Two Benton committees will meet on Tuesday, June 13th, 2023 to consider various items. The Parks Committee will meet at 5:00 p.m., to discuss a grant, the greenway and mountain bike park. The Streets and Stormwater Committee will meet immediately after Parks, to discuss right-of-way on Kenwood, Drainage on W. Cross Street and asphalt overlay on local highway streets. Update: The Community Services Committee will meet immediately afterward to consider fireworks, town hall meetings, soil tests & condemnations. That agenda is posted at: https://www.mysaline.com/benton-cs-061323/.
The meetings will be held at the Benton Municipal Complex in Council Chambers at 114 S. East Street. See the agenda outlines below.
PARKS
Committee Members: Chair – Judd Hart; Vice-Chair – Shane Knight; Staff Liaison – Stephanie Jones
1. Call to Order
2. Recognition of Attendees
3. Approval of Minutes
4. Outdoor Recreation Grant
5. Saline River Greenway Phase 2 Resolution
6. Mountain Bike Park
7. Other
8. Adjourn
STREETS & STORMWATER
Committee Members: Jeff Hamm, Chair; Judd Hart; Steve Lee, Vice Chair; Evelyn Reed; Frank Baptist; Ann Spencer-Cole; Shane Knight; Bill Donnor; Jeff Morrow; John Richey Streets/Drainage Director; Steve Brown
1. Call to order.
2. Recognition of Attendees
3. Approval of Minutes (See minutes below)
4. 204 Kenwood-abandon ROW
5. Cross Street Drainage update/discussion(MCE)
6. Update on ARDot overlay projects/discussion
7. Other-Backhoe RFP Discussion
8. Adjourn
MINUTES
May 9, 2023
Council Member Hamm: Do we have everybody here? With it being 5:10 although I’m 5-8 and shrinking. I would call this May 9th streets and stormwater meeting together and first on the agenda I’ll call this order 2 order which I’ve done the recognition of attendees start with Alderman Baptist on the right Frank Baptist, Steve Brown, Evelyn Reed, Judd Hart, Shane Knight. OK we have a quorum, now we need approval of the minutes from the February 14th meeting. Has everybody had a chance to look over that was sent out? If not, I’ll give you a couple minutes to look over that.
Council Member Hart: Motion to approve.
Council Member Baptist: Second
Council Member Hamm: Any additions or corrections? OK seeing none I’ll call for a vote for approval of the minutes.
Council Member Brown: Motion to approve.
Council Member Baptist: Second
Council Member Hamm: Motion made and second. Does that require a vote, Mayor? We will take a vote on the approval of the minutes for the February 14th meeting. All in favor say aye, opposed? Seeing non, motion carries. Number 4 on the agenda is the Salt Creek Estates discussion and I will turn this over to Director Richey at this time so he can explain more about what it is we are going through, and we wish to do and accomplish is basically has to do with the streets. Mr. Richey.
John Richey: this subject here is for tonight meeting will be discussion only and we were trying to collect more information to see where we need to go forward with this is about accepting the streets at Salt Creek estates so we’re still gathering information about the streets itself and we want to see if anybody wants to give us any feedback on that so
Mayor Farmer: Can you explain about the expert that came out and looked at the streets and what they found?
John Richey: Yeah, we had the streets evaluated through a 3rd party that came out and videoed the streets and examined them. There is a certain percentage of the streets that were considered in good shape, I want to say within the 60% range of and then and then some poor conditions on the street were somewhere between 20 to 30% and then and then some bad spots where the other 5 to 10% did have that and we discussed in detail. They did not do any bore samples or anything of that nature but in their experience, they would recommend that we look at it as we would expect failures within 10 years give or take so. Like I said we’re still kind of filling out what should be done uh we asked them in their opinion they would think that the failure should be dugout in fixed and, but I recall it to be resurfaced with a little bit more asphalt to have a cleaner look for a street that’s not but 4 years old now so that’s what I recall.
Council Member Hart: Is this the one without the curb and gutter in it?
John Richey: Correct
Council Member Brown: John, a clarifying question if you don’t mind, their recommendation was that resurfacing I’m sorry let me back up, was their estimation of failure, was that just for the bad areas or the bad/poor areas or for the entire street?
John Richey: Yeah, that would be for the bad areas to replace.
Council Member Brown: So just the bad or the bad and the poor?
John Richey: Everything needs to be overlaid.
Council Member Brown: And that was going to be the first question, their recommendation is that the entirety of that the street.
Council Member Hamm: Director Ritchey, will that be in the with the cost of the developer or will we the city be responsible for the cost of that overlay.
