HomeMy WebLinkAbout2023-01-11 Transcription Page 1
Council Present: Alter,Bergus,Dunn,Harmsen, Taylor, Teague, Thomas
Staff Present: From,Kilburg,Fruehling,Platz,Knoche,Havel,Davies, Ogden,
Hightshoe,Ralston,Nagle-Gamm,Lyon,Liston, Seydell-Johnson, Tharp,
DeLoach, Carman
Teague: All right. Well, welcome to the City of Iowa City. Uh, we're gonna do our CIP, Capital
Improvement Plan discussion today. And today is the 11th of January 2023. So happy
new year to those that I haven't seen. Um, on Saturday,we had a long time with some of
the staff and community members but we will jump right into this and so I'll hand it over
to our,um,Ron Knoche,uh,to get us started. Welcome.
Knoche: Good afternoon. Uh,today,we're happy to present the proposed 2023 through 2027
Iowa City capital improvements plan. I will use the ESRI Story Map platform for the
presentation. And we'd like to thank Killian Laughead in our engineering division for
helping us pull together,uh,the GIS portion of this. Uh, the capital funds can be found in
the proposed budget documents starting on Page 511. Uh,today we have five objectives.
The fust,uh,Nicole Davies, our finance director will go over the plan development
process and the fund summary. Second, staff will discuss the ongoing projects. There are
nine major projects that are-that are not included in- in this program because the funds
were previously- show- showed up in previous programs. Third, staff will discuss the 18
annual projects in the CIP,uh, four, staff will discuss the 117 projects that are identified
in the five-year program. Uh,the projects may not be presented in the order as they
appear in the budget book,just based on how the presentation is formatted. And then the
final objective is for staff to discuss projects that are considered to be on the radar. Um,
these are projects that are in the unfunded list. We have seven of those,uh,that we just
want to make sure that you're aware of as we move forward. Uh, as we go through the
presentation,you will hear impacts the pandemic,uh,the supply chain issues,the
availability of equipment and labor, and inflation we've had on our- on our projects. We
have had to extend schedules and rebid projects to be able to move forward. Uh,these
impacts are not limited only to our projects,uh, as we develop projects and private utility
companies are coming in to relocate their facilities out of the way,there are also seeing
the same impacts. Uh, so we do appreciate the opportunity to present the proposed,uh,
program and with that, I'll turn it over to Nicole.
Davies: All right. Well, so we'll briefly go through just a few overarching things. So as Ron said,
we'll just go briefly through this timeline. Um,we usually kick this off right around the
beginning of September. We'll send out forms, all of the departments to,um, anything
they wanna request. This year one of the things we also asked, as we've seen,um,
inflation have a major impact is make sure anything that was even previously in the plan
that you're going back looking at it and re-estimating it so that we're- that we are more
comfortable at the cost that we have in there that we're not gonna be way under budget.
Um, once that happens,those requests are due back to finance around September 20th.
This year September 22nd,we'll take that, get it into our software and start putting
together,um, a plan. So once we have that together we'll send out reports to the,uh, CIP
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committee. They'll go through it,we'll meet, we'll talk about it. We'll go and make
changes. Um, Geoff will make lots of cuts, is usually what happens. We'll come out with
another reiteration,um,that happened,uh,the beginning of October. Then meet again the
end of October to get one final report. And even after that,we're still kinda tweaking it to
try to get the bond funding where we need it to be in and as other items come up. Um,but
then usually by the end of November,we've got the plan pretty much where we want it
and at that point,we're focusing on the operating budgets. And then it comes out at the
same time that the operating budget did which to all of you that was December 23rd. Just
to kinda move into some of the high-level,right,the,uh, capital program,um, over the 23
to 27 includes $253 million worth of projects. Um, obviously,that's a significant amount.
As you can see,the majority of that is in streets. Um,just to highlight a few of the big
ones that's part of that $82 million. Um, obviously,they'll go over it in a little bit more
detail as we get into this but in '23 this year we have the Gilbert Street Bridge
Replacement. That's about 4.2 million. Uh, '24, Court Street, and that's about eight
million. And then in '25,the Dodge Street reconstruction,which right now is in the plan
at 18.4 million. Um, another big piece in there is wastewater at 44 million. Um, currently
in FY23,we have the Rohret Sewer; that's about 4.4 million. And then as we've kind of
discussed a little bit on Saturday,there's two big projects,budgeted in FY24 for
wastewater. One is the digester complex rehab and then the,uh, digester gas
improvements. Both of those are budgeted around $14 million. Um, transit obviously,
that big,um, dollar amount there is almost all the transit facility which we currently have
budgeted in FY25. Again, assuming we get some federal dollars to come in and- and help
with that. Um, and then another big thing and the recreation,that 10.2, is all City Park
Pool. Um, again, they'll go into more details as we get into that. The next slide breaks
down the expenses by the major funding sources. Obviously, our biggest funding source
for these projects is our GO bonds. One of the things I wanted to touch on and Geoff had
touch-touched on it Saturday in the presentation, our current issue- our current planned
issue for 23 is about $9.7 million. Um, it's a little lower than normal just because some of
those big projects had to be pushed back. So we're trying to pull as many of the smaller
ones in that we could to kind of get that,um, close to 10 million about. But for the rest of
the Cl plan from FY24 to FY27,the average issuance that we currently have in here is
14.6 million. So as was mentioned on Saturday,the current debt levy can support about
$11 million,um, and that's with two big assumptions. One,that our average taxable
growth increases three percent,which it hasn't been in the last two years. Um, and also
that our effective interest rate stays at five percent or less. And as everyone knows,
interest rates are going up. So we don't know where that's going to land either. And- and
both of those things can play,um,will have an impact on what the debt levy can support.
So if our taxable growth doesn't exceed,um, it looks like about five percent,um,that
would get us to the 14.6. That's about what we need to get to what it currently is. There's
a few options that we would have at that time and not see that raised the debt levy, scale
back the scope of the projects or delay or remove projects altogether. So just kinda wanna
give you that doom and gloom picture of,where we're at with all of these projects and the
cost that they're coming in and- and how many projects we have. Um, I think one of the
other things that you can't really see in this graph,um,because it kinda happens as these
projects come in. This year we had a lot that came in over budget and so we are using a
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lot of,um,reserves that had been built up in the enterprise funds to help fund some of
these street projects that had water main in there, stormwater,wastewater trying to use,
um, and these-the enterprise funds have always supported some of these projects,usually
at a much smaller dollar amount. This year is really,right,the project came in over
600,000 over. We have to find that money somewhere. And a lot of these enterprise funds
had to support that more than they have in the past,um, and with that, it's kind of taken
down some of those reserves at the same time too. And with that, I'll turn it back over to
Jason.
Havel: All right. So we're gonna change gears a little bit here and start talking about specific
projects. The fust category here are ongoing projects. So as Ron mentioned,these are the
projects that don't show up in the current plan because the funding was typically,um, in
previous years but there are products that are still going- ongoing nonetheless. Starting
off with the fust one is the Highway 6 trail. So this will be the construction of a new trail
on the south side of Highway 6 from Fairmeadows Boulevard to Heinz Road.
Construction started last fall. Anticipate that will wrap up this coming year. Next one is
the Riverside Drive pedestrian path. Uh, some of you may remember that this project
originally started as a- a tunnel that was to go through the-the railroad embankment. As
we worked through that design,the railroad came back,uh,with,uh, some concerns
about that and basically said that they wouldn't allow it a tunnel to be installed in this
location. So we had,uh,to change gears a little bit. Now we're looking at modifying the
project to install a sidewalk in this location and what we're planning to do is essentially
narrow up the lanes on Riverside Drive,put a- a barrier there, and then provide a
sidewalk on the west side of Riverside Drive to at least get through that section and
provide for that pedestrian connectivity. We're working through final design right now,
hope to have that,uh, constructed this summer. Next is American Legion Road. So this
is again from Scott Boulevard to Taft Avenue. The majority of construction has been
completed,um,there's sidewalk and some work that needs to be done on the pedestrian
underpass, as well as construction of the Taft Avenue intersection remaining on this
project. Expect that construction will start up again in the spring,uh,hopefully that'll be
completed either late spring or early summer. I would point out too,you know, as we're
looking at delays,this is one product that was severely impacted by,you know,utility
delays. Um,you know, getting some of those utilities out of the way became a challenge
during a portion of this project and- and certainly contributed to the delay of- of
construction there. Benton Street Rehabilitation. This is a project that will include,uh, a
crack and see an overlay of Benton Street from Mormon Trek Boulevard to Greenwood.
Um, it not only will it include it overlay,will also include curb ramp improvements, as
well as some utility work. Uh, another piece of this project is that it will include official
bike lanes on Benton Street. Currently there's a stripe shoulder,but this will widen that to
make it an actual bike lane. Um,this is a project where we had to bid it multiple times
just due to contractor availability, so that,uh,pushed the schedule a little bit as well. Next
we have Foster Road elevation. So this is the functional design of a project to elevate
Foster Road to make it more resilient to flooding events. Uh,you can see one of the
pictures there that from 2008,this is a location that-that did flood,um, this is a-the
single access to the Peninsula neighborhood and other neighborhoods in that area,which
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obviously is- is not ideal and it's something that we're wanting to address. Um, so this is
designed to, or at least the preliminary design to look at what it would take to have a- a
construction project to elevate Foster Road to make it more resilient to flooding. Um,this
does not include construction. Uh, another piece of this sort of puzzle is that there has
been in the past some dis- discussion of development of the Forest View area that
originally had included a secondary access to the Peninsula neighborhood and- and areas
to the West. Um, obviously with the uncertainty of that development,this would be
potentially even more important project. So again,kinda-trying to find that balance of- of
options, I guess,to provide that secondary a- access in the future. Rochester Avenue
reconstruction. So this is the reconstruction project of Rochester Avenue essentially from
Ralston Creek to First Avenue. This is another one that started last fall. Uh, it got from-
started construction roughly from the Creek to Roshester from Court. Um,there's a
section that is currently closed to the traveling public. Um,this is another one where
utility relocations were-were a challenge,um, also ran into some weather delay or
weather issues with the-the cold coming fairly early,um, in a typical construction
season, so we were unable to pave what we were hoping to get done before the winter.
Um, so we would look at construction extending for all of 2023. The goal would be to
get- at least get to First Avenue by the end of the year, although it is likely that some
construction will spill over into 2024. Another product that's out there is the chlorine
feeder system upgrade. This is up at the water plant. Um,this project has been bid. We
have not yet started construction. Um,we're facing,uh, some lead times on equipment, so
there'll be a little bit of a delay, it actually getting started with construction,but anticipate
that that will occur this year and- and be completed by this fall. Similar situation for the
influent rake and screen replacement. This one actually has started construction,but
there's been some lead time delays for equipment for that one as well. Um, this would be
expected to be completed again this-this year. And then finally on the ongoing list, the
Muscatine Avenue pedestrian crossing. This is the-there- is it by the Hy-Vee off of
Muscatine Avenue. Um,the plan would be to include,uh,bus shelter at the bus stop
there, some curb ramp improvements, as well as pedestrian island on Muscatine Avenue.
This is one that you may remember that had-we are-we're looking at using conductive
concrete,which came out of a research project at the- out of Iowa State University. So the
design is- is more or less complete,right now we're working through permitting issues
and- and trying to figure out how this can be done through the electrical code. Um,with it
coming out of a research project,this isn't-hasn't been written yet. And so,you know, it's
not a typical thing, and so we're kind of working through that process of how do we-we
get the-the specifications written such that this could then- can be approved in a- a
quicker manner for future projects. But having to be the fust one, it takes a little bit more
time. So that is it for the ongoing section. I don't know if there's any questions now or we
can move on to annual projects.
Teague: I just want to,um, make point that the sidewalk or the concrete that you were just
referring to,that it melt snow and all that stuff, is that correct?
Havel: Yes. So it- it basically allows for it to be heated through electrical current.
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Teague: Correct.
Havel: Correct.
Teague: Yeah.
Havel: All right. So for the annual projects,we'll start off with the fiber infill and camera.
Davies: So this is a project we've had in the past. It-we had taken it away and now we put it
back. We've had-we've always had money set aside for fiber infill,we had it in the CIP
project,we put it into operations,but what we've found is there's some years that we
won't need it at all, and then the next year we'll need,you know,twice of what we had
budgeted in operations. So this was just kind of a way to save up some of that money, so
when these projects happen because they're usually-typically unplanned,right? They
come up that-that we don't know about, so this money will just be set aside to help with
any fiber infill or any cameras that come up unexpectedly or- or need to be replaced.
Seydell-Johnson: Right. I'll take over fust the park projects. Juli Seydell-Johnson,Parks and
Recreation Director. The fust one we have up is our park annual improvements. We use
this for small projects throughout the parks. Um, all of the new parks signs that we've
been systematically placing throughout the system along with park benches, grills,
bicycle racks,those type of things. And then small partner projects,uh, for instance, if
one of the sport associations approaches us for new scoreboard or something like that, it
typically comes out of this-this,um, fund. The next one is our park ADA improvements.
