [00:01:29] funding sources so that we can implement more projects than we can with the funding that [00:01:42] we have available through our own funding sources. The projects, as they're put forward [00:01:50] to you in the program that has been transmitted to you, are organized in a fashion so that [00:02:01] in each category, you have a presentation page which contains a funding summary for the projects [00:02:12] in that funding category, and then it's followed by a narrative which provides a description [00:02:21] of each individual project. You'll find that the projects that we have proposed for inclusion [00:02:31] in this year's capital improvement project budget were selected to coincide with your [00:02:40] ongoing goals and initiatives as stated in your strategic plan. With that, I'd like to [00:02:48] turn it over to the Finance Director and the Public Works Director for a formal presentation [00:02:55] of our budget for the 2022-2023 through 2026-2027 Capital Improvement Program. [00:03:10] Just to add to this a little bit, what we ended up doing was we did our descriptions [00:03:16] on the PowerPoint for the projects that are going to be proposed during this coming year. [00:03:24] You'll notice in your packet you have the spreadsheets that are here. So what you can [00:03:31] do, and the reason why we flip-flopped it, was we'll go ahead and go through the projects [00:03:38] at the description pages, the ones that we're going to be doing this year. You all can take [00:03:42] a look at these spreadsheets and see them here, and then at the end of each category [00:03:49] we will show that same spreadsheet that you're looking at, and we can discuss all the projects [00:03:57] that are within the five years that don't have any description pages. Then Crystal Feast, [00:04:04] the Finance Director, will answer any questions. You'll see that there is a summary of funding [00:04:08] on those spreadsheets. She'll go ahead and answer any of those questions that you may [00:04:13] have with those. So to start, our first division is the General Fund Project. [00:04:21] Which is page 8 of your agenda packet. [00:04:30] So the first project that we're proposing in this year is the Recreation and Aquatic [00:04:35] Center Improvements. This consists of restroom renovations, the painting of the gym walls [00:04:42] where needed, and the replacement of the existing divider wall between the two courts. This [00:04:50] project is proposed to begin this year and be completed prior to the year's end. And [00:04:58] we have a penny for PASCO tax dollars at $490,000. [00:05:06] The next project is the pool resurfacing. The Aquatic Center has four pools. They are [00:05:13] all 14 years old. The recommended industry standard is between 8 and 12 years for them [00:05:19] to be resurfaced. They are in pretty bad shape, so we're proposing to resurface the activity [00:05:26] pool and the plunge pool this year. And we have $100,000 for this year and then $120,000 [00:05:33] for next year. [00:05:38] The next one, actually the final proposed project that we have is the shade canopy replacements. [00:05:46] Same type of characteristics as far as they're 10 years plus, have served their useful life. [00:05:53] So we have budgeted $45,000 for the replacement of the shade structures that are around the [00:06:00] pool area and the eating area and where some of the people will sit and stuff like that. [00:06:07] And so this is the spreadsheet that I was talking about. And you'll notice, like when [00:06:13] I described the pool resurfacing project at $100,000 for the first two pools, you'll see [00:06:20] over in the 23-24 where we have $120,000 and that's the continuation of that project [00:06:26] until they're completed. [00:06:33] On the pool resurfacing, so the two, the activity pool and the plunge pool, $100,000 for this [00:06:40] upcoming year and then the following year, you'll do the lap and the dive pool? [00:06:47] Yes, sir. [00:06:50] All right, and the funding sources for these projects that we presented, we're proposing [00:06:58] that they come from Penny for Pasco funding. All of the projects fall within the categories [00:07:05] that City Council has approved for Penny for Pasco spending, and they are considered [00:07:10] eligible projects. So we're proposing that they are funded by Penny for Pasco. [00:07:17] All right, the next fund is stormwater utility fund, and you'll find the summary of that [00:07:26] on page 12 of your packet. [00:07:33] So this project is one, it's a repetitive project that we typically have $100,000 budgeted, [00:07:40] and this is in all reality a reactive type of project that we propose. During the storm [00:07:49] year we might have some major flooding in some areas, maybe an existing berm that we [00:07:56] may have might erode and open up. We need to get a contractor in there. These funds [00:08:01] are used for that, and when they are utilized, we come before you to ask for approval. So [00:08:07] we have $100,000. [00:08:11] The next project that we have is the Beach Street stormwater. This project begins at [00:08:16] Maple Street and High Street. That's just north of the high school. That has a repetitive [00:08:22] flooding area, and it heads north on Beach Street and heads out to an outfall that's [00:08:31] there by the river at the top of the screen. The project includes approximately 2,000 feet [00:08:39] of 36-inch storm pipe, and then there is a water quality element that's proposed to be [00:08:45] installed. That's a CDS unit that would treat any debris that might get in the system prior [00:08:50] to it going out into the river. [00:08:53] We have, the project itself is approximately $1.2 million. We're proposing to start this [00:09:00] project during the year, and it will overlap into the 23-24. Currently, we do have SWFMUD [00:09:08] funding