City Council Minutes

Mayor Johnson called the meeting to order with the Pledge of Allegiance at 7:30 p.m. in the Northville City Hall Council Chambers, 215 West Main Street, Northville, Michigan.

Present: Mayor Christopher Johnson, Mayor ProTem Carolann Ayers, Councilmembers Kevin Hartshorne, Jerome Mittman, and Thomas Swigart.

Absent: None.

A. Citizen Comments None.

B. Presentations The City Manager introduced the new Treasurer Dorothy Zarzecki.

Motion Hartshorne, seconded by Ayers to approve the agenda and consent agenda as presented. Consent agenda as follows:

City Council Minutes:

Regular Meeting of July 2, 2001

Approve Bills List: Checks #22310 - #22531

Receive Board and Commission Minutes:

Historic District Commission: 5/16/01

Parks and Recreation Commission: 6/13/01

Senior Citizens Advisory Council: 5/18/01

Receive Departmental Reports:

Parks and Recreation: 6/01

2001 "Welcome to Northville" Signs / National Amateur Baseball World Series

Recreation Brochure Printing Award

Proclamation / Allen Terrace Resident Appreciation Week

For several years, the Northville City Council and City Staff have discussed developing a website, including e-government features. The focus of these discussions has been on improving service to the residents, better communication with constituents, and 24-hour access to doing business with City Hall. Following the Request for Proposal evaluation and discussion, proposal presentations, vendor interviews, and reference contact and interviews, the Selection Committee determined that the firm of Municipal Web Services would be the best match for the City of Northville.

The budgeted funding for the web site for FY 2002 is $40,000, which includes a $21,000 carryover of unused funds from FY 2001. The estimated costs of Part I (long-term plan development) and Part II (website design and development) is $23,925. Part III, website hosting, and other monthly services, are estimated to be $290 per month ($3,480 per year). Curt Anderson of Municipal Web Services offered a brief website presentation and was available to answer questions.

Council Comments/Discussion: Questions were raised relative to the ability to track customer feedback, the number of online residences in the community, the overall benefit of a web site to taxpayers, and the inclusion of a survey or "feedback" form. It was noted that online payment of utility and tax bills could be possible with the creation of a custom interface to communicate with the various payment software used by the City.

Motion Mittman, seconded by Swigart to authorize City Staff to proceed with the contracting of Municipal Web Services for 1) long-term e-government plan development, and 2) initial website design/development in an amount up to $23,925. In addition, Staff is authorized to contract with Municipal Web Services for initial website hosting and maintenance as outlined in the May 7, 2001 proposal. Motion carried unanimously.

As part of a joint meeting of the City Council, Planning Commission, and the Downtown Development Authority, it was determined that the City should address traffic related issues in the Central Business District. A proposal was requested from Hubbell, Roth and Clark, Inc. (HRC) to review the following issues:

Analysis and proposed improvements of vehicular and pedestrian traffic flow in the downtown area.

Placement of a "no left turn" restriction at Main and Center Street for northbound Center Street traffic turning west.

Removal of traffic islands located on the Dunlap/Hutton curve and returning this area to a T-section.

Necessity of traffic signals at the intersection of Cady and Center Street and Cady and Wing Street.

Review the street plan developed by the First Presbyterian Church for Hutton Street extended, including a proposed roundabout at Mary Alexander Court.

Review one-way operation of Mary Alexander Court, with a possible reverse of the one-way operation or designation as two-way traffic.

Review Main and Hutton Street intersection to make it more pedestrian friendly.

Closing the drive next to the Bandshell area (Main to Mary Alexander Court), and assess the impact to parking, access to the Cady Deck, and impact to deliveries to businesses backing up to Mary Alexander Court.

Offer general recommendations to improve downtown area pedestrian movement and safety.

Prepare report and present findings and recommendations to the City Council.

The project’s estimated cost is $28,500, including report presentations. The FY2002 DDA budget includes $20,000, which could be used this study. The remaining $8,500 would come from the budgeted funds for the reconstruction of Cady Street, with a request for additional funds for Cady Street proposed for FY2003.

Council Comments/Discussion: Discussion focused on the identified traffic issues and the fact that the traffic study is an effective tool to assist in understanding vehicular and traffic flow issues in the downtown. Staff was authorized to pursue a request for proposal from HRC to study downtown parking management issues, with a focus on guiding people toward the least used parking areas.

