Stormwater Commission

STORMWATER COMMISSION MEETING SUMMARY Thursday, July 12, 2012 The following persons were present: Chair Joe Lo Verde, Steven Vinezeano, Andrew Vitale, Richard Wlodarski, Fred Kudert, Tom Polcyn, Chuck Ostman, Mousa Nazzal, Robert Callero, and Jeff Wickenkamp of Hey and Associates. Absent: Scott Jochim The meeting was called to order at 8:30 a.m. I. Approve Meeting Summary of Wednesday, June 13, 2012: The summary was approved to be posted on the Stormwater Commission web page. II. Old Business: a. Flood Control Assistance Program. i. Process and Forms. Vinezeano had the group review the package titled, Flood Control Assistance Program. He mentioned that he utilized the many programs already in place with municipalities that have similar programs. He stated that nothing within the document changed what was passed by the Board of Trustees. The Chair mentioned the last line on page 1 that states, “The Village of Niles reserves the right to budget more or less for this program each year, or to terminate the program.” He stated that his concern is that it is a long term commitment and it should never be stopped. He stated the Board should ensure there is at least a minimum amount of funds for the program each year and that it should not be terminated. Vinezeano mentioned that it is language passed by the Board. Vinezeano asked for the group to turn to page 4 and follow along for the Program Procedures. #2 discusses a pre-application form and Vinezeano gave reasons why a pre-application form works for this program. He discussed the form on page 6. Fred Kudert brought up the “description of work” line. He thought it would help just to have simple boxes for the homeowner to check. The boxes would be for the two options of sewage backup or overland flooding. The Mayor mentioned that “future” should be added. This ensures it is for future work and not what was done already. Fred stated that when you are pre-applying, you don’t know what you need yet. Vinezeano asked about how this gets out to the residents. He recommends the Fall newsletter which gets out to the residents by September 1, 2012. The question was asked where the pre- applications would be for pickup by the resident. The Mayor stated that he wants to keep some of it out of Chuck and Steve’s workload. It was recommended it be at the front desk. Once someone picks up a pre-application and completes it, it is stamped and copied (a copy for the homeowner) and turned over to the Stormwater Specialist running the program. The Mayor stated that is should be available online as well. The Chair pointed out that on page 2 there is comment about “pre-applicants”, so there is already something in place. It was explained that this would need to be changed. Vinezeano moved to the application on page 8. Fred stated there would be an interest to have staff visit the home before the person pursues the three quotes. Vinezeano stated that the original process was established to limit the number of homes staff would have to visit, so this would be a change. It was explained that we would not automatically go to each home. Fred feels the specialist should go first to review conditions and provide recommendations before the work is done by the resident. The Mayor said that there are individuals that will decide to pursue the program since it reduces the cost by half and they can financially afford it with the program. We don’t want them to move forward on the application getting quotes and making decisions without the specialist from staff meeting with them to ensure that the work may not be necessary or it can be done cheaper. Ostman stated that he thinks that after the specialist gets the pre- application he or she should go out right away to see what the resident has. They may find that they have flood control, but they don’t know it. We need to go out to each one. Andrew reminded the group that it has always been the case that the specialist is there to provide education on options and what exists in a home that the homeowner may not be aware of, such as maintenance needs, what type of system is best for their needs, or even do they have a system in place they don’t know about. The Commission believes that it is necessary for the specialist to visit each and every home requesting assistance. Vinezeano went over the Submittal Checklist on the application on page 8. Rich asked the question, if you never flooded, you never qualify? Yes. You do not qualify. The language is in the ordinance. He asked if it applies to multifamily. Yes, it does. The owner, however, would need to live in the building. Vinezeano asked to go to page 7, another more complete checklist. Jeff stated that the evidence of lateral functioning should be added as #2. Also, proof of ownership and occupancy. The Chair requested that “licensed bonded contractor” be added after permit. Denials will be handled in writing as per the ordinance. Vinezeano had the group go to Page 9 and the request for reimbursement form. A line will be added for the stormwater specialist to verify all is ready for payment. Jeff mentioned that under the total amount there should be the 50% or $4,000 language. Rich asked about renters. Do renters qualify for the program? No. The owner must live in the home as their primary residence. If it is a rental with the owner in the building, it does qualify. The Mayor mentioned that rentals are