at $354,000. That's cooperative funding. We are applying for a federal grant of $872,000. [00:09:21] That's part of the resiliency, some of the federal funds that are coming down the pike, [00:09:26] so we would utilize both types of grant funding for the project. [00:09:31] With that, we're at the spreadsheet. You'll see that we have proposed the North River [00:09:42] drainage improvements. That's the Carlton Road-Dartmouth area in the North River neighborhood. [00:09:48] That's where there currently is no drainage systems, so that'll get a system installed [00:09:55] there. Then the 2024 resiliency improvement, that's that proposed grant funding that we [00:10:03] ended up getting for the retention structure over on the west side of the bridge. [00:10:12] These stormwater projects are being proposed to be funded by our stormwater utility assessment [00:10:19] fees. It's an annual assessment that we charge or assess our residents. Right now, on average, [00:10:28] each parcel, particularly our residents, get charged $80 per ERU. In total for the upcoming [00:10:38] fiscal year, we are estimating a little over $1 million, so $1,050,000 of assessment fees [00:10:47] that we'll use to not only fund these capital projects, but also the personnel and other [00:10:53] operating expenses of the stormwater utility fund. [00:10:57] At downtown resiliency, that's where we were talking about, south of the parking structure? [00:11:08] Correct. [00:11:09] We were talking about a couple grants there. You had a $300,000 grant for SWFMA and applying for a federal grant of $800,000. [00:11:22] If we were successful in that, what's the calendar date for the $800,000 grant? [00:11:29] We are going to perform a vulnerability study that we need to have as part of that grant, and we're [00:11:39] actually going to have that as an item on the council agenda. We would propose that [00:11:44] the consultants say that it would take anywhere between three months to get that completed. [00:11:51] We're in the middle of that portion right now, so I would think that we would be, halfway [00:11:57] through the year, we would know if we got the money or not. [00:12:00] I'm just thinking out loud. I know you've figured this out a little bit differently, [00:12:05] but we're looking like we've got $1.2 million for this Beach Street stormwater improvements, [00:12:13] and between those two grants, that would almost take care of that. [00:12:19] Correct, but the thing that we don't know is SWFMUD. We ended up having a SWFMUD grant [00:12:30] when we did Orange Lake cleanup, and we ended up getting some restore money for that. SWFMUD [00:12:38] came back and said, hey, we're going to count that against the contribution portion, so [00:12:46] they deducted some of their grant. We don't know if that will happen or not. It possibly [00:12:52] could, and you could end up being right at the $1.2. [00:12:57] If I may add, both of these grants, whichever one we do receive, are on a reimbursement [00:13:04] basis, so we do have to spend the money first and then apply for reimbursement. If you look [00:13:09] at the summary of funding down at the bottom, you'll see that there's a line for grants, [00:13:16] and in fiscal year 23-24, we have money budgeted, the $872,000. That is the federal grant that [00:13:25] we're expecting to receive. You'll see I've budgeted those revenues coming in on the next [00:13:29] fiscal year instead of up front for next year. [00:13:35] Okay, so the next fund is our capital improvement fund, and that starts on page 16. [00:13:52] This project is the grade preserve improvements phase one. We're calling out for the completion [00:13:59] of the design phase for this coming year. This is actually a piece of property that [00:14:06] the city acquired at the end of Congress Street. Once we complete the improvements here, we'll [00:14:14] have an entrance to the grade preserve from the city limits. Of course, this would include [00:14:20] the construction of a new shell parking lot, restroom construction, landscape, hardscape. [00:14:27] It would include an extension of the trail, a pedestrian overpass bridge that would get [00:14:37] us over into the grade preserve, and then we would connect to the existing trails. The [00:14:44] construction is scheduled for 23-24 and 24-25. [00:14:51] This is the Meadows Dog Park. We are proposing to... [00:15:00] to construct this project, and it would be completed prior to the 23-24 year. [00:15:09] The park itself is located in the meadows. It's north of Cecilia and east of Madison [00:15:16] Street. The upgrades include the removal and replacement of the existing playground, the [00:15:23] playground surface, the renovation of the existing restroom, improvements of the trail [00:15:31] path areas, as well as the dog areas that are existing there. Construction costs are [00:15:41] estimated at $900,000. [00:15:45] This is the Grand Boulevard park improvements. The installation of shade structure over the [00:15:54] playground area is called out, as well as the removal of the existing mulch with the [00:16:01] mat similar to Sims Park. Lighting improvements to the park, as well as refurbishing the [00:16:10] parking lot with shell. And we've got that, and removal, I don't know if I said it or not, [00:16:16] but the playground equipment itself. And so we're looking at $180,000 for construction. [00:16:25] You're familiar with this project. This is the Fire Station 2 construction project. This [00:16:32] replaces the existing station on High Street and Tanglewood Terrace. It includes a two-bay [00:16:39] drive-through structure, separated hot zone area, state-of-the-art safety features, and [00:16:46] up-to-date living quarters. We're looking at an estimate of approximately $3.5 million. [00:16:53] Bond proceeds from the American Rescue Act are expected to pay for this