Um,this addresses items that were outlined in our 2016 parks master plan and we've
systematically gone through the park and added paved sidewalks or paved paths to get to
the shelters,restrooms,um,playgrounds. And good news is we're getting close. Um,we'll
be doing some paving by Rita's Ranch,uh, for the off leash dog park next,um,but we've
done a lot of the small connections throughout the park system, and we continue to do
that with each one of our renovation projects. So our- our access level has increased
dramatically over the last five years. The next one is climate action facility
improvements. This is a new one,uh, last year that addresses issues throughout our aging
facilities. Things like,um,HVAC or building automation systems that can lead to better
efficiency in our heating and cooling. Small solar projects can be done with this
windows- insulated windows, lighting,what I like to call mouse-proofing the outside of
buildings so that we have a- a more protective envelope. All of those projects can,uh,be
taken out of this Climate Action Fund. Inner-city bicycle and trails. This one increases
slightly this year. Uh,we have a number of small bridges throughout the system. If
you've been on- on our trails,we have small wooden bridges, a lot of them placed about
20, 25 years ago, and they are nearing the end of their life where we need to start
replacing those. So this,uh,this fine is a little bit more so we can start addressing those
bridge connections over the next few years. Then we have our annual rec center
improvements. These are smaller improvements throughout both Robert A. Lee and the
Mercer Scanlon Rec Center. The next project you'll see on this is the entryway at Mercer.
Uh, if you've been there, it's kind of a bumpy ride to get in the sidewalk and into the front
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doors. So we'll be replacing the sidewalk for better ADA access, less paving,more
landscaping,prettier entrance,but also a better,uh, driving experience will, uh,replace
some of the sidewalk, or some of the driveway in front of it as well. Uh,Robert A. Lee
will have eventually have new indoor signage, ceiling tiles,this- the,um, flooring tiles.
Those are the kind of replacement things that we do out of this fund. The next one is
annual tree planning. This is where we've been planting over a thousand trees per year for
the last several years. Uh,these are neighborhood infill projects. Uh,the next one will be
in the South District, and actually the-the door hangers notifying people that there'll be
getting trees next-planting season went out last week, so,uh we are excited to continue
with that.
Havel:Next up is the annual stormwater improvements. So this is a fund that we use to make,
uh,repairs to the stormwater system, so that would include things like intakes or storm
sewer,uh,manholes,that kind of thing that come up from time to time,you know,
usually those show up as sinkholes in- in various locations,but this is our fund that's used
again to address those issues as they come up. Next up is annual traffic signal projects.
So this is an annual fund that would fund signal replacements, it also can fund equipment
replacements or upgrades,whether that be traffic signal controllers,uh, traffic cameras,
that kind of thing at our traffic signals. Traffic calming. So this is to install, in a lot of
cases, speed humps in locations that make their-work their way through the-the traffic
calming process that is headed up through our MPO. Um, they- again,this could be other,
um,types of measures. You know,we've used this for radar feedback signs in the past,
but again,typically it would be for our speed humps and neighborhoods.
Teague: Is there a reason that jumped up so high this time around or?
Havel: Uh, I think it had to do probably with a number of locations that we've had. We've seen
intere-more interests in this, uh,program, so there has been more locations each year that
have needed this. Uh,the other thing that is out there is,you know, originally we had
looked at installation cost,uh,now they've been around long enough that we're having to
look at maintenance costs as well.
Teague: Thank you.
Dunn: Do you know approximately how many locations or have increased this year versus yours
past?
Havel: I don't know.
Ralston: Yeah. Hi,Kent Ralston, transportation planner. Uh, I don't have an exact number
because of the way the process works,but we did three last year,uh,three different
stretches of street, and this next year I think we'll have at least that if not more. So there
has been some years where we have one or two, some years four or five,uh,but it overall
has been sort of trending upward.
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Dunn: Thank you.
Ralston: Yeah.
Havel: Our curb ramp ADA project. So this is one that we use. Every year we go out and we find
locations where,uh,we have curb ramps that are not ADA compliant or we have no curb
ramps at- at all. And so this project looks to select some of those facilities and- and
upgrade curb ramps in those locations. Our priorities are, first are those locations that
have no curb ramps. Uh, and then we kinds work our way down the priority list of ones
that are- are too steep or whatever that might be. But,uh, our pri- first priority is still
putting curb ramps in locations that don't have them. Our annual pavement rehabilitation
program. So this is our asphalt overlay program, also includes PCC patching and- and
other maintenance activities on various locations throughout the city. The underground
electrical facilities. This is the fund that we use for,uh,helping to relocate electrical and
telecommunication lines underground. Uh,typically,we use this money in conjunction
with other projects. So a lot of times our reconstruction projects will have,uh,utilities put
those lines underground. Typically that cost is,to the city, is the basically the-the Delta
of relocating those-those facilities to another area location versus what it cost it to put
them underground. And so we pay kinds the-the additional cost to put them underground
in those corridors. Next up is the bicycle master plan implementation. So this is,uh,
money that's available every year to go through and- and make the improvements that
were included in the bicycle master plan. Those can be,uh,things such as four-lane to
three-lane conversions. It can be re-striping for bike lanes,uh, installation of bike
boulevards,that kind-type of thing. The annual bridge maintenance and repair,uh,
account, like it says this, it would be for repairs of bridges. This typically does not
include,uh,you know,bridge replacements. So it would be more of the minor repairs
and- and maintenance projects that are out there for existing bridges. Next up is the
annual sewer main replacement fund. Um,this is what we use for making spot repairs for
sanitary sewer pipes,manholes,that type of thing. It also includes our sewer and manhole
lining projects that we do every year.
Nagle-Gamm: Hi, good afternoon council. Darian Nagle-Gamm,Director of Transportation.
Two items to share with you really quick in terms of our annual projects,the first is
parking facility restoration and repair. I-we discussed this a little bit, at least on Saturday,
but,um, due to the age of our facilities and just to make sure that we are,uh, performing
the preventative maintenance,uh,properly on our facilities to make them last,um, every
five years,we develop a new plan where we bring in a team to comprehensively review
all of our facilities, let us know what repairs need to be done and what preventative
maintenance strategies we should do, and then we lay out a five-year plan. So this
funding is used to help execute on that five-year plan and make sure that all of our,uh,
downtown parking structures,um, can last a very long time. And the final annual project
is the transit interchange and bus stop improvements. So this funding,um, is being,uh,
designated towards improving all of our bus stops around the community. This was
something that was identified as a priority in our transit study that we recently went
through. Um,this funding will be used to,um,preliminary bring a team on board to help
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us develop concepts and plans for improving all of our transit stops. And that could mean
anything from,you know,bringing things up to current ADA standards, lighting, signage,
you know, info,um, infotainment. Um, there's,uh,there's a variety of ways we can
improve our transit stops to make transit more attractive, safe, and comfortable for the
community. And this funding source will be used to help facilitate that planning process
and then to,um, develop a plan for,um,basically annual improvements to our transit
stops. Ideally,we would like to be able to move throughout the community route by
route,um, over the upcoming years after the plan is development- developed and help,
uh, improve the bus stops across the community.
Bergus: Darian, a question about this. Um, do I recall correctly that with this study and then the
implementation of the new routes that we paused some of the improvements on stops for
some period of time?
Nagle-Gamm: Yeah, I would say yes. We were in the process,we were sort of,uh,
simultaneously,um,uh, at least installing,uh,uh,transit shelters at some locations. And
we had been ordering shelters on,uh, ad hoc basis and making some determinations of
where we should be. And then we realized we really need to do a comprehensive overall
review of the entire system. It really makes the most sense to kind of evaluate the entire
system at one time. So that's where the pause came in. So we're kind of in that pause
period right now. And the next step for us is to really get a plan rolling that's going to
guide our decision-making. Then we can-we can, I think most efficiently execute on
those investments across the community.
Bergus: And- and did you consider front-loading that?Like since we've had a pause and then,
you know,we have-have a plan maybe trying to be more aggressive in the beginning
years. And it just seems to me that that might provide better service and get those.
Nagle-Gamm: Yeah. We can absolutely look at that. And- and honestly,we would love to be
able to do this as soon as we can because we definitely see the need and we-we heard it
loud and clear from the community. Um, so it's just- it's just a matter of getting,uh, I
think a team on board who can help us develop that plan, and then getting a team on
board who can help us make those,uh, adjustments to the-the infrastructure as soon as
possible, so.
Bergus: Thank you.
Thomas: One- one thing I've been observing as I go through town is,you know, some of the-the
stops and I don't know how many are planned for shelters but can look somewhat for a
loan. You know,there's just see- I see someone sort of standing out along the street
without any kind of other than the-the bus sign itself,uh, indication that it's a bus stop.
And I just think of the weather,you know,through the-through the seasons. So you
know,where we don't have a bus stop planned,having considered planting some trees to
help kinda mitigate that,um,you know,that condition because,yeah,the-when I-when I
see people, it's-waiting is not easy,waiting for a bus, and especially when it's hot and
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muggy outside. So if- if just, you know, it's better than nothing, a shelter would be great,
but you know, I'm not expecting that we'd have shelters at every bus stops so,where we
can fit a tree, I think that would provide some,you know, improvement to the experience.
Bergus: Is there coordination with the street tree planting in locations of bus stops at all?Maybe
that's something that we could look at,yeah.
Seydell-Johnson: We don't specifically go out to the bus stops,but when they were within the
neighborhoods where we're targeting our plantings,we certainly have the trees planted in
those areas. I mean,the- so we are covering them systematically as we do each of the
different neighborhoods.
Alter: This is a very basic the,um, over the next- sorry, over the next five years or so as you're
looking ahead,whether front-loaded or not,this money is both going for the consultancy
and the planning and the execution, correct?
Nagle-Gamm: That's correct. Yes, so it would be planning,um, it would be hopefully bringing
on a- a- a contract or team to help us execute as quickly as possible,um, on that vision
that we create. Uh,but yes, it would be- it would be both planning and execution and
infrastructure improvements.
Bergus: Mayor, if, I- since I interrupted the flow, I wonder if it's okay if I just ask a really
overarching question here,maybe for Nicole? So all of these plans so far have showed
every-the five-years all being equal amounts as far as I've noticed. Um, and so
effectively with inflation,that mean and cost of materials and things that just means that
we're effectively able to do less in each successive year. So how do we account for that?
Davies: So I would tell you with most of these like, there may be $75,000 this year,but chances
are they're spending 25 or 50,right?A lot of these annual ones are kinda banking funds
to use. So it's not strict. So in theory,yes, if they spent it equally every year,but that's
typically not what we see what these annual projects. There's usually some buildup to
then do these certain things that need to be-to happen. Does that answer your question?
Fruin: Yeah. And- and the-the only thing I would add is,um,when we,we do increase these
amounts,um,Juli had mentioned the,um,the park trail amount and be an increase this
year. We typically just increase them across all years when we do that. So you may not
see,uh, a $5,000 or 10,000 increase every year,but what will happen is it may stay at
75,000 in this example for two or three years. And then once we start to deplete some of
that project fund balance we'll kick it up to 100 or whatever it needs to be.
Bergus: Thank you.
Teague: All right. If there's no other questions,we'll move on to airport projects.
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Tharp: All right. Good afternoon. I think most of my projects are um, in order based on the
project numbers. So if you want the summary outlook, it's on page 517. If you want the
detailed list of those projects started in 537. Um,with the airport, all of our projects are-
are dependent on grant funding of some kind. We either get grant funding from the FAA
or from the IDOT. When the FAA participates in a project tape A for 90 percent of the
project. When the MOT participates in a project, it's anywhere from 50-85 percent of the
project. And if we do not for some reason get the grants in a given year that we're
expecting them, everything just slides. Um, so that being said,we also have introduced
with the bi-partisan infrastructure law that was signed.Now what a year-and-a-half ago,
um, five years of additional allocation to airports that we are able to utilize and we're
utilizing some of that money for things we hadn't anticipated, like the terminal building
study. Um,what we're doing with that and um, I'll touch briefly on it, is that law
established both funding for terminal buildings as well as supplemental funding for
airports that's allocated directly. Um,because of that,we're taking a look at our terminal
building that is a 1951 vintage building, and comes with all of those 1951 vintage issues.
Um, so environmental capacity,um, all of those fun things are things that need address
and hadn't needed address for some time for the airport. Um, and this hopefully is giving
us an avenue to address some of those things. Um, along with that-that infrastructure law
and money is what we're using for our solar power project,which was mentioned at the
budget meeting on Saturday. Um,that project in that plan is not in the book at this point.
I think we had the details put together a little too late for publication,but the goal of that
is to take the runway lighting,terminal building, and a couple other major users of the
airport and get all of those uses on solar power. And that's going to be a process that was
happening over the next couple of years. Um, so with that being kind of the setup, as- as
we look at these projects, a lot of these are linked with phases um, starting at- at 34, 65,
the runway seven environmental assessment, ah,this project and then the extension is- is
something that comes from our FAA master plan and the goal of it is part of the overall
runway, seven,two, five category change to get both ends of the runway up to 5,000 foot
landing distance. The 5,000 foot number is kind of a magic number in terms of charter
operators, insurance companies and general aviation because it allows those business jets,
especially when we have what's called contaminated conditions. So if the runway is wet
or if we have snow on the runway or something like that, ah, it still allows those aircraft
to make the calculations to use our runways. Um, following that,the runway 12/30
threshold displacement. This is our last phase of a multiyear obstruction mitigation
project that's been going on, ah, over 2019, 2020. Those two seasons we spent good
couple of winters going into neighborhoods,kind of cleaning up our approach paths, ah,
which unfortunately called for removing trees from certain areas. Um, as part of that
program,we did offer trigger placements for any trees we did take down. So the
neighbors did have access to replacements or- or anything like that. But this one on the
12th van, it's going to displace the threshold by about 500 It and add some concrete on
the 3, 0. And so it's effectively shifting the runway and the runway safety zones away
from the northwest neighborhood. Um,the airport apron expansion. One of those side
effects of the work we've done is we've seen some larger airplanes. We've seen more
airplanes,which is great. That's how we're able to run operations budget that self-
sufficient. Um,but that also means we need more space for parking airplanes. Um, and
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this is a project that does that the FAA has a formula based on activity for allowable
parking space that they participate in, and it gets us up to that number of square footage.
