Minutes of the City-County Council

PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE

DATE: June 7, 2018

CALLED TO ORDER: 5:35 p.m.

ADJOURNED: 7:35 p.m.

ATTENDANCE

ATTENDING MEMBERS ABSENT MEMBERS Zach Adamson, Chair Jeff Coats Susie Cordi Monroe Gray Scott Kreider Janice McHenry William Oliver Vop Osili David Ray

AGENDA

PROPOSAL NO. 159, 2018 - authorizes a speed limit reduction to 25 miles per hour in various subdivisions within the Eagledale area bounded by Lafayette Road, 38th Street, High School Road and 25th Street (Districts 6,10) “Do Pass” Vote: 8-1

PROPOSAL NO. 209, 2018 - approves an additional appropriation of $1,920,000 in the 2018 Budget of the Department of Public Works (Solid Waste Collection General Fund) to purchase new heavy side loader trucks for refuse collection “Do Pass” Vote: 9-0

PROPOSAL NO. 210, 2018 - approves an additional appropriation of $9,100,000 in the 2018 Budget of the Department of Public Works (Transportation General Fund) to purchase capital equipment and to hire additional staff to perform street maintenance Work “Do Pass As Amended” Vote: 9-0

PROPOSAL NO. 211, 2018 - approves an interlocal agreement between the City (Department of Public Works) and the Indianapolis Public Transportation Corporation (IndyGo) for the financing, design, construction, implementation and maintenance of rapid bus transit lines in furtherance of the implementation of the Marion County Transit Plan “Do Pass” Vote: 8-0

Presentation on the INDOT North Split Project

Public Works Committee

The Public Works Committee of the City-County Council met on Thursday, June 7, 2018. Chairman Zach Adamson called the meeting to order at 5:35 p.m. with the following members present: Jeff Coats, Susie Cordi, Monroe Gray, Scott Kreider, Janice McHenry, William Oliver, Vop Osili and David Ray. Representing Council staff was Bart Brown, Chief Financial Officer (CFO). Also in attendance was Councillor Jeff Miller.

Chair Adamson asked each Councillor to introduce themselves and indicate which district they represent. He asked for consent to hear the presentation of the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) North Split Project first. Consent was given.

Meg Starro, Urban Designer and Planner, Rethink Coalition Technical Committee, and Kevin Osborn, Principal Architect, Rethink Coalition Technical Committee

Presentation on the INDOT North Split Project-

Ms. Starro stated that INDOT plans to tear down and completely rebuild the north split which is a great opportunity to move traffic. She stated that the coalition was formed in November 2017, and includes over fifty businesses and twenty-five civic and leadership organizations. Mr. Osborn referred to the PowerPoint Presentation (Exhibit A):

The Issue: • The North Split Project is the first phase of ultimately rebuilding and expanding the inner loop in the downtown inner system. • The North Split Interchange includes segments of interstate that lead into it. • First phase project will set the template for future phases. • Costs are estimated at $250-$350 million. The Opportunity: • The project will reshape the city and the region for the next fifty years. • Other Major U.S. Cities have been faced with the same question. • Dallas is looking to redevelop land and insure a significant amount of tax revenue for the city. • Embarcadero, San Francisco, CA is another example the bridge was torn down and replaced with a multi-way system and lead to a significant economic redevelopment.

INDOT’s System Level Analysis: • Prepared in large response to the Coalition’s efforts to promote better alternatives. • Compared seven different options for the inter-state. • The option chosen was Option Number 3, the original plan. • Option 3 is a much-widened inter-state.

Opportunity Vision Plan: • Capitalize on the interstate investment to vault Indianapolis into the upper echelon of great American cities. • Minimize interstate traffic impacts on downtown. • Integrate regional and local traffic. • Position Indiana as a forward-thinking state regarding technologies and smart infrastructure. Members of the Public Works Committee June 7, 2018 Page 2

Key Notes: • Multiway surface corridor connectivity in local street grid. • Development opportunity on excess right-of-way. • Development or park opportunity as lid over depressed interstate. • Implement proposal to relocated CSX tracks to Outer Belt Railroad. • Massachusetts Multiway Corridor utilizing vacated CSX right of way • Traffic- calmed West Street as 4th leg of multiway corridor loop. • Amtrak/HS rail corridor alternative to Union Station and/or Airport. • Outer Belt Railroad corridor for CSX relocation from inner loop.

