City Council Planning Sessions

MEMORANDUM TO: Record FROM: Susan Bishel, Public Relations Coordinator SUBJECT: September 25, 2017 City Council Planning Session Minutes DATE: September 25, 2017 CC: Mayor and City Council, City Manager, City Clerk, Department Heads The Planning Session took place in the Council Chambers, Wheaton City Hall, 303 W. Wesley St., Wheaton, Illinois. Those attending the Planning Session included: Councilman Barbier, Councilman Prendiville, Councilman Rutledge, Councilman Scalzo and Councilman Suess. Mayor Gresk and Councilwoman Fitch were absent. Also in attendance were City Manager Dzugan, Assistant City Manager Duguay, Fire Chief Schultz, Director of Engineering Redman, Public Information Officer Thrower, Web Specialist O'Brien and Public Relations Coordinator Bishel. The session began at 7:00 p.m. and concluded at 8:32 p.m. The following items were discussed: I. Call to Order The Wheaton City Council Planning Session was called to order at 7:00 p.m. by Mayor Pro Tem Suess. II. Approval of September 11, 2017 Planning Session Minutes The Council approved the September 11, 2017 Planning Session Minutes. III. Public Comment Debbie Houlihan, 434 S. Wheaton Ave., encouraged the City to keep the pedestrian underpass at Roosevelt Road open. She stated many people use the underpass to walk to the downtown or to Kelly Park. She believes it is challenging for pedestrians to cross at Roosevelt's intersection with Main Street and with West Street because of the distance to walk and the volume of traffic. Kathy McCarty, 409 Westwood, expressed concern about a proposed idea from Community School District 200 that would involve moving Jefferson Preschool to part of Graf Park. She stated she wanted the City Council to be aware of the proposal and that there are many residents who live near Graf Park that are concerned with how moving the school would affect their neighborhood. IV. Fire Department Aerial Ladder Presentation City Manager Dzugan stated the Fire Department is due to replace its aerial ladder truck in the upcoming fiscal year. The City has accrued the estimated cost of $1.2 million in the Vehicle Replacement Fund. Fire Chief Schultz presented information to the City Council regarding the Fire Department's current vehicle inventory, the different types of vehicles and the department's equipment needs to provide its current level of service. The City currently has one aerial ladder truck, which the Fire Department uses for many purposes, including fire rescue, firefighting, technical rescues, and more. It also carries emergency medical equipment, as Fire Department personnel are cross- trained to respond to medical emergencies. Chief Schultz stated the aerial ladder truck must be able to reach 100 feet, store water and more. Fire Chief Schultz showed a practice video at the Carol Stream burn tower comparing the difference in response time and rescue operations for an aerial ladder truck with a straight ladder versus a ladder with a basket. He stated for ladders with a basket, Fire Department personnel are able to rescue multiple victims from a house or building in a shorter amount of time and by lowering them in a basket to the ground. With a straight ladder, Fire Department personnel must either have a victim climb down the ladder or be carried down the ladder to safety. Based on City staff's analysis, Fire Chief Schultz stated they identified alternatives to purchasing a new aerial ladder truck with the same capabilities: 1) eliminating an aerial ladder truck, which would significantly reduce the Department's service delivery and reduce the City's ISO insurance rating, 2) sharing an aerial ladder truck with a nearby community, but there are currently no departments interested in sharing a truck, 3) refurbishing the current ladder truck at a cost of at least $590,000, but the City would likely only get another 5 years of service from the vehicle and the truck would be out of service for a year while being refurbished, 4) purchasing a new aerial ladder truck with a straight ladder instead of a basket, which would save the City approximately $75,000 but would reduce safety capabilities, 5) purchasing a new aerial ladder truck without pumping capabilities, but the City would need to have a second pumper available to respond along with the aerial ladder truck 6) downsizing the vehicle's capabilities, however this would also reduce service capabilities. Fire Chief Schultz reviewed several purchasing options, including having a custom-built vehicle built for the City, purchasing a truck that is in stock and making minor modifications for an estimated savings of $20,000, or using a purchasing cooperative. Fire Chief Schultz 9-25-17 Planning Session 2 recommended the City purchase a new comparable aerial ladder truck to continue providing the same level of service, and either purchasing a stock vehicle or using a purchasing cooperative. In response to Council questions, Fire Chief Schultz stated the City can expect around 10-12 years of use with the new truck. He stated the Fire Department has found their current system of using it as a versatile response truck allows fire personnel to minimize response time and provide the highest level of service possible. They have tried other methods but have found this to be most efficient. Regarding the features that the Fire Department recommends for the new truck, Fire Chief Schultz stated adding a ladder with significantly longer reach would add approximately $200,000 to the vehicle's price, and the truck may experience difficulties maneuvering into some areas because the vehicle would be substantially taller. In response to a Council question about advances in technology in new trucks, Fire Chief Schultz stated there are many improved safety features, including collision avoidance technology, more airbags, less emissions, and more. The consensus of the Council was to move forward with the recommended course of action in purchasing a new aerial ladder truck. V. Wheaton Avenue Pedestrian Underpass at Roosevelt Road Director of Engineering Redman reviewed City's staff's findings regarding the pedestrian underpass at Wheaton Avenue and Roosevelt Road, which staff estimates is at least 60 years old. The City closed the underpass in February in order to have its structural condition evaluated by an engineering consultant. The consultant's report stated that the underpass structure has reached an age and state of physical condition that warrants immediate repair, replacement or abandonment. The report explained three courses of action: 1) repair the structural integrity of the west wall, 2) replace with a new underpass structure, or 3) abandonment of the structure in place. Director of Engineering Redman stated repairing the west wall would cost at least $50,000 plus the cost of engineering services, and it may only extend the life of the structure 5 years. If the City were to replace it with a new structure, the City would face challenges with right-of-way constraints to make it compliant with ADA access requirements, and the cost is estimated to be $950,000. To abandon the structure in place would cost approximately $80,000 plus engineering costs. Based on these challenges plus the seemingly low demand for the crossing and the 9-25-17 Planning Session 3 availability of pedestrian-protected signalized crossings at West and Main streets, City staff recommends abandonment of the structure in place. In response to Council questions, Director of Engineering Redman stated the City does not have exact counts of how many pedestrians used the tunnel. He stated the City owns the structure through an agreement with the state. He stated the City could research funding options and see if any federal grant money would be applicable for this project. Council members expressed the desire to not abandon this structure and concern with the cost of replacing it. City Manager Dzugan stated the City could repair the west wall and have engineering drawings done while the City researches possible sources for funding. The Council directed City staff to explore options for repairing the structure and funding options. VI. City of Wheaton Website Update Public Information Officer Thrower stated the City will be launching a new website in October. She reviewed the reasons why the City is replacing the current site, including the need to move off of software that will no longer be supported by the software company, a new software platform's ability to provide all of the City's website content on mobile devices (compared with only about 25% of the current website available on mobile devices), a clean modern look, making it easier for users to find information and less servers for the City to maintain. The software system the City chose also will allow the City to move off of its document management system and combine this with the website, saving the City more than $100,000 to replace the document management system. In response to Council questions, the most frequently used places in the website include job postings and community events. The new website will allow people to submit some requests online and get in touch with the appropriate department. VII. City Council/Staff Comments City Manager Dzugan stated the Planning & Zoning Board would be holding a training session at 6:30 p.m. on Sept. 26. Mayor Pro Tem Suess thanked City staff for providing visuals along with their presentations. VIII. Adjournment The meeting was adjourned at 8:32 p.m. 9-25-17 Planning Session 4