Buildings, Lands & Infrastructure Committee

Transcription

1 Buildings, Lands & Infrastructure Committee Scott Kruger Bryan Smith, Chairman Dawn LaVanway Minutes October 2, 2018 Members: Members absent: Staff present: Bryan Smith, Dawn LaVanway Scott Kruger Pete Garwood, Mathew Cooke, Ed Boettcher, Mark Haynes, Dave Vitale, Eileen Wallick, Tim Reicha, Wendy Warren, Heidi Schaffer, Mike Meriwether, Tim Pierce, Patty Niepoth, Sheryl Guy 1. The meeting was called to order at 9:03 a.m. by Bryan Smith. 2. Public Comment None. 3. Building Department Mark Haynes, Building Department Official, provided the Committee with financial information as part of the agenda packet. Mr. Haynes said they had a good month with permits, but expenses were up as there were three pay periods in the month and they paid for the inspectors licensing. This is a new rule implemented from the State of Michigan. Overall, the department is doing well. 4. Maintenance Department Dave Vitale, Maintenance Director, gave an update on the Maintenance Department, including: Boiler installation at the 05 Courthouse will be happening soon. Bert s Excavating has completed the sidewalk project. Dupuie s is finishing the Veteran s Monument and has completed the brick restoration project at the jail. Staff has been instructed to turn off lights in Administration building when possible. Staff has painted the west outside wall of records/evidence storage building, Carpet cleaning at the County Building continues. Adjustments will be made to the transducer in the County building to adjust the pressure in the building. Mr. Vitale recommended putting the old Emergency Operations Center backup generator up for auction. Regarding the Clerk s Office panic button incident, Mr. Vitale said that the panic buttons are the responsibility of the Sheriff s Department and not the Maintenance Department. Mathew Cooke, Deputy Administrator, mentioned Grand Traverse County utilizes a computer application rather than a physical button. Dawn LaVanway said that locking doors to the offices may increase the safety of employees. This was discussed later in the meeting. Buildings, Lands, and Infrastructure Committee Minutes Page 1 of 6 October 2, 2018

2 5. Operator of Dams Ed Boettcher, Chairman of the Board of Commissioners, said he was contacted by an individual about the creation of a subcommittee of Elk River Chain of Lakes Water Protection Implementation Team (ERCOL-WPIT), to be spearheaded by the Intermediate Lake Association (ILA) to examine lake levels on Intermediate Lake. Mr. Boettcher will be attending the meeting, and Mark Stone is being asked to attend the meeting, as well as a DEQ representative. Mark Stone, Operator of Dams, gave an update on the lake levels via teleconference. He said that ILA has grown vastly which is helping with clarification of what he can and cannot do. ILA requested a meeting with Mr. Stone, who created a document with talking points regarding lake levels; the meeting took place last week. Mr. Smith said Mr. Stone did a great job and it cleared up some questions that were circulating. Mr. Stone said he felt the ERCOL-WPIT subcommittee (mentioned above) has embraced the idea of a hydrological study throughout the Chain of Lakes. He is working on setting up another meeting with Jim Polaski and a Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) representative to determine what a hydrological study should accomplish. This meeting will take place on November 2, 2018 which Mr. Stone viewed as a scoping meeting to determine: goals of the study, how it will be used, what type of field work will be required, what data is already available, required technical work, software models available, expected costs, and funding sources. Mr. Stone said a court ruling gives the County discretion on how to maintain the lake level on Intermediate Lake. He said that the added precipitation in the fall and recent trends have led him to begin the draw down process, starting at the beginning of October rather than the middle of October. He has notified ILA and hopes to reach the winter levels by November 1, 2018, although there is no guarantee. Mr. Stone said he is trying to be proactive to the climatic changes we have experienced by changing practices to meet the mandated levels. The Committee supported Mr. Stone s processes. 6. Parks Department Eileen Wallick, Parks Manager, distributed a spreadsheet (see attached pg. 6) of Barnes Park Campground revenues noting they have surpassed last year s revenue totals. She added the Parks staff have been spending time at Antrim Creek Natural Area, Elk Rapids Day Park, and Barnes Park Campground completing tasks such as poison ivy removal, picnic table refreshing, and looking at tree trimming projects. Elk Rapids Day Park Stairway Pete Garwood, County Administrator, said no bids were received for this project. Ms. LaVanway will be checking for contractors to bid on the project. This will be brought back to the Committee if no bids are produced by the next Board of Commissioners meeting on October 11, No action taken. 7. Glacial Hills Natural Area Tim Reicha, Friends of Glacial Hills Board Chair, told the Committee that Glacial Hills is wrapping up the summer season. He noted that at one point in August, there were seven unique state license plates in the Orchard Hill parking lot. They had a successful ATV fundraiser with the assistance of a Torch Lake couple providing a matching grant of $5,000. The ATV will be used when maintaining the trail. Mr. Reicha noted they hosted the annual races on the trails in conjunction with Northern Michigan Mountain Bike Association. He said that the vault toilets and buildings were being finished at both Vandermark and Orchard Hill parking lots. Mr. Reicha said they are working on funding for the marked loop systems on the trails. Currently, there are laminated paper signs while they raise funding for permanent signs. Buildings, Lands, and Infrastructure Committee Minutes Page 2 of 6 October 2, 2018

