City Council - Regular Meeting

Okay, I'll start the public meeting for the plan to utility improvement project Current status H&W has completed sanitary sewer installation on Elm Avenue from Wind Street to Crescent Street and Crescent Street from Elm Avenue abroad this concludes all sanitary work for the project and H&W has also completed water main installation and services on Elm Avenue from Wind Street to Crescent Street and installed water main on Crescent Street from Elm Avenue to Broad Avenue. So I believe all the mains installed and only services left for installation for water. paving. Five blocks were completed since the last public meeting. The blocks were Broad Avenue from Center Street to Wind Street, Center Street from Elm to Broad, Elm Avenue from Center Street to Wind, and Park Avenue from Curry Street to Summit Street. Clark Drew continues with concrete installation. All the curb and gutter has been completed on Elm Avenue from Prairie Street to Summit, and currently working on miscellaneous sidewalk and driveways. And then they've also begun seeding and fertilizing in the right-of-way behind the curb and the gutter, and this will continue to take place for the rest of the summer slash fall. Moving forward, H&W will finish utility work for the services on Crescent between Elm Avenue and Broad Avenue. IMAG will review project concerns with utilities and get a preliminary punch list to H&W to make sure all utility work is finalized before project restoration for the surface. With utilities completed this week, Claflin will continue to work on the remaining blocks to be cut out, graded, and graveled, and prepped for concrete and asphalt. I believe there's 10 blocks left. Clark Drew continues following the grading crew with curb and gutter along corresponding sidewalk and driveway installation. And then, as I said above, they'll be backfilling Blackbird. Project scope remains the same. The project intent was to replace water and sewer during the summers of 2025 and 2026 with full asphalt reconstruction, curb and gutter, and partial replacement of sidewalks and driveways, adjustments to grade, and widening of intersection radiuses. Continuing to be on track for substantial completion of milestone two by October 31st of this year. Then some miscellaneous items that we know of our mail deliveries have intermittent disruption and Parcel and then we don't expect any school bus traffic to be Interrupted but potential and then if there are any special needs access or any events at the Lutheran Church. We have nothing identified currently, but we'd like to know just to continue to coordinate. With that, open it up to the public for comment.

I have a big problem. I'm 105 Westbound. I was promised to have a driveway last week and it's still unusable. And they did get the shut-off valve. put in the yard. But the yard is a mess and they left big tracks in the boulevard when they were working on the street. So here, whoever. You want to start?

Besides the fact that the extra four foot of her driveway that you guys added is very off-centered. Very off-centered. Now it's like right beside that green utility pole.

We've had a five year project. We bought the house five years ago and we've been leveling the yard, adding fill, fixing the cement and eventually this year it was supposed to be completely cement to the sidewalk. We had three steps to put it in. We've got the first wind, you guys started working so Last year we didn't put one and we didn't get one, the final one, put in this year. Not that it'd do us any good because you can't use the driveway anyway.

The driveway is just unusable at this point because of the rutting and the grading across the yard or is there another?

No, you can't. It's like this. It's not level. It's definitely not the way that it was

left we found it definitely not it would be best if you guys could actually all go over to her house and look at it with us instead of thinking oh yeah it's taken care of and it's not taken care of okay

Do you want to do that after the meeting or is there a different time? That's fine. Okay.

As long as it gets fixed because it's ridiculous.

Other concerns? No.

I had a few questions. Nothing too major. Who is responsible eventually to take out the tree roots and like where our lilac hedge was at and about what time frame will that be? I have a friend who might, he's gonna come over and look at the lilacs because they're coming back. Which, you know, they're hardy. So he might take a few out, maybe. But I told them to give me a heads up. So just kind of wondering, and who does that?

It's on Claflin's scope when he does the finish grading.

He does that?

Yeah, the tree removal and stump removal is part of his. So some of the stuff he's been doing as he's getting the grading done, if it's an item that pops up behind the curb and gutter, he's been doing it before they do the topsoil. So I'd say over the next week and a half to two weeks if it's something that they want taken out of there. Okay.

Where are they getting the topsoil from?

The topsoil was salvaged off the job site and it's getting brought back in.

Yeah. So who do I talk to? That dirt is okay to put on the east side where the lilacs are. But we don't want that dirt on the north side because I've seen some of that work being done. And it is not the best. I don't know, they're coming in with a tractor or something and kind of plowing it up and it's chunky and it's not leveled out. I've seen tree roots sticking up out of it. and then they're throwing the green grass down and say, I don't want that.

Because the seeders have been going back through after it and dragging it out, and then any of the larger, let's say, chunks or debris that's been in it has been getting put in the curb and gutter and getting picked up after the fact.

Why would you do that after you've got it all done?

Because the Claflin salvages the existing topsoil that's on site. Basically, once he's doing the removals of the curb and gutter, they take it, load it in the truck, haul it off, and that gets brought back in. And with the seeders, anything that the drag hits... when they're leveling it back out is what they're separating out of it. This wasn't called out for bar or material for the topsoil on this job site or screen topsoil?

On the north side of our house where they took the big tree out, we don't want that type of dirt brought in because I know what's going to happen. It's not going to grow right. We'll get dirt ourselves. and we will put our own grass seed on that so that it matches our lawn. The east side of the lilac hedge was, that can be filled in with the dirt that Claflin salvaged. There's too much clay around here and then I know that stuff got mixed in. It's not top quality dirt. And then kind of one thing too, Like on the north side, I know it's not going to be exactly the same, which is fine, but I can tell from pictures that I've had and from the lay of it now where the curb and gutter is at, it's definitely going to be more of a slant now than what it was before, the boulevard. So I'm looking forward to, in a sense, and curious as to what it's going to look like in the end. and how we're gonna bring rock back in, or are we gonna have to take our existing, the fence that we still have up, will we have to take that out so that it can be finished off?

