Good morning.

The time is now 9 15, and we can go ahead and call our community development committee meeting to order.

Good morning, everyone.

Good morning.

Item number one is a resolution awarding a contract with Earhart Construction Company for LMFP carbon feed and chemical unloading improvements in the amount of five million three hundred and seventy-five thousand with a total amount not to exceed of seven million seven hundred and sixty-one thousand eight hundred and thirty-five dollars.

So moved.

Moved and supported, Mr.

Berkman.

Good morning, commissioners.

Some of which include a new carbon feed process and a chemical unloading process that'll go into a new underground containment tank that's being built as part of this project.

Current carbon feed system is a manual operation that requires bags to be transported to the third floor.

So though this may not sound like an exciting project, it is for those who carry those bags.

Uh providing a much improved working environment for staff and a good process improvement for the lake, uh the lake plant.

Air Hart provided the low bid of $5,375,000, which was well under the engineer's estimate of about $7.6 million.

The water system has funding budgeted for this in fiscal year 27.

So construction will not begin until July of uh 2026.

But we're pleased with the bids and would like to make that award now.

Um so we request your approval of the award to Air Heart with that total not to exceed of $7,761,835 coming from the water system fund.

Thank you, Mr.

Berkman.

Um colleagues questions hearing none, all those in favor?

Aye.

Aye.

Any opposed?

Motion carries.

Item number two is a resolution approving a license agreement for wire pipe and cable transverse crossing and longitudinal occupation with Grand Elk Railroad in connection with water main relocation and public easement in the southwest side along Martin Luther King Jr.

Street.

Mr.

Berkman.

So as you know, we've been coordinating with our partners at MDOT for replacement of this bridge on Martin Luther King Jr.

Street.

Um it's from the on-off ramps of northbound US 131 east to Buchanan, so the eastern portion of the bridge.

Construction is anticipated in 2026.

Um in August, commission approved a noise variance to allow some of the operations to work at night because we wanted to see this done in one construction season, but also to work around two active railroads.

And the first railroad that's um that you approved an encroachment agreement with was CSX back in March to facilitate relocation of a water main that needs to be moved for the new bridge uh piers and foundations.

The item before you today is the license agreement license agreement for the other railroad that passes beneath this bridge, the Grand Elk Railroad, and that's necessary to allow the uh water main relocation work to proceed.

Uh the cost of the water main relocation and fees associated with this license agreement are being funded by MDOT as part of the overall project costs.

Uh, but we're requesting your approval of the agreement on behalf of the city.

Thank you, Mr.

Berkman.

Colleagues on this one question colleagues on this one.

All right, hearing none.

All those in favor?

Aye.

Any opposed?

Motion carries.

Item number three is a resolution approving an agreement with MDOT and authorizing expenditures and amount not to exceed 629,000 for the local share of costs for the installation of rectangular rapid flashing beacons at various locations.

So moved.

Support moved and supported.

The city received a highway safety improvement program grant uh in the amount of 1,071,000 to support the installation of these uh rectangular rapid flashing beacons at 14 locations.

Those are all listed on page 11 in the packet of the memo, uh so I won't read them all, but uh mobile GR work to select these locations based on things like uh traffic volumes, pedestrian generators, access to schools and parks, um, existing crash data, connection to bicycle and transit routes, um social equity along with past concerns and no near misses.

So that went into this application that was uh prepared back in the spring of 2023, and now we're ready to uh proceed with the uh agreement with MDOT to move into construction.

Um the since the project involves federal funding, it is being administered through MDOT.

Um so this resolution provides approval of the agreement to um to funnel that work through MDOT.

MDOT received bids on September 5th, and Strain Electric provided the low bid of 1,064,873, which was under the engineer's estimate of about 1.2 million.

The total estimated project cost is 1.7 million.

So part two of this resolution authorizes the balance uh of $629,000 as our local share of the project cost, which will be financed from the Vital Streets Capital Fund uh traffic safety line item.

Great.

Questions on this one?

I do uh thank you for the overview.

So I know we we approved a number of these uh along 44th Street.

We've talked about some um some additional um pedestrian safety initiatives funded by the Thai War Equity Fund.

There's conversations about some challenges, particularly near misses and um fatalities on Kalamozoo Avenue.

Um is there a master visual or list of where all there's a lot of interest.

I know this is a priority of the mayor to have these flashing beams in more locations throughout the city.

So, how does kind of want track where we are with installation?

Are they close to where people live and work and uh walk?

Um, more so kind of big picture, this along with a lot of other items that were really similar.

So I yeah, I'm sure we can pull together a map if it doesn't already exist.

But these are locations that are studied, and like I mentioned in 2023 is when this package was pulled together, but we just uh submitted another uh package in the spring of last year that will be um adding a dozen more locations in spring of 27.

So there is a lot of I think analysis and study along with each location and where those are determined, and can certainly you know look to the teams to provide um, you know, a more detailed summary or map to be able to give you a better kind of one one-stop shop to look at those.

But anything to add to that, Miss Smith?

Yeah, we do have a map.

It's it's generally used internally, but we do share it with the mobile GR Commission where we have kind of more in-depth conversations about um the kind of the bigger plan.

But I I hear what you're saying, and I think that this is an ongoing effort both between mobile GR and the engineering um staff to you know uh make it clear where projects are happening and why they're happening and and when they're happening.

So I think that's a bigger part of the um right-of-ways communication and engagement improvements that are going on right now.

But thank you for bringing it up again.

It's really important.

Absolutely.

It reminds me of a lot of the work that was done during construction season to communicate differently.