3 8. Antrim Conservation District (ACD) Wendy Warren, District Manager, said she has been meeting with local officials and getting acclimated with the various plans throughout the County. She said the third of three Household Hazardous Waste events was completed and the three events garnered about fifteen (15) tons of materials excluding the paint pickups. Ms. LaVanway asked about construction items (shingles, etc.) being included in future events. Ms. Warren will be working on a list of where various items can be disposed or recycled and what the costs would be. Ms. Warren indicated ACD is working to fill the Conservation Program Assistant position by the end of the month. They are also considering quotes on repairs to the existing building, and will be meeting with the Bellaire Conservation Club to discuss the future of the building. Ms. Warren will be looking at ways to reduce wait times during HHW events, working on ACD s strategic plan and examining the County Master Plan. She noted that the annual meeting and elections for board members takes place on December 6, There are two 4-year terms and one 1-year term open. Soil Erosion Control Update Heidi Shaffer, Soil Erosion Officer, provided an update for the Committee as part of the agenda packet. Soil erosion permits are up to 160 permits. Ms. Shaffer noted that the current 160 soil erosion permits will probably be closer to 200 by year end. She said 40 sites are high impact, 80 are medium impact, and 40 are low impact on their newly established site matrix. She estimated the current amount of permits would be around 1600 site inspections a year. Ms. Shaffer indicated she issued a fine to a company who has been working with DTE on the pipeline project underway in Antrim County. She noted DTE will be considering a change to their process for applying for permits. Ms. Shaffer also said she was working with the Spencer Rain Gardens in Alden which are nearly completed and working with the ERCOL subcommittee on lake levels. Mr. Boettcher asked about the split of Ms. Shaffer s duties in relation to the County appropriation and ACD millage for costs. Ms. Shaffer said she was directed by the County to help people, which is why she documents phone calls she takes. She said the State has increased expectations of soil erosion tasks, and the DEQ audit also calls for an additional person to help with soil erosion duties. Ms. Warren will put some numbers together for the next meeting, but she believes that there is enough work for a full time soil erosion officer plus another person. They will look at changing the phone system to help with phone questions being directed away from the Soil Erosion Officer and Forester, and they currently have an AmeriCorps staff person in the office as the first point of contact. Forestry Update Mike Meriwether, County Forester, reviewed with the Committee his written report in the agenda. He noted that Kalkaska and Charlevoix Counties do not have Foresters, so he helps with some of the fringe border properties. He is in the process of getting the County forests certified through the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). Many manufacturers (such as IKEA) are requiring their woods to be certified through FSC. Mr. Meriwether noted the damage from storms at some of the parks. He noted that there are trees down at Willow Day Park, where some are bordering on the property lines. He negotiated with the Homeowner s Association to split costs for the trees down on property lines. The total bill from Ralph Hines was $1, which the County will be responsible for $1, and the Homeowners Association will pay for the remaining $ Mr. Meriwether is working with the County Finance Director and County Administrator on accessing the required County dollars for the project. No motion is needed. Buildings, Lands, and Infrastructure Committee Minutes Page 3 of 6 October 2, 2018

4 Mr. Meriwether said that Noteware s Landing also had trees down that are in need of removal. Northern Tree gave a bid of $ to remove the trees. There is money in the budget, therefore no motion is needed. Mr. Meriwether noted signage for Mohrmann Park and Cedar River is being completed. Cedar River signage was donated. He added that bridge repair at Mohrmann Park will be done next summer. Mr. Meriwether said that Traverse City Seeds program has helped him with park upgrades and believed this organization could be considered for the stair project at Elk Rapids Day Park. The Committee discussed this route and determined it was the best route rather than Ms. LaVanway seeking bids. Mr. Cooke and Mr. Meriwether will visit the site to see the feasibility of ACD doing the work. 9. County Forestry Requests Sale by Scale Timber Sale Mr. Meriwether included documentation in the agenda packet of justifications to sell by scale for timber. He added that Leonard Road property should be added to the motion due to wind damage that left knocked down trees. He believed there is about a truck-load of timber that has fallen. Motion Dawn LaVanway, seconded by Bryan Smith, to recommend the Board of Commissioners approve a Sell by Scale harvest of forest products from the County owned property in Star Township the SE ¼ of the SW ¼ of Section 26, Simpson Road, Leonard Road and Cedar River properties in Kearney and Custer Townships to be negotiated by the County Forester. Motion Carries- Unanimous Chestonia Township Lumber Sale Mr. Meriwether said this is a bid sell, which is higher quality wood and will bring more money. Motion Dawn LaVanway, seconded by Bryan Smith, to recommend the Board of Commissioners approve the release of a lump sum bid request for the trees selected for harvest on the County owned 40 acres west of M66 located with the NW ¼, NE ¼ of section 29 in Chestonia Township. Motion Carries- Unanimous 10. Grass River Natural Area (GRNA) Tim Pierce, Lands and Facilities Steward, said phase one of the Boardwalk Reconstruction project has been completed. He added that there are some new benches and mulching along the trails. The refinish of the Education Center will be pushed to 2019, due to miscommunications by the contractor. The contractor will keep the price the same as the 2018 quote. GRNA will still be completing the gutter portion of the project in Mr. Pierce also noted he has not detected any evidence of ATV activity on the property since it was discovered last year and signage was installed. 11. Clerk s Office Panic Button Sheryl Guy, County Clerk, included impact reports stemming from an incident with a local resident who was under the influence when he become angry with the Clerk s Office staff. Ms. Guy had concerns with her staff s safety in cases where people become abusive. She said the panic button system did not produce an immediate response, and the Sheriff s Office responded when the Treasurer s Office called them to respond. She added that this was not necessarily the fault of the Sheriff s Office but the current system in place. Mr. Garwood stated that Mike Gank, Dispatch Sergeant, shared that when the panic button alarm goes off in the Dispatch Center, it is awkward to Buildings, Lands, and Infrastructure Committee Minutes Page 4 of 6 October 2, 2018

