Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout2006-01-12 MinutesMayor Dan Coody City Attomey Kit Williams City Clerk Sondra Smith City Council Street Committee Meeting Minutes January 12, 2006 Page 1 of 10 aye evi le AR KA N SA S City of Fayetteville Arkansas City Council Street Committee Meeting Minutes January 12, 2006 Member Aldermen Ward 1 Position 1 Ward 2 Position 2 Ward 3 Position 2 Ward 4 Position 2 - Robert Reynolds — Don Man- - a r— Robert Ferrell - Lioneld Jordan A meeting of the Fayetteville City Council Street Committee was held on January 12, 2006 at 5:30 p.m. in Room 219 of the City Administration Building located at 113 West Mountain Street, Fayetteville, Arkansas. MEMBERS PRESENT: Alderman Lioneld Jordan, Chair; Alderman Robert Reynolds, Alderman Don Marr; Alderman Robert Ferrell Staff Present: Ron Petrie, Terry Gulley, Gary Dumas Guests Present: Wayne Jones, McClelland Consulting Engineers; Dr. Norm Dennis, Civil Engineering Professor at the University of Arkansas Chairman Lioneld Jordan called the meeting to order. 1. Approval of the minutes from the December 13, 2005 Street Committee meeting. Alderman Robert Ferrell moved that the minutes to the Dec. 13, 2005 Street Committee meeting be approved as distributed. Alderman Robert Reynolds seconded the motion and it carried unanimously. 2. Presentation from McClelland Engineering of the Kings Drive Study. Wayne Jones, McClelland Consulting Engineers presented a report on the stability analysis he and Dr. Norm Dennis have been working on for Kings Drive. Since approximately April of 2005 they have been studying the slide problem on the west side of Kings Drive at the west end of Arlington Terrace. Problems in this area include the waterline, which is basically under the west curb, a telephone line and a sewer line running east of the centerline of the road and the residences downhill on Thoreau Lane and uphill along Arlington Terrace. Mr. Jones pointed out where movement has occurred in the area and discussed the tests that have been completed. He then turned the floor over to Dr. Norm Dennis. Dr. Norm Dennis, U of A explained that until this study was done, nobody had conducted any strength testing on the soils in this area. For this study they took samples from the two borings at the top of the hill and completed some pretty extensive strength testing in order to characterize the soil. He explained that the problem soil exists somewhere between 6 to 10 feet below the 113 West Mountain 72701 (479) 521-7700 (479) 575-8257 (Fax) accessfayetteville.org City Council Street Committee Meeting Minutes January 12, 2006 Page 2 of 10 surface and that is where they believe the failure surface exists. He presented and explained several Power Point slides of information to the Committee. For purposes of this study a soil model (or cross section) of the hillside has been created. He explained the current situation with the hillside and talked about the five alternatives open to the City, which are: 1) do nothing, 2) Tangent Pile Wall, 3) Soil Nail and Mechanically Stabilized Earth (MSE) Wall, 4) Shear Key, and 5) Shear Key with an MSE Wall. He talked about each of the five alternatives and explained the potential factor of safety for each. There is a significant potential for failure if nothing is done. Wayne Jones said they are now working on the final report for this study, which will include a cost analysis. This will be ready in a couple of weeks before the next meeting. They will provide a line item cost analysis, separating out the stabilization of the hillside, the relocation of the water line and cost for repair of the road. He said that the shear key repair is recommended, with the alternate being the shear key with mechanically stabilized wall. Alderman Marr asked if there is any estimation on the price range for these options, maybe a range of highest versus lowest. Wayne Jones said the highest cost could probably be $1 million or over. The lowest might be $500,000 on the low end to possibly $700,000 to $800,000 on the high end. They anticipate this would cover everything needed for the project. Alderman Reynolds asked, should the City opt to use the shear key and a 27 -ft. street, if that would cut the cost of the repair. Wayne Jones said that it would cut the cost of the repair of the street. There are some questions about whether the water line will go in the street or on the west side of the shear key. From that standpoint, the cost savings would be the narrowing of the street. Three to six feet of street repair width could be a significant savings over 400 to 500 feet. They can look at costs to repair the street as it is (30 ft.) and then also look at costs for a 27 ft. width and maybe even a 24 ft. width. Mr. Jones explained that the Tangent Pile Wall is the option with the most severe tree preservation issues. Installing it would entail some removal of trees and brush to create a level surface for a drill rig to set up and move around to drill. This will cause the most interruption to the overall esthetics of the area and the cost of that option will be higher. Alderman Ferrell asked if the costs Mr. Jones will provide will include the utility relocation. Wayne Jones said the costs he provides will include the water line relocation. He doesn't anticipate anything regarding the sewer line. There is what is believed to be a very small telephone line within the right-of-way. The cost of moving it may not be a cost incurred by the City. Alderman Ferrell asked, assuming the shear key option is chosen, if there is an estimated time frame for completion of the project once the utilities are moved and assuming the weather is good. Wayne Jones said he would estimate six months to get it all installed and the repair of the roadway completed. 