Agenda Packets - 1994/02/07 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Jet Truck bids were received and the contract was awarded to ABM; it was delivered in July. The arrival of this piece of equipment has increased the efficiency of cleaning, ease of operation and the increased operator safety. This division has assisted surrounding municipalities on emergency cleaning which is part of the on-going "assistance policy" with other communities. STREET DIVISION Due to some of the bigger projects in other divisions, personnel needed for street patching were not available. At Staff's recommendation, Council awarded a private contractor to patch the City streets. Staff surveyed the entire City, marked areas to be repaired, and then inspected patches, verifying the contractors quantities. Staff noted that the contractor, Bituminous Consulting Inc., performed well and were highly satisfied with their performance. Final contract price for patching was $56,365.00. A total parking ban from 2am to 6am was approved by Council in 1993. Not only has this ban greatly increased the productivity of winter snow operations, it has helped the Police Department in patrolling the streets at night. A restricted parking zone was also negotiated with residents input, in the vicinity of Roberts Off Ten. Every other year, Staff conducts traffic counts on Municipal State Aid roads; these were completed early in the Summer. Staff has also followed up on submitting reports to the State Aid Engineer for reimbursements on previous projects. Approximately 5,000 lbs of cracksealing material was applied in the Spring and permanent crosswalk material was also applied at major crosswalks. Annual centerline striping of MSA roads was contracted with Ramsey County. The painting of crosswalks on Quincy Street were also contracted. Staff has continued to update the Pavement Management Program and SEH was contracted to evaluate the date, streamline the rating system and project maintenance needs for the coming season. Staff will receive training in the Spring to evaluate the pavement conditions. The City filled a Street Maintenance position in December. Staff is proud that a female was hired for this predominately male position. VEHICLE AND EQUIPMENT DIVISION The City Mechanic and operators continued to maintain and repair the City's equipment. The Mechanic installed Mobile Data Terminals in the squad cars, enabling officers to check drivers records and other information more efficiently. One new squad car was converted and put into service in 1993. A new used oil dump site was constructed. Concrete was poured within the dump site to contain any spillage of oil and a small shelter was built to prevent moisture from entering the tank. A new engine analyzer was purchased late in 1993. With the acquisition of this equipment, the mechanic can diagnose specific engine problems easier and quicker. Training for this analyzer is very demanding since it replaced a model that wasn't as comprehensive in its ability to work on today's computerized ignition systems.