5 operate and therefore can result in delayed response. Mr. Garwood noted that there used to be a maintenance contract but it was discovered it was more cost efficient to pay for repairs as needed. The Committee informed Ms. Guy of what Grand Traverse County does with technology. Ms. LaVanway mentioned locking the doors to limit where the public can enter. She also asked about moving public use computers to outside of the County offices, citing the Register of Deeds Office having heavy public traffic to use the computers in their office. Mr. Garwood also noted that the Health and Public Safety will be reviewing Evacuation and Emergency Plans at their October 24, 2018 meeting. Ms. Guy prefers a buzzer system at the Clerk s Office door and Ms. LaVanway mentioned keeping a log of incidents. The Administration Office will look at key fobs, resolving the panic button issue, and asking Byce and Associates to separate out their recommendations specific to this issue. 12. Community Mental Health Traveling Art Show Request The Committee wants to ensure that the County is not responsible for any damage. Motion Dawn LaVanway, seconded by Bryan Smith, to recommend the Board of Commissioners approve the display of the statewide traveling art show, Creative Minds Changing Minds, sponsored by the Michigan Association of Community Mental Health Boards in the County Building hallways from November 1-8, 2018, as long as the County is not responsible for any damage to exhibits. Motion Carries- Unanimous 13. Snow Plow/Removal Bids The only bid submission came from Bert s Excavating, who has been doing the snow removal and plowing at the County for a number of years. Ms. LaVanway was in favor of a one-year contract, while Mr. Smith was in favor of a two-year contract. No motion was made so the issue will be taken to the full board for consideration. No action was taken at this time. 14. Various Matters Mr. Strehl discussed options regarding about the old Emergency Operations Center building: winterizing the building, offering it to local fire departments for firefighter training, and/or demolishing the building. Mr. Cooke will be bringing Parks and Recreation Plan information to the next meeting. Mr. Garwood received the review from legal counsel on the Broadband Consortium and Northern Lakes Economic Alliance was open to the recommended changes. This will be on the Administration Committee agenda for October 4, Public Comment None. Meeting adjourned at 12:35 p.m. Buildings, Lands, and Infrastructure Committee Minutes Page 5 of 6 October 2, 2018

6 BARNES RECEIPTS 2018 TICKET RESERV SHOWERS PAVILIONS DUMP CLOTHING IICKET# AMOUNT ATIONS COLLECTION RENT STATION FIRE-WOOD ICE SALES COKE TO_TAL 05/31/ , I 18,639.oo I I I o.oo I o.oo I o.oo I o.oo I o.oo I 3s,2s9.oo I 06/15/ e, I 1, I o.oo I o.oo I o.oo I 225.oo I I o.oo I o.oo I 11,599.oo I 20170! 19,6oa.oo I I 686.oo I I o.oo I 325.oo I 144.oo I 105.oo I o.oo I 21, I /15/ ,1sa.oo I o.oo I I o.oo I o.oo I 315.oo I 285.oo I 165.oo I o.oo I 31, I 07/31/ ,na.oo I oo I o.oo I o.oo I 645.oo I I I o.oo I 35, I 08/15/ ! 32,804.00I 1, I , /31/ ! 24,388.00I ool s.ool 2ss s,ns.ool 09/15/ ,e40.ool s.001 1so ,s /30/ ! 5, s I 42.00t I ,s /20/18 01 o.oo I o.oo I o.oo I o.oo I o.oo I o.oo I o.oo I o.oo I o.oo I o.oo I YEAR TOTAL 189, , , , , , , total camping 211, , Buildings, Lands, and Infrastructure Committee Minutes Page 6 of 6 October 2, 2018