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HomeMy WebLinkAbout01-12-1998 Meeting I I I ENGINEERING SERVICES COMMITTEE COMMITTEE ROOM - January 12, 1998 2:30 P. M. ~ , . PRESENT: Hons. powell, Chairman, Bridges and Todd, members; Jim Wall, Attorney; Randy Oliver, Administrator; Jack Murphy, Interim Public Works Director; Drew Goins, Asst. Director of Public Works - Engineering Division; Max Hicks, Utilities Dept. Director; Tom Wiedmeier, Utilities Dept. Asst. Director; Lena Bonner, Clerk of Commission and Nancy Morawski, Deputy Clerk of Commission. ABSENT: Hons. Larry Sconyers, Mayor and Handy, Vice- Chairman. Also Present: George Eskola of WJBF Television, stacy Eidson of The Metropolitan Spirit and Hons. J. Brigham, Shepard and Kuhlke, Commissioners. At this time a delegation appeared before the Committee regarding the request to accept Youngblood Road Extension into the County system for maintenance purposes. Mr. Goins: At the last meeting the Committee asked that we do a background check on the situation with Youngblood Road. We found that we own a 15-foot right-of-way from Liberty Church Road to the dead end. I believe that the delegation is requesting that we accept the common drive which serves the eight lots known as flag pole lots. The residents had petitioned the government back in 1995 and it was denied at that time. Mr. Bridges: At this point they are maintaining their own drive which serves the eight lots. The road continues on past this drive up to a farmhouse and if we pave Youngblood, we're going to pave all the way up to the farmhouse. We were thinking if the money is the same, maybe we could pave the drive instead of the portion up to the farmhouse. I know that we couldn't do it in every situation but maybe we could do it in this one if the owners of the property up to the farmhouse would agree. If they don't, then we'll proceed as we had originally planned. Farmhouse Resident: We would want the road paved up to my gate. Resident: roads are named services. There is also some confusion about the way the and this creates problems with emergency Mr. Chairman: I would be in favor of accepting the road to maintain it. After a discussion, Resident: What would we have to do to change the status of the road serving the homes? " Mr. Wall: You would have to form a homeowners' association or something similar and work out the property lines so that I everybody would be fronting on the new road and come up with a design of the road, pave it to the County's specifications and dedicate it over to the County. Mr. Bridges: Youngblood Road is on the list for paving and it will possibly be this year or perhaps next year before that is done. I'll just make a motion that we accept this as information. Mr. Todd: Second. Motion adopted unanimously. The Committee next considered approval of condemnation of right-of-way containing 140.1 sq. ft. and easement containing 554.3 sq. ft. of temporary construction easement for the Wrightsboro Road operational Improvement Project owned by Harriet C. Ehrlich. (Tax Map 41, Parcel 32) Mr. Todd: I so move. Mr. Bridges: Second. After a short discussion, the motion was adopted unanimously. A request to designate Assistant Director of Public Works - Engineering Division as a signatory for submittals of MS4s related information to Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD), was read. I Mr. Todd: Why would the Environmental Engineer not do this? Mr. Oliver: Most of this is drainage related. I think he can do it and was originally supposed to do it but I think it is better to have two people involved so there are no problems. Mr. Todd: Then why would you designate an Asst. Director of Public Works before you designate a Director of Public Works? Mr. Oliver: That was a decision made between Mr. Murphy and Mr. Goins. I don't have a problem with it being either one but from an accountability point of view, there should always be two people involved with the submission of any form of that nature. The Director of Public Works is fine with me but I am not uncomfortable with the Assistant. Mr. Todd: I so move we accept it as information. The motion dies for lack of a second. I Mr. Bridges: I make a motion we approve the recommendation. I I I Mr. Chairman: I second the motion. Mr. Todd: I think the Environmental Engineer should be the one to work with EPD. Perhaps it should be listed as the Acting Asst. Director of Public Works. Mr. Oliver: It has never been envisioned to exclude the Environmental Engineer because he must sign off on everything that goes to them. Might I suggest as a compromise that we make this the Director of Public Works or his designee? This gives him the flexibility to recognize the strengths or weaknesses, whoever that Director may be. Mr. Chairman: I can somewhat agree with Mr. Todd to make this an Acting or Interim position. Would that be more acceptable to you to treat it as an interim position versus a permanent position? Mr. Todd: I still have a problem with it. Let's send it to the Commission without a recommendation and go from there. Motion fails with Mr. Todd voting "No". A request to approve the acceptance of 226.9 feet of Fayetteville Drive measured from Milledgeville Road into the county road system, was read. Mr. Dan Lott: My name is Dan Lott from Roswell. A group of us bought the Hunters Point Apartments several months