Prison Committee - Regular Meeting

Alright, at this time I'll call to order the City of Joliet Public Service Committee meeting for Monday, July 6, 2026. First order of business is roll call. Councilwoman Raritan? Here. Councilman Mudren, he called and said he would not be able to attend. He's got all snarled up in traffic. So he won't be able to get here in time. Councilman Hugg, I am here. Alright, then we have the approval of minutes from the June 15, 2026, Public Service Committee meeting. Any changes, edits, or discussion? No. Move to approve. Second that. I have a motion and a second to approve. The minutes from the public service meeting of June 15, 2026 as presented. All in favor? Aye. Opposed? Showing none. We'll move to citizens to be heard on agenda items. Are there any citizens who would like to step up and be heard on agenda items? Seeing none in attendance, move right to contracts. We have two contracts. 337, approval of purchase of two specialty trucks for the Department of Public Works in the amount of $272,143.00.

This is the purchase of two boom trucks, one for the electric division and one for the sign division. They're slightly different vehicles. The electric division vehicle, the boom goes higher. It has to service street lights and traffic signals, that type of thing. It also has insulation in case they come in contact with electrical lines or whatever the boom does. The sign maker will use this boom truck. It replaces existing truck, which has a sort of a scaffold on top This will allow him to kind of move side to side and doesn't go as high as the other one So it's a little smaller a little cheaper We use the city's bonfire procurement system posted this solicitation on there as well as sent requests directly to nine vendors two vendors provided quotes and we are recommending approving one vehicle to each of the vendors they both bid on these two vehicles and it happens that of the two companies. One was cheaper on each of the vehicles. So for the sign division vehicle, running equipment would be the low bidder in about $105,000. And for the electric division, larger vehicle, smear into commercial vehicles was the low bidder, about $167,000. We're recommending approval and requesting this go to full council.

Question and comment? I'm just curious, what signs do we need to move?

There are signs that are higher, we'll call them, than just standing on the ground. They're not particularly super high, but it can go street name signs on traffic signal mast arms, and it allows them to move back and forth. What about the heights on bridges? Yeah. We do some of those. There are other entities that do. Railroads do some of those as well. The rail, Vitex, typically the railroad posts those. But it is higher than a person, a typical sign is higher than a person could lift and work on, so to speak.

So you kind of need to get off the ground.

Yeah, eight, nine feet, something like that. So it's not particularly high, but... In order to be compliant with OSHA requirements, we need to, you know, to... Well, that was the magic word. Can't be on the way. OSHA.

Yeah. All right, 338, approval of the purchase of six vehicles from Ron Terakoli Ford in the amount of $288,318.

This is the purchase of six different trucks for various city departments. Again, we posted this on the city's bonfire procurement system, also directly sent requests to nine vendors. Two provided quotes. And the vehicles, there are two trucks. For the fire department, they're for specialty teams that they have. Ron Tirapelli Ford was the low bidder on both of those vehicles. There is a Ford Ranger for the public works department. Again, Ron Tirapelli was the low bidder. And I think we had an error here. I didn't show you who the low bidder was, but I believe it was Ron Tirapelli again for the two Ford Mavericks that are for... community development and we are recommending approval here

That's it for contracts.

Alrighty, so under contracts I'd like to recommend item 337 and 338 to be taken to the full council with this committee's recommendation to approve.

I will second that. I have a motion and a second to send the items in the contracts 337 and 338 to the full council with committee recommendation to approve. All in favor? Aye. Opposed? Showing none, we can move to change orders, pay estimates, and final payments. 3.39, approval of Amendment No. 3 to the Phase 1, Phase 2, and Phase 3 Professional Engineering Services for the Joliet Central Aircraft Management System Improvement Project.

This is a project we've talked about a couple times where we're connecting a number of traffic signals in the city that we'll be able to control and monitor from one central location. This is a modification to the scope of the work that our consultant is doing. And basically we, the city's direction, we've changed the scope on them a couple of different times, trying to maximize our use of funding. We added a location and at one point it had to change the plans and specifications. And then when we saw the available funding, we ended up pulling that back out. So they kind of had to change the plans twice and we're paying them for their time on this. And we are requesting that this go to full council for approval.

Questions or comments? No. 340, approval of change over number one for the county line road from Van Dyke Road to Kennedy Drive roadway improvements project to PT Federal Construction Company. And this would be a deduction of the amount of $16,122.71. And then payment number three and final in the amount of $97,620.74.

Yes, so this is just a closeout and final change order and final payment for the county on road project that we completed out there near Cumberland South I believe along Van Dyke Road Some of the items that came out which is basically final balancing some payment marking plan modifications just along the south end there and then Removal of a tree related to the property owner that gave us the easement for the sidewalk crossing the frontage there So at this time, we'd like to see this final change order, final payment and change order go to the council for approval.

