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Minutes from the Public Works Committee meeting on April 4, 2006.
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Public Works Committee Minutes
Tuesday, April 4, 2006
4:30 p.m.
Members present: Jimmy Ashley, Darrel Dover, Alec Farmer, Chris Moore, Cecil Province and John Street.
MINUTES
It was questioned if the BMP manual was on the City Council agenda with the storm water ordinance. Mr. Martin explained the manual had not been approved by the committee yet. It was suggested the storm water compliance committee to look at the manual. Mr. Brian Wadley noted they intend on having the committee look at the manual.
Councilman Dover motioned, seconded by Councilman Farmer to approve the minutes from the March 7, 2006, regular meeting. All voted aye. Minutes were made to those in attendance.
UNFINISHED BUSINESS
Traffic study: Mr. James Arbuckle discussed the traffic study project, what work was done and the conclusions that were made. He noted they will be holding a public meeting on April 25th from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. to take public comment regarding the study. Suggestions to improve traffic in the City included better signal timing and additional signals. He added more traffic studies should be done, including a study of Highway 63, as well as improving access management and more pedestrian and bike planning. It was questioned what recommendations they have for improving Highway 63 interchanges. Mr. Arbuckle stated the main issue with Highway 63 is that it’s hard to get to. He recommended one-way frontage roads, like they have in Little Rock. Mr. John Sloan is developing land in west Jonesboro and partially outside of city limits. He independently hired Dolhoff Thomas Daws out of Memphis and they’ve made their own traffic study recommendations for the part of town he’s developing. Mr. Sloan discussed the plan Dolhoff Thomas Daws made. He added the plan has been ongoing with the City. Discussion was held regarding section lines. Mr. Mike Cameron noted that their traffic study would most likely be brought before the City Council for approval at the June 6th meeting. Mr. Arbuckle explained Mr. Sloan’s plan could be connected with their plan. He added Mr. Sloan’s study is not in conflict with their study, so it would just be more information for them. It was questioned since Mr. Sloan has been working with the City on his plan, who within the City would sign off on the study. It was stated that Mr. Ahim Ulkarim and Mr. Spriggs would sign off on it. Mr. Cameron questioned if Mr. Sloan’s study would need to be considered and accepted at the same time as his plan. Mr. Ulkarim stated Mr. Sloan’s plan does not need to be considered in conjunction with Mr. Cameron’s study. Rather, Mr. Sloan’s study could be considered after Mr. Cameron’s study has been taken to the City Council and accepted. Mr. Cameron added if the two plans are connected and any plans need to be made to his study, then the corrections needed to be made during the public meeting process. Mr. Cameron stated a bridging study needed to be done quickly. It was explained a study is already in the process to look at the bridges on future I-555. He also stated concerns over the ASU overpass project and how the overpass would affect traffic in Jonesboro. It was questioned whether the 45 days between the public meeting and the June 6th Council meeting would be enough time to prepare everything. It was suggested to consider placing an announcement regarding the public meeting on the City’s cable channel to make sure people heard about the meeting. Mr. Cameron indicated the 45 days would be enough time, but if they needed more time they’d let the Council know as soon as possible. Mr. Sloan questioned who would decide how his plan would be handled in conjunction with Mr. Cameron’s study. It was stated that Mr. Sloan’s study was made in conjunction with the City, so the City would decide how to handle it. PENDING
Stormwater ordinance: Chairman Street noted the ordinance is on the agenda for the City Council meeting. PENDING
Justice Complex: Mayor Formon informed the committee work on the Justice Complex started last Monday and is still going on. Mr. Wadley noted the workers had cut the concrete and brought in a jackhammer, but the jackhammer didn’t work. So, the concrete may take a little longer to take out. PENDING
RFQ for zoning ordinance and land use plan: Mr. Spriggs stated he’s found some priority issues with the land use map. He added he would like to appoint a land use advisory committee to get a mix of people to work on the land use map. It was questioned whether Mr. Spriggs would have the time to work with a land use committee. Mr. Spriggs indicated since he has more staff now, he would have the time to work with a committee. He also stated there were more priority concerns he was going to take to the board so they can refine the code. Mr. Wadley added a consultant may need to be hired even after the committee does their work. PENDING