project. [00:17:02] We came to you earlier this year on this project. This is the HVAC replacement at City Hall. [00:17:09] This includes a replacement of the 76-inch ton chiller, as well as air handlers 1, 2, and 3. [00:17:16] We direct purchased all the material, and hopefully this project will get started in November, [00:17:23] and we've got $400,000 budgeted for the construction. [00:17:27] The next one is the 23 Sims Park boat ramp improvements. You're familiar with this one. [00:17:34] This includes, well, first of all, the location is just northeast corner of the Main Street and [00:17:42] River Road is where we're at. It's calling for expansion of the area itself, parking lot [00:17:52] improvements, the removal of the existing restroom and the construction of a larger one, the [00:17:59] construction of sidewalks around the boat ramp, seawalls connecting to the shelters and capping of [00:18:06] the existing seawall be included. This is going to occur over several years, as you can see. [00:18:15] We have, hopefully, the assemblage occurring this year. We have that at $500,000, and then we have [00:18:23] design for 23-24, and then it'll take us approximately three years for the construction to conclude. [00:18:32] This is a reoccurring project that we have. This one element calls for the renovation of the [00:18:40] existing restrooms located on the second floor here at City Hall, and we have approximately [00:18:47] $220,000 budgeted for those upgrades. [00:18:55] Grand Boulevard bridge replacement, that is a project that the city and the county will execute [00:19:03] in a local agreement and work together on. The bridge is, we're proposing to hopefully be able to [00:19:09] elevate it approximately five feet or the same height as the Main Street bridge. We have utilities [00:19:15] on both sides of the existing bridge now that will have to be temporarily replaced. [00:19:22] That will have to be temporarily put in place and then installed on the new bridge. [00:19:28] It also will include the multi-use path design on the top side of the bridge, as well as some [00:19:36] right-of-way improvements that need to be performed. [00:19:40] Good question. When you say you're hoping to be able to raise it, there'd be some issues with that? [00:19:49] There's no issues that we are aware of. We've done a pretty good job. [00:19:56] We're hoping. What are we hoping? What's going on? [00:19:58] There are design challenges without question that need to be addressed, but the county hasn't initiated [00:20:05] the design process, so we're not certain at this point what will need to be done in order to make sure [00:20:14] that the existing properties on Grand Boulevard will have ingress and proper egress from their properties. [00:20:22] We've ended up getting grade shots of the existing conditions, the proposed height increases, [00:20:28] and it looks like we're going to get it, no problem, but until we really get to that next stage of engineering, [00:20:37] I don't want to present to you and say, oh, definitely, it's going to be five feet. It might be four and a half. [00:20:43] It should be five, but we're not there yet. [00:20:49] Do we have a timetable on the county's timetable when they're going to go to engineering on this? [00:20:54] Well, they just ended up getting the RFQs in, and so we ended up reaching out to them. [00:21:02] They are going to start holding those meetings over the next month, [00:21:10] and so we would expect that they would be taking it to their board for the consultant selection by September, [00:21:19] and I would think that their design would start in October. We're expecting them to. [00:21:30] This next project that we have is actually a feasibility study. [00:21:34] Typically, we don't put studies in a capital improvement program, [00:21:37] but we did here because this one could result into going into engineering and construction, [00:21:43] depending on the feasibility results that are submitted to you all. [00:21:49] This is basically talking about a multiuse path that would be on the north side of Sims Park [00:21:57] that would get us out to the New Port Richey city limits. [00:22:02] We've had those discussions, and so basically we need to start off with a feasibility study [00:22:07] that analyzes the existing conditions, takes public input of the residents that are there, [00:22:14] as well as other residents that might want to utilize or not utilize it, and then go from there. [00:22:20] And so that's $50,000 that is budgeted. [00:22:27] This project here we are all familiar with. It's the Grand Boulevard multiuse path, [00:22:33] and so this calls for the construction and design of the area from Marine Parkway along Grand Boulevard north [00:22:41] up to the bridge at this point, and we would expect that as we are performing this, [00:22:48] we would also be coming to you with proposed engineering task order to complete north from the bridge [00:22:57] all the way to Delaware at this point. [00:23:00] And we have $1.4 million that is budgeted with an engineering of $150,000. [00:23:08] There is potential. [00:23:10] We have another item that we are bringing to you today at the next meeting that is talking about another analysis [00:23:19] that we need to perform to be able to get grant funding. [00:23:23] The grant funding is for regional projects. [00:23:26] We're trying to work with the MPO to be able to get funding for the construction of this project. [00:23:41] All right, so the funding for these presented projects will primarily come from Penny for Pasco funds, [00:23:50] and then also some possible grant funds that our staff has worked on to get. [00:23:59] In addition, we have some prior year rollover of funds in this particular fund that will cover some of the projects [00:24:08] that were presented as well. [00:24:13] A question about