MINUTES OF THE INFORMAL MEETING OF THE JOHNSON COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS:
SEPTEMBER 11, 2008
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
County Engineer Greg Parker: Presentation of Bid(s) Received for the Curtis Bridge Road (Pavement Rehabilitation w/Rubblization and HMA Resurfacing) Project #L-CBR Rd—73-52, as Part of the Approved Secondary Roads Five-Year Road Construction Program...................................................................................... 1
Board of Supervisors: Agreement Between Johnson County, Iowa and Vietnam Vets Motorcycle Club, Chapter D Iowa, Accepting Donation of Johnson County Vietnam Veterans Memorial................................... 3
Reports and Inquires from the Board of Supervisors................................................................. 4
Chairperson Sullivan called the Johnson County Board of Supervisors to order in the Johnson County Administration Building at 6:29 p.m. Members present were: Pat Harney, Larry Meyers, Terrence Neuzil, Sally Stutsman, and Rod Sullivan.
County Engineer Greg Parker said that the County received one bid for the Curtis Bridge Road project. The engineer's estimate was $406,316.25. L.L. Pelling from North Liberty, Iowa, the sole bidder on the project, bid $479,065.52. He said there is a difference of just under $73,000 more than the engineer's estimate. He said his executive summary explained that two items on the project totaled about $67,000. One was the rubblization which was almost double what Secondary Roads anticipated. He attributed the increase to the volatility of oil prices. He added that the binder on this project increased considerably from the engineer's estimate to just over $42,000. Parker said that he has had past conversations with the Board about the volatility of construction materials, mobilization, staff, and everything else that's involved in construction projects, and this is just another sign that prices are increasing. Parker said he recommends proceeding with the project even though it is higher than the Engineer's estimate. He said he anticipates costs will continue to increase as time passes and advised the Board to accept the bid now.Neuzil asked if this project has a buy-in by the developer. Parker replied yes. He said the subdivider's agreement has garnished a little over $100,000 from the developer on this road and Parker said he has heard that another development will take place. He said Secondary Roads has been approached by the same developer which would again help out and assist with the cost of this project. R. Sullivan asked if the subdivision agreement accounts for any overruns and asked if the subdeveloper would pick up some of the costs. Parker said at the time of the agreement, gas and fuel prices, and mobilizations costs were not as high and the engineer's estimate did not consider price fluctuations.
Neuzil recommended percentages rather than dollars to be considered in future estimates. Parker said they will do that in the future. Secondary Roads is hoping for a little over $100,000 from the subdivider to assist with this project. He said when the other subdivision kicks in they expect some assistance. Harney asked if the overlay is asphalt or concrete. Parker replied asphalt. He said they will rubblize the surface, install subdrains, widen the road, and apply an asphalt surface. R. Sullivan said this is an incredible win-win situation. He said that because this is a terrible road now, the County would be forced to fix it for the four houses there now. However, when the development is complete, there will be 40 houses and the County will be sharing repair costs with the subdevelopers. Parker said that is a very valid point.
Meyers asked how much time elapsed between the Engineers' estimate and when the County received the bids. Parker said about three and a half months. He added that they were about as shocked as the Board is perplexed over the numbers. He said they are hoping the increases are starting to level off. He said they must start looking at different technologies. Parker said to ensure multiple and competitive bidding on future projects, other construction options must be considered. Meyers asked why the County received only one bid. Parker replied this is a small project and L.L. Pelling usually handles the asphalt projects in this area. For a project this size, mobilization costs would be high with companies from Waterloo, Des Moines, or Dubuque. R. Sullivan said part of the irony here with the mobilization costs is that L.L. Pelling's office is about a mile and a half down the road from the project. Parker said that they were perplexed on this bid item also.
Stutsman said the bottom line is the County just doesn't have a lot of choice here. Parker said that if bids continue like this in the future, the office will more than likely reevaluate the 5 Year Road Construction Program. He added these dollars are tapping into projects that haven't been completed yet. He said the 5 Year Road Plan is static at the time it is approved by the Board, but it is a dynamic document and things like this can modify future plans. Stutsman said in reference to an email sent by Parker, the County does not know what impact this may have on the Secondary Roads budget. She cited the reduced amount of drivers where so much of the revenue the County depends on is from Road Use Tax Funds.
Harney asked for the date on the bid. Parker said the bid letting was at 10:00 a.m. on September 8, 2008. Harney said $67,000 seems like an awful lot of money and that it will hurt the budget in other areas. Stutsman asked if rebidding is an option. Parker said yes, if the Board is not satisfied with the bid. R. Sullivan asked if Parker recommends accepting the bid. Parker said yes. There is an 18% differential but they expect to receive funds back from the developer and they are anticipating additional funds. Stutsman asked if the Board is holding up the developer if they do not proceed with this road project. Parker replied no. Harney asked when the construction would begin. Parker replied this fall, and the goal is to have the project completed in 2008. The Board agreed to put the item on a future formal agenda for approval.
