Street Improvement Committee
April 13, 2011
Meeting Minutes
The Street Improvement Committee met on Wednesday April 13, 2011 commencing at 7:00pm in the Council Chambers at Lewes City Hall, in accordance with proper notification, with the following members present: Councilpersons Ted Becker & Victor Letonoff and BPW Commissioner James Carmean. Also in attendance were City Manager Paul Eckrich, BPW General Manager Ken Mecham, Vince Luciani & Tony Rutherford of George, Miles & Buhr LLC and Recording Secretary Alice Erickson. Mr. Richmann was excused.
Mr. Beckerreported on the status of the Bay Avenue project to this point. The project will be the most expensive street rehabilitation done by the City with an estimated cost of $3million. It will take a significant amount of time to complete. The schedule isyet to be determined. Property along Bay Avenue is leased land with metes and bounds. The width of the street goes from 12-feet or less up to 32-feet. The right of way(ROW) lines have never been enforced by the City; therefore, over the years there have been many instances of residents encroaching into the City 32-foot right of way. The City is not going to request any of the leased land returned for this project. They are looking to make the street more servable to the residence and for emergency vehicle access. The street project is being designed for 365 days of use as opposed to the heaviest used days in the summer months. There must be some compromise on what the Committee is willing to give and willing to take. Public safety, health and welfare of the community at large arethe important issues to the Committee. The plan for the road is to maintain a 12-foot paved width but there are concerns regarding public safety and they are considering the addition of 2-feet on both sides of open, unpaved surface for emergency vehicles access.
- Presentation & consideration of the minutes from the February 4, 2011 and February 9, 2011 Street Improvement Committee workshop.
ACTION:Councilperson Letonoff made motion to approve the minutes as presented, seconded byBPW Board member Carmean, all voting in favor motion carried.
- Discussion regarding Water/Sewer Replacement/Stormwater Management
Vince Luciani, GMB gave a PowerPoint presentation on the status of the project.
Summary of Utility Work:
WATER: They will be replacing the water main from Market Street to Michigan Avenue. There is a section out under the beach that will beabandoned and a new pipe will be installedunder Bay Avenue and they will be upgrading the section from Oregon to Michigan Avenue from a 4” to a 6” water main. The curb stops will be installed 1-foot within the ROW and it will be the homeowners responsibility to tie into the water main. There will be three fire hydrants.
Sanitary Sewer: They will be replacing the entire sanitary sewer Market Street to Maine Avenue with 8” PVC, with new manholes and terminal cleanouts.
STORMWATER SYSTEM: They will be using porous asphalt system 12” of stone which will handle a 10-yr storm event.
The design is at 70% complete. Sanitary sewer service will continue during construction. Water service will be restored by the end of each day but there will be some interruption in service during the day. BPW General Manager Ken Mecham stated the residents will have up to 120-days to switch over to the new water service.
Libby Owen, Coleman Avenue, questioned why there will be fire hydrants on Bay Avenue if they are not being used by the Fire Dept. Mr. Luciani stated they are for maintenance purposes to flush out the system by the BPW.
- Report on meeting with DNREC regarding possible dune disturbances
Mr. Luciani reported they met with Jessica Watson, DNREC regarding disturbances of the dunes on Bay Avenue. There will be some disturbance when installing the water main. DNREC does not classify areas landward of the building line as protected dunes. The area that will be disturbed falls under this classification and it is up to the town how to deal with it. Even though the disturbance is allowable,DNREC wants the area restored with native vegetation. The new water line will be very close to the line but will be on the landward side. The old water mainunder the beach will be abandoned and not removed. DNREC has requested a copy of design drawings to do a cursory review. At each intersection with beach access the road will jog to avoid significant disturbance of the sand.
There was discussion about the road “jog” and if the road will narrow in these locations. Mr. Luciani stated the road will jog but it will not narrow. The street will not be narrower than 12-feet at these intersections. The jogs will be 4-feet towards Cedar Avenue. This will also provide traffic calming.
- Discussion with Chief Horvath regarding Traffic Issues along Bay Avenue
Mr. Luciani reviewed the issue of traffic calming devices. They do not anticipate using speed tables, speed humps or raised crosswalks. There will be stop signs at each intersection, approx 300’ apart. Engineering, education and enforcement are key aspects of traffic calming. The jogs at the intersections are the only devices they are planning to use.
