Title
Resolution No. 1 - Prepare Plans and Specifications for the Proposed Fuller Court and Nixon/Traver Sidewalk Gap Project - Special Assessment (Districts #57 & 56), and Appropriate $130,000.00 from the General Fund Balance for the Design of the Project (8 Votes Required)
Memorandum
Approval of the attached resolution directs staff to prepare plans, specifications, and cost estimates to fill sidewalk gaps, and possibly install new curb and gutter, along the south side of Fuller Court from Fuller Road to 2250 Fuller Court; along the west side of Nixon Road from Traver Boulevard to the northern property line of 2765 Nixon Road; and along the north side of Traver Boulevard from Nixon Road to the Logan Elementary property; as a special assessment project.
These two sidewalk gaps scored relatively high in the City’s sidewalk gap prioritization system, and have also received multiple requests from residents to have them filled. In the case of Nixon Road, the request to fill this sidewalk gap sooner than the scheduled road reconstruction was heard from residents during the public meetings associated with the road project. For Fuller Court, the City has received multiple requests from residents in the multi-family housing units on the south side of the road to fill the sidewalk gaps there to aid in walking to the University of Michigan Hospital and to North Campus.
Projects were created in the City’s Capital Improvements Plan to install a new sidewalk to fill these gaps and provide continuous pedestrian connections at these locations, and both projects are scheduled for construction in 2020. Both sidewalks will be designed simultaneously to be bid out as one construction package with the goal of saving on costs. The construction of the sidewalk will likely require the removal of some trees, necessitate temporary grading permits, require the relocation of DTE utility poles, and possible curb and gutter installation for drainage purposes. The extent of any of these requirements to install sidewalk is not fully determined at this time and will be further explored during the engineering design and public engagement phase of the project.
A preliminary planning-level cost estimate performed by City staff estimates the cost of this project to be approximately $581,000.00. As called for in Chapter 13 of City Code, the cost for the addition of new sidewalk where none currently exists is borne by the parcels that benefit from the improvements. This project is receiving federal aid, and up to approximately $275,000.00 of the construction cost of the sidewalk would be paid by federal Surface Transportation Funds, thus reducing the local share of the project and the special assessment amounts to property owners.
The attached resolution directs staff to provide and share detailed cost estimates for this work, and establish the composition of the special assessment district. If authorized to undertake this work, staff will reach out to affected residents and stakeholders to conduct a thorough public engagement effort. Following those meetings and further development of the engineering design, staff will return to Council with Resolutions 2 and 3, which define the individual costs to each parcel and establish a Public Hearing Date, respectively.
Below is a tentative schedule for the project:
October 7, 2019: Council Meeting - Resolution 1
November/December 2019: Public Meeting / Administrative Hearing
December 2019: Council Meeting - Resolution 2
January 2020: Resolution 3
February 2020: Public Hearing & Resolution 4
Summer 2020: Begin construction
Budget Impact: The Fuller Court and Nixon/Traver Sidewalk Projects are included in the 2020-2025 Capital Improvements Plan (Project Numbers TR-AT-18-18 & TR-AT-18-10).
While the sidewalk and possible curb and gutter elements of this project will ultimately be paid partially through special assessment, the City must fund the cost of designing and constructing the project until the assessed amounts are recovered. The attached resolution appropriates $130,000.00 from the General Fund fund balance to fund the design and public engagement for the project. Should the project advance to the construction phase, the non-assessable portions of this work would be paid for from the Street, Bridge and Sidewalk Millage.
Because a portion of the sidewalk project on Fuller Court is adjacent to property owned by the University of Michigan, staff will be working with the University to coordinate this work, and will be requesting a contribution from the University towards this portion of the project.
Staff
Prepared by: Nicholas Hutchinson, P.E., City Engineer
Reviewed by: Craig Hupy, Public Services Area Administrator
Approved by: Howard S. Lazarus, City Administrator
Body
Whereas, Council deems it appropriate to construct the Fuller Court and Nixon/Traver Sidewalk Gap Projects, which will consist of:
The installation of new sidewalk and possibly curb & gutter, in places where it does not currently exist, on the south side of Fuller Court to 2250 Fuller Court; and
The installation of new sidewalk and possibly curb & gutter, in places where it does not currently exist, on the west side of Nixon Road from Traver Boulevard to the northern boundary of 2765 Nixon Road; and on the north side of Traver Boulevard from Nixon Road to the Logan Elementary School property.
RESOLVED, The City Administrator be directed to prepare plans and specifications for said improvement project, and an estimate of the cost thereof;
RESOLVED, City Council appropriates $130,000.00 from the General Fund fund balance to be transferred to the existing Fuller Court and Nixon/Traver Sidewalk Gap Project; thereby increasing the project revenue and expenditure budgets, for purposing of funding the design and public engagement for said project;
RESOLED, That the funding shall remain available without regard to fiscal year;
RESOLVED, The City Administrator be directed to file a report of same with the City Clerk, including a recommendation as to what proportion of the cost should be paid by special assessment and what part, if any, should be a general obligation of the City, the number of installments in which the assessments may be paid, and the land which should be included in the special assessment district; and
RESOLVED, The City Clerk shall present said report to the Council and make it available for public examination.