April 24, 2023
City of Dexter City Council Meeting
Monday, April 24, 2023 at 7 p.m.
3515 Broad Street, Dexter, MI 48130 and via Zoom
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Meeting ID: 881 4138 1694#
Meeting Agenda: https://files.dextermi.gov/City_Council/2023/Agendas/2023-04-24-CC-A.pdf
Meeting Packet: https://files.dextermi.gov/City_Council/2023/Packets/2023-04-24-CC-P.pdf
As always, there are two opportunities for non-arranged public participation: one near the beginning of the meeting and one near the end of the meeting. See the agenda for details. Just state your name and address and then share your thoughts–it’s that easy!
During pre-arranged participation, we will hear from:
Wylie Elementary School students regarding their Arbor Day presentation
Dave Lutton regarding the Sloan-Kingsley property
Council will review (1) minutes of its most recent meeting(s) and (2) the upcoming meeting list. We will also hear various updates from staff, including the City Manager and the Mayor (note that corresponding written reports are included in the meeting packet).
Staff updates that might be of interest:
Meeting with DTE. Administration and staff met with representatives from DTE regarding the prolonged brownout following the ice storms in February. DTE is currently conducting significant line clearing (tree trimming) throughout the city, as it pertains to lines going into and out of the Diamond Sub-station on Second St. A significant part of the discussion centered on our support for placing lines underground and the challenges DTE has faced trying to obtain easements from property owners, in order to move lines underground. Following the meeting, staff received a call from our DTE Government relations representative, who plans to provide a written summary of the activities and improvements DTE is making in the City of Dexter and the in the surrounding townships. Staff anticipates this information will be received in time to include it in the meeting Supplement. Staff also notes the City received a copy of correspondence Dexter Township sent to DTE, which is included as correspondence in your meeting packet.
3045 Broad St Sub-Committee Meeting. The Sub-committee met with Common Sail on Monday, April 10th and April 17th to review initial and follow-up TIF Scenario Sensitivities (attached). The project has a $10M+ financing gap, which Common Sail is seeking to close with a grant and loan from MEDC. The Developer is proposing to purchase the 3045 Broad Street and former substation parcels from the DDA and make improvements to 8087 & 8077 Forest St (owned by DDA); 8090 Grand St; the Broad St ROW, between Forest and Grand; and the Grand St ROW, between Broad and Mill Creek Park. In addition, the Developer has stated to make the project work, he would need the following:
Raise over $10M in equity (Developer responsibility)
Reduction or waiver of tap fees (City Council decision)
Reduction or waiver of the purchase price of 3045 Broad Street and the former substation property (DDA decision)
100% of the TIF capture (DDA and City Council decision)
The Developer is scheduled to meet with the MEDC top administration on April 26th. Mayor Keough will be participating in that meeting and will provide additional updates.
Arbor Day Celebration. This year the City, with help from Wylie Elementary 4th and 5th grade student will distribute 400 free seedling to celebrate Arbor Day. Students and other volunteers will be distributing 400 free seedlings on Friday, April 28th, at the following times and locations:
Dexter District Library - 3255 Alpine Street (10:00 am - noon)
Clock Plaza - corner of Broad & Main Streets (11:00 am - noon)
Busch’s - 7080 Dexter-Ann Arbor Road (11:00am–noon & 1:00-2:00pm)
Gazebo in Monument Park - Central and Main Streets (1:00 - 2:30 pm)
Dexter Mill - 3515 Central St (1:00 - 3:00 pm )
On April 5th staff met with the students and their teachers to talk about the City’s celebration of Arbor Day. The School created a video of that meeting and included it in their Making Waves at DCS email update.
Washtenaw County Clean-Up Days. The schedule for the Washtenaw County Clean-Up Days has been released for 2023. The dates and locations are as follows, with the events running from 9:00am to 1:00pm:
June 24th – Northfield Township
July 22nd – Augusta Township
July 29th – Pittsfield Township
August 5th – City of Chelsea
August 26th – City of Ypsilanti
For this year’s clean-up days, participants will need to register ahead of their desired day at Washtenaw.org/cleanup. More information related to location, time and materials accepted will be disclosed during registration. Staff has also began discussing with the County how to get a clean-up day in the City.
