MINUTES OF THE INFORMAL MEETING OF THE JOHNSON COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS:
APRIL 22, 2004
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chairperson Neuzil called the Johnson County Board of Supervisors to order in the Johnson County Administration Building at 9:10 a.m. Members present were: Pat Harney, Mike Lehman, Terrence Neuzil, and Carol Thompson; absent: Sally Stutsman.
Assistant County Attorney Andy Chappell said that the Board has an agreement before them for design consulting fees for the 12th Avenue Extension construction project between the Cities of Coralville, North Liberty, and Johnson County. Chappell said that there will be the need for at least one additional 28E agreement to cover the construction costs of the funding, which are unknown at this point. Thompson said that in the past it has not been the County’s policy to improve roads that were going to be annexed. She said that the Board is doing it this time because of the concern that the road be improved for the new school and because of the concern for the residents who live along the road who are in the County now but will be annexed into Coralville as the road is completed. Thompson said that one of their goals was to negotiate for the residents an assessment that was fair. Neuzil said that the Board’s biggest concern is that the residents have good communication, that they understand what is going on, and that they understand the reality that they are County residents and they aren’t going to be County residents much longer. Neuzil said that they have tried to find a fair resolution for the residents as the City of Coralville and North Liberty grow and annex the residents. Chappell said that the consultant that they are going to work with has been narrowed down and they have been waiting for assurance that there will be funding to pay him. Thompson said that the plan has to be done in July 2004 for a January 2005 bid letting. The Board thanked Chappell for putting the 28E agreement together.
Recessed at 9:16 a.m.; reconvened at 9:21 a.m.
Assistant County Engineer Al Miller distributed a map outlining seal coat roads in the County. County Engineer Mike Gardner said that they would like to publish a notice to bidders for a bid letting on May 25, 2004 to work on 27 miles of the County’s seal coat roads. Gardner said that the bids will determine how many miles they are able to work on in order to stay within budget. Gardner said that last year they were able to do 27 miles and they may not be able to do that many miles this year if the prices increase. Gardner said that the Conservation Department is also going to use the County’s contract to do some work in Kent Park. The Board agreed to put the item on a future formal agenda for approval.
Miller said that in August, 2003 Secondary Roads put in an application for $500,000 of traffic safety funding for the Sand Road grade and pave project. Miller said that they were successful in getting the grant and would now like the agreement approved which formalizes the funding. The Board agreed to put the agreement on a future formal agenda for approval.
Neuzil said that the next item on the agenda is from Emergency Management Coordinator Tom Hansen regarding Department of Transportation photo identification for County employees. Hansen presented DOT identification that he uses for disaster services. Hansen met with Homeland Security Representative David Ostendorf and a DOT representative who are interested in helping Johnson County get a system where everybody has a picture ID. Hansen said that it falls under the auspices of Homeland Security and the cost would be $400, which would be paid by Homeland Security. He said that they would bring the system to the County. Hansen said that the goal is to have a more secure system. Neuzil asked what the timing is because he would like input from department heads and elected officials. He said that he’s surprised the County has not had this type of system in place previously. Hansen mentioned that Story and Johnson Counties would be pilot programs because the DOT has wanted to begin this program for quite some time. He said that currently anyone can enter any area in the County buildings, so this would provide added security to a facility that has a large impact in the area.
Harney asked if the cards can be coded for security access in areas like the Courthouse. Hansen agreed. Harney said that he sees this as beneficial because of the County identification and access to facilities after hours. He said that just because an employee carries one of these cards, it does not make them Homeland Security safe because background checks are not provided. Hansen said that he’s spoken with Human Resources regarding controlling these cards, which they feel is possible through exit interviews. He said that the cards are also good only for 4 years. Neuzil said that this topic has come up in the Employee Safety Committee, so management should come from that Committee and the Human Resources Department. Hansen said that he will meet with his Commission next week regarding this idea, but he believes they will approve the project. Thompson said that this is a good time to implement this project, if they have the funds to pay for it.
Recessed at 9:40 a.m.; reconvened at 9:47 a.m.
Earth Tech Transportation Services P.E. Robert Lentz presented his proposal for land use and road planning in the North Corridor. He said that his company has been involved in planning projects in the Johnson County area for several years and he appreciates the opportunity to discuss this plan with the Board. Lentz said that the current proposal would be a broad overview of an area in the County to determine the best system to serve the area. He said that they also get involved in the next stage of projects to determine the best corridor, design standards and roadways for an area. Lentz presented photographs of previous design projects Earth Tech has completed including projects along the Mississippi River and Mines of Spain State Park that are similar to the restrictions the County faces in the North Corridor. He said that historically the role of the engineer is to represent the road users, but they also must consider the County’s needs as well as considering cost, maintenance and liability. Lentz said that in the early stages, the company identifies all the stakeholders and issues that need to be considered to make the stakeholders feel like they are part of the process. He said that usually when everyone sees what goes into a project, the stakeholders realize that there has to be a balance. Lentz said that there are constraints in designing this project, but there is also some flexibility. He said that the process will determine the compromise between the full design standard and liability issues from changes to design. Lentz said that the degree to which his company becomes involved in the public involvement process depends on the entity they are working with. He said that a number of issues can be resolved just from working through the public involvement stages.
