Staff:     P. Messmer, J. Lampman, Highway Division; C. Nelson, Public Works Administration; E. Marx, Administration; Crystal Buck, Planning; F. Proto, Legislature; R. Nicholas, Ithaca Tompkins Airport; M. Robertson; Legislature, K. Fuller, Recorder

Called to Order

 Mr. Booth called the meeting to order at 2:00 p.m.

1)Additions/Deletions to Agenda

 Ms. Kiefer requested that an item regarding personnel reclassification at the airport be added to the agenda.  She said the item had been discussed at the Budget and Capital meeting held earlier in the day and she felt that items concerning the departments and agencies should be notified to the program committee as well.  Mr. Booth stated it may be discussed when Mr. Nicholas, Airport Manager, was present later in the meeting.

There were no deletions from the agenda.

2)  Chair's Report

 Mr. Booth, reminded members of the joint Committee meeting of  Budget and Capital, Planning, Development and Environmental Quality, and Facilities and Infrastructure meeting on March 30, 2004 at 3:00 p.m. to discuss the future of the Ithaca Tompkins Regional Airport.

3)  Persons Wishing to Address the Committee

 No persons wished to address the Committee.

4)  Minutes of March 9, 2004

 It was MOVED by Mr. Winch, seconded by Ms. Kiefer, and unanimously voted by members present to accept the minutes of March 9, 2004, as amended.

5)  2004 Goals

 Members of the Committee reviewed the 2004 Goals.  Ms. Kiefer inquired whether any specific timeframe should be indicated on several items.  Mr. Booth stated he feels it is not necessary to indicate a time frame.

Mr. Lane arrived at this time.

It was MOVED by Ms. Schuler, seconded by Mr. Winch and unanimously voted by members, to approve the 2004 Goals as presented.

6)  Mandates and Locally Controlled Spending

 Members of the Committee discussed the topics of mandates and locally controlled spending, and received a definition sheet (prepared as a result of Budget and Capital Committee discussions) describing them.  Mr. Booth indicated that a suggestion was made that perhaps a percentage of buildings used to house mandated responsibilities should be included when determining the County costs for satisfying the mandates.  The Committee spoke of how it is important to consider the net and gross cost of common areas as well.  Mr. Marx said in some instances the cost of facilities for mandated services is included, however, some departments do not have this cost included.  Mr. Booth inquired whether the Committee should request from Mr. LeMaro a determination of what portion of County facilities would fall under a "mandated costs" classification.  Mr. Lane indicated he did not feel that Mr. LeMaro should utilize his time to determine the figure, indicating he recalled a study had previously been done on the departmental costs of a building.  He feels it would be difficult for the public to understand the process involved to determine calculations.  Mr. Winch disagreed with Mr. Lane, stating that he had done similar cost analysis for ten years in his previous employment and received a great deal of funding as a result of these calculations.  Mr. LeMaro indicated that there are some buildings that he already provides this type of information to the State.

 It was MOVED by Mr. Winch, seconded by Ms. Kiefer, to direct Mr. LeMaro to provide a break-out of costs per building that should be designated as mandated costs (i.e., the 1620 and 1621 budget lines).  A voice vote resulted as follows:  Ayes - 4; Noes - 1 (Legislator Lane).  MOTION APPROVED.

 A discussion took place regarding and whether the same break-out process should be done regarding Information Technology Services (ITS) Department.  Consensus of the Committee was that Mr. Potter, Director of this department should be asked if he feels it would be worthwhile to break-out figures for work and equipment provided by ITS to be included in the County's assessment of costs for providing mandated services.

 The last item discussed was to determine whether roads/highways should be included under mandated services.  Mr. Booth indicated that at this time the Budget and Capital Committee was not inclined to move in that direction.  Mr. Winch believes some of the responsibilities of the Tompkins County Highway Division are dictated by New York State law.   Mr. Booth said certain road and bridge costs  are clearly not mandated responsibilities; however, he felt it would be difficult to categorize the costs of this division as mandated or non-mandated costs.  Ms. Kiefer felt that during the process of determining whether work should be considered mandated it may be prudent to speak to the County Attorney as well.  Mr. Marx said the State created the counties as a way to provide certain government services and functions, and highways are a major portion of the responsibilities assigned to local government.  He feels there is the potential to consider highway and bridge costs a mandate.