Ah,runway seven,to five pavement repairs and the next project,runway 030,pavement
repairs. That's a more detailed pavement maintenance program that's crack sealing,joint
repair, some panel replacement for concrete that might be broken or otherwise damaged.
And that's preserving the life of both of our runways. Runway 7/25 was reconstructed in
2008, 12/30 was reconstructed in roughly 2010. So both of those-both of those
pavements are now over 10 years old and typically have a design life for 20 years,but
this should get us,you know, another several years after that. Airport way-finding. This is
one of those signs. Again,with the operators we have, ah,we-we do get occasions where
people are coming into the airport kind of looking for certain specific fields facilities like
the research lab or flight training school carrying ambulance. So this will add some
signage around the airport inside the terminal building for specific room uses. And- and
allow for people to self-navigate themselves to where they need to be. Terminal building
remodel reconstruction. That one is the major ones. So again,part of that building
infrastructure Law money ah,between 20- fiscal year 2020, 2027 there's $1 billion a year
that's allocated to the FAA specifically for general aviation terminal improvements
replacements. It's a competitive program. That space study is setting us up to go after
some of that money and try to either we're- at the moment,we're looking at all options,
whether it's a remodel or replacement. Um,but that is to help address those capacity
needs. For example,right now we have six flight instructors that's-that share a single
office. So being able to train students,have instructors have their own office where they
can keep files. And even being able to grow businesses like we have a desire obviously to
have additional Aviation Services at the airport. We don't have anywhere to put them if
they wanted to be there. So that becomes a- a blockage of being able to improve the
airport and provide the services that the aviation should not needs that benefits not only
the airport but the community as a whole. Um, airport terminal building rehab. This is a
smaller project just for the current facility. Um, if you look at that big white block,that is
actually where back in the days of the commercial airline service at the airport,that was
the bucket- luggage and baggage hole in the building where check in your baggage. It
slides through you on the conveyor belt out to the airplanes. Right now it's just covered
with basically plywood and some other material.Not exactly friendly for keeping,uh,the
building warm in the winter, cool in the summer. So we're going to take that out and put
in some other material to help buoy that as- as we're looking at the space study and doing
improvements and get a little bit- a little bit better efficiency on our heating and cooling
systems.
Alter: Can I ask a question?
Tharp: Then the last one on our list is that space needs study. Again, as I- as I referred to it's
taking a look at the building-the terminal building as a whole as well as the entrance-
entrance drive. And connections to how people are getting to the airport,where people
are parking the terminal building and giving us options for that building and bi-partisan
infrastructure law of funding. So that we can go after that.
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Alter: I have a question about the two. One of them is the,um,remodel repair and then the
associated with the plywood. Given that this building is from 1953 and they're just not
that many airports that are like this anymore. The historicity of the building also being
looked at,um, or does that not come into play?Um, in terms of its historic I recognize?
Tharp: We-we- it's- so the building is certainly eligible for being listed as a historic structure. It's
not currently on any lists um, as we are looking at the possible options for how to expand
capacity,how to be able to house more people. We are considering that that is part of the
consideration on especially if we're gonna do remodels or something like that. Even-
even if it becomes to the point where replacement is the best option is- is how can we
preserve the legacy of- of the building and going forward?Um, and that would be part of
any consideration for any remu,uh, any reconstruction as well to try to incorporate that.
Alter: Yeah. And certainly I recognize there's a tension because it's very difficult to work in a
modern capacity and with old equipment in an old building. Um,but just to have that
understanding.
Tharp: Yeah.
Alter: That the two work together. That-that's great. Thank you.
Tharp: All right. Are there any other questions? Go ahead.
Taylor: Oh, somebody had a question. I just wanted to make a quick comment, ah,to
compliment you on the mitigation study. I think I've told you this before too. I live on the
West side,very close to the airport, and I've talked to several of the residents that live
there and have had to lose their trays and it's not easy. John's a proponent trees. I'm a
proponent trees and you had a tree in your yard that's 25, 30 years old. But every one of
the persons that I talked to complimented the folks that came,that they were-they were
courteous,they were professional and they were helpful. And, of course, I'm all for
funding the replacement of trees and putting something in there that's not going to grow,
you know, 100- 200 feet tall and be in the way of the airplane. So I compliment you on-
on how that was handled.
Harmsen: Well, I appreciate that. Thank you. I have just a quick informational, sorry. You can't
tell what the masks on. Like ventriloquism up here. The numbering scheme, 725 and
1230 for the airports,what's the logic behind how those are named?
Tharp: It's the compass heading which you're flying. So it's to the nearest 10 degrees of the
compass heading. I figured it'd be something like that I was just curious. Thanks.
Havel: Alright.No, there's no other questions. We'll move on to fire.
Lyons: Good afternoon,Mayor and Council. I'm Scott Lyon, fire chief. Uh, here to talk about the
items that we have uh, in our proposed CIP. Uh, the fust one is the fire apparatus
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replacement. Um, in uh, 2023,we-we're asking for $3.3 million to replace three front
line uh, fire trucks uh,they're from 2011. That'd be Engines 1, 3, and 4 and place those in
uh,reserve status. Uh,the anticipated build time for these units is 34 months. And- and
it's something that I've never seen in my career in 26 years that it takes that long to build
a fire truck but unfortunately,um, it- it's part of the supply chain issues that-that we're
seeing all the way around. Uh,to compound the issue,um, last year,uh, fire apparatus
construction cost increased by uh, 21 percent and um, it's- it's anticipated that uh,the-the
fire manufacturer- fire apparatus manufacturers will be moving forward with quarterly
price increases. So that's uh,not-not a real rosy picture with firetrucks uh,but-but that is
where we're at. So we combine our lead time,the price increases uh,that-that we will see
with the layer order date and the uh, condition of- of the uh, current units that we're
talking about. And this-this was supported by the uh, superintendent of equipment as
well um,that's- that's where we're at. Um, as an example today,Engine 3 um, is- is
nearing 100,000 miles and uh, certainly the-the components are- are being worn out.
Many times on fire trucks it's not necessarily the miles, the miles don't help, but it-but it
is the overall usage of- of the unit. So that is the uh,the fust item. In 2026,you see at one
point-uh, a little over 1.5 million that would be for the replacement of Quint 2 which-
which is a ladder truck that has other features. It has a pump, it has a tank,water, ground
ladders, and an aerial device um,that-that's scheduled out to 2026 at that 1.5 million
dollar mark in today's numbers,which most likely will increase between now and then.
Bergus: Chief, can I just ask a question about apparatus? I think I raised it on Saturday,but the-
the option of smaller vehicles,more nimble vehicles for certain types of calls. Um, and
just in answering that,what are the fuel options for fire trucks?Are they going to make
electric ones at any point?
Lyons: Uh, a couple of things um,the-the smaller,more nimble vehicles in general, is- is where
the Iowa City Fire Department is heading. Prior to my arrival here Engine 2 um, out on
the west side is a dramatically different engine and-than the rest of them. It's much
shorter,um, it's more compact um, and it's more nimble to-to be used on our city streets.
Um, alternative vehicles. I think we talked about a little bit on Saturday of smaller
vehicles, a- a- a squad type or a light pickup truck style um,unit. Tho-those are
possibilities when staffing stabilizes. Um, so those are out there. Uh,the-the big
question, electric fire trucks uh,they're out there. Um,right now the cost of a- an electric
fire truck is roughly two-and-a-half times that of a diesel-powered fire truck. Um,
hopefully as time goes by,uh,the-the cost begins to go down on those. But-but right
now,uh,you could certainly multiply uh,the asked by two-and-a-half times. So um,the
City of Madison does have one in Wisconsin.
Alter: Would you need different facilities to be able to house it? I mean, I know that that's been a
discussion or you know,that the our buses have needed-yeah, for height.
Harmsen: Structure?Yeah.
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Lyons: The-the physical package is- is about the same on the electrical fire truck um. The-the
real associated costs is the upgrading, for the recharging of the vehicles.
Dunn: Okay. Um, are there any major differences between you know, carrying capacity either
you know, from water or equipment,between uh,you know,the older larger vehicles and
the-the newer, smaller,more nimble ones that we're moving toward?
Lyons:No, I- I don't believe so. Um, I- I think the um,modern fire apparatus ha-have been
designed truly to maximize the-the usable space in the truck and there's very little dead
space as it were on the truck.
Bergus: I was just going to ask and maybe this goes back to our consolidated grants position that
we don't have. But is there- is there an opportunity for um, any grants or subsidies for
moving to a different kind of equipment?
Lyons: Um,not necessarily moving to different types of equipment but for fire apparatus in
general there-there is the-the assistance of fire uh, firefighters grant,AFG grant,that that
is out there which-which is something that we could certainly pursue into the future.
Yes, absolutely. There-there is a match I want to say it's want to say 10 percent is the
match on that.
Bergus: I was just thinking the electric buses were a lot more expensive than the diesel buses and
we got a lot of funding assistance for that so.
Lyons: One of the thing that's out there with the electric fire trucks is- is to- to see how they
perform um, in- in very adverse weather conditions for extended periods of time. It's not
uncommon to the out you know when it's really cold outside for seven eight nine hours at
a shot so it's kind of an emerging technology right now. Any other questions? Uh,the
second item we have pulled up is the uh,replacement of uh,Fire Station 3 reconstruction
to three in construction of Station 5. Um,you can see here that the total project cost is
$10 million. Planning phase at- at half a million in '26 and the remainder-remainder in
uh, '27. Um,these-these prices again are in today's numbers. Um, station 3 itself um, i- is
an outdated facility and uh, spaces is completely utilized at this point. Um, the uh,the
lieutenants office is also serving as a furnace room at this point, so we're-we're just jam
packed in- into that building. Um,the additional fire station will- will certainly help with
response times on- on the east side of the community and-and help us achieve um, our
effective response force to building fires,which is how many people do- do we need to
get on scene within a certain amount of time?Um, and- and our goal is 16 members on
scene within 10 minutes and 24 seconds. And um,the-the fire station on the east side of
town will-will certainly help us uh, achieve that goal. The Fire Station 2,uh, a roof
replacement,uh, it's original roof, I- I believe from,uh, the construction of the building.
Uh, and- and the long and the short of it is the roof leaks. Um, and i- it's- it's caused some
issues on the inside of the building,uh,various missing tiles,uh, so on and so forth. And
the proposed cost is $110,000. And then lastly,we have the carpet and tile flooring
replacement here at Fire Station 1. And the-there's a picture I- I would imagine you
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could see the same thing. That-that our carpet is truly reached the end of its useful life
and we could really use some carpet. So that is what I have for you. Questions. All right,
thank you very much.
Havel: All right, next,we'll move on to library.
Carman: Good afternoon. Um,the library has two projects,um, on the schedule between now
and 2027. The first is probably familiar to anyone who's not new. Um,the carpet and
furnishing replacement,um,that project was submitted,uh,by Susan Craig before she
left, and has shifted forward a few times. Uh, most recently because of supply chain
issues during COVID-19. This'll be a multi-year project replacing carpeting and some
furnishings in some of the large areas of the library. Um,most of the items that would be
tucked in this project would be original to the building which opened in 2004, so we're
nearing that 19, 20-year mark. Um, obviously,the building is a highly trafficked space,
and things have just worn out. I think the fact that-that they have been maintained and
usable for so long is a real testament to the choices made in the beginning and the
maintenance,um,that's done on a daily basis,but it's just time to do this. Um, at this
point,um,we're-we're certainly able to get through to the project dates. My fear would
be if- if these were shifted forward, again,we may get to-we may tip over sort of the
critical replacement issues and go into some safety- safety concerns,but right now, it's
mostly to,um,refresh and to replace, and continue to be accessible and welcoming. Our
second project is a much smaller project. This is sort of,uh, a- a refresh of two of our
higher yields second-floor meeting spaces. The boardroom and meeting room E, those
meeting rooms are both used,uh,heavily. Boardroom is used very heavily internally as a
staff space. That's where obviously our board meetings,but also we do orientations,
trainings,um, lots of staff work happens there. Meeting room E is one of our sort of s-
second busy,biggest sets of public meeting rooms. Um,nothing in either of these rooms
has been updated since the building opened beyond very basic IT and technology
updates. So one of the things we want to make sure to do in E,which is used more often
by public groups, is really update that technology so that hearing augmentation loops and
other,uh, adaptive devices can be used sort of seamlessly. With,um, these projects,we
recently did some community focus groups um, leading up to our strategic plan work. So
I had a chance to go through,uh, community surveys from the beginning of the bil-this
building, and every- every iteration of community feedback we get,uh,talks about the
significance of having access to free and accessible public meeting spaces, especially in
those evening and weekend hours. So I do think this a well-used community a- amenity
and anticipate it will continue to be used,uh, and the community will be thankful for sort
of a fake- faceless list- lift of updating technology,but also paint and some of the
furnishings.
Havel: All right. If there are no questions,move on to senior center.
DeLoach: Good afternoon. My name is LaTasha DeLoach, I'm the Senior Center Coordinator.