Harney asked how the company addresses the downward sloping sides, which are prevalent in the North Corridor area. Lentz explained that in those situations there are a number of guidelines that relate to the design speed of a roadway, which determine the slopes and clearances needed before using a guardrail. Harney asked how the company would address planning for the future needs of the area. Lentz responded that his transportation department is involved in early stages of planning through final designs for transportation improvements. He said that other types of planning like land use can be examined by other planners within the company. Harney asked if they plan for the road design to serve any growth in the long term. Lentz replied that the idea of designing a road for the future is a standard approach for any kind of road design, basing that design on their best estimates of what traffic will be served in the future. Lehman asked if Earth Tech started the Oakdale Boulevard project by creating a vision of what the road needed to accomplish. He said that the North Corridor area is designated as a growth area and asked if Earth Tech has the personnel to help investigate the overall needs and develop a vision. Lentz replied that they have those resources, but they did not include developing a vision for Oakdale Boulevard because their assignment started with a half mile wide corridor from which to determine the best overall corridor for the project. He said that the project was looking at new alignments to open the area up for development. Thompson said that the Board would need the company’s assistance in selecting between road alternatives and creating an early design.
Thompson asked for an idea of the time frame and cost Lentz would anticipate. Lentz said that he is not prepared to give the Board an estimate of the effort the project will take because when they get involved with a project it is usually necessary to get a better idea of which factors will take more effort. He said that his company has just started a project regarding the extension of Forevergreen Road, which will be finished in 6 months. Lehman said that the first road that will be constructed in the North Corridor is 18 months away, so the Board has time to investigate who they want to work with. Neuzil said that if the Board chooses to participate in a community planning process the project would then include what the County wants to do and how to do it. He clarified that Earth Tech could help them accomplish either portion of the project. Lentz agreed. Harney asked when the first stage of Sugar Bottom Road will be upgraded. County Engineer Mike Gardner replied that the construction will begin in FY05. Neuzil said that Secondary Roads will need a good indication of the road type fairly soon. Assistant County Engineer Al Miller replied that Secondary Roads will need the final plans in place 18 months from now to start constructing it 2 years from now. Gardner said that they’d like direction from the Board by this fall in order to work towards the final design. Neuzil asked Lentz for examples of before and after pictures to see how the roadways changed. He said that he wants the least amount of impact on residents and the environment for the upgrades to roads in the North Corridor.
Harney asked how much Earth Tech would expect from Johnson County Planning and Zoning and Secondary Roads staff. Lentz replied that his company does not typically ask for assistance in survey or data collection, but if information is available or if the County wants to participate in the process they are more than able to take that approach. He said that the available mapping and work to date is already adequate for their purpose. He said that he does not believe it would be a great burden, but it would be helpful for staff to participate in the process. Harney said that he would hate to spend money if they have the staff to do parts of the project. Lentz replied that his company would be very open to staff participation. Lehman asked if the Board should ask Lentz to put together an estimate. Thompson said that it worries her that the Board has not determined any specifications on which to base their decision between the companies they have spoken to. She said that if the Board chooses not to write specifications or an RFP, then they should bring both contractors to the meeting to get an idea of what the Board wants. She said that then they could base their decision off which contractor interprets it better. Neuzil said that a work session would work, but it would need to be scheduled fairly quickly in order to have the plan done by next fall. Miller said that the first phase of Newport Road is actually in FY 06 rather than FY 05 as they discussed earlier. Lentz thanked the Board for letting him speak with them and offered to return to follow up with them if desired. The Board asked Executive Assistant Mike Sullivan to work on scheduling a work session to further discuss the specifications of this project.
REPORTS AND INQUIRIES FROM THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
Harney attended the following meetings and events: Land Use Plan Work Session, Jail Space Subcommittee meeting, National Guard Facility Update work session, National Guard Return Ceremonies for the last wave of soldiers returning from Iraq, County Vehicle Committee meeting, County Government Week State of the County presentation, the Joint Cities and School District meeting, Secondary Roads Sand Road bridge site visit, and the ICAD Board of Directors meeting.
Lehman attended the HACAP Board of Directors meeting and Secondary Roads Sand Road bridge site visit. He said that Information Services website statistics were released with 61,000 web page visits this year versus 33,000 last year for the month of March. He mentioned that the Board of Supervisors only had 6,000 visits, which is much less than many departments.
Thompson attended a meeting with the Johnson County Historical Society, a Cedar Rapids/Swisher Fringe Area agreement meeting, Ambulance Labor Management meeting, and a meeting regarding the upcoming Johnson/Linn County Leadership Summit. Thompson attended a meeting with North Corridor residents where they mentioned a project in Polk County that was exemplary of what the County should do in the North Corridor. Thompson called Mark Wandro who was in charge of the context sensitive project in Polk County. Wandro explained that context sensitive design means that engineers look at the context of the road and design the road for the context, but his context was much different than the North Corridor. She said that Johnson County is trying to upgrade a dust free surface to a collector road, whereas his project was to upgrade a gravel road to dust free surfaces for local, low traffic roads. She said that for that project, they improved the drainage ditches, removed obstacles in the right-of-way, and added a chip seal surface to the gravel without changing the geometry of the road. She said Wandro was happy with the context sensitive design because it met their needs for the low traffic road, but he mentioned Johnson County’s context would be very different. She said that although the Polk County design will not work, the suggestions for context sensitive design would be good to look into. She said that Wandro gave her the same caveats he gave the North Corridor residents who called him.
Neuzil reported that the Johnson/Linn County Leadership Summit is scheduled for May 6, 2004. He attended a League of Women Voters Forum and Johnson County’s celebrations for National County Government Week. Neuzil will be having a Listening Post at the Senior Center on April 28, 2004 at 11:30 a.m.
Adjourned at 10:46 a.m.
Attest: Tom Slockett, Auditor
By Casie Kadlec, Recording Secretary