MINUTES OF THE INFORMAL MEETING OF THE JOHNSON COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS:
NOVEMBER 17, 2009
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
County Engineer Greg Parker: Tour of Road Projects (Various Locations)........................... 1
Linder Road.............................................................................................................. 2
Dubuque Street Trail Site.......................................................................................... 2
Marak Road.............................................................................................................. 4
120th Street and Greencastle Avenue....................................................................... 4
120th Street/Derby Avenue Intersection................................................................... 5
Oxford Shed............................................................................................................. 6
Oak Crest Hill Road.................................................................................................. 6
Chairperson Neuzil called the Johnson County Board of Supervisors to order at Coralville City Hall, 1512 7th Street, Coralville, at 1:00 p.m. Members present were: Pat Harney, Terrence Neuzil, Janelle Rettig, Sally Stutsman, and Rod Sullivan.
County Engineer Greg Parker said if the Board enjoys this road tour, he is willing to conduct more tours. Stutsman said she would like a road tour when the Board discusses the Five Year Road Plan and she is surprised they have not done this before. Sullivan said it makes a lot of sense to do the tour before they vote on the Five Year Road Plan.
Rettig asked if cold weather pouring of concrete requires a different mix and how long it takes to cure. Parker replied that they will probably use a high early mix and it would reach maturity in four to six hours or less. That high maturity concrete will still be creating heat and they will probably cover it with an insulation blanket. Parker said hot water is used to mix the concrete in cold weather as that helps maintain the heat until it is covered. Rettig said if the weather stays warm enough now, they could pour part of the trail. Assistant County Engineer Ed Bartels said the rule is 32º and rising, and they must also factor in night time temperatures. Rettig asked how long the temperature must remain at 32º and rising. Bartels said freezing is the worst thing for concrete and it will turn very brittle.
Stutsman asked, since the Black Diamond County Line Bridge on Old Man's Creek Road will be closed all winter, will that affect the pouring of the concrete. Parker said the bridge is complete but they will be unable to drive the bus down the grade today because it will be muddy. The old seal coat was ripped up on the Johnson County side, the bridge is complete, the railings are done, and some of the structural work is completed on both ends, but they have yet to pave the road. Unfortunately, Secondary Roads can't control when Peterson Contractors Inc. will complete the road. The paving will have to wait until spring of 2010 and until then, there is a detour. Sullivan asked if there is any chance the spring completion date will coincide with when farmers need to get into their fields. Parker said if the spring is very mild, the road is thawed, and temperatures are up, there is a possibility, but realistically, it probably won't be done until June or later.
Stutsman asked if Parker had any report to give about Oakdale Boulevard. Parker said everything is status quo and they are still waiting for reviews from the DNR and the Corps of Engineers. Stutsman asked if they will be tied up with the DNR on the Cosgrove Road Bridge also. Parker replied that because Cosgrove is a local bid letting and has a low traffic count, some exceptions may be granted which would expedite clearances from the DNR.
Rettig asked for an explanation of why Linder Road was re-graded. Parker replied the cemetery is going to be expanding there and the access point is at the bottom of the hill. During funerals there were problems with cars parking on the hill, which is illegal. He said there was also a problem with the sight distance for a subdivision on the northwest side of the section which was re-graded. By increasing the sight distance and the availability for cars to turn, it made it a little safer. Parker said that unfortunately the seal coating won't take place until July or August of 2010 and staff is aware that is a special area in need maintenance. Parker said seal coating requires consistent 75º plus temperatures.
Stutsman said the re-grading on Linder Road really did make a big improvement. Sullivan asked if the cables along Dubuque Street are the same as the ones that will be on Oak Crest Hill Road. Parker said yes. Rettig said they were being installed on Saturday, and Stutsman said they are all installed now. Parker said the road was opened on November 16, 2009. Sullivan asked for an explanation of how much protection those cables provide. Parker said they do help divert traffic back onto the road, and they do capture and slow down the vehicle. Stutsman asked if there are requirements as far as when guard rails or cable stay rails must be installed. Parker said there are specifications and criteria including the amount and type of traffic, the width of the pavement, and the speed limit.
Parker said with both projects, Highway 965 and Oak Crest Hill Road, a final walk through will be conducted to ensure all repairs are completed before the final payment will be disbursed. Rettig asked for clarification on the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE). Parker said to his knowledge, 51% of the company is owned, managed, and operated by an individual that fits the DBE guidelines. Rettig asked if it must be 51% of the workers and Parker said not to his knowledge.