Motion Ayers, seconded by Swigart to award a contract to Hubbell, Roth and Clark, Inc. in the amount of $28,500 for professional services necessary to perform a comprehensive Transportation/Traffic Engineering Study for Downtown Northville, in order to provide the City with recommendations and guidelines necessary to undertake desired changes to downtown streets, subject to DDA approval for the expenditure of $20,000 of DDA funds. Motion carried unanimously.

For many years, the City has planned to develop the remaining portion of Rural Hill Cemetery, which is located entirely within Northville Township. In May 2001 the Northville Township Board of Trustees adopted a new ordinance governing cemeteries. The City has since requested a proposal from Land Planning and Design Associates, a firm that specializes in cemetery planning and design. The firm gathered a professional team to undertake this project and proposes that the City proceed with the expansion design in two stages: 1) development of a conceptual Cemetery Master Plan, and 2) design of the cemetery for formal site plan approval and design drawings for construction. Master Plan development elements include on-site investigations, tree assessments, evaluation and identification of sensitive wetlands, development of an optimum circulation plan, an optimum traditional mausoleum/columbarium layout plan, and tree removal and replacement strategies.

Upon presentation of the Master Plan to City Council in December 2001, the City would begin Stage Two and move forward to the formal site plan approval process with the Northville Township Planning Commission and the Township Zoning Board of Appeals for a tree ordinance variance. Funding for the Stage One planning and design process has been included in the FY 2001 budget.

Council Comments / Discussion: A comment noted that the cemetery design should be of a Victorian concept, while addressing neighbor impact, wetlands, and trees.

Motion Swigart, seconded by Ayers to award professional service contracts for the Rural Hill Cemetery Master Plan Approval Process / Stage One to:

Land Planning and Design Associates, Inc. and Johnson Hill Associates, Inc. $21,500

McNeely and Lincoln Associates, Inc. $12,210

William Lawrence, Forester $ 6,500

Project Total $40,210

Motion carried unanimously.

The construction of a new roadway into Rural Hill Cemetery will include a new full-depth asphalt pavement with concrete curb and gutter, as well as two drive approaches to Northville Laboratories, and a Wayne County approved connection to Hines Drive. Bids received on May 24, 2001 were as follows:

Barrett Paving Materials Inc. $134,262.45 Metropolitan Asphalt $163,377.00

Thompson-McCully Co. $135,502.10 Pro-Line Asphalt $169,922.55

Detroit Concrete Products $145,531.75 Major Cement Co. $205,737.65

Cadillac Asphalt Paving $153,079.60

Funds for the construction of this roadway will come from a special escrow account set up by Northville Laboratories. Northville Lab has agreed to fund the cost of this road in exchange for a parcel of land directly east of Rural Hill Drive, as approved by the City Council several years ago.

Council Comments / Discussion: It was noted that Northville Laboratories has proposed a quality project which will use the property to construct three smaller size buildings designed for office use, with a possible retail store marketing their flavoring products. A further question was asked relative to Fairbrook/Hines Drive street name designation.

Motion Mittman, seconded by Hartshorne to, subject to a signed agreement with Northville Laboratories, L.L.C., award a contract to Barrett Paving Materials, Inc. in the amount of $134,262.45 for the construction of Rural Hill Drive from Fairbrook (Hines Drive) to the City bridge over Johnson Creek. Further, the City Manager is authorized to sign a contract for this project on behalf of the City. Motion carried unanimously.

Mittman distributed copies of the City of Northville Master Plan / Land Use Plan map for discussion relative to areas designated as "Parks and Open Spaces". It was suggested that the various parcels be reviewed in order to establish a plan to formally designate certain areas as "park" land, with the possibility of providing more landscaping, equipment, and resident access, in the future, as appropriate. Areas discussed included Maplewood/Hill, Center Street/North Ely, City Hall/Cady, and Novi Street/Allen Drive. Questions were raised relative to the legality of designating areas as "parks" and the process to determine actual parcel ownership. Following further discussion, the Mayor requested the City Manager work with an appointed committee, which would include one member each from the Planning Commission, the Parks and Recreation Commission, and the City Council, to review these areas and make a recommendation to the City Council.

B. Staff Communications None.

There being no further business to come before Council, the meeting was adjourned.

Respectfully submitted,

Dianne Massa

City Clerk