Bob Kohlhase of Farnsworth & Wiley met with the Minonk City Council at a special meeting on April 27 and reported that he was pleased with how everything looks on the storm sewer project. He further reported that the system is taking water away nicely and all the water that used to go into the waste water plant in now going away to a creek where it belongs and will reduce flooding problems from this point out.
Kohlhase added that we are at 71% on the contract time, but he estimated we are at about 90% complete on the project. We are well on our way to complete this on time and the next step is about ½ block left on east Fourth Street to tie into the infamous corner at Locust Street and this will be completed this week.
Kohlhase reported that the contractor is doing a very nice job and a very clean job with the project. Once they complete the streets and concrete patch which he was very pleased with, then it will be clean up work and more dirt will be put on the park area and tidying up of the back of curb areas that they have disturbed.
Kohlhase said that the cost for an extra manhole will be about $2000.
Mayor Koos stated that at the last Council meeting there was a question about the alley west of Fourth and Locust.
Kohlhase said that has been addressed and we asked Opperman to add a 8 inch stub and the City putting in about 150 feet of pipe to tie into the 8 inch stub.
Alderman Ruestman asked who is now responsible for all of the back fill after it settles in and what has been done and the grass seeding. Kohlhase said the contractor will mound the dirt up more and the good news is all the rain we have had has helped with getting good settlement. The contractor’s responsibility is to mound it up so there is dirt there and to save costs the City will seed the areas.
Mayor Koos asked if we are looking at this project being completed sometime next week as far as the actual tile work.
Bob said that the actual underground work will be done this week unless Mother Nature has a surprise. He added that you want the concrete to sit for at least 5 days and that will be going into next week and then it is a matter of just clean-up and punch list items.
Alderman Cunningham asked if he checked where the water discharges from the system.
Kohlhase responded that he got out in the rain and went and checked the discharge and reported that everything is fine. He added that this is a moderate rain, but the test will be when you have a frog drowner.
Mayor Koos asked about the north side of the drainage ditch by County Highway #2 leading into all of that.
Bob reported that they took some surveying shoots of the ditch that goes on the west side of Burroughs and now we have a profile and it shows anywhere from 6 inches to maybe a foot of silt buildup over the years. He said they have asked the contractor Opperman to give a price of what it would cost to smooth that out so you would have about a one foot dam in there so that the water in the park is basically backed up probably a foot higher and drains slower as a result.
In closing he said it could be simple enough for the City to do if a Bobcat would fit through there, but you would have to wait for it to dry out completely. All ditches need cleaning out occasionally and that would help the park to drain faster.
City authorizes payment of $7,936 for rec board concession stand
Roger Gaspardo, Rec Board Chairman, reported that the new concession stand at Veterans Park is going to have a total cost of about $20,000 and go over budget about $2,000 from what was budgeted last year.
Gaspardo reported that some of the changes are miscalculations on paint which added up to $600 and a change was made to all steel doors and frames which resulted in an additional $800. Gaspardo said they also figured wrong on the line boring on the initial setup and missed the cost of the concrete by about $400.
Gaspardo said that the plan for opening the concession stand is 2 weeks into May. The interior should be competed at that point and the roof metal will be picked up tomorrow. He added the exterior walls are done, the plumbing is roughed in, sewer and water lines are complete. All that is left on the construction side is the concrete around it and the interior wall that separates the bathrooms and then it is painting.
The City Council approve the payment of bills totaling $7,936.62 for the Rec Board new concession stand.
Oil and chip/spray emulsion discussed
Joe Adams of Farnsworth & Wiley told the City Council that he and his associates drove all the streets in town and put together a list of all the things to do this year and a wish list as well, but because of MFT budget constraints the list was narrowed down.
Adams reported that they have two different items on the city's project; the oil and chip portion and the spray patch and they are increasing the spray patch this year and almost doubling it from last year. He felt some of the isolated locations and cracking can be better solved by spray patching as opposed to oil and chipping the whole street and we can get a little more mileage out of your dollar that way.
Adams said that the program total cost is estimated to be a little over $68,000 and the resolution they are asking for the state is $75,500. Adams said, "That extra amount gives us some cushion in terms of bid prices coming in and we are trying to hit a moving target as we are looking for streets to target because there is going to be deterioration from March until August when the contractor does the work. Therefore we can add another street or two if need be."
Mayor Koos asked about west Fifth Street where the cul-de-sac runs and where it is cracking bad and what can be done.
Joe said that they looked at that street and reported that it definitely has deteriorated hot mix and it is happening faster than most do. He did not think a seal coat there would do anything without knowing what is underneath with regards to the thickness of the asphalt or the base and what kink of aggravate you have there. He said it would cost over $100,000 to mill and overlay that area and take 2 or 3 years of your MFT budget to do that.
Mayor Koos asked about the Dollar General parking lot and was it looked at.
Charlie McGuire said we decided that it would not be a candidate for crack sealer as the traffic is too extreme.
Alderman Ruestman said that while we are talking about streets, what about our subdivision on the north end of town on Johnson Street (Millennia Park Subdivision) and is it the City’s problem.
Mayor Koos responded that it is not the City’s problem.
Alderman Cunningham said we also need them to put street lights in that subdivision.
Mayor Koos said that the only thing we ever allowed was for the owners not to have to put the sidewalks in.
Mayor Koos said that our attorneys have already addressed the situation and the road does not meet subdivision standards and the owners know it and they were sent a certified letter advising them and they have not responded. We will now start legal proceedings and it is a going to be a huge cost to repair that road. Council members were in agreement with the Mayor to begin legal proceedings against the owners of the Millennia Park Subdivision.
Alderman Ruestman moved that the City Council approve the resolution for maintenance of streets and highways by municipality under the Illinois Highway Code for the sum of $75,500 for Fiscal Year 2009/10, seconded by Alderman Cunningham.