John Richey: Well it hasn’t been accepted yet and that it would be up to the council to approve the way the streets are at the time they which is not this month but if we decide to come back and present it as like number 5 uh y’all would be voting on it to go to council full council this is just to bring it before you because we have been having issues with this subdivision so we wanted to give everybody a fair chance to talk and speak I don’t know if there be some folks here that might want to share what they know or want to have concerns about so uh just so that we get it that we do it the right way.
Mayor Farmer: Mr. Hamm, to answer your question, if the council accepts the streets will be at the city’s expense to re-pave. If this council doesn’t accept the streets, then it’ll be at someone else ‘s expense to re-pave.
Council Member Hamm: I just wanted the public to be aware of that. Does anyone from the audience have anything to say about the issue? OK seeing none I don’t believe it requires a vote that was just a discussion we’ll move on to item 5 which deals with Auburn Hills phase 3 streets and utilities ordinance that’s coming about and the maintenance of those streets and utilities.
John Richey: This is the Ordinance for Auburn Hills space to read to accept the streets and utilities. We have inspected them, and for streets and drainage and then Benton utilities has inspected the utility portion of it and we’re all good with accepting the streets for maintenance and utilities.
Mayor Farmer: So, your recommendation is to accept it?
John Richey: Yes.
Council Member Hamm: Is there anyone in the audience who would like to speak about this measure of accepting the streets? Seeing none hearing none, do we have a motion to accept the ordinance that will be coming forth.
Council Member Knight: So moved.
Council Member Hart: Second
Council Member Hamm: we’ve had a motion in a second any further discussion all in favor say aye opposed thank you item number 6 is the low bid for the street department roof repair, and it will be a resolution, Mr. Richey do you want to go over that?
John Richey: yes, in the last several months we’ve been experiencing water leaks throughout the building and finally got somebody in there to look at it and it led to we needed to get the roof repaired at the cost of at the low bid ended up coming in at $34,914.00 and Roberts McNutt was the contractor on that so that is the recommendation for low bid.
Council Member Hamm: Does anyone have any questions or discussion?
Council Member Brown: Just a clarifying question, John is that for a replacement of the roof or just to repair.
John Richey: That is a just a replacement of the membrane the top of the roof OK not the whole roof but just the membrane which part of it.
Council Member Brown: OK thank you.
Council Member Hamm: Any other questions or concerns? Discussion anything from the people in attendance? Hearing none.
John Richey: I think we have someone who wants to speak.
Council Member Hamm: I’m sorry, if you have questions, you approach the podium turn it on turn the mic on identify yourself and you’ve got 3 minutes Alderman Knight will be the timekeeper.
John Richey: Excuse me, Mr. Hamm, we need to vote on the low bid to accept the roof repair.
Council Member Hamm: Oh, I’m sorry. Well do we have a motion to accept the $34,914.00 as the low bid?
Council Member Hart: So moved.
Council Member Baptist: Second
John Richey: Thank you.
Council Member Hamm: Any further discussion, go ahead ma’am.
Citizen: hi my name is Renita Parker and I live at West Cross Street and several of my neighbors and I are here to ask about the drainage problem that we have on West Cross Street, um there were some surveying done, um we were kind of, we had some questions about all of that. Is the surveying in lieu, I mean in regard to looking at some drainage things? If so, what are we looking at because we’re drowning.
John Richey: What we’re doing, we hired McClellan engineer to do the to the design and um engineering of the drainage area from downtown toward cross street in that area and after talking with the mayor and getting this we knew we had to do something in that area it’s going to be a pretty big project we and underscored happening at town hall meeting about this also in the future soon and that that
probably be a little bit more appropriate setting where we’ll have drawings and different things I can’t really speak on what it all exactly looks like but I know.
Citizen: OK great.
Mayor Farmer: We have a town hall wait with McClelland engineered coming up and going to explain what they have designs at this point so that we can figure out how to phase it out how to get it done and I believe that means in August it’s scheduled already what’s going to happen up here at City Hall, the 15th.
Citizen: So, August the 15th?
Mayor Farmer: Yes, that is a Tuesday night. Apart we’ll have a parks committee meeting the street I mean a community service committee maintenance streets committee meeting immediately following that about 630 we’ll have a town hall meeting to discuss the downtown drainage and that way McClellan will have time because they’re not finished with their design yet talk to them last week or this week I can’t remember which now and set this up so that they would come and explain everything and what they have proposed and try to get us a timeline.