113 West Mountain 72701 (479) 521-7700 (479) 575-8257 (Fax) accessfayetteville.org City Council Street Committee Meeting Minutes January 12, 2006 Page 3 of 10 Chairman Jordan opened the floor to public comment Rick McKinney suggested replacing the sewer line at the same time the street repairs are done to prevent a future problem if the line breaks. He encouraged the Committee to come to a decision regarding what needs to be done and get it fixed for the long term. There being no further comments, Chairman Jordan brought the discussion back to the Street Committee. Alderman Marr asked if there is any money in the CIP for this project and if so, how much. Ron Petrie stated that there is $500,000 in the 2006 CIP for this project. 3. Presentation from the Transportation Division of the proposed 2006 Street Paving and Sidewalk Work Program. Terry Gulley gave a recap of the 2005 overlay program before discussing the 2006 program. A total of 18.22 miles of street overlay in 48 different locations was accomplished in 2005. He talked about some traffic calming efforts Transportation had taken on in conjunction with the Engineering Division. Mr. Gulley then talked about the plans for 2006 for upgrades in street surfacing and sidewalks. He explained that the City is continuing to try to do sidewalk connections near elementary, junior high, middle schools and even the high school. They are also continuing to try to connect short sections of sidewalks where there are missing sections. He reviewed the list of projects scheduled to be accomplished in each ward in 2006. He reviewed the overlay comparisons for 2002 to 2006. He explained that we have now used up the balance of our reserves and that the money appropriated in the CIP for the overlay program will be spent in the year it is appropriated from now on. He projects that the 18 mile range is about the maximum that will be possible in a year, given the money and personnel available. Alderman Reynolds wondered if it is possible, if alderman see something in their ward that they think needs more attention than something on the Transportation project list, to work on a trade out. He mentioned Morningside Drive in particular, which he thinks needs more immediate attention than some things on the list. Alderman Marr asked for more specific information about how the priority list is developed. Keith Shreve said staff does a visual inspection of the street surface, curb & gutter and the sidewalks and looks at what it will take to repair that street. Then they go through and pick the streets that they think they can get done to provide the most benefit to the City within the constraints of the budgeted funds. It is a balancing act — picking a few quick and easy projects where a simple overlay can buy 15 more years of service from a street and picking a few streets that are in worse shape and will need more extensive work and take more man hours and funds. If they choose all the bad streets in one year, only a few streets would get done. They try to do as much as they can with the dollars and personnel available. Terry Gulley explained that on some streets that are in bad shape the work gets delayed because of sewer or water line issues. Another driving factor is the money. Staff has to determine if a particular street needs curb and gutter or a simple overlay, extensive sidewalk work, etc. The 113 West Mountain 72701 (479) 521-7700 (479) 575-8257 (Fax) accessfayetteville.org City Council Street Committee Meeting Minutes January 12, 2006 Page 4 of 10 more work a street needs, the more the cost goes up for the project. With a limited budget, decisions have to be made about which projects can be done. Alderman Marr said he thinks the Transportation Division does a great job. He asked if there is a computer or manual system that tracks streets that have been overlaid. Keith Shreve said they are in the process of getting a system set up. They do have a record of the year each street is done. They will develop a system to keep track of the streets, setting prompts after about twelve years to start evaluating whether that particular street is going to make it to the fifteen year mark. Alderman Marr mentioned that all the streets in the area behind the VA Hospital were done except Lawson Street. He asked if staff could explain why this decision was made. He gets questions at ward meetings about this sort of thing and doesn't know exactly how to answer. Terry Gulley said that staff tries to look at all the streets and at the time they looked at this street they may have thought it was fine. He said the staff needs feedback from the alderman and