businesses and if this is opened to them, it would need to be opened to businesses. Vinezeano walked through the process. The Fall newsletter that comes out September 1 will promote the new program and where to get the pre-application forms (front desk at Village Hall or on-line). The Stormwater Specialist will be ready to begin September 1. Per the Mayor, the calls come in to 847-588-8000 where the receptionist informs the resident that the pre-application forms are there and available for pickup or online. Once it is completed by the homeowner, it is stamped with the date and time, photo copied and the copy given to the homeowner with the original given to the Stormwater Specialist. The pre-application will need to have language stating that they will be contacted in the future by staff for a site visit and at that time they will be given the full application forms. There is a two month period where pre-applications will be taken. The Mayor stated that preference will be give to those in the worse flood areas. Time wise, do we send out specialist after the two months? Ostman stated that we should send the specialist out immediately. It is important that the specialist let pre-applicants know that a decision of who gets the funding will not occur until the two month signup period. Once the two month period is up, he returns to the Stormwater Commission with the proposed projects mapped out (via GIS). The Mayor stated that if there is enough funding for all the projects and they all qualify, there is no need for the Stormwater Commission to review them. Ostman stated that the specialist should have a “score card” for each proposed location. The Chair stated that the full application should be given to the resident at the visit. He stated that the specialist must make sure there is strong oversight from the beginning of the process to make sure the projects are not coming in with high proposals from contractors. Jeff stated that the specialist will keep a record of all the locations he visits and will gain a good understanding of average costs to prevent overages or over charging. The Mayor mentioned that the specialist should have a score card. Ostman stated he would work on that form and it would be attached to the packet. The specialist’s comments, he said, would be important to the group. The Chair asked about 2c on page 3 regarding inflow and infiltration inspection. Vinezeano stated that this was added by the Commission to prevent things such as sumps connected directly to sewers, gutters connected directly to sewers, etc. The specialist would be responsible for identifying this. Ostman asked if a violation will be written for any of these if found. Vinezeano reminded them that any problems identified would need to be fixed before they could enter the program. The Mayor mentioned that it is law now that they cannot have these illegal connections due to the water that enters the system making it worse for others. He feels the violation should be noted and that at some time it will need to be fixed or a ticket written. Rich mentioned that some situations, many years ago, were allowed for other reasons (slip hazards, etc.), so what do you do now? Each one would need to be reevaluated on its own merit unless there is a clear record of the approval. Ostman asked about flood control allowed in front yards. Block or precast concrete? Block is cheaper, but Mousa prefers concrete. The Chair feels there is block that works when it is built right. The difference in cost is about $600 between the two. The Mayor mentioned that the goal is to help the resident, so block should be okay if it is stopping the flooding. The Chair stated that the inspector must ensure that this project is not part of a home improvement like a new bathroom or sink addition. It is for stormwater protection only. The funds must be spent on flood protection within the village guidelines only. ii. Stormwater Specialist. The Mayor asked if it was in the Community Development budget. No. Vinezeano mentioned that at a past Stormwater Commission meeting it was determined that the position can be implemented since it is seasonal and part-time. Does it come out of the $15M or $300K? The Chair stated that the options are hiring a part-time seasonal or contract the work out. It was stated that the position would need to be up and running by September 1. Ostman feels that the work could be done by the end of December, 2012. Ostman stated that they would have plumbing inspection, construction grading, and even some engineering. The Chair asked how much time the specialist could spend on each and Rich stated it could be between one and three hours or two to four on average with paper work. On a good day they may get two to three done. Maybe four under ideal circumstances. Jeff stated that maybe a plumber with the video equipment could be hired that can televise the laterals and charge $100 to help support the position. It would be helpful too and cheaper for the resident. Ostman stated that he preferred it be done professionally separately through a list of qualified plumbers who provide a video of the inspection. The lateral inspection will need to be done and included with the final application. This allows the resident to save this cost if they do not go forward with the project. The specialist would serve under Chuck who would monitor his work. Chuck prefers a retired individual and