Uh,we have two projects. One is the senior center uh, facility ex- exterior improvements,
and I'll have Juli talk a little bit about that.
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Seydell-Johnson: So I'll talk about the fust project. Juli Seydell-Johnson,Parks and Rec
Director. As part of our projects, as part of our government's buildings to move in, and,
uh,we have good news and,uh,neutral news for you on this one. We have our
preliminary design work done,uh,we'll get a final report on that tomorrow. And the good
news is it didn't come up with any large surprises that we weren't aware of, which with a
historic building like this you just never know. We're happy to report that it's looking
pretty good for where we're at. The neutral news is what's gonna take every penny we
have budgeted to get the work done. What this does is look at the outside exterior of the
building,masonary work,uh,moisture proofing it so that we keep the water out. Um,
make it more efficient on the inside with the windows and the roof repairs. So it's all
needed things no matter what the future use of the building is to keep the building intact,
uh,keep its historic nature,um, and keep it functioning. So,uh, it would be bid later this
spring with work of summer and fall.
DeLoach: In our second project is the,uh, improvements in the interior, and so some of that is
historic as well as some of that is just not a part of the historic part of the building that we
need to update and upgrade, as well as,uh, some interior things like HVAC, etc. So our
hope is that once we have, confirmed uh,response from our survey that we'll be able to
move forward with what's are looking at design, and,you know,what that looks like
down the line,with getting bids and construction. So,um,things are moving forward, so
we're excited about that,but we're just pausing on moving forward with this piece until
we have a final answer from those surveys.
DeLoach: Questions?No.
Harmsen:Not about this,but those surveys just came in, so how's that process going as soon, it'll
take a little while to compile.
DeLoach: It's- it's taken us a lot of them are manual, so we have to input them. So we have about
four staff and a couple of students helping us get them in as quickly as we can. So we
hope to have a meeting, and I think- I think it's next Tuesday to like have the UI will have
been able to compile the ones that came online as well as those and give us some
preliminary answers.
Deloach: So hopefully we'll get a memo to you all as soon as we have some more information
that solid from that.
Harmsen: Great. Thank you.
DeLoach: Yeah,no problem. Okay.
Havel: All right. Next,we'll move on to parks.
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Seydell-Johnson: I do you feel like I'm playing musical chairs,just going to say, okay, lots of
park projects to talk about. The fust one actually is here at City Hall though once again,
part of our government buildings projects. Uh,these are other projects, larger projects
needed to keep City Hall operational. Uh,the big ones coming up as a roof replacement
fust, and then the lower-level restrooms will get an ADA remodel, and then East ramp,
outdoor East ramp improvements for that entrance into the building. So trying to keep an
older building as operational as possible as we go forward. The next one is, um,
ecological restoration at Hickory Hill Park. Excited because this is one that wasn't in here
until Recently because this is a two- 200,000 dollar REAP. Resource Enhancement and
Protection Grant from the Iowa DNR. Sixth time in my seven years here that we've
received this grant for ecological restoration throughout the city. Um, especially at
Hickory Hill Park. I remember that when I fust got here, it seemed overwhelming trying
to get this park,the invasive species out and- and make it uh,what it could be as far as
being a forest preserve. And over these time,both through our grants and through our
CIP projects,we've made tremendous project-process-progress there along with the
friends of Hickory Hill Park. So fun to talk about that one. The next project is a trail of
Highway 6,Broadway Fairmeadows. This is a trail infill scheduled for 2026. Then our
big one. City Park Pool replacement. Uh,we're budgeting more than what you saw last
year. Asking for a little over 10 million for this one. Uh, doing our research as part of the
Rec facilities and program master plan led to the, er,realization that similar pools being
built in the Midwest require this type of budget. This is probably on the- on the slim side.
And depending on how much we do with the-the,uh,bathhouse and- and that sort of
thing,um,this could be-this could be a lean budget for that. The timeline for this though
is that this spring will start consultant selection to go out and get a new designer and
consultants that will do it in complete public input process,we-we've evaluate the
engineering studies of the current pool to a public input process,probably a statistically
valid survey,work towards uh, consensus for what the final design and- and would be.
And then the targeting bid would be early summer 2024 with construction over this 2025
seasons. So you would expect the pool to be completely closed in 2025,potentially also
the shoulder seasons of the end of 2024 and maybe the beginning of 2026,just depending
on so many things that happened with larger construction projects. But the opening of the
new pool at this schedule would be in 2026. Um, last two still be determined,but that's-
that's where we're at as far as the requests for Iowa City Park Pool stands. The next one is
a smaller project. We have two parcels of land that we will be receiving soon as
development,um, cause is completed around them. One is in the Palisades subdivision.
Um,they're kind of in the northern part of the community. We will have to think of a new
park name for this one because people are already confused with Palisade State Park
versus our city parks. So if you have great ideas for new park name, let me know because
we're stumped. Um, or Stone Bridge which is a little bit further East,but on the North
side. And one of those two will come up fust, and it will be kind of a small playground
shelter,uh,just a nice little pocket park, either one of them. The next one is our Rec
Center improvements+ and this is the priorities that this has changed somewhat since
we've had the Rec program and facilities master plan. Uh,the roof replacement scenario
now the top priority at both Robert E. Lee and Mercer. So getting the roof replaced once
again, looking at how to keep moisture out of the buildings,keep them in the best
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condition that we can for their age. Um, and then the,uh, full renovation of the Robert E.
Lee Filter room for the pool has fallen back in the process. As you know,we decided that
we would wait until City Park Pool is done,uh, and gauge our attendance for the next
couple of years before any large decision is made. So we will do our best to keep it
running and to keep remedial repairs happening so that it can operate. But that has fallen
back in this particular budget,uh, CIP project line. The next one is Lower City Park, and
this looks at continuing um,the plans from the Lower City Park master plan of 2016.
We've been gradually moving things out of the flood way,moving them up towards the
higher ground and the hillside. This looks at replacing this or consolidating some of the
shelters and the restrooms. So we look at,we wanted to now renovate the red brick
restroom,which is by the new playground area. Historic-historically significant building
is it's the last one left from when it was a zoo out there. An actual zoo in the park if you
didn't know that. So we would renovate that and then probably do away with what's
called the gray brick restroom there and red brick is heated, so it is available year-round
and we would continue to do that with that project. Kiwanis Park Playground is,uh,
design is nearly completed. We've had two neighborhood meetings. This looks at
renovating the nature play area in Kiwanis Park. I had a lot of neighborhoods devo- or
neighborhood involvement in this one. Um, and the Parks Commission will be looking at
the design,the playground design tonight at their commission meeting. It will be coming
to you uh,next month for as we get ready to go out to bid on this project. Renovations of
Napoleon Softball Fields. This one has been kind of a ping-pong in the CIP process. It
was originally scheduled until 2022. It's gone back and forth and now it's sitting in 2026.
Um,we feel like it can wait,but at some point,we will have to address this. This is a
rebuild of the softball fields. We've done fields one through four. This would be
continuing that it's just something that's a good idea to continue to keep them,um, safe
and playable in the- into the future. Upper City Park improve- improvements will be
done in tandem with City Park Pool. Uh, the thought here is that the restrooms that are in
city-upper city park right now will become part of the pool uh,bath house structure. Still
available to the public at all times,but connected to the buildings so that we have fewer,
uh, structures and mechanical things happening in the park. Same with probably having
an indoor shelter space within the pool bath house in consolidating a couple of the
shelters out in the park into one or two different ones that are they're probably similar
locations though. So we kind of a master planning process happening along with the pool
project for all of upper city park in that area. Hickory Hill Park, Conklin street entrance.
This is a project that we've asked to be moved forward to this year. It's once again,kinda
moved around in the CIP. It was originally in the park master plan as a 2021 project. It's
gone back as far as 2025,but it appeared that,we-we could squeeze it in on funding this
year. So what we'll be doing with this project is replacing the Conklin street restroom and
shelter. Um,right now it's- it's a combined restroom and shelter in that- in that location
similar to what had been at a number of our other parks. Um, it's- it is aged quite a bit.
The-the structure is not as sound as it should be, so this replaces it with a standalone
shelter in this similar location where the shelter is now,but moves the restroom down
closer to the parking lot. And we think this will provide better access for people who are
coming just to walk in the park,not necessarily using the shelter. Um,we know that it's
not always the same groups who need to use the restroom as are using the park shelter. So
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this will separate that. It also allows for the restroom to have a storage room,work room
for the friends of Hickory Hill. They have certain equipment that they keep stored at the
park for the volunteer efforts which are extremely helpful. So,um,that will also be
presented to the Parks Commission tonight for their recommendation. Happy Hollow
Playground,uh, and ball field renovations, another other projects that has been moved
forward. Uh, it was originally,though in the master plan for 2023,which is ironically
where it's going to land now,had been pushed back. But then due to the,uh, amount of
input from the neighbors wanting the ball field to be renovated. Uh,we've moved it back
or suggested it's moved back to 2023. This would be a playground replacement. Uh, it's
pretty landlocked into where the playground will go. Um, and then ADA path
improvements,which will add access to the,uh,both-both the ball diamond and the
basketball court. And then, of course,the redoing the diamond into an Ag Lime field.
Um,the Park's Commissioner will look at part of this project tonight. The playground
um,has still, we're still getting more input and more design ideas on the playground. So
that will become a park staff installation and in-house installation in the next fall. But
tonight,the Parks Commission will look at the pathways and the ball diamond
renovations as part of their 2023 projects.Next,we have Terrell Mill Skate Park and
hopefully pump track. This one is a little bit up in the air right now too,because we're
waiting on word from the state of Iowa on and maybe Geoff can help me with the name
of the grant. The-
Fruin: The destination Iowa.
Seydell-Johnson: The destination Iowa grant. Um, if we get the destination Iowa grant funds,this
would be a much larger project. If we don't get it, we still have about $300,000 city funds
earmarked for it,but that would change the scope and probably the timing of it. So we're
anxiously awaiting hearing about that grant. But how much will be able to do for that
project? Mercer ball fields is renovations of the baseball fields uh, complex near
Mercer- at Mercer Park. Largely what will happen with this project, as you can see, one
field doesn't match the other field number 4, it has a weird layout. It's been problematic
since pretty much the start of when this was constructed. So it will rotate that field. Also,
do some ADA path work to the public areas and do some of the lighting renovations.
We've got older- an older lighting system on the fields. We will be combining this with a
pickleball tennis courts. As you can see,they're right next to that. Um, so that project c-
comes up later,but this will include renovation of those and we meet with those-the
consultants for that project tomorrow um, and have stakeholder meetings with both the
Youth Association baseball groups,the school district, and then the pickleball players.
Yeah. So we'll have a fun afternoon talking with everyone and come back with designs to
the Parks Commission in their February meeting for this project. Did I mention that our
park staff has built their own pickleball court within the park shop for practice? So it is
taking off. They like-they have their own little thing going on that just during break
times and lunch though. All right. Hunters Run is another one of our 2023 projects. Uh,
this was actually slated for 2023 in the 2016 master plan. And this will replace the park
playground, and add a small shelter to that park. One of the older playgrounds, and it was
kind of a two-part playground. So part of it is probably the oldest playground we had and
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the other one was kind of a mid-range park,but this will replace it in the similar area.
We've had a neighborhood meeting that we got a lot of good input and online forums for
that. And once again,the Parks Commission will review this tonight at their meeting and-
and give you a recommendation on the playground choice and design. Next project is our
event facility improvements and the one this will focus on all of the picture right now is
of Terry Trueblood lodge. Uh,this one for next year is actually focusing on the Riverside
Festival stage at City Park. And it's also um,has to do with this grant that we're hoping to
get. We have some funding in city funds to do some remedial or repairs and there's some
things that need to be done very quickly for the crow's nest and some of the operational
safety issues at the stage. But the bigger dream we've been working with Riverside
Theatre for some larger renovations that will make it much easier and-and better for their
productions. Uh, and if we can get the grant,that would be an $800,000 project waiting
on that. The next few are future-year projects that follow the master plan pretty closely.
Benton Hills playground replacement,the master plan had it for 2025 and we're
recommending it now for 2026. College Green is the next one. College Green Park also
one of the older playgrounds that we have. The master plan,they had it for 2025 and
we're asking for that in 2026. So a few years out. Willow Creek trail replacement is
happening um,this spring. This particular part of the trail had a lot of tree roots that had
grown up. Um, it made it a very kind of dangerous situations. So this will be replacing it.
We've taken out some trees. We've had a lot of disease trees along there too. So I've
gotten rid of some of the trees um, and then the trail will be rebuilt and hopefully um,
stay more usable for number of years. It'll be replaced with a concrete trail. Um, it was
asphalt before.Next one is smaller repairs to our elevator systems in the Senior Center
City Hall and Robert E. Lee Rec center. These will be for visual and audio cues to the
elevators to make them more accessible for people with disabilities.North Market Square
comes up in the master plan of 2024,but this is,we're asking for it in 2026. Uh, it is a
fairly new playground,but it's so well-used with its location right next to the elementary
school that we feel like it by 2026 or,yeah 2026, it will need to be replaced. Reno Street
Park is slated also for 2026. This is one of the last parts that needs significant ADA
improvements in the path work. The reason it's not in the smaller park ADA project is
because it's well above the $30,000 cap of those- of that project. It's gonna take the larger
park renovation um,to get up over the small hill from the um, street and get pathways to
everything so that one is scheduled for 2026. The next one is the pickleball and tennis
court renovations. As I mentioned,this is part of the Mercer baseball field project. It does
also includes city park tennis courts, and that's more of a fencing issue and resurfacing,
probably adding practice boards there. So less comprehensive repairs at City Park as
compared to what's needed at the Mercer pickleball and tennis courts.