Mr. Osborn stated that an analysis revealed that a more compact foot print, could open up a lot of new development could open up. He said about 15 acres of freed-up land could mean $200 million in new development, and the additional property taxes could help pay for some of the infrastructure improvements. He stated that the best path forward is to move immediately to stabilize and extend the life of the infrastructure for the next three to five years and address safety issues that occur because of the weaving patterns. He said the long-term plan can be achieved in one to two years and will need to provide a definitive direction for the downtown directive system, which should include a funding model.

Councillor Gray asked how the development fits within the budget that the State has already put in place for the project. Mr. Osborn stated that the ideas and work presented are through the organization that is made up by volunteers, and they do not charge anything. However, the costs need to be studied and some of the solutions presented are for revenue opportunities to help offset any additional costs, but more work has to be done in order to answer the question.

Councillor Miller asked what can be done to help persuade INDOT to approve the project and be able to work with State Representatives. Ms. Starro stated that the way INDOT programs the funds does not allow for economic development opportunities to be considered, and the designation of funds is made up front. She said that the Governor would have to change the designation. She stated that the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) supports projects like these. She said that it is more than moving traffic; it is a way to provide economic development and present a better view of Indianapolis.

Chair Adamson read a letter (Exhibit B) from Mayor Joseph H. Hogsett to the committee and the residents that were present. He also asked the people in the audience to stand up if they are in support of the North Split Project, and mentioned that the adjacent Room 224 was also filled with thirty-five residents.

Councillor Osili thanked the presenters and said that the City is supportive and understands that connectivity is essential.

Nathan Sheets, Senior Planner, Department of Public Works (DPW), stated that if the speed limit were lowered to anything less than 25 miles per hour (mph), it would set a bad precedent. He said that the main concern is the speed limit at which the vehicles travel around the corner. They agreed to add advanced curve warning signs and supplementary speed limit placards. He Members of the Public Works Committee June 7, 2018 Page 3 said officially lowering the speed limit is not recommended, and DPW reached out to the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD), and they were able to verify that under Indiana Code 921-51, motorists who do not drive per the road conditions can be cited for reckless driving.

Councillor McHenry stated that there are areas in her district that would like to have speeds lower than 25 mph and even though the police can cite drivers, they will probably not see anyone speeding. She asked if this will be a precedent set for other neighborhoods, as well. Mr. Sheets stated that State Statute indicates that the speed limit in a residential area is 30 mph unless otherwise posted. He said that in order for DPW to post a speed limit less than 30 mph, they must present an ordinance before the Council. He said DPW has been consistent and is supportive of reducing the speed limit from 30 mph to 25 mph. He stated that State Statute 921-56 indicates that a speed limit reduction to anything lower than 30 mph requires an engineering study. He said there is concern about funding the traffic studies, because these involve traffic counts and speed counts.

Councillor McHenry asked why the whole neighborhood cannot be reduced to a lower speed if the curves can be done with a lower speed caution sign. Mr. Sheets stated that the advisory speed limit is determined by using a Ball-Bank Indicator that is placed on the dashboard. As the curve is rounded, the ball drops up and down and lets the driver know a reasonable speed that can be posted in the corners. He said the advisory speed limit that is posted on the advanced warning signs does not require any ordinance changes.

Councillor Gray moved, seconded by Councillor Oliver, to send Proposal No. 159, 2018 to the full Council with a “Do Pass” recommendation. The motion carried by a vote of 8-1, with Councillor McHenry casting the negative vote.