I have a question regarding that. So you had landscape rock in there before, correct? Yeah, we had a lot of landscape. Split rail fence and a tree, and there was a lot, there were several things, elements in that lawn. My question is, if you want to put the rock back in, do you want the contractor to leave it a couple inches low that then you wouldn't have to take material back out and you can just put fabric down and put your rock down? Or how would you like it left for you to finish if that's what your goal is?

Well, the part that was rocked, we're going to put rock back in. Okay. And we did not put fabric down because that fabric does not work.

That's your choice. Yes, right. When I do my landscaping at home, we at least try the fabric. It doesn't always work 100%. It doesn't. I get where you're coming from. But what I don't want to have happen, if we can avoid it, is if the contractor fills it full of dirt, then you've got to do more work to take the dirt back out to leave a rock. So as long as... Maybe we can coordinate that. You think, John, that's something that can get coordinated?

Yeah, once the curve of error goes in, it's just we can paint out the area where the rock's going to go back.

Okay, and then just leave it a couple inches low. How thick do you want your rock? I don't know. Usually it's two to three, but... I'm sure, yeah. Okay. That's how we had it last time. I want to... Leave you with a situation where you have less work to do.

Yes.

And the slope will be matched in from where we stopped in your yard down to the new curb. So it'll be, if you can visualize whatever that final slope will be.

I think from the way I can see it, and maybe it'll be different once the dirt is in, it looks to me steeper. I mean, it's more of a slope. than it was before.

Yeah, okay. We'll try to slope that as best we can, but that's basically what you'll deal with. I just didn't want you to have to take a bunch of dirt back out if you can avoid that.

So on the boulevard part on the north side, that can be the regular dirt stuff that Claflin's bringing in. Okay. But on the part that's actually in our lawn.

Yeah, gotcha.

We'll get other stuff.

Yep. Did a section of split rail get taken down? Are you gonna put the split rail back up, I'm assuming?

Yes, we're putting the split rail back up, and then where the lilacs were, we're gonna replace it with something. Just not sure what yet.

Other comments? Do you have anything you wanted to say, John?

No, I put a couple schedules back there with the update. Realistically, by the end of this week, pending passing water samples, all underground utility work will be completed. Crew's been working on some remaining testing items with the sanitary sewer and some cleanup around the site as well. There's going to be a bunch of street sweeping going on with some of the side streets here and getting the signs kind of buttoned up here today, too. Otherwise, right now, Claflin is on site working on sub-grade prep and base course. We're anticipating about two weeks for him to be able to wrap everything up, so he'll be right at, right after Labor Day. Followed up with Clark Drew in the concrete, and we're aiming for a 28th date, 29th date of September for all remaining asphalt paving. Which will be the last ten blocks.

When will they come back then and work on our corner by Bates and Elm?

So he's got some stuff they're formed up on. They're going to be back mid-next week, early next week is what Clark Drew said to work on the hand stuff that's currently formed. So I think your corner was one of them. There are some drive approaches to the east as well. So they'll be working on that and then as the streets get opened up for the curb machine, the machine will be back in right now. That would be that week towards the end of Labor Day, but they do have some handwork items that they can do in between them.

He's a little bit concerned about, and that's hard to picture when it's in a rough state like right now, but just to make sure we get the approach to our driveway, he thinks now, just by looking, he says, are they going to build it up enough so that it's not too steep? We don't want that much of an incline, but there was a nice incline to keep all the cow water out of the driveway.

I think the stakes are in front of her house, aren't they? Those gutter stakes? Yeah, they are. They should be throwing gravel down on it, I believe, today. Yeah, so once they get the gravel down, based on the stakes that are there, we can kind of give you a rough idea. On where it's going to be, obviously, it's still visualizing until the curb and gutter gets installed. But based off of those, we can give you an idea. Yep.

When will we get our electricity back, our light pole?

Usually after the curb's in is when they do it. Do you have a curb over there yet?

Well, they're not curbing.

Oh, you're on Bates.

Well, no, I'm on Elm, but it's on Bates.

I can find that out for you. I'm guessing, yeah, it won't be a big deal. We can get it back for you. As long as there's not something else that's holding you, are you? The curb gutter's not laid there yet, so I wouldn't be hesitant to put it back. So that's usually what they wait for, but I can ask about it. Was it the ground free? Is it underground?

Yeah, it's overhead.

Oh, it's overhead on that one? That should be underground for you.

Oh, yeah, sorry, sorry, sorry. Because they could go put conduit.

I'm guessing everything's already there, they just got to put the pole back in.

I was going to say, most of the stuff was still there, it's just a matter of the poles were getting reset.

We're doing all new poles, I think, so it should be like an aluminum pole, like what's in there. And I think they have them, from what I know, so I'll find out and let you know.

Thank you.

You don't realize how much light that provides you until it's gone. We've got neighbors in my neighborhood that never turn their back yard light off. It's on all day, every day.

We both have lights that turn on at dusk. It helps, but yeah.

Any questions from you, Paul?

All right. All right, so just to recap.

I think we should do that right now, and then we can talk about other issues after. So, yeah, we'll head over to your place.

Okay.