citizens who live in that ward because they are the ones who are most familiar with the streets. He said this current project list won't be exactly what gets done this year. Maybe 90% will get done and 10% might get changed due to circumstances not known at this time. He asked that anytime a councilman or citizen sees something the staff might not have seen, just to let him know and staff will try to evaluate the situation and react as appropriate. Alderman Reynolds wanted to tell the entire crew at the Transportation Division what a great job he feels they have done in 2005. Terry Gulley talked about the 2002 — 2005 sidewalk construction comparison. In 2002 — 3,100 feet of sidewalk was constructed; in 2003 — 14,000 feet, in 2004 — 17,000 feet and in 2005 — 20,000 feet. Like in the overlay program, the 2005 total of 20,000 feet is probably what can be expected from now on. We have now used up the reserve and what was approved this year will be spent this year. He reviewed the list of sidewalks and other projects, such as ADA ramps, completed in 2005. He then reviewed the list of projects planned for 2006. Any projects that were on the list in 2005 that did not get done will be high in priority in 2006. There was some discussion among Committee members and staff regarding specific areas that are perceived to be problems, what the possible solutions might be and when they might appear on the project list. Alderman Marr asked if it is possible to get a list of any projects that were on the priority list last year but didn't get done. Terry Gulley said he would go back and check to see if there were any and send the information to Alderman Marr. Alderman Marr asked if there will be a list of trails projects for 2005 and 2006. Terry Gulley gave an update to the Committee on the trails program. The division's goal was to do 1.25 miles of trail in the last three months of 2005 and five miles each year after that. They accomplished 1.2 miles of paved, finished, seeded and strawed trail. By the first week of 113 West Mountain 72701 (479) 521-7700 (479) 575-8257 (Fax) accessfayetteville.org City Council Street Committee Meeting Minutes January 12, 2006 Page 5 of 10 February they should have completed the first mile (or one-fifth) of the 2006 goal. He talked about projects currently under way and plans for the future. Alderman Marr said he had heard that Representative Lindsley Smith had procured money for the City to go toward Scull Creek but that the City had not completed the paperwork to get that money. Ron Petrie said the paperwork has now been completed and is in the mail. Alderman Jordan asked if the Committee could have a written list of the proposed trails, similar to the streets and sidewalks list. Terry Gulley said he could put together a list for the Committee of projects proposed at this time. However the list will probably be revised when the new trails coordinator comes on staff. 4. Proposed amendment to the Master Street Plan to realign Persimmon Street (Collector) located to the west of Broyles Road in association with the sale of the 34 acres within the Wastewater Treatment Plant site. Ron Petrie said this item is on the agenda at the request of Mr. Sloan, who has submitted an offer for the 34 acres within the Wastewater Treatment Plant site. The Master Street Plan shows Persimmon going from Double Springs Road to Shiloh, a distance of 2.8 miles. What is being requested as part of the offer is that Persimmon be broken up, extend down into the 34 acres to the west of Broyles and connect to Broyles (to the south of Persimmon's current location). Owl Creek is in there so there will be a point where there will be an offset in the street. The break will not be in the exact middle of the stretch, but very close. In other words, the existing portion of Persimmon would dead end and the new portion would connect in at some point in the 34 acres. The existing slab bridge on Persimmon would be removed. Alderman Jordan said he would prefer that the street go straight through but he has had calls from residents who felt that would allow traffic to move too fast close to the school. Alderman Marr brought up the issue of east -west connectivity. He would like to see something implemented that would serve as that connection before the area is completely built up because it will not be possible later. He said he understands the safety issue but we do have to have certain roads that carry traffic north/south and east/west. However, he defers to the opinion of the aldermen in this ward. Alderman Jordan moved that this amendment to the Master Street Plan be approved. Alderman Ferrell seconded the motion and it carried unanimously. 