Questions or comments? 341, approval of change order number three for the 2024 electrical maintenance assistance contract to Meade Electric Company in the amount of $19,237.51. And payment request number eight being around $49,527.97.

Yes, so the results of this was there was some damage to a fiber optic cable along Jefferson Street between Hobalt and Essenton. It was damaged during a construction project by a contractor. We're actually looking for reimbursement for them at this point in time. But in order to get the items put back together and all the video detection and everything working, We decided to go ahead and have Meade Construction do this and get it done in a more orderly fashion than waiting for responses back and forth. We'll be putting up cameras out there instead of the standard loops and everything like that related to the traffic signal, but at this time we'd like to see this processed and then the payment go out for the work.

Is the contractor able to pay?

As far as I'm aware, yes. Yes. Yes.

All right, that's the final item under change orders, pay estimates, and final payments.

Okay, so under change orders, pay estimates, and final payments, I'd like to make a motion to move item 339, 340, and 341 to the full council with this committee's recommendation to approve.

I will second that. We have a motion and a second that the items under change orders, pay estimates, and final payments, 339, 340, and 341, be sent to the full council with a committee recommendation to approve. All in favor? Aye. Opposed? Showing none. Move on to Ordinance Resolutions. We have two items. 349, Resolution Appropriating Motor Fuel Tax Funds for Amendment No. 3 to the Professional Engineering Services for Phase 1, Phase 2, and Phase 3 Engineering Services for the Joliet Centralized Traffic Management System Improvement Project. This is just housekeeping. Housekeeping until we get paid. No question, right? No. And 350, Resolution Approving Honorary Street Name Designation for Les Cheney.

All right, so honorary street name designations are something that's handled by both the Planning Division and Public Works at this point in time. This is for an honorary street name designation for Les Cheney. He was a respected leader in the construction industry. And then beyond the construction industry, he was involved in a variety of nonprofit organizations, notably Alcoholics Anonymous, YMCA, and Old Timers Baseball Association. This honorary street name designation is for a section of McRoberts Street between East Benton Street and East Cass Street, which historically was associated with Les Cheney and his first endeavors into the construction industry with his own concrete company. That's what this is about. The applicant, which is the executive director of the World Grundy Contractors Association, could not be here tonight, but they are very much looking forward to this street name designation. Any questions? Nope. It does yeah, yes, it will be it's on the council agenda for tomorrow evening See

Only two items under Ordinances and Resolutions.

Okay, so under Ordinances and Resolutions, I'd like to make a motion to move 349 and 350 to the full council with this committee's recommendation to approve.

I'll second. We have a motion and a second to send the items under Ordinances and Resolutions, 349 and 350, to the full council with committee recommendations to approve. All in favor? Aye. Opposed? Showing none. We'll move on to new oral business, not final action or recommendation. Anything? Carrie? Oh, no. Anything? I have a quick question, and you might want the information too. Kind of in a nutshell, tell us what we're doing with tree trimming. I'm getting a lot of complaints. I know just walking in my study room when I walk my dog every day, I'm bending over quite a bit. So what are we doing there? We're not waiting to trim based on here because we're doing that. I know you mentioned it, Greg, a few times, tree inventory. We're not waiting to trim until we're done with the inventory.

No, we are not. You know, we have been... Doing trimming in-house and on emergency basis in recent years We're doing that inventory which is going to give us priority trimming, but it's just on the day-to-day trimming No, we are have been kind of struggling quite honestly because of the severe storms We've been getting backed up and doing emergency work, and we're probably about five weeks behind on stuff We want to do at this point include including pothole patching and that type of thing so we will get to it but these We've got another week here because of this past weekend and the previous severe event that came through. That was probably three weeks for our staff. So we'll get to it. If you've got a specific location, let me know. But what we want to do with this inventory is get on a cycle, right? So doing whatever it is, five or seven year cycle on tree trimming. In recent years, we haven't been able to do that. We haven't had the dedicated funding, number one. And this goes back not just one year, but probably you know, six, seven, eight years. And then just not knowing. So we've been reactive. I think the inventory is going to allow us to be more proactive or we'll hit a neighborhood or an area of the city or a district, whatever it is, and then not have to come back for five or seven years when it starts growing again. And we're getting there. We are going to get some more trimming done here in the near future, I guess is the short answer.

We are, and we still are, yeah. Well, no. We haven't been able to

to prioritize an area or it's been more reactive but it's been a combination of both in recent years where city staff has done a lot and we want to get back to the contractor doing most of it because it eats up a lot of staff time to do the tree trimming. So we're trying to get back there. We just haven't gotten off track in a number of years when funding cuts occurred.

Well, and our longtime arborist moved from that position, right? He did, yeah. And he could carry a lot of that, didn't he?

He did some, yeah. Not trimming, but identifying. Yeah, right, contracts. So we do have a new arborist on staff. He came on this year, so he's getting his feet under it. Who is the new arborist? His name is Pete Zubik.

