Infrastructure Committee Meeting

June 12, 2017

The Riverlea Committee on Infrastructure met at 7:00 pm on June 12, 2016 at the Community Church of Christ at 110 Park St. The location was not available at meeting time, so the attendees moved to 679C High Street at 7:15 pm. The following people were in attendance: Marc Benevento (Chair-Council member), Bill Charles (Street Commissioner), Chad Lowe (Council Member), Jon Oberle (volunteer), Greg Ross (volunteer, Dan Schlichting (volunteer). Jim Dippel of Burgess and Niple attended as a guest of the Committee to share updates on the infrastructure project design work.

The following agenda was shared via e-mail prior to the meeting:

  1. Review and approval of March meeting minutes.
  2. Review sump pump discharge options & cost. Develop recommendation to Council.
  3. Review storm sewer filter options & cost. Develop recommendation to Council.
  4. Burgess & Niple (B&N) to provide list of obstructions in right of way on homeowner properties. Committee to consider path forward and recommendations for informing villagers and resolving concerns.

At 7:02 pm, the meeting was called to order. Marc Benevento asked for a volunteer to take meeting minutes and Greg Ross volunteered. Meeting minutes from the April 2017 infrastructure committee meeting were sent to the committee via e-mail for review ahead of time. The minutes were approved without changes.

Jim Dippel reviewed the home sump pump discharge options. The discharge for most homes passes through the curb and flows directly onto the street surface that overlays the gutter. The street discharge causes an accelerated degradation of the street and also causes icy areas (some very large) in the street which is a safety issue.

  • As planned within the current project scope is discharge into the streets. No additional cost. This includes replacement of the gutters and improvement to grade, which is expected to help with sump drainage and icing.
  • Discharging sumps from all homes into piping that would be placed in yards behind the curbs should alleviate the street degradation and icing, and would allow addition of a sump discharge from new build or existing property adding a sump pump in the future. however, the estimated additional cost is $275K.
  • Dealing with the homes with frequent (some continuous) discharge and icing, estimated at 20-30 properties would have additional cost of $45K. This would not address new homes built within the village or existing homeowners who decide to add a sump pump to their home.

Unofficial feedback from a few Riverlea residents collected by the committee indicates no appetite for additional cost. The top priority of the Committee is to insure the project is delivered on budget.

The committee discussed our recommendation to the Riverlea Village Council. It was decided to recommend no change to current plan which means sump discharge will be into the street. However, if budget allows, the village should consider the dry well or problem property-only options. Also, the Village Council should consider a formal policy on sump discharge from properties, especially new discharge from new construction or new sump addition.

Jim Dippel discussed the required filtration of storm run-off. By Ohio and EPA regulation, the Village can either treat 20% of all storm discharge, or 100% of 20% of the run-off within the Village. Treating 100% of a portion of the Village run-off allows us to the number of filtration locations (from 3 to 1). This is estimated to save $35K from the total project. This may also save on annual maintenance. Jim Dippel completed a full walking inspection of the Village to observe potential obstructions in the right of way. He provided two spreadsheets noting landscape and driveway/walkway issues. In review of the landscape list, only relative minor issues exist.

For driveway and walkways, concrete will be used to replace anything removed by the construction crews. However for homeowners with stone, decorative concrete, or pavers, the homeowner may not like the use of concrete. The committee discussed allowing the homeowner to decide to decline replacement with concrete. If they decline, the homeowner will be responsible for replacement. The Village may decide to reimburse the homeowner with actual savings, if any.

Homeowners will be notified of the upcoming work and when any landscaping or obstructions need to be removed. If not removed and saved by the homeowner, the construction crews will remove obstructions which may be destroyed or disposed of in the process. The committee suggested notifying the Village homeowners in late Summer/early Fall, when end-of-season landscaping work is likely to take place. A reminder should be sent again shortly before construction begins. The reminder should include reference to sprinkler lines or invisible fence wires that are not visible, but may run inside the right-of-way and could potentially be affected by the construction project.

Columbia Gas of Ohio sent information to Burgess & Niple, but it arrived the day before the meeting and was not discussed. They would like to move gas lines during the project, but it is unclear if the timing and coordination will work out. A few AEP poles may need to be relocated, but really only on Dover Court. No other utility services are expected to be impacted.

The final plan is expected by the end of August. Village Council will vote in September, and bidding for the project occurs in November 2017. Construction begins in Spring 2018.

The meeting adjourned at 8:20 pm

MARC BENEVENTO (CHAIR)

PREPARED BY GREG ROSS