Chief of Police Jeff Horvath was present to discuss traffic enforcement issues along Bay Avenue. Chief Horvath stated he has been discussing this issue with the City Manager. With the current condition of Bay Ave, he has a hard time believing there are any speeding issues, but with the new pavement it will be much easier to speed. The speed limit will stay the same but it needs to be clearly marked, possibly with more signs. He explained officers go into the community with a certain tolerance for speeding and the tolerance in a 15 mph area will be much less. If they get complaints from the residents in the area, they will step up enforcement. If stop signs are placed in the proper position, it will be easier to enforce when a vehicle does not stop. The condition of the road is not very good for the police to set up radar but they will work to adapt to the condition with the possibility of hand held radar. He does not recommend using speed table or humps, even though they can be effective in slowing down traffic.
Mr. Becker requested Chief Horvath address the parking issue. Chief Horvath stated as long as it is clearly marked as “no parking”, a ticket can be written. If the residents want no parking then it must be clearly marked to be enforced.
Libby Owen, Coleman Avenue, stated the parking issue is not if people are allowed to park on a street or not but that they are parking out into the street making the side streets impassable and they cannot get to Bay Avenue. Can they be ticketed? Chief Horvath stated if a car is parked illegally it can be ticketed. If an area does not allow safe parking it should be postedas a no parking area.
Bonnie Heebner, 107 New Jersey, questioned if rumble strips could be used leading up to stop signs. A big issue is with cars parked too close to the intersections making it difficult to make safe turns. Streets are being blocked by cars.
Chief Horvath stated it should be clearly marked “no parking from here to the corner” and then it can be enforced. If it is unsafe for vehicles to proceed through a street due to parked cars, then vehicles can be towed but it must be clearly marked. There may be some streets that are too narrow for parking on both sides or allow parking at all.
Phil Volturo, 6 E. Canal, agreed there are frequent parking issues. Cars are parking in front of his mailbox, which is at the corner, and there have been times his mail has not been delivered as a result. He has no problem with what has been presented, but requested the Committee doesn’t discount speed tables in the future. Mr. Becker agreed, they have information on speed tables that could be applied after the project is completed if found to be necessary.
Marsha Davis, 12 Vermont, questioned what a speed table is. Mr. Becker explained a speed table is wider than a speed bump, with a wider flat surface, not such a hard bump. Ms. Davis stated she is concerned about young children riding bikes and pedestrianaccess with speed bumps.Mr. Becker agreed stating they will be looking at pavement markings for bikes and pedestrians.
Libby Owen, Coleman Avenue stated there may be a speed concern on Bay Avenue, but they need to look at the whole beach area. Cedar Avenue has a big speeding problem. Chief Horvath stated they have steppedup enforcement on Cedar Avenue and there was not much ticket activity. The average speed was27 mph. They will continue to keep an eye on the situation.
Jim Bastian, 700 Bay Avenue, stated if the stop signs were enforced, there would not be a speeding problem.
Dorothy Foster, Bay Avenue, stated there is a problem with enforcement even when the residents call. The police need to watch during the summer to see what the problems are. Chief Horvath stated enforcement is easy to do as long as there are signs and/or some indication of the limitations.
Mr. Becker stated there has been discussion about the reversal of traffic direction on Bay Avenue prior to the completion of the project. It was determined that because the mailboxes would have to be moved twice, it would not be put into effect until after the rehabilitation is completed. It is still being considered but there are several questions that need to be worked out.
- Discussion regarding Transitions and Limits of Disturbance
Mr. Luciani explained the transition areas are where major re-grading and restoration work will occur. This will be from the edge of the paved surface back to the limits of disturbance. The limits of disturbance (LOD) are the areasof the work area identified by the engineers as necessary to complete both the utility installation and re-grading work. The water main will be installed as close to the utility poles as possible, and there will be 10-feet of separation for the sewer line. The area of disturbance beyond that will be 6-10 feet. By contract, the contractor must limit all disturbances within the LOD line and areas outside the LOD should be minimally impacted.
There is a 12’ right of way (ROW) section and a 32’ right of way (ROW) section along Bay Avenue. Dealing with the transitions in each situation is very different. Mr. Luciani reviewed a photo at the intersection at Delaware and Bay Avenue, which had been photo shopped to represent what the street will look like after the rehabilitation. The photos indicated where the water and sewer lines would be located under the road.
Transition at 12’ wide ROW section:The LOD will be 6-10’ off the paved surface. They will need to encroach onto private property and any disturbance outside of the ROW will be restored to the preexisting condition.
Transition at 32’ wide ROW section: LOD will be 6-10’ off the paved surface. On the Bayside, the LOD has been established as the City’s ROW line. On the Cedar Avenue side the LOD will be at 6-10’ from edge of proposed paved surface.