3515 Broad St. Update. Staff has prepared a bid for the exterior renovations to the barn at 3515 Broad Street. The bid includes cleaning the exterior of the barn, painting the second-floor wood paneling, fixing broken window frames & panes, and other smaller items. Staff is also meeting with vendors over the next few weeks to receive estimates on additional improvements to the audio/visual system in the Council Chambers, badge entry, and security.
Outdoor Watering Ban. On Monday, April 14, 2023 preventative maintenance work on the City's 500,000 gallon water storage tower will begin. The work is expected to take approximately 6 weeks and requires the tower to be drained of water. Starting April 14th, all outdoor watering (car washing, irrigation, etc) is prohibited. This temporary ban is necessary because the City will not have the ability to store water; we will only have the ability to put into the system what we can get directly from the wells. To avoid excess strain on the wells during this time, water use must be limited to indoor usage only. The ban will be strictly enforced. Once the work is complete (currently anticipated to be June 1st), a notice will be sent out that the odd/even water restrictions are back in effect.
Following the presentation and any discussion of these reports, Council will consider the following items as part of the Consent Agenda. Unless Council votes to do otherwise, these items are voted on as a single bundle without Council discussion.
Bills & Payroll in the amount of: $732,617.77
FY 2022-23 Q3 Budget Amendments
Staff would like to reallocate monies previously dedicated to parks to pay off improvements at City Hall.
Purchase of Wastewater Treatment Plant Grating from Fibergate Composite Structures in an Amount not to Exceed $17,022
In December, staff released a bid to relocate the VFDs in the Wastewater Treatment Plant in order to limit corrosion. The bids at that time came in significantly over budget. In working with Fleis & Vandenbrink, staff developed an alternative scope, which would install a fiberglass grating the tertiary filter pump station, rapid mixer and flocc mix tanks. In March, staff released a bid for the installation of fiberglass reinforced plastic (FRP) grating, but the lone bid that came back for the grating was (in staff’s opinion) extremely high ($150,000) and the bid was not awarded. Following internal discussions, utilities staff believes that they will be able to accomplish the work internally.
Attached to this memo is a proposal from Fibergate Composite Structures for the material needed to complete the work, which includes the grating and necessary hardware. Staff will perform the installation.
Playground Mulch Bid Award to Superior Groundcover for an Amount not to Exceed $7,220
Every other year, the City re-installs mulch in the City’s playground areas for impact safety. For 2023, staff included an additional quantity of playground mulch to accommodate the expression swings that are planned to be installed in Community Park. The bid specifications called for blown-in certified playground mulch.
At the bid response deadline of April 6th, staff received two bids with the same proposed price - $7,220. The proposals were received from Superior Groundcover and Unique Clips. Staff has worked with Superior Groundcover in previous years and has had a good experience with their installation. Staff has not had any experience with using Unique Clips. Based on previous experience and equal bid pricing, staff is recommending Superior Groundcover.
Council will consider (i.e., take formal action on; “C”) or discuss (i.e., take no formal action on; “D”) the following business:
Grand Street Trail Connector Bid from PIBC LLC in an Amount not to Exceed $229,286.30 (C)
The Grand Street Connector project kicked off in December 2022 when City Council approved a proposal from OHM Advisors to complete wetland delineation, boardwalk design, permitting, creation of bid documents, and bidding assistance for the project. Since that point, staff has obtained additional funding of $40,000 through the Connecting Communities Initiative through Washtenaw County and completed the bidding process as of 2:00pm on April 12th. The Grand Street Connector is also a part of the City’s Parks and Recreation Master Plan.
At the deadline for submission of bids, the City received three bids:
PIBC LLC - $209,286.30
LJ Construction Inc. - $225,373.00
Brock & Associates Inc. - $237,202.00
Staff was excited to see the bids come in where they did, as initial estimates from OHM Advisors had the project coming in above $300,000. Staff is recommending an award of $229,286.30 to allow for $20,000.00 (10%) project contingency. It is staff’s goal to avoid use of any contingency.