Mike. [00:24:15] If we can go back to the Fire Station 2, just a couple of questions. [00:24:22] I know that we have a funding source, both bond proceeds and American Rescue Plan funds. [00:24:31] That's a major project. [00:24:33] I don't know how those – two questions I really have. [00:24:38] Number one, I know that we went out to bid on that project, I believe, last year, [00:24:45] and we're not real happy with what we received based upon some inflationary cost runs, [00:24:52] and maybe we're going to re-look at that design to see if there can be modifications to be changed or not. [00:25:00] And then secondly, so the question is where we are on that versus what our initial budget was [00:25:08] versus what our projected cost bids came in. [00:25:14] And then did we make adjusts? [00:25:17] I don't recall this budget here for construction of 3.5. [00:25:22] I don't know if that changed. [00:25:23] I don't recall what it was before. [00:25:26] And then what's the breakdown on the Rescue Plan funds and our bond proceeds on that project? [00:25:37] Do you have any – [00:25:38] Talk about the construction side. [00:25:40] I'll kick it off, if that's all right. [00:25:44] At the conclusion of the review of bids last year, at the suggestion of Mr. Rivera, [00:25:54] we sat down with the contractors that had submitted the three lowest bids, [00:26:02] and we conducted interviews with them and learned from them the basis of their bids [00:26:11] and what we could have done differently that would have made a difference in the bids. [00:26:17] And we learned some very good, very important information from them on some design changes [00:26:24] that we could make that would have been impactful to our budget. [00:26:30] And as a follow-up to that, they also said some things that the market was just at a place [00:26:42] and there were supply chain issues that just made it a really bad time for us to bid the project. [00:26:51] And they encouraged us to wait until we re-bid the project. [00:26:57] We've heard some things recently from some contractors that it might be time, [00:27:04] there might be some loosening in respect to some of the supply costs that we largely depended on, [00:27:17] like metals, for this specific project. [00:27:23] I've had some recent conversation with the architect, [00:27:29] and we want to make some changes in the building that would be more in line [00:27:36] with some of the recommendations that we received from the contractors that bid the project [00:27:42] to see if we might be more in line with the budget we have. [00:27:49] The budget we have is more than what we originally projected. [00:27:53] I think we were at 2.9 originally, if I remember correctly. [00:27:58] And we put additional American rescue funds in the budget to reflect the fact that the market isn't the same today [00:28:08] as it was when we originally designed the project and established an estimate of probable construction costs. [00:28:20] And that's why we established money in our American care funds to cover overages in construction [00:28:33] as a result of COVID-related factors. [00:28:39] So now we're at 3.5, and we're hopeful that the project would come in near that money [00:28:47] with some minor design changes and a better bidding climate. [00:28:54] Is there something that I need to add or that you'd like to add? [00:28:59] The bond at that time, were we thinking of a $2.5 million bond? [00:29:04] We actually bid more than that for the bond because we actually rolled in the library project [00:29:10] as part of the bond at the same time. [00:29:14] I just had to inquire a little bit because I knew that's a major project, and I just wanted to get the update. [00:29:29] So I appreciate that insight. [00:29:31] It is a major project. [00:29:34] And as a council, we haven't really contemplated yet, and it's sort of in the back of my mind [00:29:44] as the backup plan what we're going to do with the property that they're vacating. [00:30:00] that is an opportunity for some redevelopment, which may yield some additional revenue which [00:30:07] could be brought into the project if we chose to do so. [00:30:15] So the next fund that we will cover is the Water and Sewer Construction Fund, which starts [00:30:21] on page 31. [00:30:25] And so these first set of projects that you see, those are what we call reactive projects [00:30:29] as well. [00:30:30] An example would be if somebody has an existing septic system and they have a failure and [00:30:37] they could be 100 feet from us, we would use one of these projects to be able to go ahead [00:30:42] and fund it to where we could make or expand our system and make it available to them. [00:30:51] This project here is similar to the fire station when we went out to bid. [00:30:56] This is replacing the existing fleet and purchasing warehouse that we have. [00:31:01] It was constructed in 1973. [00:31:04] And so we have proposed to start construction this year and we budgeted $2.2 million and [00:31:15] then it would go into the 2023-2024 year and we would have another $2 million. [00:31:27] This project is the New Port Richey and Pascoe County interconnect upgrades. [00:31:32] This is actually our connection point to Pascoe County in case of an emergency. [00:31:37] It's off of Little Road and Massachusetts Avenue. [00:31:41] It was constructed in the 1970s and as you can tell it's served its useful life. [00:31:49] And so we've got $400,000 approximately for construction budgeted for this project. [00:31:58] This is the advanced meter infrastructure system. [00:32:03] Currently, we completed phase one that replaced our existing old type of dial register meters. [00:32:14] We've upgraded since then to the AMI or smart meters. [00:32:18] We've got approximately 7,500 of them still in the ground. [00:32:23] This project is budgeted for having a contractor