Public Works Committee Actions, City of Norwalk, Norwalk CT

Mr. Krummel opened the public hearing at 7:35 p.m. and noted that a quorum was present.

PUBLIC HEARING Public Hearing of Necessity on the abandonment of that portion of Crescent Street as depicted on the Compilation Survey For Crescent Street Roadway Abandonment Prepared for 95/7 Ventures LLC and the City of Norwalk and the State of Connecticut Reed Putnam Project dated January 28, 2008, prepared by William W. Seymour & Associates, P.C. To be conducted at 7:30 PM.

Mr. Burritt explained that this public hearing is about a section of Crescent Street. He described the plan, using the site plans to orient those present.

Mr. Hempstead joined the meeting at 7:38 p.m.

Mr. Burritt described the location of the site and said that it is a farily complicated piece of real estate because the property is owned partially by the City. The property also has a deed restriction from the State from the construction of I-95. A portion of the site is used as the on-ramp for I-95 and through the course of the last legislation session, the City requested removal of the deed restriction by the State.

The purpose of this request is so that the roadway can become part of the 95/7 project and owned by the developer.

Mr. Burritt said that the members of the Committee will recall that they did a number of abandonments on Putnam which were similar, but less complicated because they were not encumbered by deed restrictions. Mr. Burritt distributed copies of the land disposition. He said that the plan is to flatten the steep grade on Crescent Street leading to make the transition smoother between Crescent Street and Butler Street. In addition, the roadway will be re-paved and the turning radius will be improved. There will be a new traffic signal at the corner of Butler Street and West Avenue.

Mr. Burritt concluded his presentation and Mr. Krummel asked for comments.

Mr. Bruce Scalafani said that as a business owner on Crescent Street he wanted to know if the abandonment would come before or after construction. He also asked if there was any thought about how they will accommodate trucks during construction. Mr. Burritt said that a turning radius is part of the plan. He said that the same question about timing was raised by King Chemical. He said that Redevelopment needs to work out the plans; at this point they are only 75% complete. He said that there is an awareness of the need to coordinate the timing of the abandonment. Mr. Burritt invited Mr. Scalafani to make an appointment and meet with him to discuss this further.

Ms. Diane Lauricella, said that she was here as a Citizen. She said that a number of them were involved in the Master Plan. Since this plan was mentioned there have been some changed to Crescent Street that were not anticipated. She said that in 2005 she spoke against the transfer station, but it was approved. She appealed to the Common Council to be sure to look at updated traffic studies conducted by an independent traffic engineer.

Mr. Brian Stoven, 95/7 said that if this request is approved, the section they take will be upgraded and nicer than it exists today.

Mr. Scalafani asked about the bend on Crescent Street. Mr. Burritt said that there will be a slight alignment change. The significant change will be the grade improvement and the radius at Butler Street.

Mr. Hempstead asked if 95/7 was paying for this. Mr. Burritt said that they are improving the section of Crescent Street that is being abandoned.

Mr. Bondi asked if they were widening the top of Butler Street and if Stepping Stones is asking for a portion of the property. Mr. Burritt said that these plans have been provided to Stepping Stones. The turning radius will be much improved.

Mr. Krummel asked three times if there were any further comments.

Hearing none, the public hearing was closed at 8:00 p.m.

** MR. BONDI MOVED TO CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING

** MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY

Mr. Krummel opened the public input and asked those present to limit their comments to three minutes.

Mr. Larry Ritten, Buckingham Place asked for a status update for Buckingham Place.

Ms. Diane Cece, Olmstead Place also asked for a status update for Buckingham Place and also Fitch Pond and the Raymond Terrace/Olmstead Place pipes.

Mr. Chris Timmon, Beacon Street said that his home abuts the playing field at City Hall and his basement has flooded for the past three years. He said that they lost their Subaru to flooding. Mr. Timmon said that he believes the flooding is due to the accumulation of silt and poor drainage.

Mr. Bob Corey, Willow Street, said that he has the same issue. He said that this neighbor across the street also experiences flooding as well as 52 Beacon Street.

Ms. Diane Lauricella, Marlboro Road said that she has been studying the Crescent Street transfer issue. She said that she looks forward to a report on the status of Crescent Street. Ms. Lauricella said that several people are doing their due diligence. She suggested conducting a tour of the site.

