City Council Planning Sessions

Monday, January 14, 2019 1. Call to Order The regular Wheaton City Council Meeting was called to order at 7:04 p.m. by Mayor Michael Gresk, following the conclusion of a public hearing. The following were: Physically Present: Mayor Gresk Councilman Barbier Councilwoman Fitch Councilman Prendiville Councilman Rutledge Councilman Scalzo Councilman Suess Absent: None City Staff Present: Michael Dzugan, City Manager John Duguay, Assistant City Manager Paul Redman, Director of Engineering Sarang Lagvankar, Senior Project Engineer Susan Bishel, Public Relations Coordinator 2. Public Comment There were no public comments. 3. Approval of Dec. 10, 2018 City Council Planning Session Minutes The Council approved the Dec. 10, 2018 City Council Planning Session Minutes. 4. Pavement Evaluation Report Senior Project Engineer Lagvankar reviewed the results of the City’s recent pavement analysis. The previous analysis in 2015 gave the City an overall pavement condition index rating of 61.8. The index rating for 2018 was 69.0, which meets the City’s goal of maintaining pavement to yield an average rating in the “good” condition rating. Senior Project Engineer Lagvankar noted the analysis does not necessarily account for some areas in which crews have used temporary patching to address immediate needs. Senior Project Engineer Lagvankar reviewed the 10-year projection for the City’s road conditions and how the index rating would be affected by different levels of annual funding for road maintenance. To maintain a pavement rating of approximately 69, models show that the City would need to spend approximately $3.5 million per year. In response to Council questions on whether the City should distribute funds differently toward the three types of road work (street rehabilitation, resurfacing, and reconstruction), Senior Project Engineer Lagvankar explained how this is a dynamic process, as roads will always be gradually CITY COUNCIL PLANNING SESSION 1/14/19 declining in condition. The City’s strategy is to keep on top of road conditions, because it is more expensive to reconstruct streets in very poor condition than to perform less extensive work before roads greatly decline. The City’s current goal is to allot funds proportionally; 55% for road resurfacing, 35% for rehabilitation and 10% for reconstruction. Senior Project Engineer Lagvankar answered Council questions about road conditions by stating City crews will provide at least minimal maintenance to the lowest rated roads to keep them safe. Staff also reviewed the additional work toward resurfacing the City’s streets that has been completed by the Public Works Department. In response to Council questions, City Manager Dzugan stated the City has approximately 15 miles of streets that need reconstruction, which is estimated to cost approximately $15 million. City Manager Dzugan stated City staff is proposing that the City invest an extra $500,000 solely for reconstruction in the year 2020 through the Capital Improvement Program. In response to Council questions, Senior Project Engineer Lagvankar stated the City would not want to do all of the reconstruction work at once, as the City wants to keep the road repair program on a rotation so that there is a cycle with some roads in good condition while it repairs other roads. City staff’s recommendation is to maintain the annual rating by investing $3.5 million per year for pavement repairs and maintenance, and additional funds beyond this amount would be used for pavement reconstruction. Staff recommends continuing periodic pavement evaluations to measure progress, and reevaluating in 3 to 5 years. To answer Council questions, Senior Project Engineer Lagvankar stated while the proportion of 55/35/10 of funding for street resurfacing/rehabilitation/reconstruction was developed by staff and a consultant, the proportion could be distributed differently. However, the number of miles completed would change. City Manager Dzugan stated the City is trying to maintain its score of 69, and the best way to achieve the highest rating is the 55/35/10 formula. City staff stated they will provide the Council with numbers on how many streets have stayed in the lowest category in the past 3 years. Director of Engineering Redman stated these are mostly low- volume street segments. 5. Pedestrian Tunnel City Manager Dzugan stated the City received the report from Thomas Engineering on solutions for the pedestrian underpass on Roosevelt Road, which has been closed for more than 2 years due to safety concerns. He stated City Attorney Knippen researched whether the City would be required to construct an ADA accessible path, and his research shows that the City would not be required legally to make it fully accessible. Director of Engineering Redman stated the study examined 3 options: repair the existing structure, rehabilitate or reconstruct, or the City could abandon the underpass. Option 1 would involve merging the old tunnel with some newly constructed portion. This option would cost approximately $238,000, but it would be the riskiest option, would only be a partial repair, and would not be expected to have a long lifespan. 2 CITY COUNCIL PLANNING SESSION 1/14/19 Option 2 would create a new tunnel within the existing structure by lining it with steel plates. A partial structure would cost approximately $216,000, and a full liner would be $330,000. All the work on this option could be done within the tunnel, with little disruption to traffic. Option 3 would be a complete replacement with a new structure and full ADA accessibility, which would cost $2.3 million. Director of Engineering Redman stated this option would be most likely to be eligible for some grant funding. As a final option, he added that the City could also completely abandon the underpass and fill it in at a cost of $60,000. In response to Council questions, Director of Engineering Redman stated a full liner would last an estimated 30-50 years. Director of Engineering Redman answered questions about the use by stating it may have had limited use by people to get to the downtown or to St. Michael’s, but it is no longer needed for District 200 students, as no students need to cross Roosevelt Road with the updated boundaries. He stated there is also a crossing guard for St. Michael’s students. Some Council members expressed an interest to invest in Option 3; waiting to see if federal funding would be available. In response to Council questions, Director of Engineering Redman stated the tunnel is not in a state where there is a risk of collapse. Some Council members expressed an interest in Option 2 or Option 3, while other Council members did not think the limited use warrants repairing it and would vote to abandon it. Council members requested City staff survey the community to find out how many residents would use it on a consistent basis. Assistant City Manager Duguay stated he would also reach out to the principal and crossing guard for St. Michael’s for more information on the number of students crossing here. Council members requested the City include cost estimates for the various options when surveying residents. 6. City Council/City Staff Comments There were no comments. 7. Adjournment The meeting was adjourned at 8:15 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Susan Bishel 3