ago which used to be Williamsburg South. It was in pretty bad condition and we're in the process of doing a major renovation there. It was an eyesore in the neighborhood and we're trying to clean it up and make it a positive. We have a 1969 plat and when the property was developed, Fayetteville Drive came off of Mi11edgeville Road a distance of about 700 feet. It was my understanding that it was platted and dedicated but the County had never actually accepted the dedication. Our purpose is to ask the County to accept the dedication of what has been on record since 1969. Mr. Murphy: Our files indicate that this development started out to be something other than apartments. For some reason before the deed of dedication of Fayetteville Drive was done, the concept of what was being developed changed to apartments and the County policy is not to accept any roads in the apartment complex. The two parcels at the front have driveways and my recommendation would be to accept Fayetteville Drive from Milledgeville Road up to 192.6 feet. Mr. Todd: What .improvements are you planning? Mr. Lott: Our budget is $1.1 million in renovation costs. Mr. Chairman: Is there signage on the road? Mr. Lott: I'm not sure but there may be a speed limit sign. I Mr. Wall: I talked with the attorney this morning and I think if you decide to do anything, it should be with the condition that we are donated the right-of-way from whomever. After further discussion, Mr. Lott: Could we do some sort of legal work to distinguish where the public road stops and the private road begins? Our attorney said he has a problem with the insurance company because it was a platted street and when we got a deed to it, the legal description did not include that street and yet the street is being used by utilities that serve us. Mr. Wall: I understood that this part had the permanent easement across. He said he has asked Zach to clarify it. Mr. Lott: Can we do whatever legal work is necessary so that we can get title to the balance of it so that we can - Mr. Wall: I think you acquired the street and own it. Mr. Chairman: the County Attorney recommendation? Can I get a motion that we send this back to and the Administrator to bring us back a Mr. Lott: I was hoping that at least you would accept this I portion for maintenance since you have three property owners concerned here and there is a lot of ingress and egress coming off of that street. If you don't want to take this and accept it for maintenance as your street, then I'd like to have a clear title to that portion of it so I can maintain it and deal with the easements and things of that nature with various utility companies. Mr. Chairman: I would entertain a motion that we refer it back to the Administrator and county Attorney to bring back a recommendation on how we should handle this situation so that he can get a clear title. Mr. Todd: I'll so move. Mr. Bridges: I second. Motion adopted unanimously. A request to approve Georgia Power Maintenance Agreement at a cost of $8,064 annually for highmast lighting poles at Bobby Jones Expressway and Doug Barnard Parkway and Deans Bridge Road at Gordon Highway. Also increase street Lighting Maintenance Budget. (Damage caused by lightning, wind or other "Acts of God", auto accidents or vandalism would be at an additional I cost.), was read. Mr. Todd: I so move. I I I Mr. Bridges: Second. Motion adopted unanimously. A request to certify the project right-of-way and execute the Georgia Department of Transportation right-of-way agreement regarding the Walton Way Reconstruction Project, was read. Mr. Todd: I so move. Mr. Bridges: Second. Motion adopted unanimously. A request to approve Capital Project Budget Amendment Number Two and engineering proposal from Southern Partners, Inc. in the amount of $12,500 for Stevens Creek Road Project to be funded from the contingency funds set aside for this project in Special One Percent Sales Tax, Phase III, was read. Mr. Murphy: We will delete the portion of the project on Claussen Road at this time. Mr. Todd: I so move. Mr. Bridges: Second. Mr. Todd: Will we recapture the money on this? Mr. Murphy: I'd recommend that we put it back in this particular project. Motion adopted unanimously. A request to approve Capital Project Budget Amendment Number One in the amount of $75,000 for right-of-way scheduled for 1998 from Special One Percent Sales Tax, Phase III for McCombs Road project, was read. Mr. Todd: I so move. Mr. Bridges: Second. Motion adopted unanimously. A request to award the contract to Steve Duffie Grading and Landscaping, Inc. in the amount of $232,253.50 regarding the Sharon and Sandy Springs Road Water & Sanitary Sewer Project, was read. Mr. Bridges: I so move. Mr. Todd: I'll second to get it on the floor. After a short discussion, the motion was adopted unanimously. A request to approve equipment fabrication and installation for the #4 Flocculator at the Water Treatment Plant at a cost not to exceed $87,495, was read. I Mr. Hicks: We recommend award of the bid to FMC for this work. Mr. Todd: I so move. Mr. Bridges: Second. Motion adopted unanimously. A request to approve engineering by ZEL Engineers for the #4 Flocculator at the Water Treatment Plant at a cost of $13,850, was read. Mr. Todd: I so move. Mr. Bridges: Second. Motion adopted unanimously. I A request to award the bid for construction of Rae's