Ms. Lauricella said that she was concerned because the Common Council did not send this item back to Committee; they are not looking at holistic recycling methods. She asked about the status of the environment at the site and recommended hiring an independent environmentalist to green up the site.

Hearing no further comments, Mr. Krummel asked three times if anyone wished to speak. Hearing none, the public input portion of the meeting was closed.

Page 1: Under Others, should read, Diane Lauricella, Norwalk Neighborhoods for Open Government Coalition

Page 5: first paragraph, second sentence should read – Mr. Alvord said that they are processing the request.

Approve the Necessity and Appoint Freeholders on the abandonment of that portion of Crescent Street as depicted on the Compilation Survey For Crescent Street Roadway Abandonment Prepared for 95/7 Ventures LLC and the City of Norwalk and the State of Connecticut Reed Putnam Project dated January 28, 2008, prepared by William W. Seymour & Associates, P.C.

Mr. Hempstead remarked that a valid point was brought up about the staging of the project. He said that he hopes that when this is approved, that there is a stipulation that Crescent Street, southbound is kept open until Crescent Street northbound is complete.

Mr. Burritt said that this is a choreographed event and everyone is aware of Mr. Scalafani’s and other businesses’ concerns.

Mr. Krummel asked Mr. Alvord who was going to appoint the Freeholders. Mr. Alvord said that they have a list of 10 people who have been appointed by the Common Council and they will chose three of them.

Schedule a Public Hearing to hear the Freeholder’s Report for the abandonment of that portion of Crescent Street as depicted on the Compilation Survey For Crescent Street Roadway Abandonment Prepared for 95/7 Ventures LLC and the City of Norwalk and the State of Connecticut Reed Putnam Project dated January 28, 2008, prepared by William W. Seymour & Associates, P.C.; and to hear all parties interested in relation to the acceptance of such report. The Public Hearing will be held on Tuesday, October 7, 2008 at 7:30 PM in Room 231, 2^nd Floor in Norwalk city Hall, 125 East Avenue , Norwalk , CT.

Authorize the Purchasing Agent to issue a Purchase Order to Inter-state Ford Truck Sales, Inc. for the purchase of a 2009 Sterling/AquaTech Storm Sewer Vacuum Truck/Jet Rodder for a sum not to exceed $276,536.00.

Mr. Alvord explained that they have four vacuum trucks; two are old and they have two new ones. This will be the third for a fleet of four. He said that prices have been jumping significantly.

Ms. Lindstrom asked when he plans to purchase the next vehicle. Mr. Alvord said that he would like to ask for one in the next capital budget, but they need more snow plows. He said that he is most concerned about replacing the smaller snow plows because that fleet is failing rapidly.

Mr. Conroy asked if a firm has been hired to clear out the pipes. Mr. Alvord said that they need to budget some money each year for a company like McVac to clear out the pipes. Currently they are clearing two culverts that run under Martin Luther King Drive. Other obstructed pipes have been identified on North Taylor Avenue and they are looking at the culvert on Bouton Street. The pipe cleaning helps with the flooding.

Mr. Bondi asked about the cost to purchase a truck. Mr. Alvord said it is not feasible to purchase a truck, because the cost of $750,000 would use up the entire fleet replacement budget for one year.

Authorize the Mayor, Richard A. Moccia, to execute an Amendment to the Agreement with Tighe and Bond Consulting Engineering to provide professional engineering services in connection with the Reed Putnam Improvement Project for a sum not to exceed $30,750.

** MR. HEMPSTEAD MOVED TO SUSPEND THE RULES TO ADD THE FOLLOWING ITEM TO THE AGENDA

AUTHORIZE THE DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS TO ISSUE AN ORDER ON CONTRACT TO DEERING CONSTRUCTION, INC. ON PROJECT NO. 4R 2007-1, PROPOSED 4R PAVEMENT MANAGEMENT PROGRAM, IN CONNECTION WITH PROVIDING CORRECTIVE PERMANENT PAVING FOR A SUM NOT TO EXCEED $60,000.

Mr. Alvord explained that three streets have been seriously torn up by contractors. Ms. Straniti asked if the City is being reimbursed by the contractors. He said that this account is funded by encroachment fees. Mr. Hempstead asked if that amount is equal to what is received. Mr. Alvord said that it was.