7)  Space Use Master Plan

 Ms. Buck, Planner, presented an overview of the downtown portion of the Tompkins County Space Use Master Plan that the Space Needs and Location Committee has worked on for the past several years.  She provided copies of the draft plan and maps that indicated several options available for considering the needs of County Departments.  Ms. Buck spoke of the Committee's need to fit the right departments into the right buildings to be the most cost-effective, and to provide the most logical and convenient services for the public.  Ms. Buck said the Space Needs and Location Committee determined that Alternative 2 and Alternative 4 were the most logical options for closer review.  The first alternative placed the center of county government in the Old Library, and the second placed that center in a new building located on the corner of Buffalo and Tioga Street.  She said the plans chosen combine departments in a positive manner and keep the cost low versus other alternatives offered.  Ms. Buck noted that the Space Needs and Location Committee is also reviewing the potential of building a new building on the Old Library site if it is determined that the renovations would be too costly.  The Committee raised a number of questions and discussed the information provided.

8) Appointment to Hillview Road Landfill Citizens Advisory Committee

 It was MOVED by Ms. Schuler, seconded by Ms. Kiefer, and unanimously adopted by voice vote of members present, to submit the following appointment to the full Legislature for approval:

Hillview Road Landfill Citizens Advisory Council
Brian Caldwell - term to expire December 31, 2006.

9) Highway Realignment Plan

Mr. Marx reported on the functional classifications of highways for Tompkins County and provided information on specific roads/highways whose classification will  change.  The amended reclassification plan was presented to the MPO and subsequently the Department of Transportation (DOT).  Mr. Marx said the DOT did not respond favorably to a number of the changes recommended.  Following the meeting with DOT officials a working group was formed to review the list of reclassification recommendations, and a priority list of changes was developed by the Planning Department , the MPO, and the Highway Division.  This list will be reviewed by  the DOT in Syracuse; it currently includes upgrades to all or a portion of the following roads:  Perry City Road, Game Farm Road, West Dryden Road, Salt Road, Portland Point Road.  In addition, a downgrade was recommended for Old Peruville Road, and the recommendation for Millard Hill Road was not considered.  Mr. Marx indicated the State has been hesitant to reclassify road and highways for several reasons, including the limited funding available from the Federal government and the desire to be certain that the residents of the local community were in agreement with decisions to reclassify certain roads.  The DOT indicated that in the future local planning tools should be utilized to preserve the classification of roads within the County.  Mr. Winch said he was disappointed a reclassification for Millard Hill Road was not considered.

10) Sebring Road

Mr. Messmer reported that he inspected the portion of Sebring Road in Newfield that a resident was concerned about.  He said the condition index is a 4.4 out of a possible 10; the surface stress is 4.6; and the structural adequacy index is high.  He said the overall structure is not bad; however, the pavement is worn.  Mr. Messmer said that the condition of this road is not unlike many other areas of the County, and Sebring Road will be placed on the prioritized schedule of upcoming work for repair.  Mr. Booth requested that a copy of the Sebring Road assessment be placed on file for future reference.  It was suggested that a summary of the process of road repair be placed on the website for the Highway Division to assist in public education.

11) Authorizing Acceptance of SOARS Grant

RESOLUTION NO.             - AUTHORIZING ACCEPTANCE OF A STATEWIDE OPPORTUNITIES FOR AIRPORT REVITALIZATION (SOARs) GRANT FROM THE NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION (NYSDOT) – TO ASSIST WITH OUR 2003 APPLICATION FOR FEDERAL SMALL COMMUNITY AIR SERVICE GRANT – ITHACA TOMPKINS REGIONAL AIRPORT (PIN  3902.52.001)

 It was MOVED by Ms. Kiefer, seconded by Ms. Schuler, to present the following resolution to the full Legislature for approval.  A voice vote resulted as follows:  Ayes - 4; Noes - 0; Excused - 1 (Legislator Winch temporarily out of room).

Note:  The resolution passed by the committee specified $9,500 as the amount of the grant; subsequently the grant came in for $10,000 and will be presented to the full Legislature with the amended figure.

      WHEREAS, New York State Department of Transportation has offered a grant under the State SOARs program to help with the costs of putting together our 2003 application for the Federal Small Community Air Service grant program, and
     WHEREAS, said Federal grant program is designed to assist small communities with improving their air service, increasing airline competition and lowering airfares, and
     WHEREAS, said NYSDOT grant may be used to offset the costs associated with consultant services used in putting together last year’s unsuccessful application, now therefore be it
     RESOLVED, on recommendation of the Facilities and Infrastructure Committee, That the NYSDOT grant of $9,500 be and hereby is accepted and that the County Administrator is authorized to execute the required documents.
SEQR ACTION: TYPE II-20

Explanatory Note :

The New York Aviation Management Association (NYAMA) has been lobbying for some time to have state legislators create a program that would assist airports that are experiencing difficulties in maintaining air service and recruiting new airlines. The SOARs program does just that. In this case it will offset last year’s consultant fees and hopefully, may be a source of funding for costs associated with this year’s application.