5. Proposed amendment to the Master Street Plan to realign Morning Mist Drive (Collector) located to the east of Hughmount Road in association with the St. James Park Subdivision. Ron Petrie said Morning Mist is a collector street located just north of Mt. Comfort Road. When we have seen developments on this corridor, Morning Mist has been moved to the south to avoid all the conflicts with Clabber Creek. The Master Street Plan shows the proposed route of the street crossing Clabber Creek. It is in the floodway and comes very near to the center in many 113 West Mountain 72701 (479) 521-7700 (479) 575-8257 (Fax) accessfayetteville.org City Council Street Committee Meeting Minutes January 12, 2006 Page 6 of 10 portions. Of course, this would not work as shown on the MSP. Portions of Morning Mist have been built already. The portion being discussed tonight is the portion near St. James Park Subdivision. The problem now is in the Hughmount area there is a conflict with a bridge, Clabber Creek itself on Hughmount and the intersections of Hughmount, Mt. Comfort Road and Wheeler Road all coming into one area. In order to avoid adding to a problem, staff is proposing (and it was approved by the Planning Commission) to extend Morning Mist to connect onto Mount Comfort Road at the same location where Bridgeport Drive is today. Alderman Jordan asked if this was a matter that has to be decided quickly. He would like to have time to study it further. Ron Petrie said the amendment would have to go through the City Council for final approval. He said the Committee can either forward it to the Council with no recommendation or table it for further study at the Committee level. The Committee reviewed an area map showing the proposed change. Some discussion followed. Alderman Marr asked if Mr. Petrie is in support of this amendment. Ron Petrie said he feels we have no choice at this point. He said we have been headed in this direction all along and we knew it would come to this at some point, because of the way Clabber Creek runs. He feels the City needs to be very particular on future developments north of Clabber Creek so that we have another collector which makes the full connection to Hughmount. Alderman Jordan said he would like to get Alderman Lucas' input on this amendment to the Master Street Plan. Alderman Reynolds moved that the item be tabled until the next meeting of the Street Committee. Alderman Ferrell seconded the motion and it carried unanimously. 6. Presentation of the costs for the Rupple Road cost share with the developers of the Clabber Creek Subdivision. The Street Committee previously reviewed this cost share at the March 10 and October 6, 2005 meetings. Ron Petrie said this is an informational item only since the Street Committee has looked at this on numerous occasions. On March 10, 2005 when staff originally presented this item, they were provided with cost estimates to do this work. It was estimated it would cost $535,000. Since then they have received full detailed plans and real prices from contractors and have arrived at the actual cost to the City of $535,934. The cost to the developer will be $1.4 million. Staff's plan is to prepare an agenda item for City Council to bring this cost share forward if that is acceptable to the Committee. Alderman Ferrell moved that this item be forwarded to the City Council with a recommendation for approval. Alderman Marr seconded the motion and it carried unanimously. 113 West Mountain 72701 (479) 521-7700 (479) 575-8257 (Fax) accessfayetteville.org City Council Street Committee Meeting Minutes January 12, 2006 Page 7 of 10 7. Discussion of the traffic concerns associated with the proposed Wedington Circle PZD. Ron Petrie distributed some maps to the Committee to help with the discussion. One was a map showing some proposed improvements to the Mount Comfort to Garland area as prepared by BWR Engineering and included in the Citywide Transportation Study. The second map showed an aerial photograph that has added the proposed development and surrounding streets. Alderman Jordan asked if the proposal is to get rid of the slanted drive coming out on Mt. Comfort, making more of a curve. Ron Petrie said this is obviously a very poor intersection design that has evolved over the years. You really want your traffic coming in perpendicular to the main road. Alderman Jordan opened the floor for comment from the public. Steve Mansfield, one of the partners in Mansfield House, said he understands the concern of residents regarding through traffic. He said he would like to put the issue into perspective. He said the 2000 traffic counts on Garland are 16,000 cars per day just north of Wedington and approximately 13,000 cars per day on Wedington at the site — for a total of 29,000 cars per day already traveling on those two streets. In talking about 269 additional cars, we are talking about a miniscule addition to the traffic count. The traffic study they had done said there would be no appreciable impact on the existing streets. A very small number of the 269 cars will actually go into the neighborhood. But regardless of that, he made a proposal that, assuming this project is approved, they would be willing to commission another traffic study that specifically addresses what kind of impact the neighborhood streets might see with this project. Based on that report, they would then sit down with staff and see if there is anything reasonable that the developer can do to help remedy any problem. Alderman Jordan said he does want to take some of the traffic calming studies that have been discussed and address the situations off Stephens Street and Hall Street to see what kind of problems we may have. Alderman Marr said he loves the idea