come on board and actually replace those meters [00:32:30] out. [00:32:31] We came to you all a few months back and asked to get the funding to be able to purchase [00:32:38] those meters directly. [00:32:40] And so this is just for the construction portion. [00:32:46] This is the 2021 water utility system improvement. [00:32:51] And as many of you know, we end up doing a construction phase of water improvements one [00:32:58] year and then sewer improvements the other year. [00:33:02] And in between that, we end up doing the design. [00:33:06] This here is the construction portion. [00:33:09] We have this divided up into two years as well. [00:33:14] This coming year as well as the next year. [00:33:17] And basically it is approximately 8,000 linear feet of 6 to 8 inch water main pipe replaced [00:33:26] as well as the different facilities that come with that as far as valves and fittings, [00:33:31] those types of things. [00:33:33] And then the location is the surrounding area of the downtown. [00:33:42] And so this is the sewer improvement. [00:33:45] This would be the engineering design phase while we're constructing the water phase, [00:33:50] we'd be designing sewer. [00:33:54] This actually calls out for the last of our two old lift stations that we have to be replaced. [00:34:02] And so that's huge for us. [00:34:05] And so then we also are going to be upsizing 8 inch force main that's associated with those [00:34:11] lift stations and that's budgeted at approximately a million. [00:34:17] The town and country project you're familiar with, that's the old Habitat for Humanity [00:34:23] over there, Southgate area, where they're constructing the new homes. [00:34:27] That system currently, or I'm sorry, there is no system there. [00:34:31] It is all septic except for where they built some of those homes now where we've been able [00:34:36] to supply them with sewer. [00:34:39] We will be working out an interlocal agreement with Pasco County. [00:34:44] That agreement calls out for the county to allocate $2 million towards this project. [00:34:52] I think our last bid that we had was $1.8 to $2 million. [00:34:57] So we're proposing to have 100% funding for this. [00:35:02] And it would include approximately 3,500 feet of new gravity sewer pipe as well as force [00:35:08] main to extend to 115 parcels. [00:35:17] And the funding for these projects will include, as Robert just mentioned, Pasco County Cooperative [00:35:25] Agreement bond proceeds from our 2019 issue. [00:35:31] That's the remaining portion of those bond proceeds and then a rollover of reserve funds [00:35:36] to cover the remaining portion. [00:35:43] And then the next fund we'll go over is the CRA fund and that begins on page 45. [00:35:51] And so the first project that we are proposing is the Main Street Gateway entrance sign. [00:36:04] Actually, it's basically two signs. [00:36:06] We have an electronic board similar to the ones that you see on Main Street that would [00:36:14] be installed on the southeast corner of Main Street and 19 and then approximately 100 feet, [00:36:23] 200 feet from the intersection on Main Street that also is east of US Highway 19. [00:36:31] We would have a sign that would extend all the way across Main Street that would acknowledge [00:36:39] the city of New Port Richey entranceway. [00:36:43] In addition, where you see that gap now in between the hedges, we would work with Kaiser [00:36:49] University to install what we would call a courtyard setting, improvements over on that. [00:36:57] That would be included in this project. [00:36:59] So we do have an estimate of $350,000 to be constructed for construction this coming [00:37:05] year and that also would include contributions from the city as well as Kaiser. [00:37:13] This is Railroad Square. [00:37:17] We had just talked about it in the previous meeting that we just had. [00:37:23] We've got American Rescue Act funding at a constructed cost of $2.9 million. [00:37:33] This is our streetscape enhancements. [00:37:37] We had this last year as well and it's, I believe, going to be, as we move down, it's [00:37:42] going to be one of those standard projects that we have. [00:37:47] We will end up including a master plan which identifies the different types of amenities [00:37:54] that we could have in the downtown areas as far as bike racks, banners, planters, shade [00:37:59] structures, all of those types of things that we would do year after year. [00:38:05] We've got $50,000 budgeted for this year in construction. [00:38:14] And the summary of funding for the projects we just proposed include tax increment financing, [00:38:21] American Rescue Plan Act funds, and a rollover of funds from this fiscal year that we expect [00:38:30] to not spend and so we'll rollover it into the upcoming fiscal year. [00:38:37] Just a couple of things, go back just one, the streetscape enhancement there, I'm just [00:38:49] trying to wrap my head around it, we used $25,000 worth of engineering to do $50,000 [00:38:53] worth of construction. [00:38:54] And I realize some of that engineering might go into future years, but we also have a pretty [00:39:00] good tide of money for engineering in the future years. [00:39:03] I'm just trying to wrap my head around it, we used $125,000, I'm just trying to understand [00:39:13] engineering expense. [00:39:15] Engineering expense in this, this year you would be talking about a master plan that [00:39:18] would identify existing conditions and the proposed elements that you're going to be [00:39:22] included. [00:39:23] If the following year you all say, okay, we want to put some additional shade structures [00:39:29] in, then you have to supply engineers a set of drawings to get permits to construct those. [00:39:37] So you might have engineering in one year, if we sit there and elect to do like we did [00:39:45] last year where we had trash cans that we were replacing, that you didn't need any engineering [00:39:52] then that fund would rollover. [00:39:56] It might not support, if you'll allow me, the engineering might not support the construction [00:40:04] necessarily, it might be related to another project. [00:40:10] So we might be engineering for something that's going to happen in a future year, so it might [00:40:16] be a portion of the total cost for engineering where we might just use the construction cost [00:40:25] for trash cans or benches or planters where we really don't need any engineering funding. [00:40:34] But if we were putting up shade structures in the downtown, then we would need engineering [00:40:40] money and we might plan for that over a couple of years. [00:40:47] It looks funny though. [00:40:48] Specifically the engineering, current year and future years, the summation, the engineering [00:40:55] still runs 20% or 25% of the entire project cost, it's just... [00:41:03] It does seem funny. [00:41:05] The 20% is, we're starting to see engineering services up there, minimum 15%, they're hanging [00:41:14] around 15, 18. [00:41:17] So I think it's a sign of things to come. [00:41:20] We're more busy with projects now. [00:41:24] We're getting a deal with Square, $25,000 engineering, $3 million construction, so. [00:41:32] Everything's different. [00:41:33] I just... [00:41:34] Well we've done... [00:41:35] We've probably done some engineering work before. [00:41:36] We've done engineering with a couple of task orders, this is what's left. [00:41:43] Back in 14, we used to be able to beat them up, maybe get them to 9%, between 11%. [00:41:49] But it has consistently been going up since that time, as Robert's indicating. [00:41:56] Well I just have two, I'll also just point out, the Town and Country Leisure Lane, that [00:42:02] area, we've talked about that for a number of years, that little enclave, so to speak, [00:42:09] that needs to be attended to. [00:42:14] So I'm pleased to see that the county's stepping up and offering the $2 million to help that [00:42:21] situation. [00:42:22] So, a long way in allowing more options for that property in the future. [00:42:31] So it's just happy to see that come to fruition. [00:42:38] It's been great to work with on the project. [00:42:42] Alright, so the final fund that we will cover is the Street Improvement Fund, and that begins [00:42:49] on page 51. [00:42:52] So this is your traffic signs upgrade. [00:42:58] Right now we are... [00:42:59] Mr. Mayor, can you hear me? [00:43:00] Yes. [00:43:01] Go ahead. [00:43:02] I'm sorry. [00:43:04] Can you let me slide in just a few comments on the CRA budget? [00:43:11] Sure. [00:43:12] Yeah. [00:43:13] The $2.9 million for the railroad square to come from the American Rescue Act, which would [00:43:26] be helpful, I think, for me to see, again, how that money is going to be distributed [00:43:35] versus the resolution that was before us a year ago. [00:43:42] But when it compares to the $50,000 to provide shade and lighting, which we paid, you know, [00:43:51] speaking of engineering fees, we paid a considerable amount of money to consultants and got some [00:43:57] great strategy to help the economic development of our city through facade design, shade structuring, [00:44:11] lighting, and other sort of safety measures. [00:44:17] I just question the intent of the American Rescue Act money to help and support economic [00:44:24] recovery and putting nearly $3 million in one block and spreading $50,000 among the [00:44:32] rest of the city. [00:44:33] I'm not so sure how well that goes over. [00:44:36] I do think it's an exciting project. [00:44:38] I can't wait to see it. [00:44:42] I feel that that $50,000 is probably shy of the mark, considering we're probably going [00:44:50] to have to receive both two years' batches of funds from that act. [00:45:00] And I think it might be worthwhile us revisiting that. [00:45:04] One other thing related to these boat ramp improvements, [00:45:12] also described in the report that we got [00:45:18] was allowing that facility to be a mixed-use facility. [00:45:25] And then we identified as boat ramp improvements, [00:45:27] and maybe the capital improvement page [00:45:34] reflects those capital improvements related to that. [00:45:37] But I think we are either ignoring or missing the mark [00:45:41] by not citing the fact that the CRA has plans [00:45:47] to participate in that assemblage of properties [00:45:50] that it's been putting together for more [00:45:55] than just recreational and public purpose, [00:46:01] but to create increment, which is [00:46:03] the whole goal of the elimination of slum and blight [00:46:06] and to get property values on the tax roll. [00:46:12] So thank you for letting me speak. [00:46:13] It's hard to interact, so I'm going to stop and turn back [00:46:17] to the TV and listen. [00:46:19] All right. [00:46:20] Thank you for your comments, Pete. [00:46:26] Thank you. [00:46:29] The next funding is the Street Improvement Fund. [00:46:34] This project is traffic signs upgrades. [00:46:36] I'm sure you all have noticed where [00:46:38] we have in the downtown area where we've upgraded [00:46:41] the decorative signage. [00:46:44] This continues that. [00:46:47] We have $50,000 allocated for this year. [00:46:51] This is the 2122 Neighborhood Improvement Project. [00:46:55] This is the North River Road project [00:46:57] that we've all talked about. [00:47:00] We've got a construction estimate of $1.5 and $80,000 [00:47:04] in engineering. [00:47:06] This is for the upgrades from Main Street all the way [00:47:11] to Legion's Place. [00:47:13] It also improves both intersections [00:47:16] at Veterans and River Road, as well as Legion's Place [00:47:21] and Veterans. [00:47:22] It takes and replaces and relocates