Parker pointed out the window and to where the Dubuque Street Trail will be conducted all the way up to 275th Street. In some areas, it is easy to see where the trail will be laid. Power polls had to be moved out of the way and the utility company decided to move them to the other side of the road. Stutsman asked if the power company has the right to move them across the street. Parker said the County Engineer's Office still must issue a permit. Rettig asked what they are going to do at the driveway locations because some of them are gravel. Parker said they will pour the concrete continuously and in some cases, they will have to cut an asphalt driveway to do so. Stutsman asked if any neighbors have complained about the trail. Parker said not really, and that the only concern neighbors voiced was how the trail might impact their front yards, but there were not complaints and Parker feels the residents have accepted that they are going to actually like the trail.
Sullivan asked who designed the trail. Parker said Anderson-Bogart Engineers and Surveyors, Inc. because it was a fast track stimulus project and staff was busy working on other projects. The design from West Overlook to North Liberty is completed. Rettig said this was a pretty favorable bid but she asked how much the change order was. Parker said it was $10,000. Stutsman asked if that will go against the Secondary Roads budget or if the stimulus dollars cover that. Parker said they were limited to the maximum amount of stimulus dollars so anything over and above that will be funded directly from the Trails Fund. The trail will extend all the way to North Liberty and North Liberty will be required to connect to it. Parker pointed out a few trees along the trail route and said that those trees will need to be removed. Stutsman asked if the trees were in the right-of-way and Parker said yes.
Neuzil said he wanted Parker to be aware that in today's Iowa City Press-Citizen newspaper there was an editorial about the County's policy on why the County does not put up deer crossing signs. Parker replied that the Secondary Roads Department policy is to minimize the number of signs on the road to minimize expenses and to maximize the public's attention to the signs that are out such as railroad crossings and stop signs. He said that studies have shown that drivers do not respond to deer crossing signs. Rettig asked if it is true that if there are a lot of deer signs out, people get a false sense of security in other places. Parker said that is a possibility.
Parker said they are now heading north on Highway 965 to see the new construction project. Parker said from North Liberty north up to the new section of Highway 965, there is a section of road the County will have to consider rehabbing in the future. He asked the Board to look out the back window of the bus where they will see many cracks down the center of the lane. Parker said this will be another State transfer of jurisdiction road. Stutsman asked who will have to rehab the road. Parker said the County will in the County's section of the road. Sullivan asked how many miles there are from the North Liberty city limits to Croy Road. Parker said one to two miles. He said they really should do this work now, but other priorities are ahead of this road.
Rettig asked if Parker would talk about combining mechanics to fix the bus they are riding on. Parker said he thinks this is the oldest bus SEATS has and it was the biggest one that was available today. He is not sure if this bus is on the SEATS replacement schedule and they would have to ask SEATS Director Tom Brase about that.
Stutsman asked if they are currently traveling on the road Parker indicated needed rehabbing. Parker said not yet. Stutsman said this road is actually pretty decent. Parker said this road was done when the Corps of Engineers built its reservoir so this little segment is in better shape than the other segments. There is also a little segment south of Croy Road to the bridge that is in fairly good shape.
Parker said they are now coming up to the asphalt transition from the old pavement to the new section of Highway 965. This is Bartels' project which he designed, managed, and surveyed. Rettig asked how wide the shoulders are. Bartels said five feet. Stutsman asked which construction company did the road and Parker replied Streb Construction. Stutsman asked if the shoulders on Oak Crest Hill Road are wider. Parker said they are the same width, 34 feet from edge to edge. Rettig asked what the project cost. Bartels said $2.3 million, and right now they have spent about $2.2. They should come in under budget. Bartels said this is almost three miles of paving.
Rettig asked how much road is there from the end of this back to the city limits. Bartels and Parker said they did not know. Sullivan said this is definitely the worst section of the road. Bartels said there were structural defects in the rocks and so the concrete absorbs water and when it freezes, it pops the rock. He said they actually recycled the concrete and put a brand new road on top of the old one to take advantage of the existing structure that had no defects. Rettig asked if they used fly ash. Bartels said they used about 20% fly ash. Sullivan asked if there are any rumble strips on the road. Bartels said no, those are contraindicated in a residential area and are also dangerous for bike riders.
The bus stopped on Marak Road to view the Cedar Ridge Winery and Distillery. Parker said as part of the conditional use permit for the winery building, the section of gravel up to 140th Street was re-graded. He said that next summer, Cedar Ridge Winery and Distillery President Jeff Quint will be required to maintain this section of roadway as a seal coat. Rettig asked if the Winery paid for the upgrade to the road. Parker said the agreement required Quint to pay approximately $30,000 for the rock, and they are also required to pay for all seal coat maintenance and surfacing for the duration of their conditional use permit. Sullivan said he saw Quint the other day and Quint told Sullivan he was very satisfied with working with Secondary Roads staff. Parker said Quint also called him and expressed the same.