Alter: At the Mercer Parks, are you gonna um,be able to address sort of some of that water
damage that's underneath?
Seydell-Johnson: Most likely it's going to be a complete rebuild there are firm foundation up.
We'll know more tomorrow,but more than likely.Next one starts talking about a new
park on the far West side. And this is in terms of the Carson lake development. Um, this
is some funding for land acquisition,um,partially for the stormwater management to
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start with. Um, there's two items related to this. There's this and then there's actual
construction of the stormwater management further down in the projects. The next
project is a small boat ramp or Kayak launch access at Waterworks Prairie Park. This one
is contingent on this same vision, Iowa or destination Iowa grant. And if we receive the
grant,that's where the funding is for this one. Calder Park is another park that does not
currently have ADA access down to the playground and shelter. As you can see,the
entrance to it as up high, and then you come down a great sweating hill to get to the
playground and the-the shelter. But there is not currently a paved access path. Well, with
this park and the new development that's happening by Rochester and Scott we're able to
add a new trail that will connect the new development to the park,but at the same time,
bring that entire trail up the side of the hillside finally, and achieve our ADA access for
this playground and shelter and fire pit. So that's exciting. Court Hill Trail. This is a small
section of trail that um, starts at Beech Street and goes um, along the creek up to Scott
Park. Once again, it's a- a small portion of asphalt trail. If you go out there, it's got a
numerous um, tree limbs and or tree roots and whatnot coming up through it. So this
would um,be a safety concern that we want to address. The next one is Off-Leash Dog
Park improvements. So both Rita's Ranch and Thornberry in 2027 looking at some
fencing replacements and also replacement of some of the pave trails. Thornberry,there
has been some ongoing long-term water issues kind of in the middle section.We would
hope to get that graded and get that fixed um, and then add a small walking trail around
the outside of the Rita's Ranch or inside the fence but along the fence line of Rita's
Ranch. We get that request a lot. Sturgis Ferry is an exciting one. It's- it's a boat ramp
um, down by the airport, it actually gets quite a bit of use if you went out and looked at it,
it's not in the best shape at all. So it's exciting that we're going to be able to renovate that.
It's in conjunction with adding a recycling center for the solid wastes folks um, and it'll
give us a small parking lot, shelter um, and a restroom enclosure,not an actual restaurant,
but a- a portable restroom enclosure at that facility. Mercer Parks shelter replacement.
This is- is a small shelter- the smaller shelter next to the playground, large playground,
lots of shelter use. Unfortunately a favorite of vandals and other th-things happening last
year. So that moved this up on our priority list to look at replacement down in a few
years. That would just replace the shelter with a similar shelter in the same location.
4401 is Park Storage Building. This is an additional storage area to house our- our park's
maintenance equipment during all weather conditions. Currently, several pieces are either
outside throughout all weather conditions or they are at random locations throughout the
entire city, sometimes wait to play,where's the equipment when we need it. So we'd
really like to get it's- it's really a metal shed,but it would help us get everything in one
location and get it under-under wraps when there's inclement weather. Um, and then
4403, I will let engineering—Jason talk about.
Havel: So as Juli mentioned,this is the project that would actually look at constructing what
we're calling Carson lake out at the-the Carson farm area. Uh,the primary purpose of
this would be stormwater management and on a regional level with the goal of having a
facility that'd be large enough to have recreational facilities or- or opportunities as well.
Uh,this is a concept that's been out there for- for a number of years,but obviously, over
time you know, stormwater regulations evolve. And so the fust step here would be to do
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a study and work with the DNR and Army Corps of Engineers to-to find out exactly
what options are out there or what those requirements might be. Um, and then the-the
second funding year in 2025 would be looking at design for whatever came out of that
study, and then finally, construction dollars um, in the last year of 2026 to-to construct
that facility.
Seydell-Johnson: And the last one is a trail segment,um, gateway, a trail segment on the Iowa
River cord or a trail. This connects to the trailing the East side of the Iowa River from
Park Road to where the University of Iowa pedestrian bridges. So there is a trail on the
west side,but,uh, quite a bit of use of the East side, so it'd be nice to get a trail there as
well. Any questions about part projects?
Dunn: Yeah. So I- I-you-you mentioned that there was a large amount of vandalism at Mercer
Park at the shelter. So I guess I'm just wondering if you guys have,uh,thought about,uh,
any,you know,measures to try to prevent that,you know, increase lighting cameras or-
or what-what your thoughts are.
Seydell-Johnson: Yeah. Actually, since the shelter damage happened,we have,um, installed new
lights and cameras around that parking lot that do help eli-um, iluminate that area quite
well. So- so yes,we were trying to address it. We aren't always able to do that throughout
the system when things happen and we don't have any one particular area that has been
chronically been a problem,but,um, in this case they did some significant damage. So.
Dunn: Ha-have you seen any,uh, decreases of incidents since the lighting [OVERLAPPING]
was replaced?
Seydell-Johnson: Oh yeah.
Dunn: Awesome.
Seydell-Johnson: And the police have been very helpful in that area,uh,helping us patrol as
well. Or they've done.
Dunn: Thank you.
Havel: All right. We will move on to police.
Liston: Good afternoon, council,uh,Dustin Liston, Chief of Police. We just have one. It's been
on the list for awhile. It's finally moved up to the top. It's the,uh,natural gas generator
for the animal shelter. In the event of a power outage,we'd be able to provide,uh,power
to the shelter for the animals that-that are there to provide a comfortable environment for
them. Pretty straightforward if there's any questions though. Thank you.
Havel: All right, next up is public works, and we'll start out with landfill.
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Knoche: Alright, our fust project is Landfill Equipment Building Replacement. So we're in the
process of finalizing a master plan. Uh,the current building that we have out there does
not house the size of our existing equipment. So,um, this would be,uh, a replacement of
that building. Uh, obviously with the-th-the value that we have in that equipment out
there, it- it's important to get it under storage. And,um, as I mentioned on Saturday, one
of the issues we had,uh, in this last cold stretch was,uh, equipment jailing up and not
being able to operate. So we didn't have to close the landfill,uh, for- for one day to-to be
able to address that. Uh, our next project is Compost Pad Improvements. So,uh,the area
that,uh,we currently,uh,have at the landfill,uh, for yard waste drop-off and then also
our compost processing,um, it- it needs repair. Uh, there are some issues with,uh,
failures in the pavement down below,um, and then also look at it,the abil- ability to do
some expansion,uh, of that area,um,to increase the amount of- of processing that we
can do. Uh,the Landfill Dual Extraction System Expansion. So we-we currently have a
gas collection system,uh, in the landfill,um,the the dual extraction pieces is both gas
collection but then also leachate collection. Uh, so this expands,uh, into the other areas
of the landfill,uh,that are getting to the end of,um,the actual fill operations,uh, and,
um, deciding to collect those areas helps address odor issues,um, and then the potential
leachate mitigation or migration offsite. Um, along with this project,we'll also be looking
at a SCADA upgrade,um,basically be able to monitor those pumps,uh, and production
that's out there to-to know what's going on across the-the facility.
Bergus: Ron,we talked about the,um, gas at the wastewater plant on Saturday and how there
had been kind of like a measurement error or no problems like that at the landfill. And
did we go back and reassess how we were looking at the gap?
Knoche: Correct.
Bergus: Okay.
Knoche: Yes. So there-there's no decimal errors in regards to what we were reporting at this
location.
Bergus: Thank you.
Knoche: The Future Landfill Cell. So this actually is a project that we have under contract for
construction this year. Uh, so there's those two pieces to this one. There's the actual,uh,
construction so th-that-that contract was approved in December. Um, and then last
night,uh,the tire drive degradate purchase was also approved. So,um,that's those two
pieces and move that project forward,um, and get that constructed this year. Uh,
Compost Turner,uh, is exactly what it sounds like. So this is an equivalent purchase. Uh,
it will help us,uh, in the composting process as far as development goes,um, and will
increase some capacity there,uh, at- at the site as we- as we are able to-to turn it in a
more efficient manner that we do not. Currently it's basically end loaders kind of flipping
it over. Um, this piece of equipment,uh,runs along those,um,th-the compost piles and
then this turns it over. And then the last item in regards to landfill, uh, is Site Flow
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Improvement. So as we work off of the master plan,um, this will help us,um, deal with
some current congestion that occurs,uh, especially in the summers,uh,when we have
high usage, it's a landfill. Uh,we have kind of three lanes out there now. There's the fust
lane that goes,uh-well,there's one major land that comes in. The fust break-off can take
you to the household hazardous waste drop-off. The second lane takes you to,uh,the
scale, and then the third lane is kind of a bypass of the scale to get you to the yard way-
the-the yard,uh, area drop-off is,but it all stems off of one location. So as- as things
back up,uh, it's- it's not normal for us to see,uh, lines that do stalk up beyond the gate
and- and down the hill,uh, from the current access points. So,um, looking at ways to try
to alleviate those-those traffic issues.
Havel:Next up,we'll move on to some stormwater projects. The fust one is the Rundle Street
Pump Station Vault Modifications. So this is an existing,uh, stormwater pump station.
This project will look to replace some of the aging equipment w-within the-the pump
station. In addition,you can see there the location of the-the vault is right next to curb
ramps and sidewalk and- and whatnot. So one of the modifications that would be there as
to redo the-the vault top to make that ADA compliant as well. Uh, the next project is the
River Street Storm Sewer Improvements. So this is,uh-we have a section along river
street where there's essentially a drainage ditch,uh,that is-we have ongoing maintenance
issues there. So this would look at installing storm sewer in that location,uh, and making
other repairs adjacent to that section. The Peterson Street Storm Sewer Improvements
Project. This is, uh, an existing section of corrugated metal pipe that's reached the end of
its useful life. We've actually done some,uh, smaller kind of emergency repairs on this
line uh,just due to the-the very poor condition of the existing pipe. This would look at
making a replacement of the the- larger section to take care of those issues and- and
again,replace pipe that's at the end of its useful life.
Bergus: Jason, I have a question that's maybe a bigger picture question. The river street one
makes me think of it. That ditch I imagine has been there for very long time. How do you
decide when to slot in a project like that? That's maybe,you know, an old neighborhood
and yeah,there should be some storms over there,but.
Havel: A- a lot of it depends on what-what the issue is. You know, if it's something that's been
there for a long time,but it's- it's operating fine and we really don't have,you know,
maintenance issues or safety issues,uh,we typically won't,uh, look to address that unless
there's another opportunity. Um,we usually prioritize those locations. Again,we-we're
having to be out there,uh,maintaining something a lot of times or if it's something where
you know we're seeing localized flooding because there's issues. Those-those issues rise
it to the top of the list. But-but otherwise, the age itself wouldn't necessarily impact
where it- if fits on the priority list.
Bergus: Okay. Thank you.
Havel:Next up is the Storm Sewer Asset Inventory. So the city is,uh, in the process of
implementing an Asset Management Program. We're using cartographer that. Um, and as
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part of that,we are populating that da- data within the system. So we've gone through
and- and done similar asset inventory for water and wastewater,uh,the sanitary sewer
system,that kind of thing. Uh, so next up will be the storm sewer with the intent of
making sure that we have good data for that system right from the beginning so that we
can,uh,maximize our use of the-the asset management system.
Knoche: Uh,the Equipment Maintenance Facility. So this, uh,would be a shared th-th-the
current plan would be relocating,uh, our current facility from the old public worksite to
the new public worksite. Uh,the intent would be a shared facility,uh,with transit and,
uh, our city fleet a- as- as we move this forward. So initially we will have,uh,
redevelopment of the master plan,uh, and then development of the plans as we move this
forward.
Bergus: Ron, did this change at all with our reacquisition of that corner?
Knoche: So th-the,uh, I guess,the diagram that you see up on the screen right now,uh,that will
not be the,the-the-the process will move forward as far as the layout that will move
forward with us. So, um, obviously this shows not having the corner site,uh,with the
option that we ha- so when we developed our master plan,the original master plan plus-
we had two different options. There was one without and one with the corner property.
Um,the development of the plan with the corner property actually does two separate
buildings, so there'll be a shared maintenance facility and then the transit operation would
be a separate building on the site. Um,the maintenance facility would front onto Gilbert
street,um,just south of where our new building is for the streets,uh, and then the transit
facility actually fronts onto McAllister.
Bergus: So is that what- what you would anticipate is that it will be to separate? Okay.
Knoche: Tha-that is-that is our current plan. Um, as we- as we,you know,take a deeper dive
into things,um,there may be some- some modification to that,but-but currently the way
that we're looking at moving forward will be two separate facilities.
Havel: The entra- entrance way improvements project,this,um,has a couple of different
locations. The fust one being the Highway 1 interchange with I-80. This project would
look at doing some landscaping work to kind of soften up that-that interchange area,uh,
get rid of some of the hardscape and replace it with softscape type,uh,materials. The
other location would be the- an entrance way sign along Dubuque Street, and that would
be, ah, a joint project with the university to look at replacing the existing sign,um, along
Dubuque Street. The American Legion road and fust Avenue landscaping project. So
recently we constructed new roundabouts at Scott Boulevard and Muscatine and
American Legion road, as well as the one at First Avenue and Scott Boulevard. This
project would include landscaping at those roundabouts,uh, in addition, it would include
street trees along the American Legion road project as well. Dubuque Street
reconstruction. So this would be the block between Washington Street in Iowa Avenue.