Dan Parker, Director, DPW, stated that Solid Waste was separated as a separate division from operations at DPW. He said this proposal is the next step in the major need that has been identified in Solid Waste for many years. He stated that the basic parameters of the proposal are the appropriation of dollars out of the fund balance of Solid Waste to fund equipment needs and purchase new Solid Waste vehicles. He referred to a presentation (Exhibit C), and said there are seventy-five total heavy equipment trucks in the Solid Waste Division, but there is a large amount of trucks that cannot be used because they are down. He said Solid Waste Fleet Maintenance charges are going up each year, primarily because of the age of the fleet. He said that in February, one of the trucks caught on fire while the driver was on the route.

Chair Adamson asked if the cab of the truck caught on fire. Mr. Parker answered in the affirmative and stated that the cab of the truck caught on fire while the driver was inside. He said this proposal will allocate $1.9 million this year for the purchase of Rear Loading Trucks and Side Loading Trucks for Solid Waste. He said that Bart Brown, Council, CFO, highlighted the fact that the Solid Waste Fund is increasing and that this was due to the steam revenue generated through the Covanta Contract starting to be deposited into the Solid Waste Fund in the year 2016. He stated that he would like a portion of the Covanta Steam Revenue to be dedicated each year to the Solid Waste Fund for the purchase of new equipment and begin using new vehicles, which will save money on maintenance costs. He said money Members of the Public Works Committee June 7, 2018 Page 4 will also be saved, because currently, they are spending money on overtime pay due to a shortage of trucks and drivers having to wait for a truck to be available to complete their routes.

Chair Adamson asked if the Covanta Revenue is earmarked for something and what it is being used for. Mr. Parker stated that the Covanta Revenue is not earmarked for anything, and it is used to put into the Solid Waste Fund. He said that the proposal would insure that 90% of the revenue collected in the fund each year go towards the purchase of new equipment. In this case, 90% of last year’s revenue is $1.9 million.

Councillor Oliver asked about the present condition and state of the trucks in order to know how much will be needed next year. Mr. Parker stated that trucks that were purchased five to seven years ago were a brand of Solid Waste vehicle, but the manufacturing company went bankrupt and it is difficult to fix the trucks because it is difficult to get the parts. Mr. Oliver asked if when the vehicle company went bankrupt they took advantage of liabilities and warranties. Shawn Brock, Deputy Director, Solid Waste, stated that the he was not in the position when the company went bankrupt and he has no knowledge of who took over. Councillor Oliver asked if when the company went bankrupt the trucks were still under warranty, but there was nobody that could service them. Mr. Brock stated that out of the seventy-five trucks they have sixty-nine of them are 2013 and older and are out of warranty.

Jody Tillford, Manager, Indianapolis Fleet Services (IFS), Belmont Facility, stated that they are able to repair the vehicles. The only issue is getting parts for the vehicles. He said that when a truck is no longer usable they salvage the parts and use them for repairs. He said they have enough staff to maintain the trucks.

Nekole Hulitt, CFO, DPW, formally requested the additional appropriation of $1,920,000 in Character 4 within the Solid Waste Collection General Fund to purchase new heavy side and rear loader trucks for collections.

Councillor McHenry stated that the money is not new and it is money that is already available. She asked if next year there will be money available to buy new vehicles. She asked if the older trucks will be sold or if they will be kept for further use in case of emergency. Mr. Parker answered in the affirmative.

Councillor Miller asked where the Covanta revenues went before going to the current fund. Ms. Hulitt stated that the funds are going to the Transportation General Fund.

Mr. Parker stated that the Capital Plan is not impacted, and they always try to identify where equipment funds can come from. He said that it is their intention for the 2019 Budget to have these funds included within the Budget, so that they will not have to present themselves before the Council. He said Solid Waste is ready with the specifications to purchase the trucks in a timely manner, and the trucks take about six months to be built, so they would not be available until December, 2018.

Councillor Miller asked if they project the steam revenues to stay the same and that he would like the fund to stay dedicated in order to be able to buy equipment. Mr. Parker answered that the Covanta contract runs through the year 2025.

Albert Ray, Driver, Solid Waste, spoke in support of the proposal.

Members of the Public Works Committee June 7, 2018 Page 5

Councillor Gray moved, seconded by Councillor Coats, to send Proposal No. 209, 2018 to the full Council with a “Do Pass” recommendation. The motion carried by a vote of 9-0.