C-5 zoning classification: Mr. Spriggs stated he is going to recommend to MAPC take all residential out of the C-5 zoning classification. PENDING
Drainage study: Mr. Arbuckle stated they submitted a draft of the study, heard comments and has submitted a final copy of the study. He added the study would be changed to comply with the drainage ordinance once the ordinance is approved by the Council. Mr. Arbuckle explained they are now waiting on the City for approval to hold a public meeting. He stated they’re in the process of making a PDF file of the drainage study. Mr. Claude Martin stated he would talk with Mr. Arbuckle to set up the public meeting. PENDING
Acquisition of property at 732 and 734 Valley Drive: Chairman Street stated Mr. Ralph Ohm had recently sent a letter to the City stating there is no requirement making the City pay only the appraised value for real property. It was stated that treatment needed to be fair and consistent. It was suggested for the committee to look at the procedure first, then decided what to do about the Valley Drive properties. Discussion was held regarding the City making a policy to pay appraised value, plus up to 10% for justifiable costs associated with moving. It was also suggested that if the owners don’t take the City’s offer, then the City should condemn the property and take it to court. Mr. Harry Hardwick stated he spoke with someone in the Relocation Division of the State Highway Department. It was told to him that the state has a last minute resort of going above appraisal by $20,000. It was suggested to allow Mayor Formon to negotiate with owners up to 10% above appraisal on properties and if nothing came out of negotiations, then the City pursue condemnation. Discussion was then held concerning the properties on Valley Drive. It was questioned how many properties would need to be purchased. Mr. Bernie Auld stated the number of properties the City would need to purchase would be in the 10s or 20s. Mayor Formon indicated one of the owners is wanting to the City to make a decision soon. Councilman Moore motioned, seconded by Councilman Ashley, to recommend paying cost plus up to 10%, which will be negotiated by the Mayor, and for Phillip to draft the policy so it can be submitted to the City Council in 30 days. All voted aye, with Councilman Dover abstaining. PENDING
Lawson Road: Chairman Street noted that seven and a half additional feet of right of ways were needed for the shoulder and drainage. He added Mr. Ken Yarbrough okayed the deal and agreed the City could settle with him when he is paid for everything else. PENDING
NEW BUSINESS
Bids for Street Department: Mr. Teddy Hooton explained the bids are the yearly bids for the department. He noted the bid for the asphalt was split between A-State and Atlas because if he doing a job on one side of town, it would take longer and cost more to drive to the other side of town just to get asphalt. So, he split the bid between the two companies to cover both sides of town. He added the bid for the crushed stone is split between Vulcan and Martin Marietta because Vulcan doesn’t handle one of the bid items. Councilman Ashley moved, seconded by Councilman Dover, to approve the resolution and recommend it to full Council. All voted aye.
Landfill resolution: Mr. Royce Leonard stated the Solid Waste Authority would like to make changes at their landfill, but ADEQ requires the host community to accept the changes by resolution. It was added the City is not obligated to do anything. Councilman Farmer motioned, seconded by Councilman Dover to approve the resolution and recommend it to full Council. All voted aye.
Excavator: Mr. Hooton informed the committee he re-bid the excavator as zero turn. He was able to demo an excavator from JA Riggs and Town & Country. The excavator from JA Riggs met the specs. But, he had to demo an excavator from Town & Country that was on-site at a job and was not able to see the excavator pick anything up. Mr. Hooton explained the JA Riggs excavator was the highest bid, but the Town & Country excavator did not have a buy back option. It was questioned what the value of the Town and Country excavator would be in the three years. Mr. Hooton explained Town and Country just started making the zero turn machines, so they could not estimate what the three year value would be. Councilman Dover motioned, seconded by Councilman Moore, for the excavator bids to be tabled until Mr. Hooton can see more demos. All voted aye. PENDING
ADJOURNMENT
With no further business, Councilman Dover motioned, seconded by Councilman Farmer, to adjourn. All voted aye.