the existing sidewalk [00:47:27] on the east side and calls out for hardscape, landscape, [00:47:33] and lighting improvements to the area. [00:47:39] This is the LED crosswalk, the signage and lighting system [00:47:44] project that we have. [00:47:47] This year, we're expected to direct purchase and install [00:47:51] the systems at North River Road, at Green Key Road, Madison [00:47:56] Street at Kentucky, and then Grand Boulevard [00:47:59] at Missouri Avenue. [00:48:03] This project is the West Main Street sidewalk improvement. [00:48:08] This calls out for a five-foot sidewalk [00:48:10] to be installed along the road. [00:48:12] This is the roadwalk to be installed [00:48:14] along the north side of Main Street, [00:48:16] in between US-19 and Oldsner Road. [00:48:19] It also includes drainage improvements [00:48:22] to the existing drainage system that's out there, [00:48:26] right at the S-curb by Town Square Villas. [00:48:31] We'll be upsizing that and then installing [00:48:33] drainage swells along that. [00:48:36] Do you anticipate that's going to stop the street flooding [00:48:39] that happens every time it's potting? [00:48:42] I don't think that it would eliminate any flooding that's [00:48:45] on the west side. [00:48:46] Do I think that it will have an impact and reduce it? [00:48:51] Yes. [00:48:54] I've had conversation with the county [00:48:58] about them participating with us in the project, [00:49:02] and I expect that they'll be back with us soon. [00:49:05] Part of that, I think, may just be [00:49:07] that street is so doggone low compared to everything else. [00:49:10] It just pools there any time you get a decent storm. [00:49:14] And I think some of the problems that you have as well, [00:49:16] is like Town Square Villas, is almost at the same grade. [00:49:21] So if you lift the road, you're going [00:49:23] to flood Town Square Villas. [00:49:26] But as Ms. Manns was talking, we have reached out to the county [00:49:29] to let them know, hey, we're doing a project. [00:49:33] Would you be interested in constructing sidewalk [00:49:36] and drainage swells to the west of Oldsner Road that [00:49:40] goes out to see forest? [00:49:42] And we also are looking at some funding as well for the project. [00:49:50] This is our roadway and parking lot striping program. [00:49:53] We've got $35,000 allocated this year. [00:49:57] And we would be looking at, we did the recreation center [00:50:01] parking lot over by the tennis courts. [00:50:03] The rest of their parking lot area is in pretty bad shape. [00:50:06] So we would anticipate restriping those areas. [00:50:12] This is the neighborhood alley improvements. [00:50:15] This is a directive from city council to reclaim our alleys. [00:50:20] What we ended up wanting to do is [00:50:23] to start off by getting those alleys surveyed, [00:50:26] so that we can tell what our limits are. [00:50:29] A lot of the alleys now might be open. [00:50:32] But because of usage, they may have been naturally shifted over [00:50:38] by the people that use them. [00:50:40] We have found some alleys that were 20 feet off [00:50:43] of where they were. [00:50:44] So this year, we would hope that we [00:50:47] would be able to finish the survey work that we have [00:50:51] before we start getting in there and letting everybody know [00:50:55] that, hey, we're going to be reclaiming them. [00:50:58] This is the West Grand neighborhood sidewalk [00:51:02] improvement. [00:51:03] This is the project that you're familiar with. [00:51:05] We ended up getting grant funding for it. [00:51:08] This area is in the East Grand and West Grand neighborhoods. [00:51:13] It's approximately 14 linear feet, 1,000 feet [00:51:16] of sidewalk installation, where there [00:51:20] are areas that have gaps in between existing sidewalks. [00:51:26] And there are roads that basically [00:51:28] have no sidewalks at all. [00:51:31] And so this project should fill those gaps in. [00:51:36] We have a million dollars that's budgeted for the project. [00:51:39] And like I said, it should be 100% funded with the CDBG grant [00:51:43] funding. [00:51:44] That's going to be expanded eventually? [00:51:46] I noticed right at the bottom there, [00:51:48] before the river, like Riverview and Rio, [00:51:53] wasn't shown on there. [00:51:54] Correct. [00:51:55] There's none there now. [00:51:56] Correct. [00:51:56] We have a, I was talking with Councilman Peters earlier, [00:52:01] when we performed our pavement management plan, [00:52:03] we also did an analysis of the existing sidewalks, [00:52:07] their widths, their conditions, what side of the road [00:52:11] they were on, and started ranking of which ones we [00:52:15] would like to remediate first. [00:52:17] And the first ones, obviously, are the areas [00:52:21] that we have no sidewalk or that we have the gaps. [00:52:24] We still perform maintenance on the ones that are existing, [00:52:28] either through using our maintenance staff [00:52:31] or taking them when we perform our paving projects. [00:52:37] We will take care of any of the sidewalks that are broken up [00:52:41] and damaged at that time, too. [00:52:45] This project is the Madison Street sidewalk relocation. [00:52:48] You all are familiar with that. [00:52:50] You can see right here where the existing sidewalk comes right [00:52:53] up to the curb. [00:52:55] The problem with this project that's taken us a while [00:52:58] is we're trying to get buy-in from the residents [00:53:01] because our right-of-way is very limited. [00:53:04] So this year, we are taking and hopefully [00:53:08] going to be able to acquire the additional right-of-way that we [00:53:12] need or sidewalk easement from the residents [00:53:16] so that we can relocate that sidewalk, hopefully, [00:53:20] five feet back from its existing location. [00:53:24] There could be some