Services Committee

Summary

Meeting Overview

The Services Committee met on March 3, 2009, at 1:00 P.M., with CM Ellinger presiding. The committee addressed four agenda items during the meeting, taking two votes and hearing six public comments.

The committee approved a proposal to remove on-street parking and create a center turn lane on the 1300' block of Alexandria Road. The committee deferred action on Man O' War Truck Restrictions to a later date. Two informational items were also presented: the 2003 Public Utilities Task Force Ice Storm Report & Recommendations and a report on Items in Committee.

Attendance

The following individuals were present at the meeting on March 3, 2009:

• Ellinger
• Myers
• Lawless
• Beard
• Feigel
• Crosbie
• MeChord
• Martin
• Henson
• Lane
• Gorton
• Stevens
• Bastin
• Webb
• Freibert
• Pape
• Frazier
• Gaines
• Markham
• Tate
• Starkweather

No absences or late arrivals were recorded.

Votes and Decisions

Motion to Restrict Parking on 1300 Block of Alexandria Drive

25:13

A motion to proceed with restricting parking on the 1300 block of Alexandria Drive as presented by Traffic Engineering was made by CM Henson and seconded by CM Myers. The motion passed unanimously. All ten council members voted in favor: Ellinger, Myers, Lawless, Beard, Feigel, Crosbie, MeChord, Martin, Henson, and Lane. No votes were cast against the motion.

Motion to Adjourn

1:46:52

A motion to adjourn the meeting was made and seconded by Ms. Henson. The motion passed by voice vote, with all council members in agreement. The meeting was adjourned.

Public Comment

Several council members raised concerns and suggestions during the public comment period on March 3, 2009.

Parking Signage 23:09 CM Beard suggested improving parking signage in high Hispanic areas by using international no-parking symbols (P with slash) instead of English text to enhance clarity for non-English speakers.

Debris Pickup 42:10 CM Lane informed constituents that debris should be left on the curb for pickup and confirmed there is no penalty for doing so.

Emergency Communication 58:33 CM Feigel proposed using weather reports on TV and radio to deliver emergency preparedness messages, noting that people are more likely to watch weather forecasts during storm season.

311 Service During Power Outages 1:01:10 CM Lawless reported that 311 lacked information during a windstorm following an ice storm and questioned whether KU could provide real-time outage data to 311.

Utility Charge Compensation 1:04:04 CM Gordon asked whether the basic utility charge could be prorated for customers without power as a potential way to address compensation concerns.

Outage Duration Communication 1:44:44 CM Henson raised concern that customers lacked clarity on whether outages would be short- or long-term and asked if a way to map or predict restoration timelines could be developed.

Contested Items

Enforcement of RCO 18-44 on Man O' War Boulevard

A disagreement emerged regarding enforcement of RCO 18-44 on Man O' War Boulevard. The police department recommended against enforcement, citing operational and traffic concerns. However, some council members supported reclassifying the road as a no-through-truck route. Rather than reaching a resolution, the council decided to defer action until more data becomes available.

Underground Utility Requirements

A heated discussion took place over whether to mandate underground utilities in new developments. Council members debated the merits and drawbacks of such a requirement. Concerns raised during the discussion included the cost of underground utility installation, feasibility challenges in implementing such a mandate, and tradeoffs between reliability and maintenance difficulty. No final decision was documented as resulting from this discussion.

Man O' War Truck Restrictions

1:03

The committee discussed enforcement of RCO 18-44, which designates New Circle Road as the truck route for the Man O' War area.

Police Perspective on Enforcement

Lt. Pape and police officials advised against enforcement of the current truck route designation, citing three primary concerns:

• Lack of signage to inform drivers of the truck route requirement
• High manpower needs required to conduct effective enforcement
• Potential for traffic displacement to other residential areas

Alternative Approaches

Dr. Stevens suggested an alternative approach to address community concerns, proposing a no-jake-brake ordinance as a way to mitigate noise issues rather than focusing on truck route enforcement.

Committee Discussion

Committee members CM McCord, CM Myers, and CM Henson participated in the discussion of these enforcement challenges and proposed solutions.

Outcome

The committee agreed to defer the matter and revisit the issue at the next meeting. Before reconvening on this topic, the committee requested that cost and signage data be gathered to inform future decisions on how to proceed with truck restrictions on Man O' War.

Alexandria Rd 1300' Block: Remove On-Street Parking and Create Center Turn Lane

13:14

Traffic Engineering presented a proposal to modify the 1300 block of Alexandria Drive by removing on-street parking and adding a center turn lane. The plan aimed to improve safety and reduce loitering in the area.

Presentation Details

The proposed improvements included: - Removal of on-street parking - Addition of a center turn lane - Narrow lanes with edge line painting - New signage

Key Speakers

The discussion involved Brad Frazier, Officer Gaines, CM Henson, and CM Beard.

Outcome

The motion to proceed with the Alexandria Road project passed unanimously.

2003 Public Utilities Task Force Ice Storm Report & Recommendations

The committee reviewed the 2003 Public Utilities Task Force report and discussed improvements implemented since the ice storm event. 25:45

Key Topics Discussed

The presentation covered four main areas of focus: - Communications protocols - Tree trimming operations - Underground utilities infrastructure - Customer compensation procedures

Progress Reported

Kentucky Utilities reported significant improvements across multiple operational areas: - Enhanced call center operations - Expanded tree trimming programs - Improved coordination with emergency management agencies

Ordinance Consideration

The committee agreed to consider an ordinance that would require underground utilities in new developments. This proposal emerged from discussions about long-term infrastructure improvements to prevent future storm-related outages.

Speakers and Participation

Key participants in the discussion included Dr. Stevens, Commissioner Webb, David Freibert, CM Gorton, CM Feigel, and CM Henson.

Outcome

The agenda item was informational in nature, with the committee taking action to advance consideration of the underground utilities ordinance for new developments.

Items in Committee

During this agenda item, the committee engaged in an informational discussion without taking formal action. The focus centered on two primary topics: the need for a permanent Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and public education regarding disaster plans.

Key Participants

The discussion involved Dr. Stevens, Commissioner Webb, and David Freibert.

Discussion Topics

The committee addressed the necessity of establishing a permanent EOC facility. Additionally, members discussed the importance of enhancing public education efforts related to disaster preparedness and emergency response plans.

Outcome

No formal action was taken on this item. The discussion remained informational in nature, allowing committee members to exchange perspectives on these operational and educational priorities.