Is he a staff member that was promoted, or is he an outside hire? No, he's an outside hire. Does he have a forestry degree, like the other one?

He has his, he met the qualifications of the...

So the public service test for... Yeah, yes.

He's got the Arbor certification, and he's... His exact degree, I'm not 100% sure, but he met the qualification. But he's been on board. He's met with the tree board. He's been there a few times. They're already working together on a number of items, hour per day and other things, and the tree planting contract, et cetera.

And the last question I had about the trees was, where are we getting our trees from? We're not using...

what's your name anymore the fields yeah so that contract is up um we're sort of reworking that um tree planting contract where in recent years um we had i think it was a seven year contract and it was committed to some number of trees and that was kind of coming out of the emerald ash borer and we were had a lot of trees on hand but We were getting into situations where we started planting trees and people were saying, I don't want the tree in my parkway. And they didn't really have control over that, but we also don't want to put it in a tree where they're not going to take care of it. I won't say damage the tree. But we want them in locations where they make sense. So we're working on the tree planting contract to go back out. And we'll probably go on a smaller scale, a few years at a time, and maybe reducing the total number of trees that we're planting and not just buying a thousand trees and then trying to find spaces for them, but be a little more proactive and say, here's where we want to put the trees and here's how many we need this year. So maybe reducing it to the, whatever it is, 500 or 600 per year.

Well, our original grow contract, and yes, it was a large contract for seven years, gave us, we were doing half price of less.

We were, yeah. And we want to do a multi-year contract, but maybe not to the extent of seven or eight years or whatever.

Are we, I had somebody tell me, they talked to somebody that was leaning a tree and it wasn't it, but they're used to seeing fields. It was someplace in Greatwood.

I'm not familiar with that.

Are we getting trees somewhere else right now?

Not that I am aware of. I know we did a small planting, like 40 trees or something, but I will have to find out where the contractor was from. Could you do that? Yeah, and when we go to the larger contractor, we're doing several hundred trees, that'll definitely go out to the public again.

but let me look into the where the yeah um let me look at this i'm curious how much you paid and why we switched yeah let me look into it a little more expensive possibly yeah uh i can please if you would be back yeah and it could be and i don't know this is speculation it could be the type of tree you wanted maybe a certain

nursery didn't have it or whatever I don't know because we're again we're changing some of the species to where in the past we were committed to a certain type of species and then we were running out of spaces to put those so there's certain trees you don't want to put under power lines for instance because they grow up in the power lines and things like that but maybe we can get a brief report on where we're at and presented or provided to the public service committee and the tree board as well the tree board has been a prize to some of this stuff

I'm more worried about the tree growth as far as the roots going down rather than crawling out. Right, exactly.

Again, we want to make sure we're putting the right tree in the right place. We don't want a tree where the roots go out and it's a small parkway and they're hitting the curb and the sidewalk and then it causes all the sidewalk problems. So we're trying to be a little more selective on how and where and what we're putting for the trees.

I believe our previous arborist, who did have a master's degree, he put together a list of 30 or 32 trees that met those specifications, as well as the fact that, I learned a lot from him, the fact that any tree that you put in the parkway is under stress immediately. It is, yeah, that's true. And there were certain robust trees with deeper root systems, so why are we changing that then?

Well, I don't know that we are. I don't want to say that.

I'll tell you what, whoever put it together 30 years ago screwed it up because that's why we have so many sidewalks that are being used.

Yeah, no.

Ash is a bad one for screwing up sidewalks.

Yeah, parkway trees are an interesting topic is how I would describe it because everybody likes trees, but they do cause damage to city infrastructure, not just curbs and sidewalks, but they get down into – sanitary sewer lines and that type of thing so they're a great amenity but there's a there's a trade-off with them as well okay yeah that's fine okay that's all I have anybody else

Great. I just did that, Sherry, so we wouldn't finish in 10 minutes.

Oh, okay. I knew you hated to get everybody out of here quick. All right.

Do we have anybody here that would like to make a public comment? Seeing that no one's in attendance.

The utilities report?

Oh, yeah. Sorry about that, Allison.

She may have been dozing off. I forgot I had anything to do there. Good thing I showed up.

We would have saved it for next time.

OK. So since the last report on June 1, we've had five fire hydrants repaired. So we currently have 0.8% of the 8,000 period of 51 out of service. We have one valve reset or repaired, and there were 15 water main breaks. That brings our 2026 total to 62, which is still trending lower than other years. We had two new contracted services. Austin Tyler repaired a water main break due to the depth, and then Austin Tyler also repaired a water main break on Droughton due to lack of staff availability.

Now we can move to public comment. And again, there's still no one in attendance. I should be lost. So there's nobody here to comment, so we'll move right to adjournment. A motion to adjourn. Second. I have a motion and a second to adjourn. All in favor? Aye. Opposed? Showing none. Then we are done.