City of Palos Heights Roads & Construction Committee met Sept. 10.
Here is the agenda provided by the committee:
The Roads & Construction Committee of the City of Palos Heights met at the Palos Heights City Hall on September 10, 2019. The meeting was called to order at 6:30 p.m. by Chairman Kramarski. Present were Chairman Kramarski, Alderman Clifford, Alderman Basso, and Alderman Lewandowski. Also in attendance were Public Works Director Adam Jasinski, City Engineer Aurimas Spucys, residents and recording secretary Charlotte Moore.
Minutes
Chairman Kramarski moved to approve the minutes of the August 13, 2019 meeting, seconded by Alderman Clifford. All in favor and motion carried.
Public Works Report: Adam Jasinski
MFT Road Program
o Director Jasinski mentioned that the MFT Road program is coming to a slow close. Almost all the roads are surfaced. We have a few roads to be patched. We have completed the drainage and also have a portion of the Metra lot that still needs to be re-paved.
o Director Jasinski requested approval for a second partial payment to Lindahl Brothers in the amount of $143,972.15. Chairman Kramarski moved to approve partial payment to Lindahl for the amount of $143,972.15, seconded by Alderman Clifford. All in favor & motion carried. AGENDA
o Alderman Clifford wanted to confirm that this will all be inspected upon completion. Aurimas confirmed that the streets will all be inspected.
Route 83 Sidewalk Project
o The project is complete. The only thing that is remaining is to plant three trees, which will be planted this fall.
o Director Jasinski requested approval for a second partial payment to Triggi Construction in the amount of $14,035.88. Chairman Kramarski moved to approve a second payment to Triggi Construction in the amount of $14,035.88, seconded by Alderman Clifford. All in favor & motion carried.
AGENDA
Request approval to draft an update to Chapter 151 Flood Plain Development Requirements.
o Director Jasinski brought this up last committee meeting and has officially received the recommended language for our ordinance to update the flood plain development. The language now is a little more specific on what type of elevation datum we need to use and how we approve any permits in order to do work in the flood plains. This required us to adopt new flood plain maps that were provided by FEMA. There is an appendix that Director Jasinski will be working with city attorney Tom Brown in order to make sure that the new maps are approved by the council
o Chairman Kramarski moved to approve the request to draft an update to Chapter 151 Flood Plain Development, seconded by Alderman Clifford. All in favor & motion carried. AGENDA
o Alderman Basso questioned how long this will take, since it sounds like a major undertaking. Director Jasinski responded that our language pretty much follows the new language, word for word. There are only certain things that need to be changed. FEMA updates their flood maps every few years. These flood insurance maps have to be adopted each municipality in order for us to make sure that we do not allow construction in the flood plains. We have to adopt these new maps and follow their requirements in order to stay compliant with FEMA regulations, so we do receive assistance from FEMA and federal agencies in case a disaster does happen. Discussion ensued.
Director Jasinski informed the committee that public works did a significant amount of storm repairs in Ishnala and Westgate townhome subdivisions. There were several storm sewers that started to crumble and they were creating driving hazards.
Engineer’s Report: Aurimas Spucys, Morris Engineering
Lake Arrowhead
o Aurimas mentioned that Lake Arrowhead has a completion date for the end of September 2019. We should be getting a notification from MWRD to do a walk through inspection. There will be a punch list. Some trees might need to be planted in the spring.
2019 Paving Program
o They are having a scheduling meeting on Sept. 11th. All the excavation for the stone shoulders is complete.
Morris Engineering Invoices
Chairman Kramarski moved to approve payments to Morris Engineering for various projects in Palos Heights in the amount of $4,170.98, seconded by Alderman Clifford. All in favor and motion carried. (Voucher List)
Alderman Comments
Alderman Basso complimented the look of the road program. There was some concern about the stone shoulders, wanting to make sure they looked as nice as last year.
Alderman Clifford wants to make sure Morris relates our preferences on the stone shoulder’s to the contractor. Discussion ensued.
Alderman Clifford understands we lost funding on the Lake Katherine parking lot. Director Jasinski clarified that there was some miscoding when the city applied for funding. The project has been recoded as is currently under IDOT review. We re-applied under a different code. The funding has not been lost.
Resident Comments –
Barbara Politano (23 Oak Trail Court) – Mrs. Politano addressed the committee as a representative for Country Squire Estates. The residents of Country Squire are concerned about the condition of 121st Street. Mrs. Politano read a petition signed by the residents. For several years the homeowners of Country Squire have had to endure great inconveniences when using 121st due to flooding from the hospital grounds and the terrible neglected condition of the roadway. The universal complaints range from damage to car and bike tires due to large potholes, plus walking through water and ice. The homeowners believe it’s time after several years of complaining about this that somebody takes action to demand that their concerns are addressed. Alderman Lewandowski suggested the residents attend this meeting. Discussion ensued.
Director Jasinski will take care of the potholes and have a crew out there this week. Oak Lawn will be installing a 10” line under 121st Street beginning on September 23rd with completion scheduled for November 8th. There was no reason to fully repave the roadway before Oak Lawn comes in and tears the whole street up. The completion of the Oak Lawn project will include paving the entire street. Discussion ensued.
Francois Hajduk (52 Country Squire Road) – Mr. Hajduk wanted to confirm the dates. Director Jasinski stated that according to the schedule from Oak Lawn, it is set to commence on September 23rd. Mr. Hajduk wonders if the homeowners will be notified about the road closure and if a sign will be on Route 83 because of the cars that cut through. Director Jasinski said the homeowners will receive door tags about the work. They will not notify the whole subdivision, only the homes on 121st.
Mike Nagle (77 Old Oak Trail) – Mr. Nagle lives on the corner of Old Oak Trail and 121st, with his garage coming out on 121st. He is wondering if there will be 6 to 8 weeks with a torn up street. Director Jasinski explained that when water main is constructed they typically install about 100 – 150 feet per day of water main. The street would be closed when they are working and then re-opened at the end of the day. Stone will be placed over the water main at the end of the day for cars to drive over. All restoration will be cleaned up at the end. Discussion ensued.
Marilyn Blim (19 Oak Trail Court) – Mrs. Blim wanted some clarification about the flooding that is occurring from the hospital. Also, a concern about the water main and will this fix the flooding. We may be back a year from now the talk about the flooding. She feels there is two-prong to this problem. Director Jasinski understands there are two problems and knows about the water going over the berm at Palos Hospital.
Adjourn
There being no further business, Chairman Kramarski moved to adjourn the meeting, seconded by Alderman Clifford. All in favor and motion carried.
Meeting adjourned at 7:15 p.m.
https://palosheights.org/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/_09102019-251
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