Citizen: OK, another question that I have real quick is, in my yard there’s a huge hole where the drainage has collapsed in my front yard this whole is not new IT collapsed once before straight drainage was supposed to have fixed it and it was not fixed we did a temporary fix on it ourselves um now it has grown larger is there anything that we can do because another problem is I’m afraid someone ‘s going to step in it and fall in and be hurt.
John Richey: Yes, after this I’ll come out there and get your address and we’ll need to get that shored up and make it safe yes.
Citizen: OK
Mayor Farmer: Or you could give him your address.
Citizen: My address is 516 West Cross Street.
John Richey: Is this in the front yard?
Citizen: it’s in the front yard. It’s in the front yard oh yeah, you’ll see it can’t miss it. OK thank you so much.
Council Member Hamm: Any other concerns? Turn your microphone on and identify yourself please.
Citizen: My name is Joe Valdez, I live on Cross too, the hole that she’s talking about I’m, just so you know I’ve gone over several times you know to help her with it right now I think you can fit a 4 by 8 sheet in it of plywood so that’s where we’re at on that but um like the flooding is like horrible um we have pictures I mean it’s we have neighbors that the water coming from OK I don’t know the street but Smith Funeral Home that that general direction as it comes down West Cross it’s knocked down the neighbors privacy fence it’s coming down that strong and it is deep umm I mean we watched it the apartments right there on West Cross it’s coming up in their doors I mean somewhere we saw where they fixed some drainage I guess up top something recently has allowed a lot more water to come down now so in a heavy rain it would be you know I guess great if someone could drive around in that area and just see exactly what it’s doing you know trying to call anybody out but it is serious something in their garages 2 houses right there in the garage is you know so anyways it’s a you know it’s serious man it’s destroying stuff umm but you said the maintenance in August. Let me ask you this if it gets that bad again can sandbags as funny as it sounds can they be provided honestly OK because it will need it if it rains like it has it before. because if you look at West Cross from most of those areas West Cross street is the elevation of that road is it’s horrible it has this huge crown in it you know if you look from the side so with it not having any gutters or anything it’s just I mean it’s just pushing off in your words. I have one picture it’s this date you know and that’s bad. Can I address this – West Cross Street – if you wanted to drag race your car you absolutely can come there because they do it every day they speed through there they don’t drag where something bad rating but they speed through their like crazy I mean it’s I think what it is these people cutting around you know when cutting through neighborhoods but if a police officer was there man he we need it we’ve seen where they put the you know the speed limit signs in the middle of the road which kind of threw me off because it was right in the middle of the road anyways uh we’ve seen that we’ve seen the radar little radar but I’ve called in 4 years I’ve gotten one officer out there I’m sorry if I’m going off another set. I apologize but that’s another concern may not be great yeah that would help out a lot if y’all couldn’t thank you for your time.
Council Member Hamm: Just on that note, next time we have a big rain, Mister Richie and I will personally get together and come that way and view the situation. Yes, I have the address right here so we will address the situation.
John Richey: Just so you all know we’ve been working on this for quite some time. We’ve we really want to do something it’s just we’ve got Gattin Road project we’re working on right now and that’s how this all got started with some folks coming in and sharing their experiences. That’s how they got Gattin Road going, and we appreciate y’all being here and sharing so we can share with the engineers and let him know what’s going on exactly that helps, appreciate it.
Mayor Farmer: I think engineering started looking at this last year.
Council Member Knight: Mr. Chairman, we still have a matter on the table that needs to be voted on.
Citizen: My name is Carl Ritchie I live on West North Street, my son Chris Richie lives at Short Street and you talk about looking at the yards there is a hole at Short Street that I put a big concrete cover over and the house on Conway street also has the gutter is collapsed so you might want to check that while you’re checking, I don’t know what the street is, Cross street or stop it’s right behind what used to be was behind the administration building of the school system gets the first house behind their own Cross street on the north side but he’s got holes, it’s collapsed also thank you.
Council Member Hamm: Mr. Richey and I will address that one also. Any other conversation or discussion OK I’m a little confused did we did we vote on the ordinance for this situation at Auburn Hills?
Council Member Knight: Yes, we voted on that one but chairman the one that’s outstanding is number 6.
Council Member Hamm: OK we’re back to the low bid, request a motion to accept the low bid of $34,914.00 to get the street department and the dry.
Council Member Hart: So moved.
Council Member Baptist: Second.
Council Member Hamm: We have a motion and a second, all in favor aye opposed motion carries any other business become before the streets and water streets and drainage committee hearing none this meeting is adjourned.