02-25-13 Agenda Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION JANUARY 22, 2013 2 Public Works Director Maurer stated that in terms of fleet in 2012, a Toro Workman was purchased to replace an older piece of equipment, and a new F350 4x4 pickup was also added to the fleet. He explained that approximately $11,000 was spent on converting the City Hall generator to have the ability to run lift stations if needed. Although the City had two lift station generators, the oldest had problems and it was determined that it was not worth fixing, and a new- used generator would cost approximately $35,000. Superintendent Joe Mooney came up with the idea of rewiring the City Hall generator allowing it to switch back and forth from lift station to City Hall. Public Works Director Maurer noted that the public works staff has attended a number of trainings. Over a dozen different classes were discussed. Public Works Director Maurer explained that a few of the bigger projects that took place this year include the rebuilding of lift stations 1, 12, and 13; the upgrading of control panels and pumps in lift stations 2, 5, 7, and 8; and installing the Omni System in all of the lift stations for monitoring purposes. Public Works Maintenance Worker Schifsky explained that old lift station monitoring technology included a pole with a light on it as means of communicating a problem. Then, the City upgraded to Electro Watchman, which would notify staff by phone of lift station alarms, which required staff to investigate the alarm in person. He stated that with the new Omni System, staff has the ability to look at any alarm at any of the lift stations using a computer. Councilmember Holden asked if the on-call public works person has a laptop that they use for this purpose. Public Works Maintenance Worker Schifsky explained that in the case of an alarm, an automated phone call is generated indicating which of the lift stations is experiencing the alarm. Staff can then view the data via a smart phone, laptop, or tablet. Assistant City Engineer Anderson discussed the street maintenance projects that were completed in 2012. He noted that the public works staff did a lot of the work patching streets that are going to be seal coated at a later time. Additional street improvement work was contracted out for crack filling and seal coating projects, and trail maintenance was also completed. Assistant City Engineer Anderson stated that a new product has been used for some of the improvement projects, and so far, it is performing well. He noted that the new product is being tested with some of the delamination on roads. Staff will track how it performs and determine if it is a viable option going forward. Assistant City Engineer Anderson discussed the 2012 roadway and pathway projects that were completed. Public Works Director Maurer stated that inspections were completed on the water towers. He explained that this entails draining down the water in the tower and riding around the inside of the water tower in a rubber raft to inspect the condition of the inside of the bowl.