Assistant County Attorney Andy Chappell said several months ago the Viet Nam Veterans Motorcycle Club Chapter D Iowa, presented a proposal to the Board to put a Vietnam Veterans Memorial on the Courthouse lawn. Chappell said the Board preliminarily responded favorably. Based on the Board's interest, the Club proceeded with fundraising for the memorial and has now completed its construction. Chappell said he drafted an agreement between the County and the Motorcycle Club Chapter D. The agreement constitutes formal acceptance of the memorial and, following the trend of what occurred with the Ten Commandment's Memorial, the agreement indicates that if at some time the County decides that no memorials will permitted on the Courthouse lawn, the County would offer the memorial back to the Club.
Viet Nam Veterans Motorcycle Club Chapter D Iowa Representative Brad McGowan said the approximate cost for the memorial was $5,000. He said the club raised that in just a couple of months. He added he's done a lot of fundraising for the Veteran's Memorials and this was probably the most welcome project he's ever been involved with. McGowan said everyone they approached embraced the idea. He said word of mouth was the best advertising. They had groups including the Moose and the Eagles approach them wanting to know where to send a check. McGowan said they have a lot of support for Veterans in Johnson County. He said stone maker Watts Memorial said it arrived in Montezuma last Friday. McGowan said the memorial is a victim of the flood. He said that as the Board might recall, Watts Memorial has temporarily donated their property to McGurk-Meyers so they had no where to put it. Right now the memorial is sitting out in Montezuma.
McGowan reviewed the agreement with the club president and said they have no objection to the wording in the agreement. He added that they will certainly keep up their end of the contract with the County. R. Sullivan said he recalls the removal of the Eagle's Memorial was a very touchy subject. He reported that since the County is currently considering proposals that might change the grounds at the Courthouse, he was very concerned about entering into an agreement that might need to be modified. He said the Board does not want to show any disrespect to a veteran's memorial and Clause 5 of the agreement protects everybody. Clause 5 states that if something should happen to alter the agreement, there is no disrespectful intent.
Chappell said if there are no concerns from the Board regarding language in the agreement, the item will be on the agenda for the Board's September 18, 2008 formal meeting. Chappell asked McGowan to sign the agreement before next week. He asked McGowan to work with Facilities Manager David Kempf to coordinate the placement of the memorial on the Courthouse lawn. McGowan said a representative from Watts told him a few parking spaces would need to be freed up to gain access to the lawn. Harney said McGowan should just notify Kempf ahead of time so they can block off those parking spaces. McGowan said the club is targeting May 30, 2009 for the dedication. R. Sullivan said after the Club's signature, the Board will put the agreement on the formal agenda for September 18, 2008. McGowan thanked the Board and said he appreciates the support.
Neuzil attended a liaison meeting with Medical Examiner Administrator Mike Hensch.
Meyers attended a Task Force on Aging meeting, a Johnson County Council of Governments Rural Advisory Board meeting, a liaison meeting with Medical Examiner Administrator Mike Hensch, an Iowa City Area Chamber of Commerce Local Government Affairs meeting, and a site visit to the Pheasant Ridge Neighborhood Center. Meyers said the Iowa Valley Resource Conservation and Development produced a waterproof map for sale. He said RC&D gave 10 complimentary copies to the County and he will put them on the table in the lobby for first-come-first-serve distribution.
Harney attended the Public Leadership Group meeting, a site visit at MECCA, the Coralville Chamber Round Table, the September 8, 2008 Hills City Council meeting, the Chamber Ag Buyout Sciences meeting, the Farm Bureau Annual Meeting, a site visit at Elder Services, a meeting with the Visiting Nurses Association, and a site visit to Uptown Bills Small Mall.
Stutsman attended the Secondary Roads Safety Committee meeting, the first of the Wealth and Financial Wellness Meetings at the County Human Resource Office, the League of Women Voter's Reception, the Farm Bureau meeting, and the Iowa City Area Chamber of Commerce Local Government Affairs meeting. Stutsman attended site visits with the Visiting Nurses Association and with Elder Services. She said she had an inquiry about a cemetery in the unincorporated area. Stutsman said she will not be attending the canvass because she is scheduled to visit the Detention Center in Eldora.
R. Sullivan attended the Livable Community for Successful Aging meeting, the Public Information Subcommittee of the Criminal Justice Coordinating Committee meeting, and a meeting hosted by Group Fair at the Iowa City Public Library to address flood aftermath issues. R. Sullivan reminded the Board of the School Board Election Canvass scheduled for September 12, 2008.
Adjourned at 7:08 p.m.
Attest: Tom Slockett, Auditor
By Nancy Tomkovicz, Recording Secretary