of infill projects and he thinks this is an extremely attractive project. His concern is that although the traffic study doesn't show any impact for Garland or Wedington, there are already some issues with making a left off Wedington to go toward the University and he has experienced problems crossing Garland on Mt. Comfort while riding his bike. Ingress and egress going north and east is a concern. Steve Mansfield said he thinks Alderman Marr has a valid point. He said he feels going north is the most difficult. He has no specific scientific numbers but from just watching the residents of the Garden Park community it appears when they want to go east, their path is to go out James Street to the corner, head south on Garland to the corner of Garland and Wedington and make a left at the traffic light. So he doesn't think going east is a big issue. He does agree that going north is an issue and he feels that some of the street plans for Mt. Comfort and James Street can address that. There are issues the developers cannot control at any of the other sites and none of this site fronts any of that area. He doesn't think this is something directly impacted by this project. While he is happy to talk to staff about ways the developer can help and things they can do with regard to this project, he thinks for the community as a whole, whether you're on the east or west side of Garland something should be planned for that intersection for the future. 113 West Mountain 72701 (479) 521-7700 (479) 575-8257 (Fax) accessfayetteville.org City Council Street Committee Meeting Minutes January 12, 2006 Page 8 of 10 Kristin Knight, working for Rob Sharp Architect, said this traffic study does not take into account the bus stops or how close it is to the University. It is strictly an automobile count. She also pointed out that it is not that the study showed no impact, but that it was not a significant impact. Joyce Richards said everything has basically already been said. We need traffic calming and to somehow prevent traffic from going through the neighborhood. If there are 300 units, with more than one person per each unit, there will be more than one car associated with each unit. She doesn't understand an estimated addition of less than 300 cars and thinks a new traffic study is warranted. Ron Petrie tried to clear up some confusion regarding the traffic study. He said the traffic study is based on peak hour calculations. It gives the traffic flow per hour, not vehicles per day. There being no further audience comment, Chairman Jordan brought the discussion back to the Street Committee. Alderman Reynolds moved that this item be tabled until an additional traffic count is available. Alderman Marr said he feels this is the kind of development we want to see, particularly in the core of our City but he feels we owe it to this area to get the road system right to support the development that we want to happen. He would hate to see a project like this turned down when there should be a way to get people in and out of it. He agrees with the developer that it is not all his responsibility, but as density is created, cars are going to be going north. He would like to see some discussion on what we can do from a City perspective and how the developer can help contribute to the solution. Alderman Ferrell said there is no easy fix for this situation. He feels if the developer is willing to provide another traffic study, this could be used in conjunction with solutions staff might come up with and we could figure out the best possible scenario. He said he would second Alderman Reynolds' motion to table the item. Steve Mansfield clarified that he does not mind commissioning another traffic study and working with staff to try to find where there may be issues and what the solutions are. However, his group has now spent a year and a half on this project so far and have complied with all the requirements of the PZD ordinance. What they are offering is, if the project is approved, they would spend further money and do what is necessary to make it right. He feels it is unfair at this point, given that the developer is proposing to build a project that has fewer bedrooms than what is allowed with the current zoning, to ask them to continue to pay for a new study without acknowledging that they have a right to build the project. He would ask the Committee to consider that at some point there is a point of no return where it just makes sense to go back and build as a right without going through all the other steps. They have come to the Council for approval on a concept so that they know if they are spending the money, they will be able to go forward with the plan. All the details still need to be taken care of and they still have to go through all the other requirements before they get to the point of building. Gary Dumas said he is hearing that there is already an existing traffic problem and it seems that a solution, in addition to the improvements at Mt. Comfort, James and Garland, would be speed 113 West Mountain 72701 (479) 521-7700 (479) 575-8257 (Fax) accessfayetteville.org City Council Street Committee Meeting Minutes January 12, 2006 Page 9 of 10 tables on Stevens, Eddington