Creek Phase I to Gary's Grading and Pipeline Co. in the amount of $1,890,622 and authorize execution of contract documents, was read. Mr. Todd: I so move. Mr. Bridges: Second. Motion adopted unanimously. Change Order No.2 in the amount of $48,180.00 for The Crom corporation regarding the modifications to the Willis Foreman Road Two Million Gallon Ground Storage Tank, was read. Mr. Hicks: After we began construction of this project, we realized that there needed to be a separate discharge line going from the Pumping Station to the line on Willis Foreman Road. Some of the piping needed to be modified and this is for that work. We recommend that you approve the change order. Mr. Todd: I so move but I think we should talk with the design engineers about their services. Mr. Bridges: I'll second it. I After further discussion, the motion was adopted unanimously. I I I Change Order No.4 in the amount of $9,721.25 for W. R. Toole Engineers, Inc. regarding the engineering for the modifications to the Willis Foreman Road Two Million Gallon Ground Storage Tank, was read. Mr. Hicks: This is for the same project for their engineer- ing services. They indicated that they had been misguided by the previous staff but I have no direct knowledge of that fact. Mr. Todd: I'm not going to vote for this until I get some further justification. Mr. Hicks: They were trying to use one line coming in and the same line pumping out and it just doesn't work that way. They had tried to work it out to accomplish what they indicated they had been asked to do. They have done the work to make these modifications. Mr. Oliver: Why don't you let us have some additional conversations with Toole on that? Mr. Todd: Okay. I make a motion that we accept it as information and let the Administrator, County Attorney and Mr. Hicks have additional communication. Mr. Bridges: Second. Motion adopted unanimously. A petition from the residents of the Riverlook Drive area regarding pedestrian access to the Canal Park at the end of Riverlook Drive, was read. Mr. Brigham: They want to keep the gate locked and pass out keys to certain people. Mr. Todd: I move that we deny the request. Mr. Bridges: Second. Motion adopted unanimously. The Committee next considered proceeding with recommendations from the staff for the paving of dirt roads. Mr. Bridges: I asked that this be put on the agenda to have the staff go ahead and make recommendations as to how much money we have and what roads should be paved. Mr. Chairman: So you want to instruct the Administrator to go ahead and get the staff to bring us back a recommendation to get the roads in order that they can be paved on the budget that's allocated? Mr. Bridges: I so move. Mr. Chairman: I'll second. I Mr. Oliver: Every district will be given at least some amount of money that hadn't been decided yet if you had a given road to give you some flexibility in the criteria. Why don't we develop it and bring it back? Mr. Todd: I'd certainly appreciate it. We could look at each district where the needs are. Mr. Goins: All the roads have been accounted for that we're aware of and they have been prioritized using the same criteria. Mr. Brigham: I think that Public Works should review any unpaved roads as to the possibility of abandonment before we start paving any roads that could be abandoned. We may have some in that situation. Motion adopted unanimously. Mr. Todd: I move that we send Item 17 over to Public Services. Motion dies for lack of a second. The Committee next discussed flag pole lots. I Mr. Bridges: I asked that this be put on there. There was a committee established at the start of this government to bring a recommendation to the Planning and Zoning Commission as to what to do with these developments. That committee brought back a recommendation and my understanding is that Planning and Zoning is still looking at some different criteria. My concern is how this would affect these lots in my district. I would like to see us put a moratorium on establishing these flag pole lots until this criteria comes back, if that's possible. Mr. Wall: I don't think you can do that. If you had a case where someone had not applied for a building permit, if you had a limited time period, you're in a gray area and maybe you could get by with that but I think some of the people who have plats and are moving forward with development, I think you would get 'yourself in a legal problem in trying to stop those. If you did a limited moratorium for 30 days where you had a criteria spelled out, that is, that there was no building permit and you had some guidance to go by, you might be able to do that in those limited situations but an overall moratorium, no, I don't think you can do. After further discussion, Mr. Bridges: In view of the legal I recommendation, I make a motion that we accept this as information. I I I Mr. Todd: Second. Motion adopted unanimously. Mr. Chairman: We'd like to request a report from Mr. Hicks at the next Engineering Services Committee on the unsewered pocketed areas and a report on the bond projects. Mr. Hicks: All right. The Chairman announced that a meeting will be held on February 12th at 2:30 p.m. with Mr. Shackelford in his office in Atlanta for any Commissioners who wish to attend. ADJOURNMENT: There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned. Lena J. Bonner Clerk of Commission NWM