U Hills Street Committee

Meeting Minutes, 8/1/05

 

Attendance was sparse: Larry represented the trustees, 3 or 4 Engineering 2 or 3 Finance and 2 Communications subcommittee members attended.

 

Communications subcommittee report:

 

By Tom Sontag. Little to report. Website updates continue but since several of us have been getting questions from neighbors that suggest they do not visit the website, perhaps it is time to deliver another flyer door to door. All agreed that a flyer should be drafted and delivered soon.

 

The idea of taking pictures of sample curb and gutter situations was reconsidered in light of possible adverse reactions and requests to increase the amount to repair. The committee felt that Engineering’s verbal descriptions of “functional” would suffice for any explanations to residents. That is, small cracks would not need immediate repair, but multiple larger cracks suggest a curb needing replacement.

 

Finance subcommittee report

 

By Robert Klahr. A full page textual explanation of the single sheet tabular summary of the four different assessment methods was presented and no changes were recommended. The tables and text are to be included on the website.

 

Three different surveyors were contacted for cost estimates for calculating square footage of lots within the subdivision. This would need to be known for tabulating votes (which are weighted by square footage) for the NID financing possibility. Rough estimates of $2000 and $5000 were obtained and it was agreed by the committee that no further action should be taken until it was known whether we opted for a NID and thus needed the numbers.

 

A two page memo was presented which reviewed the revenue provisions of the neighborhood’s Indenture and focused on the possibility of increasing the regular assessment. The full memo will be added to the website. The conclusion is that a one time Special Assessment seems the single best way to pay for any improvements short of the two options which are beyond the scope of the current indenture: the NID, or an indenture amendment, both of which require approval of 2/3 of all owners.

 

Engineering subcommittee report 

 

First report by Henry Moglia. After several discussions with Steve Linhard at MSD, they have agreed to update and repair virtually all of the neighborhood inlets (exception: Purdue at Creveling), including adding 2 or 3 new ones, at MSD’s cost. Also, instead of working on this during slow times, they will start work this fall as a regular project until completion. It is possible the inlet repairs, which are needed to be done first, could be complete by next spring or summer which is consistent with the timeline on Bob’s Pay As You go option below. This report was met with enthusiastic approval by the committee. Nice work Henry.

 

By Bob Boland. Bob presented details of the Pay As You Go option that is currently favored by all. His entire presentation memo is included below:

 

Pay as you go option

Bob Boland

7/27/2005

 

At the July meeting, the Streets Committee indicated that it would give serious consideration to an alternative in which street repairs and chip seal would be performed following completion of stormwater inlet work, and curb and gutter replacement and inter would be performed on a priority basis.  This “pay as you go” alternative would be funded from the current capital improvement and operating budgets supplemented by nominal special assessments as necessary to cover periodic chip seal. 

 

Recent expenditures for street, sidewalk, and curb and gutter repair are summarized in Table 1, below.   Jim Wheeler stated that expenditures in the last few years have been used primarily for curb and gutter repair.

 

Table 1.  University Hills Expenditures for Street, Sidewalk, and Curb and Gutter Repair

Year	Expenditure
1999	6,220.00
2000	1,235.00
2002	31,865.00
2003	36,114.86
2004	40,235.00
2005, as of 7/14	21,301.12

 

On 7/24, we did a quick review of the marked areas of Purdue and Overhill.  We determined that 21% of the [total] curb and gutter was in real need of [immediate] repair.  Our 7/10 summary indicated an estimated 37% was recommended for replacement in the first pass of the two cycle alternative.

 

We envision a pay as you go process to go something like the following:

§    Stormwater inlets would be repaired and installed as needed in year 1 [by MSD].

§    Select street patching and repair would be performed in year 1.

§    Select curb and gutter (21%) would be replaced in year 1 and 2.

§    Interface repair (13%) would be performed in year 1 and 2.

§    Chip seal would be performed in year 2.

§    Curb, gutter, and interface would be performed as needed and funded through the operating budget.

§    Chip seal would be performed in year 9-12, funded through the operating budget, replenished capital improvement budget, and a nominal special assessment.

 

The attached spreadsheet shows year 1 and 2 costs of this option to be about $300,000.  We’ve taken this cost, assumed that $70 k will come from the capital improvement fund, that $80 k will come out of the operating budget over two years, and that the remainder would come from a two (or more?) year special assessment.

 

[end of Bob’s memo]

 

After the meeting, Bob’s updated his spreadsheet and the updated version is one that will appear on the website. The Special Assessment needed using these numbers averages about $700 per household, before any adjustments for UCity’s contribution or actual estimates and bids for the work.

 

Task Lists

 

Communications – Draft and distribute flyer to residents updating them on the Committee’s progress. More needs to be done on the final report to the trustees. Post both Finance memos and the Borland 21% Pay As You Go spreadsheet to the website.

 

Finance/Legal –  Ask trustees about probable collectibility of a special assessment since the timing of collections will be crucial to making payments to contractors. If this cold be a problem, do we need a NID? What is the minimum Capital Improvement balance desired?

 

Engineering – Need better estimates and specs for chip and seal. Bob Boland to amend his 21% spreadsheet somewhat – these amendments have been made and are incorporated in the spreadsheet to be posted to the website.