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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES Public Safety, Utilities, and Public Works Committee 2012-03-08RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS Town of Estes Park, Larimer County, Colorado, March 8, 2012 Minutes of a Regular Meeting of the PUBLIC SAFETY/UTILITIES/PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE of the Town of Estes Park, Larimer County, Colorado. Meeting held in the Town Hall in said Town of Estes Park on the 8th day of March, 2012. Committee: Chair Blackhurst, Trustees Ericson and Koenig Attending: Chair Blackhurst, Trustees Ericson and Koenig Also Attending: Finance Officer McFarland, Chief Kufeld, Dir. Bergsten, Utilities Superintendent Fraundorf, Public Works Civil Engineer Kevin Ash, Town Clerk Williamson, and Deputy Town Clerk Deats Absent: Interim Town Administrator Richardson and Dir. Zurn Chair Blackhurst called the meeting to order at 8:00 a.m. PUBLIC COMMENT. None PUBLIC SAFETY. Trustee Koenig congratulated Police Department Employee of the Year Noel Bryan; Officer of the Year Andrew Hart; Civilian Employee of the Year Jan Carpenter; Community -Oriented Police Officer of the Year Gregg Filsinger, Sr.; Restorative Justice Volunteer of the Year Carol Mauck; and Auxiliary Volunteer of the Year Mike Wold. The awards were presented at the Police Department's annual banquet. REPORTS. Reports provided for informational purposes and made a part of the proceedings. 1. Estes Park Municipal Court Annual Report. Judge Brown provided the Committee with a summary of Municipal Court activity during 2011 related to number of cases and associated revenues. He noted that in during the past year, cases related to zoning and code violations were added to the docket and brought forward by the code compliance officers. He reported the court documents have been translated into Spanish to accommodate defendants who speak limited English; and said that approximately 10% of the courts cases are referred to the Restorative Justice program. UTILITIES. WATER CONSERVATION PLAN. Per a request from Dir. Bergsten, the Water Conservation Plan was removed from the agenda. REPORTS. Reports provided for informational purposes and made a part of the proceedings. 1. GIS Consultant RFP. Dir. Bergsten reported that a Request for Proposal (RFP) has been prepared for a GIS consultant to assist the department staff with moving forward in addressing the growing needs of the utility department. The consultant scope of services include, but are not limited to: an assessment of current and future GIS needs; identification of opportunities to consolidate services with Larimer County; creation of interactive maps; enhancement of GIS data and data structures to support water system modeling and simulation, and electric distribution system modeling and simulation; creation of appropriate user guides and training manuals; RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS Public Safety/Utilities/Public Works Committee — March 8, 2012 — Page 2 and training of both GIS and non-GIS staff. $80,000 is earmarked in the 2012 budget for this use. Dir. Bergsten said proposals will be brought before the Board at the March 27, 2012, Town Board meeting. Chair Blackhurst took issue with the categorization of monies earmarked for the consultant, noting that the funds are coming from an equipment line item. Finance McFarland said he would work with Dir. Bergsten to clarify the categorization of the expenditure. 2. Project Manager for Financial Software Implementation RFP. In early 2011, the Town Board approved moving forward with upgrading the Town's financial system, thereby increasing productivity and work efficiency in many areas including payroll, budget preparation, and permit processing. Following a review of the project by Utilities Supt. Fraundorf, it was determined that a dedicated, experienced Project Manager is required to: lead the project; develop a detailed project plan; lead efforts to document current and proposed business processes; document and resolve data issues; lead change management activities; plan and direct system configuration; plan training exercises; and direct all other implementation tasks. Supt. Fraundorf said the Town staff cannot provide the exclusive focus necessary to move forward with this project, and estimated the cost of retaining a qualified project manager to be $45,000 to $85,000 in 2012. Dir. Bergsten proposed utilizing 10% of the 2012 funds budgeted for the Utilities GIS Project and data processing equipment within the Light and Power Division and Water Division budgets, with the remaining 80% of the unbudgeted expenditure coming from the IT Division's fund balance. Supt. Fraundorf noted that, currently, no departments are operating with the Sungard system, and said that the cost would be astronomical to make a change at this time from Sungard to a different product. He stressed commitment is important for the success of the project and said a kickoff meeting is scheduled for staff. The Committee requested bringing this topic forward at a Town Board Study Session in April and expressed concern about additional fees that may be incurred related to programming, the cost of a project manager continuing into 2012, and the impact to IT capital projects if IT monies are used as a source of funding for the consultant. They requested the Board be provided with complete information including contract obligations and asked that staff be prepared to answer questions related to the financial impact to IT capital projects. PUBLIC WORKS. STRUCTURAL ENGINEER FOR ELEVATOR UPGRADE. The Larimer County Election Office has been utilizing the upstairs meeting rooms in Town Hall as a polling location. Due to changes in election law related to accessibility, in particular the Help America Vote Act (HAVA), the state has been inspecting polling locations for accessibility for individuals with disabilities. The Town Hall location has been identified as a location that does not meet the minimum requirements of the act. Additional handicap parking stalls have been already been added, but automatic door openers and upgrades to the elevator still need to be addressed to meet Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements. Grant funding through the state's Election Assistance for Individuals with Disabilities is available to aid in bringing the building into compliance. Staff has been asked by the county and the state to obtain a quote for the installation of automatic door openers, which will be fully reimbursable, and upgrades to the elevator may also qualify for grant funds. Staff has reviewed the current elevator location and determined the services of a structural engineer are required to decide if the elevator shaft can be expanded without compromising the integrity of the building. Clerk Williamson said that the county may need to research alternate polling locations if the building is not brought into compliance. Staff estimates the cost of hiring an engineer to be $3000 to $5000, and proposes using building account #101-1700-417- 25-02, for this unbudgeted expenditure for 2012. Additional costs would be incurred if upgrades to the elevator move forward and would become part of the budgeting process for 2013. The Committee recommends moving forward with hiring a structural engineer for the purpose of evaluating the current elevator. RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS Public Safety/Utilities/Public Works Committee — March 8, 2012 — Page 3 REPORTS. Reports provided for informational purposes and made a part of the proceedings. 1. Virginia Rehabilitation and Steamer Drive Design Update. Eng. Ash and Rick Pickard from the Farnsworth Group provided the Committee with an update on the project noting that the design has been completed and that the project is currently being advertised for bid; a bid opening is scheduled for March 19, 2012; timelines for the project can more accurately be addressed once a contractor has been selected; the downtown portions of the project are expected to be completed by Memorial Day weekend, weather permitting; and pedestrian access to businesses will be maintained throughout the project. Mr. Pickard presented photographs illustrating the designed improvements. There being no further business, Chair Blackhurst adjourned the meeting at 9:45 a.m. Ad') Cynthia Deats, Deputy Town Clerk ?7 2012 TOWN OF ESTES PARK BOARD OF TRUSTEES