This would be, ah, improvements that came out of the-the streetscape master plan similar
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to what was done along Washington Street, it would be a complete reconstruction,uh,
utility work and- and those types of components as well. Court Street reconstruction. So
this would be a complete reconstruction from, ah,Muscatine avenue to First Avenue.
This would be new paving,utility improvements,uh, all of that stuff, ah, sidewalks,ADA
curb ramps, and,uh, all those that we typically include with our- our reconstruction
projects.
Harmsen: I have a question about that one.
Havel: Yeah.
Harmsen: So that will go right by city high, correct? So will there be some additional things like
for the, I know there are some bus stops there that are really busy in the morning and the
afternoon, traffic flow through there because it's a,you know,pretty busy spot, at least
twice a day on weekdays. Um,how is this project going to any sort of redesign elements
to accommodate that and also,uh, scheduling with the school district to try and time this
out keeping in mind, contractors and everything else,you know,we're-we're often at the
mercy of those kinds of things so.
Havel: Yeah, so,you know, as far as the different components of the project, as we work through
the design,we typically will look at those items, include,uh,you know, transportation,
staff and- and whatnot,um, in that process. So we try to incorporate, a- a- as much as we
can, ah, from a staging standpoint. A- I guess the short answer is we do the best we can,
but I mean,we're completely reconstructing that entire stretcher roadway. So there's
gonna be challenges there,uh,but certainly we look at ways to stage it so that we can
maintain access throughout,uh, in some manner,uh,try and maximize what we can do
during summers to-to keep,you know,the-the worst impacts, I guess during kinda the
off-season for schools. But,uh,the-unfortunately,there's gonna be impact just because
we're talking about a product that's likely gonna be,um,you know, a year plus of
construction.
Fruin: In- in this area too, and in a lot of older areas,we just don't have a whole lot of right-of-
way to work with,you know, in terms of maybe a bus pole off or, ah, larger pedestrian
facilities. You can kinda see it on the- on the-on the picture there,the sidewalks,pretty
close to backup curb and it is on backup curb in some locations. We'd love to get those
utilities underground and that's gonna be part of this project. But at the end of the day,
you only have so much room to work with too,without really impacting people's front
yards and driving the project cost up with land acquisition. So,uh,this is a tough one,uh,
very similar to what we're going through on Rochester right now. Uh, arguably,probably
even harder than that one.
Bergus: Jason, I know it hasn't been designed yet,but do we anticipate widening at any points or
needing to acquire additional right away?
Havel: For Court Street?
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Bergus: Yeah.
Havel: For that project,we are planning to stay within the existing right away.
Bergus: Okay.
Havel: So there may be some- I believe there are some easement needs there,but,no we're
limiting it so that we're not taking,uh,right away throughout the entire corridor.
Bergus: What does that mean as far as,uh,bike infrastructure, if any, on that road?
Havel: So I believe in this location,uh,the bike infrastructure wouldn't be on Court Street, it
would be on one of the-the parallel streets.
Bergus: I see Kent nodding behind you. Okay. Thank you.
Havel: The Highway 1,Highway 6 intersection improvements study. So this would be the south
intersection of Highway 1,Highway 6. Uh,you can see there there's kind of an odd kink
in the-the roadway there. So this study would look at,uh, geometric improvements to the
intersection,help with the-the traffic flow and- and roadway, design in that area. Uh,
another big part of this is gonna be pedestrian and bicycle connections and facilities.
There obviously there's a lack of sidewalk and- and other connections here. Uh,this will-
with it being in 2024,the goal would be to have this help partner with the DOT project
for the Highway 6 bridge that they're gonna be replacing over the Iowa River in 2027. So
the goal would be to-to try and coordinate those two projects to make those connections
and- and help to extend the-the reach of those connections. Next up is the Dodge Street
reconstruction from Governor Street to Burlington Street. This would be another one
where it's a complete reconstruction,uh,new roadway paving, sidewalk,utilities,uh, all
that stuff. Uh,you know,with this being a joint project with the DOT and joint
jurisdiction,uh,we're working through kinda what that-that split looks like now,uh,
with Dodge Street being a one-way pair with Governor Street. Ah, another thing that
come out of the strategic plan was to look at a- a one-way to two-way conversion. So we
actually are working to get the consultants working on the functional design under
contract to look at that,uh, and be able to-to assist with that study and- and have some
findings to-to present from that as well.
Thomas: Jason,ha-have you given any thought to the staging on that one?
Havel: Uh, at this point, not-not a lot. Um,you know, obviously,that's gonna be another one,
that's gonna be a challenge. Um,but,uh, at this point with the function design,we're
really looking more that kind of what the-the roadway geometries would look like. Uh,
kind of the next phase would be to look at staging and that kind of thing.
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Thomas: I mean, one- one thought that came to s- some of us in the neighborhood would be to
convert Governor to two-way and, ah,be able to test the idea on Governor during
construction.
Havel: Yeah. We-that has come up occasionally. You know,usually one of the bigger
challenges is just the signals that you'd have to have additional signals installed,but a- it's
certainly an option that we could consider. Any other questions on that one?All right.
Moving on to the Market Street and Jefferson Street two-way conversion. So, ah,most of
you are familiar with this one. This would be looking at a- like the-the title says
converting Market and Jefferson from one-way traffic to two-way traffic would include,
ah, signal the modifications,new ADA curb brands to make those compliance, ah,
pavement markings an- and, ah, associated work. North Gilbert Street reconstruction. So
this is the section from- at the north end from Brown Street to Kimball road. Ah,this-it
would be again, another reconstruction project. Ah,this is an area if you've been up there,
the pavements in very poor condition. Ah, obviously,the-the grades are steep and,uh,
it's a- a difficult area to-to travel through. There's limited pedestrian accommodations
and so this project would look to-to e-improve those in that area as well. Uh,we've
started design on this,had our fi- fust public meeting. Um, I think that was productive.
So,uh,we are working-plan on working through design with construction schedule in
2025. The Gilbert Street Bridge replacement. So this will be the bridge over Ralston
Creek. This one is scheduled for construction in 2023. Anticipate that it's gonna be,um,
most of the construction year this year, if not all of it,uh,there would be obviously a
replacement of the bridge. There's some storm sewer work that'll be and the stream bank
stabilization work as well.
Dunn: Quick- quick question about that. I know that,uh,you know, transportation facilities are
typically graded. Do you know what the-the rating for this bridge is at this point?
Havel: I don't know offhand. Um, I believe there's the deck I believe was in poor condition,but
the other components, I believe are in fair condition. Next up is Taft Avenue
reconstruction. So despite that,this would be similar to what we're doing on American
Legion road. You'd be looking at going from a rural cross-section with drainage ditches
to an urban cross-section with curb and gutter and storm sewer anticipate. It would be
again,very similar to what we're doing American Legion road with a concrete street,
bicycle facilities,uh, likely a wide sidewalk on one side and- and sidewalks on both
sides. This-uh,the limits of this would be from American Legion rode up to lower West
Branch Road. The Oakdale boulevard extension alignment study. So a number of years
ago,we had completed a study to look at what a feature alignment for Oakdale Boulevard
would be east of highway 1. Uh,you know, occasionally,we get interests in development
in kinda the north gate area and when those do come up,part of what we're trying to do is
make sure that we maintain and- and reserve that corridor for future construction. So this
is just looking at updating that alignment study to make sure we are-we have that
alignment in the location we want it in for reservation as we work through those projects.
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Teague: While I'm- I'm thinking about our new councilor question,um, can you just give a quick
update on or quick,um,history on what the streets study that was done like the grading
we just had that done in 2020, I believe is,uh,when we have that and how this plays into
some of these projects?
Havel: Pavement management plan?
Teague: Yes.
Havel: Yeah. So we had a consultant come in and basically look at our program for what we do
for maintenance projects. Uh,that would be reconstruction projects, overlays,PCC,
patching, all that kind of stuff. Uh, and they came through and kind of evaluated what we
have for pavement data. Uh, and what we -we do similar to other communities, I believe
it's Iowa State University,has a program where they'll come through with their-their
vehicle and kinda collect data for city streets and they give us what's called a PCI
pavement condition index. And so we-we've been collecting that data for a number of
years. Um, so they kind of come in and look at what are our current condition is,kind of
it's been historically. And then they help to provide a program or a schedule of projects to
help address our maintenance needs. Um, so that was kind of what the program did. We
use that a lot for our Pavement Management Program. So what we do for overlays every
year or PCC patching that helps to-to educate kinda that program. Um,usually what
we'll do is we'll take what they had proposed as well as kinda inputting data from you
know whether we get complaints or other factors locally,uh,to kind of pull together our
program. And so that's a five-year program as well.
Teague: Thank you.
Havel:Next up is the Burlington Street Bridge Replacement project. So this will be a big one
obviously. Um,you know, for those of you that are familiar with the area,there's actually
two bridges that cross the river that are Burlington street. The South Bridge is owned and
maintained by the city. The Northbridge is owned and maintained by the DOT. Um, but
they are both highway 1 and Burlington street. So ours is the salt bridge and it's to the
point where it's reaching the-the end of its useful life. Uh, so we're looking at
replacement of that bridge. As part of the project we've been working with the DOT and
the-the plan at this point is to look at replacing both bridges and going away from two
separate bridges and having it be one structure that would ultimately be owned and- and
maintained by the DOT. In addition to the bridge replacement,we'll also be looking at
some other,uh, issues in this area. One would be the pedestrian overpass on over
Riverside Drive,that's something that's in need of repair or replacement. Uh, so we would
look at doing that as part of this project as well. Uh, we'll be looking at the geometries of
the Grand Avenue,Burlington street, and- and Riverside Drive intersection. It's another
one that's got kind of an odd kink in it. You know part of that with the two bridges there.
So looking at addressing that as well. And then also looking at the Grand Avenue binds
and Road and Melrose corridor and looking at options to making that two-way traffic.
And to,uh, one big benefit of that would be to connect the bike lanes on Burlington street
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to the existing bike lanes on Melrose. So really just trying to make that a much better
multimodal corridor and connections to that area.
Bergus: Jason, I see in the write-up it says looking at the feasibility of eliminating the dam,
meaning like the roller dam there.
Havel: Yes.
Bergus: Okay.
Havel: So it's good reminder. I forgot to mention that,but yeah,that's another piece and the-the
dam is actually owned and maintained by the university. And so we are looking-we will
look at options for either making modifications to that or removal of that,uh, and just see
what-what we can do obviously. Removal and replacement of the bridges are a once-in-
a-lifetime opportunity to-to address that.
Teague: And there is some type of utilities under their- the current.
Havel: Yeah.
Teague: Dam.
Havel: Yeah. There's utilities that run through the dam. There's utilities that are through the
bridge. So there's a lot of utilities in this area.
Bergus: And is removal of that dan part of our destination Iowa grant proposal to Geoff?
Fruin: The-the timeframe for that wouldn't work with the destination Iowa. Those are projects
that they want to get launched, I think within 12 months of award. So this one is a few
years in the making if we can make it work,but there may be grants for low-head dam
removals like this. So it's something we'll explore as part of the project.
Harmsen: What's the advantage of a dam removal?
Fruin: Primarily public safety.
Bergus: Yeah.
Fruin: Very dangerous dams. Uh, it's tough for anybody to survive passing through a dam like
this. So if there's any alternatives,um, it's certainly advantageous to pursue those. And
then the added benefit then as it can increase recreational and fishing opportunities along
the river too. So if we wanted to do any- or right now,you couldn't take a canoe right
from- from city park down to Sturgis ferry,um, it would allow for that. You could do
some whitewater type of courses in a lot of cities, a number of cities in Iowa have had
success doing that. So something we looked at briefly with the development of riverfront
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crossings park,but ultimately the price tag was too much. And knowing that this project
was around the comer,this is probably the appropriate time to-to take a good hard look
at it.
Harmsen: Thank you.
Dunn: So,you know, Iowa as an agricultural state has done a lot to straighten it's rivers and
streams and very much increases flow rate and it has a major impact on soil degradation
and erosion, and I'm just wondering if you have-you know,this does exist right now.
Um,just so having any idea of the kinds of speed increases that would be-that would
come from removal and potential,you know, downstream soil erosion impacts if you
guys have thought about that?
Havel: I don't offhand and that would be all be something we would look at as we worked
through that process. And again, at this point, I don't think anybody's really -ready to say
that we will remove it. Uh, I think we're just gonna have to look at those options. I think
more than anything, it was just the- our great opportunity to do that and there's been
interest in the past. So,uh, I can't say for certain what direction it will go,but certainly
something we want to make sure we look- look hard at at this time.
Dunn: Thank you.
Havel: All right. Uh, speaking of pedestrian overpass is over Riverside Drive.Next project is the
overpass at Iowa Avenue. So this is one we currently are working through the design now
for rehabilitation of that existing overpass. This would be a joint project with the DOT
and university. The Kitty Lee Road functional design. So Kitty Lee Road is located just
west of menarche. Um, so again, out there at the Carson farm area. You know, as we're
looking at potential development of the Carson farm area, one of the questions that comes
up is secondary axis, so would anticipate that the primary axis would come up with rare
at Road initially. Uh, Kitty Lee is one of the few existing roadways in the area that could
potentially provide for that secondary axis, at least initially. And so this would be a
preliminary functional design to look at what improvements might be needed if that
connection were to occur early on. Uh,the intent is that long term,this wouldn't
necessarily be the main connection,but again,would be on a short-term basis.
