Highway and Building Committee Minutes 8-14-2024

Highway and Building Committee Minutes 8-14-2024

RUTLAND TOWN SELECT BOARD COMMITTEE MEETING

HIGHWAY AND BUILDING COMMITTEES

WEDNESDAY AUGUST 14^th, 2024

The Highway and Building Committees of the Rutland Town Select Board met at 9:00 AM on Wednesday August 14^th, 2024, at the Municipal Town Hall. Select Board Clerk Joe Denardo, Select Board Member Kurt Hathaway, Road Commissioner Dave Sears, Town Administrator Bill Sweet, and Steffanie Bourque from the Regional Planning Commission were present.

The Committee discussed the Route 7 North sidewalk project.

1. Steffanie Bourque is the Municipal Project Manager for the Route 7 North sidewalk project.
2. Discussed the proposal received from Stantec for a project work plan.
3. Some items needed clarification. Steffanie will be reaching out to Stantec and the State to discuss.
4. The total cost of services is $116,154. The right-of-way meetings would be an additional $1459. The budget for this part of the project is $135,000.
5. The total grant is $781,250. We have known fees for MPM and now design. If other estimates are accurate, we could be under projections by approximately $21,000.
6. The committee will be recommending to the full Board to accept the proposal from Stantec for their services. A contract would then need to be signed. Discussed the contract review process.

Highway Committee topics

The committee discussed the redesign of the Simons Ave intersection near Gawet marble.

1. Commissioner Sears drafted an RFP and has talked about the project with a local engineering firm, who estimated their work to be $7000.
2. This project was also discussed with another local firm who passed on the project, but thanked us for reaching out.. After discussion, the committee will recommend to the full Board to use our preferred vendor, and not bid engineering services for this project.

Discussed a reported issue on Flory Heights regarding a paving transition.

1. A resident called the Board chair about the edge of a section on the roadway in Flory Heights. They said it was a steep drop off and could be dangerous for her kids when they ride their bikes.
2. Discussed the location and the issue. This is on the opposite side of the street from her house.
3. Commissioner Sears will address this when there are personnel available to do so.

Discussed an issue reported by a resident on Hitzel Terrace, regarding a culvert which may be clogged.

1. An email from the State was also received asking about our culvert maintenance policy.
2. A contractor was recently hired, for $12,000, and cleaned 70 culverts which were plugged. It did not include this area.
3. Commissioner Sears will talk to the Fire Chief and see if some members would be able to take a truck up and clean out the culvert with a fire hose.

Discussed a runoff issue on the far north end of Post Road Extension.

1. A resident had reported a possible issue of runoff going across the road near the City reservoir entrance.
2. The only effective solution would be to install a catch basin and run a discharge pipe to the south.
3. No decision on a course of action was made.

Discussed an issue with a resident installing a sign at the end of their driveway.

1. The sign gave the impression it was a private road and has caused some delivery issues with a neighbor which shares a driveway.
2. The committee discussed the issue and came up with some possible solutions.
   1. Take the sign down altogether.
   2. Provide the resident with a proof of what the sign needs to look like, so they can order a new sign which is appropriate
   3. It is recommended for both residents to install their own signs, on the same post.

Building Committee topics

Reviewed the bids received for propane.

1. Bids were received from Irving Energy, Suburban Propane and Proctor Gas.
2. Irving and Suburban gave an option to take a fixed price, or a day of price. Proctor Gas only offered a fixed price for the season.
3. The new public safety building will use propane as well as the Center Rutland Fire station.
4. The committee reviewed the bid details received and will be recommending to the full board to accept the bid from Proctor Gas.

Reviewed the bids received for heating oil.

1. Bids were received from Irving Energy and Johnson Energy.
2. Irving gave an option to take a fixed price, or a day of price. Johnson Energy gave a fixed price above rack price on the day of delivery, with an overall price cap.
3. This fuel is used in most of the town generators, town hall heating and highway garage heating.
4. The committee reviewed the bid details and will be recommending to the full board to accept the bid from Johnson Energy.

Reviewed the bid for diesel fuel.

1. The committee discussed the use of diesel fuel. The generators use the same fuel as the heating fuel, so a separate service is not needed.
2. The committee is recommending rejecting the bids for diesel fuel.

Discussed what account should be used to pay for the fuel tank on the new generator to be filled.

1. Discussed adding a line to the budget for generator fuel.
2. There are new budget lines for Public Safety Building expenses.

Reviewed topics on the 5-year plan for Town Hall.

1. A new contractor for concrete work has been found and work should be done in the next few weeks.
2. Discussed options for what to do with the police office when they move out. There is a safe which the police are not taking. Removing this will be the first step. Once it is gone, removing the closet, new carpet and painting would be done.
3. An estimate for the remodel work downstairs has not been received yet.
4. Some work to mark the graves identified in the radar survey of the cemetery next to Town Hall will be done soon. Money was included in this fiscal year to survey the area by ground penetrating radar. One-third of the property was done, and 17 graves were found. Leaving the money in the budget for next year will be discussed at budgeting time.
5. Discussed upgrading the main entrance, adding remote openers to increase ADA accessibility. The committee looked at the doorway and came up with different ideas. After discussion, the architect we used for the downstairs work will be asked to come and look at it and give us recommendations.
6. Discussed changes in the company we used for technology services. Replacing the server should be planned for the next budget year.
7. The building will be power washed soon.

The meeting adjourned at 11:38 AM.