VILLAGE OF TRUMANSBURG

MAIN STREET PROJECT ADVISORY COMMITTEE

VILLAGE BOARD MEETING

November 13, 2003

The regular meeting of the Main Street Project's Advisory Committee was held in the Main Meeting Room of the Village Office at 56 East Main Street, Trumansburg, NY 14886.

VILLAGE BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT: Rod Ferrentino, Rick Willers, Carl Potter. ADVISORY BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT: Scott Sears, John Ullberg, Jim Constantin, Paula Horrigan, Fred VanDerzee, Bruce Vann, Annalisa Raymer, Don Schlather. ALSO PRESENT: Don Ellis.

MINUTES TAKEN BY: Susan Henninger, Main Street Project Assistant, Karin Lanning, Deputy Clerk, and Carolyn Bennett, Clerk Treasurer.

The meeting opened at 7:00 PM. There was no information to share so Scott moved directly to the Design Report.

DESIGN REPORT:

*Scott noted that the contract drawings and approvals are in process with C&S, DOT, and SHPPO. The goal is to have the contractor bids go out in March 2004. Scott stated that there are many items that need to be covered at this meeting in conjunction with the other work in progress. Paula and Jim met with C&S last week and shared Skip Davis's Right of Way concerns with them. C&S responded with a sketch that they feel will best address this. Susan mentioned that Eric Hansen at DOT also mentioned that there were some delineation issues in front of P&C and the car wash that could be addressed as well.

*Jim, Rick, and Dave Tyler, Village Attorney, met recently to discuss the primary Right of Way concerns that occur on the properties of Dennis Dore and Joe Farrell. Dave has drafted a letter, stating that the Village will be financially responsible for the surveys and other related costs. Rod will sign and hand-deliver this to the two property owners. Rod stated that the Board and Dave were operating under the assumption that all of the property in question was Village property and that this was a legal thing. Scott suggested that this be documented as part of the record in case there are any questions regarding Right of Ways in the future. The Village will work with Dave Tyler on providing this documentation.

*The water main project was the next item discussed. Funds were approved for this project at the November 10 Village Board meeting. Also the 11-05-03 proposal and scope of work agreement proposal submitted by Hunt Engineers were accepted at this meeting. Two goals of this project are to fix the main, to replace everything that needs to be, and to get a new water tank. Bruce will request that Hunt get in touch with C&S to update them on their plans.

*In regards to the vault situation, Rick suggested that it should be determined what rights the Village has in terms of filling the vaults in. As this is not within the scope of the Main Street Project, Rick agreed, as Trustee, to take on the responsibility.

*A brief fax was received by the Village from Eric Hansen at DOT. The Operations Study that he completed did not warrant a traffic signal at the Union Street intersection. He did make some recommendations about ADA ramps at crosswalks and delineation of sidewalks (see above). A formal letter should arrive in the mail next week, hopefully that will offer more information and suggestions for improving pedestrian safety.

PROJECT BUDGET DISCUSSION:

* Jim reviewed the current scope and budget for the Main Street Project, working from a handout that he and Scott developed. At this time there are a number of nonessential items that have been deferred. The group noted that, although volunteers cannot have an impact on State work, they can contribute toward these deferred items (i.e. by purchasing a tree or bench) Rod suggested that this might be something for fund-raising to look into. John mentioned that if this is done as a fund-raiser, it needs to be built into the project in a planned way so that there aren't sixty benches and one tree on Main Street.

*Don then discussed some estimates regarding the actual contracting and construction costs that he had arrived at using estimates through the international estimator on the Internet. He distributed a handout to illustrate his point that approximately $81,726 could be saved. Bruce stated that, although he hadn't reviewed them, he would assume that these figures were accurate. Don added that to hire five people for four months would probably be the most efficient way and that a qualified team would need to be gathered by February or March. There was a brief discussion as to whether packaging this section of work and putting it out to bid would be more efficient. The understanding of the group was that by using DPW the work would be exempt from prevailing wage law, as it would qualify as “in kind” labor. Scott summarized this talk by stating that there were multiple ways that the Village could manage this situation, including bidding the whole thing out as a package and having this portion be add/alternate.

*The Luster CAAP grant was the next item on the agenda. It was clarified that this money is designated for the sidewalk construction and is included in the Main Street Project budget. Rick then noted that the vaults are not within the scope of the Project, however he believes that the CAAP grant can be used toward dealing with them.

*It was noted that Susan would continue to work independently, and with Jane Hexter, grant writer, toward researching and applying for any appropriate grants. Susan and/or Don will also be in contact with TCAD to see what they have to offer

*Next Clerk Treasurer Bennett stated that the Town of Ulysses had sent in a check for $10,000 toward their share of the grant last year. It was suggested by Don Ellis that perhaps the budgetary commitment from the town could be revisited at some point.

*The Village's budgetary commitment to the Main Street Project was discussed next. Clerk Treasurer Bennett stated that approximately $80,800 has been paid to C&S Engineers so far and the Village has been reimbursed for approximately $51,000 of this. The Clerk Treasurer stated that currently the Main Street Project has about $45,000 in a bank account. Project Assistant Henninger asked if that included the $33,000 of the Main Street Fund-raising efforts, the answer was yes. Project Assistant Henninger stated that it was her understanding that the Main Street funds were kept in a Capitol Project account. Mayor Ferrentino stated that there was not a large Main Street Capital Account at this time and that the Village had worked this out with their CPA. Clerk Treasurer Bennett stated that $176,000 has been budgeted for the Project for this fiscal year. Scott questioned whether the Village had budgeted adequately to cover the cash flow requirements created by the lag in grant reimbursements.

*Jim and Scott then asked that the Village Board review and adopt the C&S/Advisory Committee Project Budget at their next meeting in December. Jim noted that the group is not asking C&S to lop off anything in design at this point in time. He reminded the group that they could always use the add/alternate process.

*The position of Owners Representative was discussed next. The Mayor noted that a person couldn't just be hired for this position, they would required a full Board approval as well as a job description and possibly a Civil Service Exam. Paula reminded him the sooner the better. The Mayor stated that he or Rick would contact the county regarding the process as soon as possible. Jim asked if there was latitude to hire a “consultant” as opposed to an employee. Rod and Rick stated that this was a possibility.

MISC. ISSUES:

*In regard to street lighting, it was agreed that Paula and Jim would work on coordinating design needs with NYSEG. The plan is for conduits to go everywhere that it requires that sidewalks be dug up.

*Scott questioned whether the Village Zoning and Planning Boards need to become more involved with the Main Street Project as it enters the construction phase. Jim noted that the State SEQR process is all set to be handled by C&S. The Mayor and Trustees noted that the Village would have to complete VEQR (Village SEQR). The Mayor stated that he would speak to Doug Austic regarding zoning but that he felt it was a straightforward process.

*Scott suggested that a monthly Task Progress Record be established and monitored by Committee members and the Project Assistant. All agreed that this would help people keep moving toward meeting goals and timelines. This record will be emailed along with minutes on a monthly basis.

NEXT MEETING BETWEEN THE VILLAGE BOARD AND THE MAIN STREET PROJECT ADVISORY COMMITTEE WILL BE DECEMBER 11 TH AT 7 PM IN THE MAIN MEETING ROOM AT THE VILLAGE OFFICES