The utility poles will remain in their existing locations.There is a lot of vegetation that encroaches into the ROW and into the 16’ clear area. There will need to be clearing of vegetation to install the utilities.
All existing improvements within the LOD are to be removed by the home owner prior to the contractor beginning the project. GMB will layout the LOD within the next 30-60 days so the home owners will know where it will be and what they need to do. GMB will meet individually with each home owner to discuss the potential disturbances to their property.
There was discussion regarding the LOD and why they will need such a large area. Mr. Luciani stated the equipment required to dig the trench to install the utilities requires a large flat area. The water and sanitary sewer lines must have 10-feet of separation and in the 12-foot ROW section, this will require going onto private property to install. The 32-feet ROW area will not require as much disturbance into private property.
Joe Kelly, 7 New Hampshire Avenue, stated there are alternatives for installing the utilities to reduce the LOD. The pipes could be double encased and not require 10-feet of separation. Mr. Luciani stated he is not aware of this process and it would have to be cleared by the Drinking Water Commission.
Mr. Becker stated there is the possibility of using smaller equipment and they are looking at including this requirement in the specifications
Robin Lester, 8 Connecticut Avenue, stated she is concerned that all the vegetation will be removed and change the character of the street.
Mr. Becker explained that the City has a 32-foot ROW in many areas along Bay Avenue. They are trying to limit the amount of disturbance but it will have to happen to have the utilities replaced. The utilities need to be replaced.
Richard Bacon, 600 Bay Avenue, questioned if the City would consider the increased cost to double encase the utilities.Mr. Carmean stated at this point they don’t know how it would impact the cost or the LOD. They would need more information. At this point, it is not a part of the plan.
Mr. Luciani stated Charlie O’Donnelldid a cost estimate of concrete encasement but he didn’t know what it was. There would still be a LOD beyond the edge of the pavement to create the 2-feet on each side of the road.
Libby Owen, Coleman Avenue, questioned if it is required to have a 12-foot wide road; could it be less.
Fire Chief Wally Evans spoke to the need of having a wider road for fire trucks. He recommended the need for a 16-foot paved surface for emergency vehicles and worked with the City to compromise on a 12-foot paved with 2-feet on each side for a 16-foot cleared area on Bay Avenue. They need to look at the welfare and safety of the community. Mr. Becker stated the 12-foot paved road with 2’ feet on either side was a compromise. Also, Bay Avenue will be a multi-modal street, with pedestrian and bicycle traffic. There will need to be sufficient room for their safety also.
David Hackett, 204 Bay Avenue, pointed out that narrowing the road will not narrow the LOD. The utilities still need to be 10 feet apart.
There was discussion regarding the City going onto leased land to create a disturbance to install the utilities. Mr. Becker stated the City Solicitor has looked into this issue and there is an easement to allow the City to come onto properties to make utility improvements. If there are disturbances on private property, the City will restore them but if disturbances are within the City’s ROW, they will not pay for restoration.
Mr. Luciani explained the engineers will meet with each homeowner to determine the disturbances and replacement to existing condition. There is a budget for replacement of private property, but only on private property. They will not restore disturbances that exist within the City’s ROW. Driveway aprons will be replaced by the contractor with porous asphalt. If Homeowner wants to replace their driveways aprons with another material, it will be at the homeowner’s expense.
- Status update on Project Design and Schedule
Mr. Luciani explained the construction will start in fall 2011, and will go out to bid in July 2011.
There are two possible schedules:
- Nine (9) months starting fall 2011 to be completed by June 2012. This is a very aggressive schedule and they will need to determine the cost
- Sixteen (16) months, starting in fall 2011 with completion in December 2012.
Which option they go with will depend on the capacity of the contractor. They will make a determination when the bids are received.
Linda Blumner, 118 Bay Avenue, questioned if the flooding on Bayview will be dealt with while this project is going on.Mr. Carmean stated the BPW’s budget has been set but they will be looking at Bayveiw to get the cost fixing it to determine if they can move forward. The installation of porous pavement will require high maintenance and they want to know why Iowa Avenue did not work before they commit to it.
Mr. Becker stated the proposed cost for both Bayview and Iowa Avenue is $250,000. There are several roads with porous pavement that are working without maintenance, but they need to know why Iowa Avenue is not working.
Mr. Becker stated they are near the 70% complete phase and at that point the design will be sent out for independent review by URS. The next meeting will be scheduled for after that review is completed.
There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 9:15pm
Submitted by,
Alice M. Erickson
Recording Secretary
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