not someone actively working for a business. Jeff stated that if the individual does work or have an affiliation with a plumbing company, they would not be allowed to do the plumbing work. The Mayor stated that the position should be on board by September 1, 2012. The Chair suggested we look for an outsource and so it can be taken out of the stormwater funds. He suggested that this company could charge maybe $100 per inspection and they take a list of jobs for a particular day, do the inspection, do paper work and provide a report. Chuck stated that there are some firms out there that may have someone qualified for a position like this. However, in his research, he finds that it is cheaper to have someone part-time to do the work. Outside is almost double the price. And contractually, it would need to be prevailing waged because they are a plumber working for the Village. The Chair gave a scenario where a homeowner may have an overland issue being caused by an infraction with the neighbor’s property. Do we just give the  individual protection or do we stop the problem by requiring the neighbor to meet code and stop the flooding situation? Will the individual we hire be knowledgeable enough to fix issues? Ostman stated yes. They need to be able to look at the entire picture. If there is a way to fix the problem without throwing money at it, then the person hired should call this out. The Mayor stated that hiring a part-time position ensures that the same individual is doing all the projects, which provides valuable consistency. The Chair asked if the rate of $25 to $30 is enough. Ostman stated he feels he can find someone, but if we do not, we can try to contract. III. New Business: a. Proposal for Professional Services. The Stormwater Commission was provided the proposal prior to the meeting for review. Jeff Wickenkamp briefed the commission on the proposal and scope of work for professional services to provide preliminary engineering design. The contract is for $538,965.00. There are seven tasks that Jeff discussed. He stated that the tasks will not necessarily be done numerically. Task five would be the majority of the work to be accomplished and bring the plans to 30%. Commission members asked a number of technical questions regarding the process and methods. The Mayor estimates future and total engineering will cost between $800k and $1.4M. Jeff stated that the engineering for the entire project is estimated within the $14M. Jeff stated that there are funds for engineering of the “small projects” within this proposal as well. The Chair moved to recommend Hey and Associates proposal to go to the Board of Trustees this July board meeting. The Commission voted unanimously. Fred stated that Hey has done a great job up until now and he feels the due diligence was met when the commission selected Hey over the seventeen firms that applied for the project two years ago. He also stated that the upfront work completed to this point is meaningful and if we went with another firm, we would pay for much to be redone and learned. As a resident taxpayer, I vote to bring in Hey and Associates. Fred asked Jeff what level of manning he sees is needed from the Village for this project in conjunction with the engineering. Jeff stated someone from engineering must be intimately involved in the engineering process and available. Someone will also need to be available for intergovernmental and private meetings for permits and land use, which will be Vinezeano. Vinezeano stated that works and he will remain the project manager who keeps the meetings and coordination of the stormwater commission, but that we must prevent engineering being done by committee. Engineering must involved. The Chair stated a hired resident engineer would be available during the construction phase. Fred asked if someone be brought in now to work on the project. The Chair  wants to make sure the commission is not making engineering or design decisions. Nazzal mentioned that he has been working with Jeff and that he can assist until the stage of construction. Nazzal mentioned that the resident engineer should be Hey and Associates. The Mayor thanked the group for their work over the last three years. Ostman asked about OLR and when we may get started. Vinezeano stated as soon as possible. Jeff stated that the sequencing will keep the work ongoing and OLR will be started rather soon. The Chair stated that the property acquisition agreements would need to be done early in the process. Jeff mentioned that those agreements are not in this contract and would need to be separate. IV. Open Discussion: OLR and Maryhill Stormwater. There was brief discussion regarding the commission’s responsibilities during the preliminary engineering. There was additional discussion about 3rd party properties. Would the properties be handled through acquisition or through easement. The Chair brought up some areas he visited during the last rain near OLR and Maryhill. He asked about the water sheeting by Washington and Main near the maintenance area to one overwhelmed inlet. He feels they are not retaining water there. Jeff mentioned how it runs east down Main where there are improvements proposed on Maryhill and right of way. The sewers are adequate, but the sewers crossing Milwaukee are not, so the goal is to store some of the water. The Chair provided pictures on his phone. V. Next Scheduled Meetings: TBD