Teague: Is Kitty Lee road currently paved or no?
Havel: It's chip seal. Next up is the Camp Cardinal Road,Kennedy Parkway pedestrian
accommodations. So this is a project that we would partner with Cornell. And what we
would do here is the existing intersection of Kennedy Parkway and Camp Cardinal,uh,
has three lanes as well as turn lanes,uh, limited pedestrian crossing accommodations. So
what this would do is look at sort of repurposing the existing right turn lanes and
providing for pedestrian island in the middle to help with the pedestrian crossing
movements at this location. The North Dodge Street ACT circles signalization. So as the
title says,this would be installing a traffic signal at this existing intersection, um,to help
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with especially turning vehicles from the ACT circle,uh, approach. Iowa Avenue
improvements. So this will be looking at the area kind of between Clinton Street and
Gilbert Street,um,would be improvements to address,um,pavement issues that we're
having out there. Look at,uh,ADA, curb ramp accommodations, as well as kind of
refreshing some of the street furniture and- and landscaping features of- of the corridor.
High Street and South Gate Avenue sidewalk and fill. So this will be a sidewalk and fill,
uh,project at a couple of locations. The fust one is High Street. So this is one where we-
we've received,uh,requests from residents of,uh, assistance home,uh,to provide for
connection to existing sidewalk facilities and- and provide for that,uh, additional,um,
accommodations. The other one would be,uh, South Gate Avenue sidewalk and fill. It
would really be providing that connection across the railroad tracks between existing or
anticipated sidewalk in that area.
Knoche: All right. Moving on to wastewater projects. So the-the fust project is our digester
complex rehabilitation. Uh,this project stemmed out of,uh,when we made a change in
our,uh, treatment process in 2014 with a plant upgrade. Uh,we were having issues with a
struvite development within the-within the plant itself,which was causing, uh, a major,
uh,maintenance issue. Um, as we've,um,been doing the initial,uh,research on the
project and looking at the overall plan,we found that with some chemical,uh, addition in
the process,we can eliminate a majority of the struvite,um, development. Um, so this
project- so struvite removal,uh, itself is about a $14 million project. Uh, so with the-,uh,
with the chemical addition here,we would be looking at adding a chemical building. So
that's about $1.4 million improvement. Um,but then the remainder of that money,uh, it's
funding that was-that was available there would be used for deferred maintenance that's
occurred in the plant. The plant was built 1989,we had an upgrade in 2002.Um, so we're
looking at some deferred maintenance in that digester complex area, and so we would
utilize that funding,uh,to-to move that,um,maintenance forward.
Bergus: Ron, I meant to ask this on Saturday,but you mentioned kind of offhandedly during that
presentation that the-the chemical injection for the struvite removal didn't have any like
side effects?
Knoche: It does not. Yeah, so- so,um, it's-uh, it's- it's using ferric as a- as- as an additive,um,to
help offset,uh,that-that development. Um, so it's- it's just- it's- it's iron basically in the
end. And so,um, as- as that,uh,process,um, collects the phosphorus that's there, it ends
up in the biosolids that then are land amplified- land applied. So it actually increases the-
the fertilizer content that's in that biosolid.
Bergus: Okay. Thank you.
Harmsen: I just wanted to say, improve sludge quality was not a phrase that I was expecting to
read today.
Knoche: It's-,uh,yeah, one of those wonderful things,right? So,uh,the next project is Rohret
South Sewer. So this is,um,upgrading a sewer that currently runs down Abby Lane on
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the west side of town. So from,uh,Willow- Willow Creek Park,uh,Kiwanis Park,uh,to
Mormon Trek, across to 18 and- and,um, opening up sanitary sewer for the Carson farm
area. So that's that area west of 218 and south of railroad. Uh,this project will be a tap on
feed project. So as development occurs,uh, in that area,um,the developers will-will pay
for access to that sewer as it moves forward. Benton Street, the trunk sewer
improvements. So this is in the area,um, south of Melrose,uh, in the Emerald,uh,
Westgate area. We currently have sewer in that area that runs underneath buildings and-
and obviously access to that then is a challenge. Um, so this will relocate that sewer and
increase that. We have also have some sizing issues there, so it will upsize the sewer,but
then also provide for better access to that sewer as we move forward. Um,kind of in that
vein of- of deferred maintenance, so we have pumps that are original to the plant. So we
have a return activated sludge pump replacement process-project. Uh, and then we also
have some influent pump,uh, station,uh,pump replacements also,uh,they're at the plant
site. Uh, the Napoleon Lift Station improvements. Uh, so this is at Napoleon Park,uh,
this is the,uh,pump station that basically all of the wastewater that comes from the west
side of town actually is pumped,uh,through this pump station. Um, so this is
redeveloped looking at pumps,but then also,um, looking at the bar screen improvements
as a part of this for this- this station area.
Bergus: Ron,will everything from the Rohret go through this then?
Knoche: It will.
Bergus: Okay.
Knoche: Yeah.
Bergus: So the flow is east,right?Yeah. That's were the wastewater plant is.
Knoche: Yes. Yeah. Yes. So,uh, our- our main trunk runs through Willow Creek Park and along
the Willow Creek. And so as it comes down around the airport, it then crosses the river
just to the north of McAllister Boulevard,where the McAllister Boulevard bridge is. Uh,
we have some,uh,roof replacement projects that we're looking at. They're, again,
deferred maintenance at that wastewater treatment plant. Um,we've,uh, done some
initial studies in regards to assessments of the- of those roofs and then this project will,
um, act on that,uh,plan. The Highlander Lift Station. So this is the lift station that is uh,
north of I80,just to the north of the BP Amoco that sits on the west side of Highway 1,
Dodge Street. Um, this,uh,pump station is- is in need of some just maintenance and then
also looking at,um,maybe developing an additional pump in that lift station itself.
Vehicle replacements. So this is our jet truck replacement. Uh, it's actually on order. So,
um,this is basically the money to move forward the replacement of that vehicle. And
then as we move forward with this vehicle, I think it- it- it will actually go to an eight-
year replacement timeline on this vehicle versus where we're at today. We have HVAC
replacement down at the wastewater plant. So there again,um,HVAC,uh,units that are
original to the plant and it's time for- for replacement,they're at the end of their useful
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life. The primary clarifiers, we had a project a couple of years ago where we had done
some repair work. Basically,this is the rebuilding of those-,uh,the clarifiers there. These
were,uh, due in 2002, so there again,we're 20 years out in regards to some deferred
maintenance. On those wastewater division master plan. So- so this is actually looking at
an overall master plan for our sanitary sewer system. Uh,we did this in 2010,um, as we
were looking at the upgrade to the plant. So this is, again, looking at the overall surface
area of our- of our plant and- and just making sure that as we're looking out in future
years,um,we kind of know what the needs are as development occurs. Uh, effluent water
pump station improvements. So currently,um, at our plant,we, um,pump effluent to the
soccer park and they use that for irrigation. Um, so this would be upgrading,adding at
least one additional pump in that area. And then also looking at the-the filtering system,
that's a part of that, as they- as- as we pump it to that area. And then,uh,the-the last
project is the digester gas improvement. So as we've been doing the digester complex,
um, studies,um, as- as Laura mentioned earlier,we did find that, um,when we had the
original bio-gas study done,there was,uh, some decimal areas in regards to the amount
of,uh, gas that was being produced by the plant,uh, and so because of that,uh, it appears
that there is,uh, feasibility to look at a digester gas line injection project. Um, so
basically the collection of the digester gas and then injecting it into a gas pipeline for use,
um,by a utility company. Um, so this project obviously is new. This year we've just
included this one. There's also some- a potential that there'll be some,um, infrastructure
funds available through the IIJA funding to help offset some of the,uh, cost of this
project and potentially of some of our digester complex improvements.
Havel: Moving on to the water side of things. So as part of the sort of overall water system
maintenance,you know,you'll see here,we try and do at least one water main
replacement project a year. Again,just trying to-to keep up with maintenance of the
overall system. So the fust one here is Bradford Drive. So we'd be looking at
approximately 2,500 feet of- of water main replacement,uh, for this project. Uh, for the
water plant,there's a few,uh, equipment replacements. Again, looking at a plant that's
getting to the point where some of the original equipment needs to be replaced. The fust
project here is the high service pump VFD replacements. So these are variable frequency
drives on the-the high service pumps. The waterfront meeting room AV upgrades. So
the water plant in the front there,they have a meeting room which is- is really popular
for- for training and other meetings,uh, for city use. It's,uh, a good facility, but overall,
the AV facilities are- are less than ideal,uh,you know, it's kind of oriented odd. The
entry doors are kind of right upfront where your speaker might be. So if someone has to
get up and use the bathroom, it's kind of,uh, an odd layout. The projector is just a
portable projector that's set on a table and- so it's really just kind of outdated and in need
of repair or,uh,updating,um,just to make it more usable for those types of events. The
Highway 6 water main replacement. Again,this would be replacement of existing water
main. We're looking at the section from Fair Meadows to Industrial Park Road. Um,this
will be a 16-inch main, again, along Highway 6. Water treatment study,water treatment
technology study, sorry,would look at the sort of the water production process that we
use. You known, obviously for with the evolution of contaminants and nutrients that are,
kinda, in the news these days. This would look at our treatment process and see if there
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might be improvements or changes that we could make to-to better align with what the
current requirements are or where we see those going in the future. So the fust step of
that would be to-to do a study to look at that process and see if there might be changes
that will be recommended in the future or a future project here,you'll see that there would
then be money set aside for implementing whatever findings come out of that study.
Collector well,number 2, cleaning and upgrade so this would be looking at cleaning
some of the existing laterals, as well as the potential for installing new 12-inch laterals.
Really looking at basically getting back some of the capacity or increasing the capacity of
that well. Next is an HVAC study for the water plants similar to kinda what we were
looking at down at the wastewater plant,you're looking at a study of existing facilities for
recommendations for improvements or upgrades that might be needed in that,uh,those
HVAC components. Similar, again to the wastewater side of things up but the water plant
and warehouses and those facilities looking at roof replacements that are again just ones
that are in need of replacement and then reaching the end of their useful life. As I
mentioned, as we look at that water treatment process,this would be the-the project
actually implement whatever findings come out of the-the study that was the previous
project. The Melrose Avenue water main,uh,replacement project this would be looking
at replacing existing water main from along Melrose Avenue from Camp Cardinal Road
through kinda the-the Highway 218 interchange. The next project is the powerhouse
dam rehabilitation so the existing Rotterdam there is actually a water assets, um, and so
we- couple of years ago we had some divers go out there, do some inspections and
identify some areas that are in need of repair so this would be the-the money to complete
those repairs. GSR upgrade and repairs so this would be a project to,uh, as the title
says,make upgrades and repairs at some of our GSR and those are the ground storage
reservoir so that's where we store water out in the system for,uh, further distribution and
those would be the-the Rochester,Emerald, and Sycamore Street locations. The water
plant flow meter replacement is an equipment,uh,replacement, again,th- equipment
that's reached the end of its useful life so the flow meters up at the water plant. Water
storage so this would be looking at,um,water storage options,basically on the west side
and the east side,um,would be looking at the various options there, it could be ground
storage, it could be elevated storage. Again,kinda looking at not only from a storage side
of things but also potential improvements to the,uh, system pressure and other
improvements that can be made in those locations.
Knoche: So we have currently,um,we made the change in our radio system from a- a city-
owned system onto the jack system. So at our site at North Dodge Street,we have one
antenna left on that side, and that actually is an antenna that we utilize to get access to the
Peninsula well field. So the way it goes is say two goes from the Peninsula well field to
the site at North dodge back to our plant site and so what we're looking at here is- is the
potential to either relocate an antenna,relocate that antenna to the chronic Park area
where we have,uh, some water pump station,where we then have access to fiber there
and go back to the plant via fiber versus the-the antenna option,um,then would give us
the ability to vacate and abandon that antenna site completely at North Dodge.
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Havel: Then the last project in this section would be the relocation of the bulk water stations so
this will be the-the existing bulk water station up at the existing equipment site. So this is
where,um, contractors and other users that use a lot of water at one time fill in water
tanks or whatever they might need for their construction activities. This is one of the
locations they get that water,um, so it would be moving it down to the public worksite,
make improvements to that one thing that-that would allow us to make improvements
that will allow for it to be better used during cold water months or cold weather months,
sorry. Um, so yeah. Any questions?
Bergus: I had a water question,um, and maybe this is for Geoff. We had talked to a joint entities
meeting, I think a year or so ago about an aquifer study that the county was considering
undertaking, does anybody know anything about that?
Fruin: You recall, I believe John Durst was involved in looking at that issue.
Knoche: Yeah, I-I-I- I know there's been a lot of analysis of the aquifer,um,we don't-we have
access to it through-through a well on the plant site. Um, we don't utilize it that much so,
on- our utilization is fairly low just because we have the-we have the collector,you
know,wells and it really end up being more of a surface water plant than we are a- a
while system. I can follow up with John, a lot of fine art kinda what the status of that is
for you.
Bergus: Thank you.
Havel: Any other questions on public works projects?
Dunn: I guess all I'd want to know is- is just if you could just keep me updated on the-the dam
issue.
Havel: Sure. Yeah.
Dunn: Thank you.
Havel: All right, if nothing else,we'll move on to transportation.
