SAFETY ADVISORY AND TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE

The Safety Advisory and Transportation Committee Meeting was held on October 27, 2004, at 7:05 p.m. with Chairman Ritter presiding. Mr. Pitts was present. Mr. Carey, Mr. Lakeman and Mr. Simmons were absent. Mr. Sadusky was also present. Due to the lack of a quorum, no official action was taken.

The invocation was given by Mr. Pitts, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance.

AGENDA ADDITIONS/DELETIONS

Mr. Ritter and Mr. Pitts accepted the agenda as presented.

Update - Sidewalk Repair and Replacement Program (Requested 3-Month Update during Committee Meeting of July 14, 2004)

Mr. Koenig, Director of Public Works, provided members with an updated list of sidewalk repairs and the guidelines used to catagorize these repairs. Mr. Koenig briefed members on the status of the repairs and advised them that the list does not include the amount of concrete necessary to complete a specific area; however, in the future he plans to update this sheet to reflect this information for budgeting purposes. Mr. Koenig stated that the concrete crew worked on this project from July until approximately October 15, 2004; however, the crew has now begun its leaf collection duties. There is $40,000 budgeted for this project and, to date, $15,000 has been expended. Mr. Koenig stated that he is considering issuing a Unit Quantity Contract over the winter to address the Category I List. Since this contract will be below $25,000, it will not require approval by Council. Responding to Mr. Ritter, Mr. Koenig advised that he will provide the updated list and the status of this contract in mid-February or March. Mr. Koenig stated that his priority is to spend this year’s $40,000 prior to requesting additional funds.

Review of Map/Chart of Incidents of Crime (Requested during Special Committee Meeting of September 22, 2004)

Police Chief Horvath provided members with several handouts and made available two corresponding maps. He advised members that the City is divided into four sectors. St. Jones River, which splits the City in half from north to south and Division Street, which divides the City in half from east to west. He noted that each sector is then broken down into sections. Chief Horvath stated that Captain Sammons would work with Mr. Speicher of Planning and Inspections to provide the maps in an electronic format for distribution to the committee.

Responding to Mr. Sadusky, Chief Horvath stated that his department is able to provide Council members with crime incident data for specific areas when they are going to Neighborhood Watch Meetings.

Responding to Mr. Ritter, Chief Horvath stated that there are sex offenders in Delaware which require registration and community notification under Megan’s Law. He stated that a Community Policing Officer could provide information on the tiers of Megan’s Law at a future meeting.

Chief Horvath, responding to Mr. Ritter, stated that false alarms continue to be a problem and the system is not working as well as they had hoped. He stated that, in one month, he would like to present information on a new system that he would like to implement.

Legal Opinions - Towing of Illegally Parked Cars on Undedicated Roads, Staff Entering Private Property to Tag Abandoned Vehicles, and Requiring Vehicles to Park on Paved Surface (Requested during Committee Meeting of September 29, 2004 - Review of Procedure for Towing Illegally Parked Cars)

Mr. Ritter stated that, according to the legal opinion received from the City Solicitor, Mr. Rodriguez, the City of Dover code already addresses the above-mentioned concerns.

Responding to Mr. Pitts, Mr. Galvin, Director of Planning and Inspections, advised the committee that inspections of rental properties are being performed on a regular basis.

Report by Director of Public Works on Transportation Enhancement Grant - Completion of Loockerman Street Project (Requested during Committee Meeting of October 13, 2004)

Mr. Koenig provided a copy of the Letter of Intent to apply for a Transportation Enhancement Grant for the Loockerman Street Gateway project, which was sent to DelDOT in October 2002. As a result, DelDOT was prompted to initiate the Loockerman Street Bridge Sidewalk project. There have also been improvements to lighting in this area. Mr. Koenig stated that, although Loockerman Street is important, he and Mr. DePrima, City Manager, have concerns with reapplying for the Transportation Enhancement Grant at this time since the City currently has many priorities and projects. Mr. Koenig stated that the time commitment required of City staff and the twenty percent match required for this project should also be considered. He noted that if there is interest at the Council level to move forward with this project, he and Mr. DePrima would reformat the scope and request the State to evaluate the project for a cost estimate. Mr. Ritter requested Mr. Koenig to review the Transportation Priority List and see where the items in the letter would best fit into this list and bring it back to the committee at the next meeting.

Mr. Ritter adjourned the meeting.

Meeting Adjourned at 8:34 P.M.

Respectfully submitted,

Robert G. Ritter, Jr.

Chairman

RGR/rfm

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