When the bus arrived at 120th Street, Parker said they will improve this section of the road in 2010. Stutsman said this road is terrible. They arrived at the point in the road where Parker identified as the section of 120th Street which the City of Shueyville has been discussing with the Board. Rettig asked if this section will have shoulders. Parker replied yes. He added that they are trying to make the pavement as wide as possible so they do not have to purchase right-of-way because that increases project costs.
Sullivan said the 120th Street/Derby Avenue intersection is a huge improvement and he added that Shueyville Mayor Timothy Carson and College Community School District Director of Transportation Scott Grabe are very happy with the improvements. Parker said the main reason they upgraded the intersection was because of the expected compost facility and the anticipated increased truck traffic. Harney said he thinks the compost facility is no longer coming to the area. Stutsman said their biggest contractor pulled out.
Stutsman asked what the status is of the shed here. Parker said they have not done a lot with it because of budget woes. They are still seeking additional property to the east but they have not found a willing landowner yet. He said if the Board wants him to actively pursue this, he will. Stutsman said it is up to Parker. Parker said he thinks the shed will be okay for a few more years when hopefully the budget will have rebounded. Stutsman asked if they can condemn the shed. Parker said yes.
Parker said the bus is now turning on Greencastle Avenue, one of the projects the Board picked as part of the Capitol Improvement Program. Sullivan asked if Greencastle Avenue has the third highest traffic count for gravel roads. Parker said it is the top one. Rettig asked if the plan is to seal coat the road. Harney said that is still up for discussion.
When the bus arrived at 120th Street and Derby Avenue Intersection, Parker said this is Assistant County Engineer Alan Miller's project. There is now a huge safety improvement to the intersection. Stutsman asked who the contractor was and Parker said it was Peterson Contractors Inc., and L.L. Pelling set the asphalt. Parker said the sight distance improvements were made to the east of the intersection. He said the school bus stops here, and before the improvements the bus driver could not see the cars behind it. This also improved sight distance for vehicles sitting at the intersection waiting to advance.
Sullivan asked when the 5 Year Road Plan must be completed. Parker said the program and budget must be approved and submitted to the DOT by April 15, 2010. Sullivan said the public hearing must be held before then. Parker said yes, and they will also hold one work session and then prepare the Plan to present at an Informal meeting. The process will include three to four meetings to begin in mid January 2010. Parker said they are now traveling on lower Old Highway 6. Harney said this road needs resurfacing and Parker agreed.
Stutsman asked what is hauled on the flatbed sitting next to the shed. Parker said it hauls the track back-hoe, rollers, and anything they have to transport a long distance. Rettig asked when the shed was built and how much it cost. Parker said it was constructed in 2008 and cost about a half a million dollars. Rettig asked how many sheds the County has and Parker said seven. Parker said they are considering combining the Solon and Swisher sheds at one location. Sullivan recommended Parker talk to Craig Stark about that. Sullivan said Stark is doing a big development on Highway 382 and he owns all the rental buildings on Ely Road.
Board members went inside the shed to tour the work space and the work room. Parker said the work room is heated and cooled at a higher level then the rest of the shed. Board members visited with staff working in the shed and then returned to the bus. Parker said the flat bed was a 1989 model that they rebuilt last year. Parker pointed out the new salt storage dome. Stutsman asked if sand is mixed with salt. Hackathorn said they mix the new salt with sand before spreading it on the roads. Sullivan asked if Parker thinks they have enough salt on hand to deal with the upcoming winter. Parker said their salt contract requires they purchase a minimum of 80% of the requested quantity and if they end up needing more than requested, the salt contractor will provide a maximum of 120% of what the 100% is. Sullivan asked if there was a salt shortage in February or March of last year. Parker said salt has not been as readily available as it has been in the past.
En route to Oak Crest Hill Road Rettig said Tiffin ordered 25 mile per hour signs. Parker said they may change the signs there. Rettig said that if Parker has an opinion that the speed limit should not be higher than 25 mph he should contact Tiffin City Council Members. She said council members were discussing raising the speed limit at the November 16, 2009 work session which she attended. Parker said normally cities want to lower the speed limit. Parker said they are going to drive the north section of Oak Crest Hill Road. Rettig said the impact on the businesses in Hills is going to be huge. Neuzil said he talked to the owner of Café Iguana's about getting a bike rack so bicyclists can do business there. Neuzil said this was the worst road. He added it is nice to have a paved shoulder also.
Adjourned at 3:50 p.m.
By Nancy Tomkovicz, Recording Secretary