04-11-2011 Council Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING Monday, April 11, 2011 7:00 o'clock p.m. • (8. OLD CRYSTAL BAYROAD RECONSTRUCTIONPLANAND SPECIFICATION APPROVAL AND AUTHORIZATION TO ADVERTISE, Continued) house last week. McMillan stated there should have been an open house back at the time of the feasibility study. As part of this project the city hall entrance will still be located off of Old Crystal Bay Road. McMillan indicated during this process she attempted to get the entrance off of Kelley Parkway but that it will remain off of Old Crystal Bay Road via the roundabout. McMillan stated this project is taking away money that could be used for other road projects. McMillan indicated she has seen how Willow and Watertown Road have disintegrated this past winter and that those are important projects that should be moved up. The City can go out for more bonds to get Willow done in 2016, but will not pay off the MSA account until 2030 and beyond. McMillan commented that this project is a big use of MSA money. While MSA money is not Orono taxpayer money, it could be used to fix other Orono roads. The residents want their roads fixed. McMillan stated the Council needs to be very cognizant of cost savings and that she would concur that the Council should think about going back to the other option in the feasibility study. McMillan noted she is cognizant of the work that has been completed to date but that the City needs to look at reducing costs. McMillan noted the videotape needs to be changed and that the Council will have a brief recess. • (Recess taken from 9:03 p.m. to 9:08 p.m.) Franchot asked where the half a million dollars was added to this project that Mayor McMillan referenced. McMillan indicated she added the lights into that figure since with the non - roundabout option the lights could be a potential cost reduction. Franchot noted the cost of the lights was included in the feasibility study and was not added to the project. McMillan stated it is difficult to reduce expenses on this project since a number of the items are mandatory with the roundabouts and safety related. Kellogg noted the estimate for the lighting under Option 1 was listed at $240,000. In the roundabout option, the lighting allowance was $288,000, which has been reduced slightly. Kellogg stated those costs were not added after January but were included in the feasibility report as part of the base bid. As it relates to the $144,000 for the additional roundabout, the City will not know the exact cost for that portion of the roadway unless the project is put out for bids. Franchot pointed out the City obtained its AAA bond rating because they have spent money prudently and have paid it back. Olson agreed with Franchot that it is one of the justifications used by Moody's for the AAA rating. • Franchot stated it is also questionable how much of the money that has already been invested could be reused if the project is radically changed. Franchot asked if the open house was such a concern, why the Page 19 of 30