Ms. Hulitt stated that the request is for $10,848,065 dollars in Characters 1-5 within the Transportation General Fund. If approved, the money will be used to purchase capital equipment and to hire additional staff to perform street maintenance work. The cost of the equipment is estimated to be $7.4 million, which will be used by the additional staff to improve and repair the streets. She stated that the remaining dollars will be used for salaries, supplies, and routine maintenance on the heavy equipment purchase. The money will also go toward an infrastructure project, which is being reimbursed in the amount of $1,748,465 per an Interlocal Cooperation Agreement.

Mr. Parker presented an overview of operations (Exhibit D). • Operations division unable to address service requests at the same pace that they are received. • Out of 664 employees, only 124 work in street maintenance. • Operations staff is responsible for 209 different job activities, such as pothole filling and illegal dumping removal.

Mr. Parker stated that in 1990, they had 350 employees to address 6,552 lane miles, and in 2018, they have 99 employees to address 8,148 lane miles.

Street Maintenance Staffing Needs: • 36 full-time union employees • 3 full-time management employees • 39 total full-time employees added to current DPW operations • Dedicated staff for streets

Street Maintenance Equipment Needs: • Pavement milling machine • Additional crack sealing equipment • Equipment trailers • Injection pavement patching machine • Infrared pavement heater

Street Maintenance Fiscal Needs: • Startup costs for staff, supplies and equipment total $9.1 million • Annual operation costs total $4,384,500

Equipment Information: • Infrared Paving Machine • Backhoe Loader • Pavement Milling Machine • Asphalt Compactor • Zipper Milling Equipment Members of the Public Works Committee June 7, 2018 Page 6

• Spray Injection Patching Equipment

Councillor McHenry asked if the asphalt milled out of the street can be repurposed. Tim Joyce, Deputy of Operations and Fleet Services, DPW, stated that the asphalt is hauled away, and, depending on the quality of it, it can be recycled for a number of things.

Councillor McHenry asked if going forward there will be a cost savings so they will not have to contract out the services. Mr. Parker stated that the Proposal is to add to what is being done now and will be an addition to everything that has been built in the Capital Plan.

Councillor Coats asked how this is going to be paid for. Mr. Brown stated that the money will come from the Fund Balance, and that is a combination of the revenue from additional Gas Tax and the Year-End Fund balance.

Councillor Coats asked how long it would take to have the new crews. Mr. Parker stated that the expectation is sometime around Labor Day for the first crews, and by early 2019, they will have all crews ready.

Mr. Parker stated that the plan will be discussed next meeting and the numbers will be different for 2019 because of Federal Projects rolling over.

Councillor Miller asked if the new equipment can be used for alleyways at least once a year. Mr. Parker stated that the equipment can be used for that, but since February, the focus has been on streets and will remain that way for a long period of time.

Councillor Ray moved, seconded by Councillor Cordi, to “Amend” Proposal No. 210, 2018 as detailed in Exhibit E. The motion carried by a vote of 9-0.

Councillor Gray moved, seconded by Councillor Osili, to send Proposal No. 210, 2018 to the full Council with a “Do Pass as Amended” recommendation. The motion carried by a vote of 9-0.

{CLERK’S NOTE: Councillor Ray left the meeting at 7:03 p.m.}

An update Presentation (Exhibit F) was made by Dan Parker, Director, DPW, and Mike Terry, President and Chief Executive Officer, IndyGo. Some key points are:

• Interlocal agreement provides a framework for DPW and IndyGo to coordinate design, construction and maintenance of all bus rapid transit lines • The City committed $12 million for construction of Red, Purple and Blue lines o Six million from DPW o Six million from the Department of Metropolitan Development (DMD) • Construction o DPW and IndyGo construction staff will discuss progress and traffic maintenance throughout the projects Members of the Public Works Committee June 7, 2018 Page 7

o IndyGo’s contractor will arrange for collection and disposal of trash impacted by construction o Construction work hours will be from 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. o No public street, sidewalk or alley will be closed to traffic or pedestrians without DPW coordination • Construction completion o IndyGo will provide upkeep for all bus rapid transit stations, including snow and ice removal and regular trash pickup o DPW snow and ice removal will include bus-only and bus-and-turn travel lanes o All signage, pavement markings and traffic signals solely for bus traffic will be maintained by IndyGo • After construction completion o The City will receive $1.5 million annually from IndyGo beginning in 2020 to pay for DPW’s annual maintenance for Red Line Phase 1 infrastructure o Annual maintenance fees for future lines has not yet been determined • Service Agreement o Public infrastructure, such as curbs, pavement and ADA ramps reach unacceptable conditions, DPW will plan, design and manage construction of repair or replacement o DPW will track costs of operations and maintenance along bus transit routes and records will be made available for IndyGo to review

Justin Stillenburg, Vice President of Planning and Capital Projects, IndyGo, stated that the Red Line Construction Grant has been signed, and that work began on June 4h. He said the plan is to start on the Shelby Street corridor, moving to 38th Street and Meridian Street, working their way south. Once work is done through Downtown, they will work their way back up to 38th Street and go up to College Avenue. He stated that through the process, they will be updating their website with detailed construction maps and will have a three-week look ahead so people will always have an advanced notice. Brian Luellen, Vice President of Public Affairs, IndyGo, stated that they have done advertising on multiple media channels and have conducted pre-construction business stakeholder updates. He said the public can visit IndyGoRed.com for updates and information, and they also have a call center, 317-635-3344, which can be called for complaints, issues, or information.

Chair Adamson asked if the contracting in the construction process is done by DPW or IndyGo. Mr. Luellen stated that the contracting is done by IndyGo, and DPW reviewed all of the contract documents before they went out to bid.

Councillor Oliver asked how the construction will be conducted in the right-of-way between 46th Street and 54th Street on College Avenue. Mr. Stillenburg stated that the cross section of the corridor through College Avenue will have several changes; therefore, there is not a specific answer to the question. He said essentially the project will widen the street slightly. Councillor Oliver asked which block of the street will be widened. Mr. Stillenburg stated that South of 54th Street, the street is 50 feet (ft.) wide from curb to curb. The intersections of 54th Street on the south side and 52nd Street and 46th Street the project would widen the street out 2.5 ft. on each side to a total of 55 ft. He said north of 54th Street there would be no changes except for a right turn lane that will be added in the intersection of Kessler Boulevard (Blvd) for north-bound traffic. He stated that about 10% of the parking spaces on College Avenue would be removed.

Members of the Public Works Committee June 7, 2018 Page 8

Councillor Oliver asked how the routing of the traffic will be handled during construction. Mr. Parker stated that those issues were addressed and a protocol was established.

Councillor McHenry asked if the regular bus stops will be kept up to ensure they are not covered in trash. Mr. Terry answered in the affirmative and stated that they currently do contract services that ensure the trash is picked up daily. He said there are over 3,000 bus stops, and not every station gets cleaned.

Councillor McHenry stated that not all of the bus stops have trash cans. Mr. Terry stated that not all bus stops have trash cans and this is determined based on how many people use the bus stop. He said there is an Adopt-a-Stop program which helps with the maintenance of stops. He said trash can be reported at 317-635-3344.

Chair Adamson stated that the Proposal will go before Municipal Corporations Committee on June 14th because of the different parts in the Proposal.

Lee Lang spoke against the proposal on behalf of College Avenue Business and Property Organization.

Chuck Mack, Hospitality Business owner at 54th Street and College, spoke against the proposal.

Susan Duffy, Resident near College Avenue, spoke in favor of the proposal.

Councillor Oliver moved, seconded by Councillor Cordi, to send Proposal No. 211, 2018 to the full Council with a “Do Pass” recommendation. The motion carried by a vote of 8-0.

With no further business pending, and upon motion duly made, the Public Works Committee of the City-County Council was adjourned at 7:35 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Zach Adamson, Chair Public Works Committee

ZA/frs