Mr. Bondi asked about paving Wilton Avenue. Mr. Alvord said that it was part of the Deering project for 2007, but has been delayed because he wants the drainage system replaced first. As soon as the reclaiming is done, the paving will be completed.

Ms. Cece said that she objected to the suspension of the rules to add an item to the agenda, except in an emergency.

Mr. Hempstead asked Mr. Alvord to include the street names when this request goes before the Common Council. Mr. Alvord said that he will provide backup memos for the Council.

Mr. Alvord said that he has convinced CRRA to handle the Norwalk permit process separately. A site visit was held with City Carting and the manufacturer of the compactors. Mr. Alvord said that the compactors were in decent shape, despite being 25 years old.

Mr. Alvord said that the place looks like a pigsty and told the DPW staff not to pay them if they are not providing services. He said that he will personally review and approve each invoice. He said that he told CRRA to clean the area, if not, he will withhold the cost to powerwash.

Mr. Krummel asked Mr. Alvord if the City was going to use the bailor. Mr. Alvord said that the City was not going to use it. He said that he will stay in touch with the burn plants. City Carting’s contract is based on transporting waste to the landfill. He said that if there is a savings, it will be split 50 /50.

Mr. Hempstead suggested adding replacement of the compactors to the five year plan. Mr. Alvord said that he expects to use the compactors for the five year contract with City Carting.

Mr. Alvord said that City Carting is buying new water tight trailers. Even if there is leeching, it will go into the sanitary sewers.

Mr. Krummel asked if there is an opportunity to reduce the operations and management fee. Mr. Alvord said that he would prefer an increase in services. He said that he wants to do electronic recycling. He said that he had hoped to be able to close the Volk Firehouse drop off and have daily drop offs at the Transfer Station. He said that he won’t be able to do as much recycling as he would have been able if Crescent Street was a recycling center.

As of July 1, 2009 residents will be able to throw plastics 1- 7 in their blue recycling bins. Everything will be revenue to the City. The most convenient way to recycle is to place a truck on the site. When it is full, it would be weighted and sold. The first priority is to have enough trailers to haul the trash.

Mr. Alvord said that the piping below Willow Street and Beacon Street is chaos. He said that he was out there last week trying to figure out how to untangle the mess. Mr. Bondi noted that the pipes are pretty steep. Mr. Alvord said that Beacon Street is not tied into the Lockwood/Buckingham line.

Ms. Lindstrom asked the residents how long they have been flooding. They said for the last 5 – 6 years.

Mr. Alvord updated the Committee on the Lockwood/Buckingham project. He said that the Water Quality Committee completed their investigation. They determined that none of the structures yielded any concerns, except for one where a neighbor, picking up after her dog, dropped the dog feces in the storm drain.

Mr. Alvord said that they believe that the outfall is a buildup from the bend in the River. He said that they expect to hear back from the State in 4 – 6 months.

Mr. Alvord reported that they had challenges getting permits for the Noah’s Lane/Olmstead Place project. They hope to get the Olmstead Place package out this week and finish the project before the end of the calendar year.

They are continuing to work on the Martin Luther King Drive culverts. They were half full of sediment. Three sets of manholes had to be built to allow for access.

Mr. Alvord reported that they are having a problem in-house integrating the GIS system.

The executive summary for the Stormwater Authority is due in January. This is going to be a study that makes a recommendation. The three communities involved in this are Norwalk, New Haven and New London.

The designs for Keeler Brook and Mary Austin Place are in progress. The design for Meadow Brook has been completed and the work will have to be done on private property. There is nothing new to report on the Five Mile River.

Ms. Straniti asked Mr. Alvord if he had gotten an update from the DOT about the 123 Bridge. He said that half of the bridge is in place. The new bridge will have an additional lane and a cleaner turn onto Spring Hill. Mr. Alvord said that he does not know the schedule for completion.

Mr. Krummel asked about the Public Works Center. Mr. Alvord said that the office area is sealed off from exhaust fumes.

Mr. Alvord reported that he did not believe there was any risk of a collapse at the culvert repair at 144 Silvermine Avenue.

