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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2002-03-27 Government Operations Committee Minutes � GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS COMMITTEE MINUTES March 27, 2002 Councilors Present: Joe Baldacci, Anne Allen, Dan Tremble, Michael Crowley, Gerry Palmer Staff Present: Ed Barrett, Bob Farrar, Don Winslow, Bob Dawes, Jim Ring, Dan Wellington, Joe McNeil Other Present: Mike Pullen, WBRC, Ed Caswell, Caswell Engineering, Hope Bourgoin, Tom Crikeliar, Transit Study Consultant 1. Bangor Police Station Evaluation Update Chief Winslow provided an update of the structural issues regarding the on-going • rehabilitation of the Police Station. He stated that the purpose of this update was to provide the Committee with the assessment so far, the costs involved, repairs needed and to gain a sense of direction from the Committee. Chief Winslow noted that $2.7 million had been appropriated through a bond for phase 1 of the rehabilitation process. He also stated that the cost to rehabilitate the building is $5.3 million, not counting the $1.5 million for infrastructure, totaling approximately $7 million in general renovations. Findings from Caswell Engineering include: • Retaining wall on 35 Court St. needs to be repaired • Roof, not designed for Maine's snow loads. When snow is 6"+, Public Works removes the snow • 2"d level, indoor parking, has calcium deposits, 3 steel beams need replacement, 90% of slab either needs to be removed or replaced • Two other levels have areas of slab that need to be removed or replaced (Note that no one can be in the building during this phase of renovation.) Councilor Tremble discussed the possibility of a new building, and using the old facility for mixed use parking. Ed Caswell said that a new building would need to be 54,000 square feet, and that he was not sure about the vehicle loads for renovating the existing facility. It was noted that one-third of the current facility is used for parking. � � Mayor Crowley asked Chief Winslow what his recommendation was for the ideal location, to which the Chief responded the existing location, but he would entertain the possibility of relocation as long as it was not too far away from the other City buildings. Ed recommended that we review the alternatives and the range of costs, including what to do about the whole City campus, as well as how these changes may affect the court system facilities. Mayor Crowley expressed the possibility of utilizing the old Bean &Conquest building due to the future waterfront development, and Ed suggested taking a look at the old Grants building, which is a relatively low cost option. If we want the state court system downtown, then we need to create 200 parking spaces. Councilor Palmer asked about the cost for removing the old facility and fixing the retaining wall, and suggested the Kobritz building as a possibility for a new facility, given that there are parking spaces along the waterfront. Chief Winslow would strongly consider the waterfront, especially given the proposed development along the waterfront. He also stated that the Grants building is a possibility, however he expressed a concern about sharing space with retail and � vehicle access. Councilor Allen expressed that she had a problem with the Grants building, mostly due to the vehicle access and the design of the surrounding streets. Ed noted that the city has until September to update the court system about a potential plan for the existing campus, so that the proposal can go before the legislature. Mayor Crowley talked about the Chief Justice's comments about coming up with a building proposal that keeps in mind the future and potential needs of the community, and then consider the funding for it. Ed proposed that he, Mike and Don set up a meeting to discuss further options. He noted that $2.7 million is currently available for renovations. The court system currently has over $5 million available for their building. The Committee moved and approved further reviewing the options noted and returning to this discussion at the first meeting in May. 2. Bus Acquisition Process and Schedule � � Bob Farrar updated the committee on the process of procuring six 32-foot transit busses. These busses will become part of the fleet operated by The Bus, our six community, and University of Maine regional transportation provider. ]oe McNeil of The Bus, Tom Crikeliar, Transit Study Consultant who will be working with BACTS, and Bob Dawes, Maintenance Manager were present. Bob noted that we are under serious time constraints in making decisions with regard to colors, design and name of the bus. Thomas Manufacturing has given April 19"' as a deadline for a decision on specifications. Tom Crikeliar stated that Richard Tolmak, a member of his team, was responsible for the logo and paint scheme for the Island Explorer on Mount Desert Island. Tom indicated that he thought that the design team could prepare some concept designs within a week or so. Bob Dawes presented photos provided by the manufacturer of some different design ideas. The committee discussed that this is a regional bus system, and that Bangor owns 8 of the 12 busses, yet the other community owned busses will continue to have � the same design and color scheme. Tom Crikeliar thought that we could get the manufacturer to relax the April 19tn date by assuring them of vinyl application. He said that as soon as possible the regional advisory committee needs to be formed to address the color scheme issues. Mayor Crowley expressed his interest in the trolley concept as a marketing scheme to make public transportation more appealing. He said that even if we just have a trolley for the downtown area, it would create excitement. The committee requested to be updated as decisions regarding design and color scheme are made, possibly at the pre-council meeting on April 8th, or at the next Government Operations Committee on April 10�', if information is available. 3. Subordinate Committee Interview Process The City Clerk has requested the committee to set up a date to interview applicants for the 28 open positions on Committees, Boards & Commissions. The committee agreed on April lOth and April 24"'. Ed noted that there may be term limits on some committees, so that we may see members moving around/applying from � committee to committee. � Hope Bourgoin asked what governance the committee has for the conduct of board members, and the procedure for removal for any ethics violations. Ed noted that these were questions that should be reviewed by Norm Heitmann, City Solicitor. In reviewing the City's Code of Ethics, Ed noted that complaints of ethics need to be referred to the City Council. The meeting was adjourned at 6:30 p.m. � �