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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2006-02-07 Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Minutes Transportation & Infrastructure Committee Tuesday, February 7, 2006 Minutes Councilors Attending: Richard Stone, Frank Farrington, Geoffrey Gratwick Staff Attending: Ed Barrett, Jim Ring, Don Winslow, Brad Moore, Rebecca Hupp, Sally Bates Others Attending: Committee convened at 5:00 p.m. 1. Griffin Road Parking Chief Don Winslow indicated that Mr. Birkel approached him concerning the Griffin Road between Union Street and Maine Avenue. When Spectacular Events have large events people tend to park on both sides of the road. The pavement in that area is 29 feet with about a foot and a half of shoulder on each side. The recommendation, after looking at it, is to restrict parking on the south side, which is the DHS side, and allow people to continue to park on the north side. Chief Winslow spoke with representatives from Spectacular Events, who were informed of the TIC meeting and didn’t have any comments and understood why this was being recommended. Another thing in that area is that trucks use that route to get from Hampden to Glenburn or Levant, for example, this is to avoid City streets and highways rated 100,000 lbs. Mr. Charlie Birkel, 170 Randolph Drive stated in December he contacted Chief Winslow by email. He states this is a highly utilized road and in “torn up”. He states that repair of the road and the suggested recommended parking will correct the situation. Councilor Stone queries where these people are going to go if they can’t park there anymore. Chief Winslow states they could park on the other side of Maine Avenue, closer towards the base where there is less traffic. During weekend and nights they use the DHS parking lot, even though they have no formal agreement to do so. 1 Councilor Farrington states that if it is not dangerous, it’s nice to have parking on both sides of the road and asks if the snow has any more of an effect than at any other time of the year. Chief Winslow states that the winter does make it worse. But they had looked at this under conditions without any snow and still think it is necessary. As a practical standard, allowance of ten feet for each travel lane and eight feet width for each lane for cars allowed to be parked for a total of thirty-eight feet to comfortably accommodate parking on each side. At present only twenty-nine plus a foot and a half of shoulder on each side. Traffic, at present is encroaching on the grass area destroying it and the pavement. Next year when they stripe the road, the intention is to offset the center line so people can park without getting on the grass, there will still be room from vehicles coming the other direction. Councilor Gratwick asks if this needs to go to full Council. Chief Winslow and Ed Barrett states it would be an Ordinance. Ed also that since it is an Ordinance change it would have to go for first reading, action, then second meeting. Councilor Stone moves, Councilor Farrington seconds. Councilor Gratwick this be referred to the Council. Consideration should be given to appointing Mr. Birkel head of a committee to deal with the 80,000 lb. weight limit. 2. Lease with Portland Cellular Partnership d/b/a Verizon Wireless Rebecca states they were approached regarding installing a fixture on the roof at the terminal building for wireless service and installing up to thirty-eight antennas throughout the building. The antennas are about the size of smoke detectors and allow for better reception, servicing people using the terminal building and it will be an additional revenue source to the airport and recommend Council approval. Councilor Stone asks Rebecca if this is just for cell phone usage, which Rebecca acknowledges with a yes. Councilor Gratwick refers to the paragraph stating that rents will increase 3% upon each term renewal. Is there an index used to determine the increase. 2 Rebecca states that this particular lease is written at three percent, sometimes CPI is used, sometimes a fixed rate. Depends on the service provided and market rates, etc. Councilor Gratwick asks if she would be satisfied with this degree of term renewal in five years. Rebecca states that it is her understanding that the rent would increase 3% every year not upon each term of renewal and will do a follow up on. Councilor Gratwick asks if there is a general City policy that rents will increase with CPI. Ed Barrett states that is varies based on leases, most leases at the airport are increased periodically based on the factor that usually has some kind of tie to actual market value. Suggested going back to the company to see if they are willing to do a CPI driven increase rather than a 3%, which would take into account the economy. Suggesting also, Rebecca clarify the lease contract. Rebecca states this is a standard contract and will follow up. Councilor Farrington asks if they invest just over a million dollars, does that up their tax calculations. Ed Barrett explains that some telecommunications equipment are taxed statewide, not locally. For example, a tower is taxed locally but the communications equipment on the tower is taxed by the State. Councilor Stone would approve subject to the revisions discussed, Councilor Farrington also would approved on that basis. 3. Review of Sewer Abatement Policy Brad Moore states there are two main categories, one would be for unintentional water lose, such as malfunction, pipe freezing and breaking. The Ordinance looks at the historical use, then developing the formula. The other is for water used intentionally, in which case the water would be measured by gallons used. Water used outside that doesn’t enter the sewer system. He also states the amount of denials of abatements is five in the calendar year of 2005. Another question he was asked to review was the impact on the sewer fund would be 68,000 to 99,000 a year. One concern is the communicating the abatement program to the public, which is on the sewer stub and also on the website. Only a handful of people per year approach stating they were not aware of the sub- meter program. Recommend that the abatement be handled on a case-by-case 3 basis. And to consider a one strike your out policy for those contractors or developers, etc. who, for instance, water a newly planted lawn at an unoccupied home. Councilor Stone suggests when they apply for a building permit, they could also attach notice regarding to the sub-meter program. Jim Ring states that a contractor usually has to establish water and sewer, that would be an appropriate time to give them the information. 