Mr. Hempstead asked about the request for eminent domain from Westport. Mr. Alvord said that the property is not located in Norwalk. Ms. Lindstrom said that it is on Pequot Drive and a small portion is in Westport which is where they want to put a pump station. She said that it appears that Westport is going for an easement and will not need approvals from Norwalk.

Ms. Lindstrom said that the property owner does not want the pump station on his property and feels that he is not being properly compensated. She said that the neighbors are concerned about the impact. Ms. Lindstrom said that there is a ZBA hearing this Thursday. Mr. Alvord said that item was pulled from the agenda this afternoon. He said that he spoke with Westport’s WPCA and urged them to meet with the neighbors and show them the plans so that they understand the plan. Mr. Alvord said that they told him they never thought of doing that.

Ms. Lindstrom said that it is a problem that Westport did not bring the neighbors in early in the process. They are strongly opposed to this and in addition they can’t hook up to it. Mr. Alvord said that as part of the agreement, the resident at 2 Pequot Drive will be able to hook up to the sanitary sewer system. Mr. Alvord added that there are other locations were the pump station would work.

Mr. Alvord said that there was nothing to report on the Safe Routes to School project. He said that they are not close to having anything presentable. Mr. Alvord explained that the staff has been out in the field most of the summer.

Ms. Lindstrom asked if it would be possible to schedule a meeting to get input from the residents. Mr. Alvord said that he tries to be very honest and refuses to provide dates. He said that he can’t have an engineer committed to stay inside to work on this project. Mr. Hempstead asked if an outside engineer could be hired to move this project along. Mr. Alvord said that it was possible. He said that he did not do that because he has an engineer on staff who is well versed in traffic calming.

Mr. Bondi said that some of the traffic calming initiatives on Strawberry Hill Avenue have made it worse because cars park in the street making it difficult to pull out of Raymond Terrace. He suggested putting a traffic light at Tierney Street and at King Street to slow the traffic. Mr. Hempstead said that except for peak hours, there are no cars lined up at Tierney Street. He added that the light at Norden Place has slowed down the traffic.

Ms. Lindstrom said that she sat with Mike Yeosock who sadi that he created a preliminary design. She said that this has been sitting for a long time and something should be done. She suggested putting a round-about on Strawberry Hill Avenue rather than a traffic light. Ms. Lindstrom said that safety is much improved with them. Ms. Straniti said that she does not like the idea of a round-about. Mr. Bondi said that they can’t get to this and it is a waste of time to continue the discussion.

Mr. Hempstead requested an update on Connecticut Avenue and Main Street from CL&P for the next meeting. Mr. Alvord said the problem on Main Street is the amount of infrastructure under the road. There is an old brick sewer there too; they were required to retrench it to keep it from collapsing.

Mr. Hempstead asked ifthe supplemental list for road repair was completed. Mr. Alvord discussed paving Geneva Road and Nursery Road. Mr. Conroy noted that the southern end of Richards Avenue was getting worse. Mr. Alvord reported that the contract with Losito was terminated. .

Mr. Hempstead said that closing the bridge for two weeks in serious. Mr. Alvord said that the DPW is notifying the local business and will take the DOT press release to the Washington Street merchants. The closing will begin the weekend after the Oyster Festival and the bridge will reopen during the first weekend in October.

Mr. Alvord reported that they have to build a structure beneath the bridge, which will take a year. The bridge will not close until 2010 and will have an impact on traffic. Mr. Alvord said that the DOT will conduct public information meetings.

Mr. Alvord reported that the next open house will take place on Saturday, September 27^th from 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. He said that it is always a fun time.

Ms. Lindstrom announced that an informational meeting on the tree planting project on Calf Pasture Beach Parkway will take place on September 10^th at Marvin School. Mr. Alvord will make a presentation. The plan is to restore Calf Pasture Beach Parkway to it’s original tree lined road.

Mr. Bondi noted that a flyer was made about the meeting, but no one notified the Common Council. Ms. Lindstrom said that the Tree Advisory Committee worked on that. Mr. Bondi said that it would be nice if he and Mr. Kydes had been notified, since they represent that district. He said that he was giving a formal complaint. Mr. Lindstrom said that eight days was pretty good notice.

There was no further business and the meeting was unanimously adjourned at 10:05 p.m.