Nagle-Gamm: All right. Again,Darian Nagle-Gamm,Director of Transportation,uh,we just
have six CIP projects to go through that I'll brief you on very quickly. The first of which
is video cameras for parking facilities. We already do have video cameras on all of our
parking facilities,we use them every day to help folks get who get in a jam. We help
them get out of the-the parking ramps so we do have met our exits,but this would be a
project to expand the cameras throughout the facilities and add more cameras. We rely on
them not only for operations,but to monitor capacity and also for safety and security,
both for staff and for the public so this would be an expansion of the cameras that we
have in our parking facilities. The second project is,uh,replacement of LED fixtures in
the ramp. Um,this was perhaps one of the fust climate action projects of the city, climate
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action slash cost-savings efficiency projects. So these all of our parking facilities have
LED lights and they have-they basically aged out of production,with,they'd been in
there so long and at- at a certain time point they start to fail and we're at that point. And
so, and you can kinda tell the-the quality degrades a bit over time as we're starting to
learn what happens with LED lights over time. So,uh,you can tell some of the facilities.
We-we've been replacing the lights, it's- it's brighter, it's lighter,um, and we just want to
continue that throughout all of our facilities. So that's a project to keep that, uh,keep
those lights new and refreshed.
Dunn: Do- do you happen to have any of the information for power savings since
implementation projected versus actual?
Nagle-Gamm: I would imagine- I don't have any offhand,but I would imagine that our climate
action team does have that information compiled as part of our,um,the annual report,
um, and I could- I can connect you with that information.
Dunn: That would be great. Thank you.
Nagle-Gamm: All right. Next,uh,project is tower place drainage modification. So this is one
you've seen,um, in recent years. Um,the-the- I think we've got a better,um, sense of
what the cost estimate is going to be as you'll-you'll notice at the cost and certainly did
increase this year,but really this is a project to modify the existing drainage pipe
network. This is a unique facility and that the storm water drains to the middle of the
facility and not on the outside of the facility. Um, and what we've been finding as,um,
perhaps as our climate has been changing and we've been having more and more,um,
really intense,rapid, short-term,really intense rainfall situations that,um, the lower-level
parking condo,which is entered off with Gilbert Streets,has flooded,um,multiple times,
um,because the storm water,uh, system for the facility just cannot keep up with those
really intense short-term rainfall. So this project is one that would help to, I would say,
disperse the storm water,um,both to the interior structure that it's been built with,but
also add some structure on the outside so that we don't have those intense,um,rainfall
events that are causing flooding,um, of vehicles in the lower level. Tower Place office
remodel. So tower place,uh, another project in the parking ramp. This one would be in
our- in our parking office. Um,this would be redesigned and remodel,uh, of the area to
meet our needs today. Um,we currently we-we're-we've outgrown our- our space. We
don't have enough,um, space for all the employees that are there. Uh, our storage needs
have changed,um, over time and we really just need to reconfigure that space to-to meet
our needs today. So that's what that project is. The fifth project we have is, um, transit
maintenance facility relocation. So Nicole,um, talked about that a little bit earlier. We
talked about it a little bit on Saturday as well. But,um, really, the transit facility has,um,
reached the end of its useful life,which is about 40 years. Um, it is- happens to be 40
years old. So,um,when it was built in the '80s- in the early '80s, it was built on top of- at
a great location, I might add,but on top of a dump site. So we have been battling land soil
substance issues,um, for years. Um, er,there are some places in the parking lot where we
have up to 10, 15 feet of asphalt deep because every year or so we have to go lay more
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asphalt on top,um,to make sure that the buses can still get in the building. Uh,that's-
that's kind of what we're dealing with at that facility. So besides the aging condition,
which is- again, it's a 40-year-old,um,uh, facility and it's well-worn, it's well used, it's
well loved,but,um,we are having weekly repairs necessary at that facility. Um,just this
week,we-there's no water fountain. That water fountain has met its maker. Um,we have
sensor issues in the doors,the bus wash,um,broke down. We-these are just
commonplace things that-that happen. Uh,unfortunately, our HVAC systems which re-
requires six,uh, different units to keep the facility heated and cooled,um,we've had to
replace two of them this year,which is not something-we-we'd love to be investing this
money in a new facility versus maintaining,but those are-those are expenses that we just
have to,you know, compensate for. So,um,this project,um,we are pursuing federal
funding for this, actively,persistently,um,pursuing federal funding. Um, our first grant
process for this year will be submitting one at the end of next month. Um, so it's a big
price tag for this facility, but we should be able to recoup approximately 75 percent of
those costs and get reimbursement for 75 percent of those costs,um,through the federal
grant process. So that's really exciting news. We'll get some significant help to make this,
um,make this project come to life,um,but we do need to-um, it is a reimbursement
process, so we need to have the project programmed and funded,um,which is why the
project is here awaiting-um, awaiting the next steps,which I think Ron alluded to this
earlier too. We are beginning-we were awarded, I should back it up for a second,we
were,um, awarded a $750,000 in congressionally designated funds early last year,which
is fantastic. We're very excited about that to begin design, so we are commencing-we're
beginning to put together an RFP so we can go out,uh, and bring a team on board to help
us commence design. Um,we're actually already going through the environmental and
planning review process with the FTA. So that's a Federal Transit Administration. So
we're-we're getting everything lined up,um,to be able to launch this project whenever-
um,whenever we get-when we-we get lucky and we get that-we get that, um, great
notif-notification that we received the grant so we'll continue pursuing it. But,um,that is
of course, a big project for us and hopefully we see some movement this year.
Dunn: This question is certainly premature,uh,but I am just curious what-what thought has
gone into uh-what happens with the facility after it is vacated and transition to a-to the
new one?
Nagle-Gamm: Do you want to take it Geoff or I can take it? It's up to you. Uh, either way,um,
so,uh,there's multiple options for- it's a great location. Um, it's a great location for
multiple uses. It could potentially be subdivided. Um, it could- I mean, it's all city-owned
facility so really the city can- is in the driving- driver's seat and can determine,um,what
the use is. I think the federal interest, um,will run out in,uh, at 40 years. So we're- I
think we're gonna hit that before-before-um,before we move into a new facility. So I
think there's a lot of options. Um, Geoff had mentioned potentially looking at opens,
having some to the be allocated for open space and kind of continuing that Riverfront
Crossings Corridor across the river,providing more,um, outdoor amenities. Potentially,
it's a- it's a pretty large parcel at a great location. So I think there's really a lot- a lot of
different options, I don't think we have anything hammered out right now.
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Fruin: Yeah,just to-
Dunn: What's-what size are we talking about in terms of acres?
Nagle-Gamm: It's a great question. I don't know offhand what the size is.
Fruin: You really have to look at as the entire public works campus. And I- I don't know the
acreage,um, off of that. But,um, you know, if you think about Riverfront Crossings
Park,um, and we know the DOT is going to be replacing that bridge in- in five years
across the river. I really see it as an opportunity to extend Riverfront Crossings Park
south,um, and connect it in with Sturgis Ferry and create a- a tremendous greenway
along the Iowa River.Now there is,uh, as you move towards the corner of that highway
1,Highway 6 intersection,um,there is some good- good land there, and- and I do think
it's worth us taking a good hard look at whether there's other municipal needs right there.
One of the exercises we want to go through this year is- is looking at this building and the
space needs study of this building,um,knowing that we can't continue to-to-um,uh,
fully accommodate police fire, and City Hall in this building,we're full, so one or more
of those operations probably needs to move out. So we want to take a look at whether uh,
it would be an option to move police uh,to that-to that corner. Uh, again, great location
in terms of its- its access in the community and uh, it's kind of central nature. Um,uh,but
we'd want to-we want to kind of blend that into a park. So those are just some
preliminary thoughts,uh,that I think have some merit that we want to begin to think
about as this date gets closer.
Dunn: Thank you.
Teague: I will say kudos to staff,um, for the constant,um, interactions with- trying to get some
funding and all of the other partnerships that is involved in trying to make this happen.
Uh,this facility, I- I've toured a couple of times now and- and been in some meetings.
Um, it is sinking. You can-you can clearly see that it's sinking in and so even if,you
know,we were to reuse the land,um, it will need- I- I don't know what it would,um,
need to make sure that it doesn't continue to sink. But,um, I think there will be a lot of
options that we'll be able to visit. So thanks to all of you-the work that you all do and all
of the partners and other staff that has also been a part of it.
Nagle-Gamm: I appreciate that and- and,uh,we are hoping that this is our year. [LAUGHTER]
Teague: Yes.
Taylor: Are there any concerns environmental wise with what perhaps is in the ground or what
had been there with the landfill?Are there any concerns with that with like air quality or
what we potentially might use this land for?
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Knoche: You know, it was a landfill and it was permitted to the DNR that- that has been closed
and the DNR stepped away from that area. So,um,you know, from- from a you know
potential contaminant issue, currently,we don't see any- any issues there that right now.
We did have- as a- as a part of one of the improvements of the transit facility,we didn't
have a methane collection system that was installed under,you know,underneath the
transit facility. Um,we have gone through,um and that-that has actually been turned off
and we're no longer using it,um just because,uh a it was having some issues in regards
to additional subsidence underneath the building,but it really wasn't collecting any
methane.
Fruin: Just one other thing to keep in mind with that side,particularly as you worked further
south from the- from the highway there,you do start to intersect with the, uh runway
protection zones from the airport. So even if it were developable ground and we didn't
want to use it for say park space. Um,you're gonna run into some significant conflicts
with the-with the runways there.
Dunn: Do you guys know when the last time there was,uh, a soil study done on the site?
Knoche: Um, I'm not certain exact time-timeline. I know that we have had a terracon,uh, in one
of our- a soil and environmental company come in and we've done some phase 1 work at
that site. Um,basically looking at the ability to have it be a shovel-ready site for future
development. So,um,we-we have done those environmental assessments on that site
previously.
Dunn: Thank you.
Nagle-Gamm: All right. And one last project for transportation services is our transit bus video
system. And this is a new project this year and it's one that we need every 5-10 years just
depending on how-how the equipment holds up. But we do have an on bus security
camera system. We use it for safety and security of staff and the public. It gets beat up.
Being on the bus,um,you know 24/7 day after day. Um, it- it does get shook up a bit,
and it's you know it's heavy equipment. Um, and we have definitely reached the end of
the useful life for this round. Um, and we've been having increasing difficulty with
equipment failure and with,um responding to requests for video from PD, let's say and
we don't have the video because the equipment failed,um, and you know, and it's time to
replace it and move on to a new one. So it's really time to invest in a new system and new
equipment so we can make sure that reliability is where we need it to be.
Teague: All right.
Nagle-Gamm: Thank you.
Havel: All right, if there's no other questions on that,we'll move on to our final section. We're
almost done. Uh, so on the radar section,these are the projects that don't show up,uh, or
maybe show up for design,but not for construction in the current plan. But products that
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we want to make sure you're aware of that are kind of in that next,uh, section of years,I
guess, outside of the current five-year plan.
Seydell-Johnson: So East Side sports complex is 70 plus acre site on the east side. We've done
some tree planting to prepare it for a park use in the future. The master plan shows a
number of athletic fields,but also neighborhood park space. We didn't ask questions
about this as part of the rec facilities and program master plan. And the priority there was
to invest first in our current athletic fields,which we've been doing. So city park baseball
fields recently had renovations. We're doing Mercer as we speak, and then Napoleon is in
the CIP. So we want to keep this on the radar for as we continue working on All of our
athletic fields and continued use in all of them.
Havel:Next project would be the McAllister boulevard extension. So we recently completed this
section between Gilbert street and Sycamore street. So this would be the next section to
the East that would continue it from the roundabout on sycamore Street up to Highway 6.
The foster road elevation, so again we had talked about the functional design that we're
currently doing now,this would be potential construction of the improvement project.
Should development in the area not provide that secondary access,this would be another
option to provide that resilient access to the peninsula neighborhood and other
neighborhoods in that area. Taft Avenue reconstruction. We have a currently funded
project for the section between American Legion rode up to lower West Branch Road.
This would be keeping in mind that there's the two sections kind of on each end. So this
section on the south end for American Legion road down to 420th Street as well as the
North end from lower West Branch up to Herbert Hoover highway. The Burlington
Street Bridge Replacement project. This is again one where we will start design and start
trying to put money away for construction of the project. Uh,but we anticipate actual
construction probably beginning right now it's penciled in for 2028. The Highway 6
bridge over Iowa river. Again,this won't be our project,but it's one that we anticipate
we'll have a major impact on our community. So the Highway 6 bridge would be a DOT
project. And again,that currently is scheduled for construction in 2027. Then the last
product on the list, Park Road reconstruction. This is one that previously had been in a
funded year with all the challenges of the CIP this year,unfortunately, it fell out of a
funded year, so it's currently unfunded. This will be the section from rocky shore drive to
Riverside Drive. When we made the decision to take that out of the program. We are
looking at if there might be other options,whether that might be an overlay or other
maintenance to help with that corridor,to extend the life to get to a point where they can
fall into a funded year for reconstruction. And with that,that is our list. Happy to answer
any additional questions.
Teague: Thank you so much. I appreciate it. All right. Any other discussion by council at this
time? Well, I appreciate all of the staff coming forth and sharing. And again, I wanted to
introduce our newest member to our staff that's still in the room, councilor Andrew Dunn.
And so I'm sure you'll have opportunities at some point to meet and talk to him. But with
that,we will say, good evening to everyone and see you around in 2023.
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council work
session of January 11, 2023.