and some of Hendricks. You can't change where people drive but you can make them drive more safely using the traffic calming tools we have. Alderman Jordan summarized that we are saying traffic is going to occur, whatever we do. Traffic is already there. And this is already zoned R-24 anyway. But he would like to see some solutions to some of the problems in these older neighborhoods. He said he personally likes this development but he believes we have to respect the quality of life in these neighborhoods. He believes there is a way to work something out with this but he doesn't want to push something through and then have to address the problems later. He would like to address the concerns now and get some sort of idea where we are going. Gary Dumas suggested getting the Neighborhood Association coordinator with the residents on Stevens and Hendricks and see what kind of traffic is there, where it is coming from and where appropriate speed tables might be located. He would estimate this kind of study could be done within two weeks. Steve Mansfield said he is happy to work with everyone he needs to in the next couple of weeks to get something figured out. Alderman Jordan said, in lieu of tabling this item tonight they will not approve it on the second reading at the City Council meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 17, leaving it to go to the third reading at the following City Council meeting. They will schedule a meeting of the Street Committee within two weeks to discuss the item again. In the meantime, there should be meetings with the neighborhoods to address the issues. Alderman Marr commented that whether this PZD concept goes through or not, this property can develop at 24 units per acre based on the current zoning. So, while he likes the concept of having neighborhood traffic calming as an item, as a pro -active Street Committee it is our job to look at solutions for this intersection with the knowledge that some development will go into this property at a density that will create an increased problem at this intersection. This Committee's job is to somehow figure out how to deal with the traffic issue. He's not comfortable with traffic calming alone. With Alderman Reynolds' motion and Alderman Ferrell's second of that motion that the item be tabled until the next Street Committee meeting, a vote was taken and the motion passed unanimously. Gary Dumas clarified that there are two issues that need to be addressed. One is a neighborhood issue that hopefully can be addressed relatively easily. Then there are the major street system issues on Mt. Comfort and Garland Ave. and that area that must be addressed also. 8. Discussion of the Morningside Drive and 15th Street Capital Improvement Project. Ron Petrie said in the 2005 Street CIP there was a project to signalize Morningside and 15th St. Early in 2005 Engineering and Transportation performed a traffic study of this area. It did not meet the very specific warrants that the Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Dept. require. They waited until early fall and repeated the traffic study. It again did not meet the warrants. At that point they asked the AHTD to conduct their own study. They received a response in December 2005 saying that it now meets the criteria. They have approved the 113 West Mountain 72701 (479) 521-7700 (479) 575-8257 (Fax) accessfayetteville.org City Council Street Committee Meeting Minutes January 12, 2006 Page 10 of 10 installation of a signal at this intersection. The City currently has approximately $220,000 in the account for this project. AHTD has proposed a cost share agreement where the State would pay 90% and the City would pay 10%. The catch is that it will probably take about three years to complete. We have always planned that the City would install this signal so the money is there to do the work more quickly if we choose. Staff is asking for direction from the Committee about which direction to proceed. Alderman Reynolds said he travels this area regularly and sees the problem very well. He feels that the traffic light is very necessary. Alderman Ferrell wondered if anyone had spoken to Commissioner Jonathon Barnett about the possibility of cutting down the time it might take to get the signal in. Alderman Marr agrees that the signal is needed now and it's a matter of weighing the need versus waiting three years. Ron Petrie said if it is done in-house, with the City staff designing it, it can probably be done for approximately $75,000. With a cost -share, more than likely the State will design it, bid it out and hire a contractor and go through all of that. We will probably pay about twice as much. Alderman Marr moved to recommend moving ahead with in-house design and installation. Alderman Ferrell seconded the motion and it carried unanimously. Ron Petrie said the design will still have to be submitted to the State for approval. But we can do it much faster and cheaper in-house. 9. Scheduling of the next Street Committee Meeting. The next Street Committee meeting was scheduled for Tuesday, January 24, 2006 at 4:30 p.m. in Room 326. 113 West Mountain 72701 (479) 521-7700 (479) 575-8257 (Fax) accessfayetteville.org