4. Recommendations of the Downtown Advisory Committee Sally Bates reviews the eleven recommendations: 1. Six spaces on the west side of French Street closest to French St., between State and Penobscot, be converted from 2-hour parking to parking by permit only. Committee approves. 2. Recommend that parking for two-wheeled vehicles be created in city- owned parking facilities wherever possible without compromising safety or eliminating any regular parking spaces; permits to be priced @ 50% of the regular permit rate for each respective lot. Committee approves. 3. Recommend that 25 spaces directly behind the parking garage, which are currently metered by a pay by space machine be converted to parking by permit only. The recommended price/permit of $40/month is consistent with the price of adjacent permit spaces. Committee approves. 4. Recommend that there be no price increase for parking permits in any lot or facility at this time. Committee approves. 5. Recommend removing the special restrictions currently placed on the Pickering Square Residential Permits. Councilor Stone is opposed any discounts. Councilor comments on his concerns and reservations. Councilor Gratwick approves. 6. Recommend a flexible fee schedule for event parking at the garage, not to exceed $10/day, at the discretion of parking management contractor. Committee approves. 4 7. Recommend that parking administration staff be directed to inform the Government Operations Committee, in writing, when the City incurs extra clean up costs in its parking facilities attributable to patrons of adjacent businesses. Committee approves. 8. Recommend that the ordinance relating to overnight parking on public streets be revised to allow year-round parking on downtown streets except when the Division of Public Works issues a snow clearing order. Ed Barrett states reservation on part of Public Works standpoint. More towing and two parking districts, one set of rules for downtown and another for other communities. The third will be communicating when plowing will be done-thus creating confusion. Suggested a trial until June 2007-through a full winter. Councilor Stone does not support sunset provisions and does not support this recommendation, Councilor Farrington also. 9. Recommend a sliding scale for fines for on-street overtime parking, based on the number of violations associated with a vehicle registration. Within a calendar year, once a vehicle registration has received 10 overtime parking tickets, the fine per incident for the next two tickets would increase from $10 to $25. Each ticket in excess of 12 would carry a fine of $50 per incident. Councilor Stone would request additional information for the cost associated with a monitoring system for perpetual violators, and after Committee discussion additional requests for additional data from Don Winslow. 10. The 2005 Downtown Parking Advisory Committee unanimously supports the following guideline, to which Council Committees and full Council can refer when asked to consider special requests relating to downtown parking: Requests for special parking arrangements will be referred to an appointed Downtown Parking Advisory Committee for its recommendations if:  The need that the petitioner describes can be met in a reasonable way without creating any changes in parking ordinances, that is, resources that address the actual need are already available nearby; or granting the request would create a new category of parking that deserves to be evaluated in the context of downtown’s overall parking inventory; or 5  Granting the request will create a special privilege that has not been afforded, or cannot be afforded, to other potential petitioners; or  The request is to reserve parking spaces for a specific entity, because dedicating parking to a particular business effectively reduces the working inventory of parking spaces. The benefits and consequences of special requests can be fairly evaluated by the Downtown Parking Advisory Committee because it is charged with developing comprehensive parking recommendations, has access to current data assembled for its use, and is comprised of members representing a cross-section of downtown stakeholder and staff categories. After discussion Committee approves. 11. Recommend consideration, during the FY 2007 budget process, of the following ideas for increasing the useful inventory of downtown parking:  After the Police Station is moved from its current location, add 35 =/- Court Street spaces now occupied by P.D. to the inventory of permits that are offered for sale.  When demolishing the old police station on Court St., preserve the option to build a multi-level parking facility there in the future  Improve access to Court Street Lot from Franklin St.  Install a foot bridge from Court Street Parking Lot to Lower Abbott  Decking over Lower Abbott  Possible acquisition of the U-Haul lot for conversion to parking or for a use that has a better impact on neighboring businesses and on-street parking  Creating parking along the (river street) railroad tracks along the waterfront (for at least 75 vehicles)  Eventual use of a parking shuttle to increase the effective capacity of our parking resources Councilor Stone asks the status of the Columbia Street Parking deck. Ed suggests perhaps Jim research if it is feasible to expand on that location. Councilor Gratwick requests to exclude item number nine of the recommendations and present the remainder to the Council. Bring number nine back to the Committee for further discussion. Each item will be a separate Ordinance with the exception of number 6 eleven, which requires no action. Item number ten, draft a general policy. The items not approved will go to the full Council. Adjourned. 7