I think there's similar interest.

Um, and I wonder, Chair, we've we've brought this up in the different ways, um, just what kind of more on that vetting process and that kind of decision making process that they go through to vet sites.

I will be interested as this body is in kind of hearing a little bit more in depth of what that looks like.

Uh, because I get that question all the time.

Um, and I just kind of defer people to your department, but I will love to be able to more directly understand um the internal processes and how um and how those lead to a lot of the recommendations that come before us.

Yeah, I wonder I was thinking so.

Thank you for the question.

I think yes, if we could get that map, I think again it's always a mixture of it's one department, it's another department, and then also another body that also has responsibility.

I wonder to your point, given the elevation of this topic with the mayor's interest and uh knowing um you know, speeding is probably one of the bigger falls that I get into my office, and we're a little off agenda, but I would say maybe we could um Miss Barons have a broader conversation to see we're gonna get into our performance management, have a preliminary conversation.

Is this a broader conversation maybe to bring to committee of the whole, then we can then bring that back to this committee with the knowledge?

So I don't um I don't know how that would be, but I think it's it's again one of these examples of it keeps rising as a as a general topic, and I think you know, we're asking people to do more mobility, we're gonna have these investments with um the amphitheater and the soccer stadium.

So I know people are asking those questions, so um maybe we can circle back and see what would be the best venue to have that more broadly.

Is it preferred a part of performance management?

Um, and then do we just like add that on there?

Because we're gonna have our first briefing today, right?

So okay, great.

Thank you.

And then you can catch Jessica or Miss Smith and on all her um mobile GR videos.

So mobile GR has good social media too.

All right, so thank you for this feedback.

Thank you for the questions.

All those in favor, aye.

Aye.

Any opposed?

Motion carries.

Item number four is a resolution approving an increase in the scope of work and authorizing an additional 123,650 dollars to the contract with Ketterberg Verhagen Inc.

for improvements to restrooms and parking lot at Ottawa Hills Park to incorporate additional improvement at Housman Field for a total not to exceed of 1.1 million one hundred and sixty-eight thousand five hundred and twenty-four dollars.

Do we motion?

So moved for it.

Mr.

Bergman.

Yes, in uh August, the parks and recreation department worked with community groups and local residents to rebuild the playground at Housman Field, and in order to prepare for that community build, we needed the support of a contractor to help with demolition of the existing playground structure and then to be on site during the build to assist with um things like drilling the augering the holes for new foundations, um, finalizing items between that community build and the open house that was one week apart.

And in order to prepare for that community build, we needed the support of a contractor to help with demolition of the existing playground structure and then to be on site during the build to assist with things like drilling the augering the holes for new foundations, um, finalizing items between that community build and the open house that was one week apart.

Um so to cover um these services, we uh like to utilize and expand the existing contract that was already in place with Caterberg Verhagen for work at the Ottawa Hills Park for these support services.

So the first part of this resolution expands the scope of the existing contract and authorizes um that additional funding amount to cover this work.

The second part authorizes the use of existing bond funds and the amount of uh $550,000 to the funding stack of the original project, not spending more on the project than originally anticipated, just shifting those bond dollars over because they were omitted from the original authorization in May of 2024.

So the total funding uh for the project, including Houseman now, is parks capital fund, um parks fund, and a DNR trust fund grant making up that total funding stack.

Any questions on this item?

And Houseman Field just had the ribbon cutting last week.

Um so it looked nice from from Diamond and when I'm driving that way.

So no, I did get peek in when we were there with the new the new park that um is on site as well that was worked on with parks and with uh um the midtown neighborhood association and and other neighbors.

So all right, hearing no other questions, all those in favor?

Aye.

Any opposed?

Motion carries.

Our last uh resolution for today is one authorizing consulting services with Geotech Inc.

for energy lighting and communications fiscal year 2026 support services in the amount not to exceed $883,000.

So move.

Oh, support.

Mr.

Berkman.

Uh this item will provide engineering support services for our energy lighting and communications department uh for fiscal year 26, is the title noted.

There are a number of tasks included in this scope of work that will assist the department.

Things like maintaining records, reviewing designs, assisting with permitting and master planning.

Um, so the total not to exceed amount for these services is eight hundred and eighty-three thousand dollars.

That'll be administered through the existing term agreement that we have in place with Geotech, but seeking your authorization of that funding amount, which will be charged to ELC's operating budget.

Um, so they have this budgeted for fiscal year 26 in their contract services line item.

Any other questions on this item?

Hearing none, all those in favor?

Aye.

Any opposed?

Motion carries.

And before we adjourn, I just want to say thank you to Mr.

Berkman.

I think this is your last meeting.

It is tomorrow your last day with the city?

Friday.

Friday.

Okay, you're gonna work all the way to Friday.

Okay, very committed.

Yes.

Um, so thank you for all your um, I think it was eight years with the city, is that what I read?

Six.

Six, okay.

Six years with the city, a lot of experiences, a lot of footprint and what has been happening over these six years in the city.

And you're not going far, but we will miss you here at the city.

So thank you for all your achievements, um, your communications, and just um uh, you know, I used to work with engineers back in the day and not being so boring.

No, just uh that's a joke, you know.

There's jokes about HR people, there's jokes about lawyers.

There's jokes about city commissioners, I'm sure.

Um, but no, in all reality, thank you.

And um, I just take a point, you know, and we know we're not supposed to clap, but I would like to offer a little round of applause.

Thank you.

So make this the last couple days count.

All right, see you later.

We're now adjourned.

Thank you.