areas where it would remain where it's at [00:53:29] simply because, as we've been doing some homework, [00:53:32] we have found out that there are some homes that [00:53:35] are closer to the roadway than what we thought. [00:53:38] So being able to move a sidewalk right up to a house [00:53:41] isn't a very good idea. [00:53:43] But the point is we're going to try [00:53:44] to get this sidewalk up back past that curb [00:53:48] because it's heavily utilized by the golf middle school kids. [00:53:53] And we have had some accidents there. [00:53:54] Is this stretch of Madison a candidate for a diet? [00:54:00] It could be. [00:54:01] So that would get you a little bit of extra room [00:54:04] for that sidewalk improvement, right? [00:54:11] Next project that we have is the 22 Street Improvement Project. [00:54:17] This area that's identified, we're [00:54:19] at the point now where we are trying [00:54:21] to rank the road conditions in groups by the neighborhoods [00:54:29] instead of individually going by each road. [00:54:33] This area is East Grand and the West Grand. [00:54:36] And there is a section of North River neighborhoods [00:54:40] that we'll be focusing on. [00:54:43] And of course, this would be the continuation. [00:54:46] This would be the design portion for the following year. [00:54:50] We would still be in the East and West Grand neighborhoods. [00:54:55] As you're doing those, I would encourage [00:55:00] you to look at any of those streets [00:55:02] that you're going to touch for redoing. [00:55:06] Look at the width and see if we can't just [00:55:08] go ahead and put them on a diet while you're doing it. [00:55:11] That'll save money on asphalt. [00:55:14] And it will slow the traffic down. [00:55:21] And it'll also make room available [00:55:22] if we don't have sidewalks on that particular stretch. [00:55:25] And I know in a bunch of these, and you [00:55:27] were talking about the West Grand having [00:55:30] to put sidewalks in, if you're going [00:55:32] to do street improvements on some of those same streets, [00:55:37] looking at it as holistically, I think, [00:55:42] would be beneficial. [00:55:44] Because that'll make it easier to figure out [00:55:46] where you can put sidewalks. [00:55:52] West Grand area of sidewalks, 14,000 feet, [00:55:59] that's getting close to three miles. [00:56:04] And that's going to make a huge difference [00:56:06] in that neighborhood. [00:56:08] And that's one of the hearts of our city, [00:56:13] our residential portion of our city. [00:56:16] And I think it's going to be really [00:56:21] going to make that whole neighborhood look different [00:56:24] and feel more like a neighborhood. [00:56:27] You know, if you do that, and it's an excellent point, [00:56:30] you narrow those streets down to make [00:56:32] them more residential speeds. [00:56:35] If you put the sidewalks into there, [00:56:40] that makes walking and the kids bicycling and doing [00:56:43] all that stuff a little better. [00:56:47] You're going to see houses in there [00:56:50] become very popular for people that [00:56:53] are looking to move into Newport Ridge. [00:56:55] Because that will just, like you say, [00:56:57] it'll change the whole way that neighborhood is viewed. [00:57:03] You look at some of the newer, well-planned neighborhood [00:57:08] developments and the combination of sidewalks and trees [00:57:15] along those areas, it really makes [00:57:18] a considerably different feel. [00:57:21] And very popular, particularly for younger families. [00:57:25] I think the folks in the West Grand neighborhood [00:57:27] are going to be really excited when [00:57:28] they see what's possible there. [00:57:33] All right, so these projects are housed in our Street Improvement [00:57:37] Fund, which is annually funded by the local option gas [00:57:42] tax and our paving assessment. [00:57:46] In addition to that, for next fiscal year, [00:57:49] we're proposing, or our staff have secured a CDBG grant [00:57:53] and other grants to fund the remaining [00:57:56] portion of the projects. [00:57:58] Without any other, if you have any other questions, if not, [00:58:01] then that concludes the summary and overview [00:58:05] of the capital improvement program. [00:58:08] H, you have any other thoughts? [00:58:14] Yes, sir, can you hear me? [00:58:16] We can now. [00:58:21] OK. [00:58:22] OK, yeah, I had recommended, and this just [00:58:26] ties into your last conversations about the look [00:58:28] and feel of the streets, not only for, [00:58:32] as you and Councilman Peters have alluded [00:58:35] to, the ambiance of the streets, but also the safety. [00:58:41] And I had recommended that we get [00:58:46] and I had recommended that we get some safety consulting. [00:58:56] And the word was planning that Mike brought up. [00:59:00] So while we have figures that we identify for engineering, [00:59:06] I'd like to clarify that those dollars could [00:59:08] be used in the planning and engineering, [00:59:13] because I intend to, I'd like to push [00:59:16] to see us look at the safety of our roads [00:59:17] again as we brought up last week. [00:59:20] And I think that can lead to the arguments [00:59:24] you're making on road diets as well. [00:59:27] Pete, I would agree with you 100%. [00:59:32] We need to take these roads back so the people that [00:59:35] live there actually have streets that fit their neighborhood [00:59:41] and that are safer. [00:59:42] So anything we do on engineering should [00:59:46] be looking at it from a safety standpoint [00:59:48] as well, because we want these to be neighborhood streets, not [00:59:52] thoroughfares.

    This text was generated automatically from the meeting video. It is not a verbatim or official record. For exact wording, consult the video or the city clerk.

  3. 4Adjournment59:55
  4. 3Communications