Staff anticipates that project mobilization will take place in May (FY 2022-23), but a majority of the work will take place in FY 2023-24.
Proposal for Construction Engineering Services for the Grand Street Trail Connector from OHM Advisors in an Amount not to Exceed $23,880 (C)
Back in December 2022, City Council approved a proposal from OHM Advisors to complete wetland delineation, boardwalk design, permitting, creation of bid documents, and bidding assistance for the Grand Street Connector project. With these services completed and the bids received during the bidding period, OHM has submitted another proposal for construction engineering services for the duration of the construction of the Grand Street Connector to the Mill Creek Trail.
The attached proposal from OHM is for construction engineering of the project, which includes the following tasks:
Survey Layout
Construction Observation
Construction Engineering and Contract Administration
Additional as-needed Services
Organizational Matters Resolution (C)
Mayor Keough requested an item on the April 24, 2023 agenda related to the Organizational Matters Resolution. Attached is a copy of the most recent organizational matters resolution.
On Thursday, April 20, I requested additional clarification from Mayor Keough about this item and the one that follows (assigning addresses to bond authorizing resolution). As of this publication (late Friday (3/21) evening), he has not provided a response. Per his Mayor’s Report included in the packet:
“Over the past couple of weeks, it has become apparent that we all may not be working toward the same goals as it relates to the fire station, despite a 6 to 1 vote to approve architectural services at our March 13, 2023 City Council meeting for the conceptual design of fire station improvements at 8140 Main Street. I would like to discuss the potential charter amendment that it appears may be circulating as it relates to the 8140 Fire station/Park property.
I also asked our City Manager to include two items on the agenda under New Business. One is our organizational matters resolution as it currently stands. I may be proposing some changes to this based on the outcome of the discussion that we have on the charter amendment. The second item relates to the Bond Resolution. I would like to discuss the merits of assigning the bond resolution to specific addresses. I look forward to everyone’s input.”
(my words) Notably, the key vote in determining the location of the fire station came on February 27, 2023.
Consideration of the original motion to designate the current fire station location at 8140 Main Street as the continuing site of the fire station in the City of Dexter and directs staff and consultants to proceed with the design, renovation, replacement, and/ or construction of a public safety facility at 8140 Main Street.
Ayes: Semifero, Hubbard, Schlaff, Keough
Nays: Aldag, Griffin, Michels
Absent: None
Motion Carries
Regarding the charter amendment ballot proposal effort referenced in Mayor Keough’s report, you might consider reading this recent article by Doug Marrin at The Sun Times News. I am happy to answer any questions you might have about my involvement in the ballot proposal committee. (As an aside, Doug Marrin didn’t actually ask me why I was “working to subvert the City Council’s decision.” Had he done so, I would have rejected that presupposition from the get-go. I’ve asked for him to revise the article to more accurately reflect our exchange.)
In the absence of additional clarification from Mayor Keough, I can only speculate that the intent of this agenda item is to remove me and/or Council Member Zach Michels from our appointed committee assignments if we don’t fall in line. I guess we’ll have to wait and see!
Assigning Addresses to Bond Authorizing Resolution (C)
Mayor Keough requested an item on the April 24, 2023 agenda related to assigning address(es) to the bond authorizing resolution for public safety facilities. Attached is a copy of the previously adopted bond authorizing resolution.
Again, in the absence of additional clarification from Mayor Keough, I can only speculate that the intent of this agenda item is to tie the bond authorizing resolution to 8140 Main Street (the current location of the fire station). Notably, also on February 27, 2023, Council already voted (5-2; Griffin and Michels voting “no”) to approve the bond authorizing resolution with no addresses assigned.
Goals and Objectives Document (D)
At the March 11, 2023 work session, City Council discussed the goals and objectives documents that Council reviews each year. During that meeting, Council discussed that the document would be brought to a regular meeting for consideration and adoption. Staff compiled and incorporated the discussion and comments that were made during the goal setting work sessions into the document. The updated goals and objectives documents is attached for further Council discussion. If the attached goals and objectives documents meet Council’s expectations, then staff will bring back a final version for adoption.
During the April 10, 2023 meeting, City Council opted to wait on discussing this item until the April 24, 2023 meeting.