12) Meeting with Senator Schumer

Mr. Lane reported that at a meeting of the Chamber of Commerce with Senator Schumer,  the Senator spoke of the possibility of making either Ithaca, Elmira, or Binghamton into a regional airport or creating a new airport.  Mr. Lane is troubled by the statement; he perceives Syracuse as the regionalairport and believes if another were built it would be underutilized.  Senator Schumer also made a point of complimenting Mr. Nicholas for his assistance in the air service field.

Mr. Nicholas said that the combined Central New York airports serve approximately 350,000 passengers and that it seemed unlikely that building another airport would provide any substantial difference in service.  He does not feel the Federal Aviation Authority would make such a huge investment when it would not be more beneficial than what presently exists.

13) Reclassification of Positions - Ithaca/Tompkins Regional Airport

Ms. Kiefer said that at the recent Budget and Capital Committee meeting she became aware of two reclassifications for airport personnel and inquired when and how they were initiated.  Mr. Nicholas explained that his assistant manager was underpaid due to increased responsibilities for the new security measures and he initially sought a reclassification for this reason.  Upon reviewing the matter, he also realized that his position was also underpaid.  Ms. Fitzpatrick, Personnel Commissioner reviewed the matter and recommended both upgrades.  It was requested that in the future the Committee be made aware of personnel matters such as this.

14) Town of Dryden Snow Removal

Mr. Lane disclosed prior to discussions that Mr. Bush, Town of Dryden Highway Supervisor, is a cousin.

Members of the Committee discussed a letter received from the Town of Dryden Highway Supervisor discussing the Snow and Ice Agreement for 2004 - 2006.  Mr. Messmer informed the Committee that the changes proposed by Dryden would cause the County's snow and ice budget to increase.  This proposal suggests the Town of Dryden would take over plowing of several roadways that are currently done by the County (thereby producing revenue for the County that offsets payments to Dryden for their coverage of other areas).  Mr. Messmer indicated that Mr. Bush has suggested that if the proposal were not acceptable Dryden would not continue to plow County roads.  Mr. Messmer said it would be possible for the County to pick up the areas now plowed by Dryden and would not create significant hardship to the County Highway Division.  In response to an inquiry, Mr. Messmer said that although requested to meet in person with Mr. Bush he has not yet agreed to do so.  Mr. Messmer has counter-offers to present to Mr. Bush if he does to meet with him; if an agreement cannot be reached, Mr. Messmer would add another plow route.  Ms. Robertson inquired whether the County rate per mile is more or less than the Town of Dryden rate and was informed the County rate is less.  Ms. Kiefer said the intermunicipal highway sub-group has identified the goal of keeping down taxpayers costs.  She hoped that it would be helpful to inform Mr. Bush about the costs associated with his proposal.  Consensus of the Committee was to have Mr. Messmer meet with Mr. Bush to determine if a mutual agreement can be reached.

15) Highway Project Status

Members reviewed the Highway Projects Status Report and noted the following:

· Red Mill Bridge - a meeting will take place with SHPO and the County will present its position that D2 is not a desirable alternative.  The preferred option is to place a new bridge on the existing alignment, with historic mitigation.  If SHPO chooses to push the D2 option, it may mean the Town of Dryden may choose to do nothing.
· Freese Road Bridge - work will take place next week to repair some steel angle iron and provide two galvanized guardrails at the request of the Town.
· North Triphammer Road/Asbury Road Intersection - the Highway Department and Economy Paving are finalizing plans for the solar-powered flashing beacons at the intersection.  The cost is $24,465 versus the estimated $20,000 for conventional beacons; however, the cost savings will accrue through reduced operational costs.
· CR 105, McLean Cortland Road and Bridge - work is progressing and it is anticipated the appraisals will be reviewed by NYSDOT and the necessary rights-of-way will be obtained shortly thereafter.  The County Attorney will be kept apprised of this project as it progresses.
· Bridge Painting - due to hazardous waste disposal additional fees were expended for the special handling of removed paint.
· Regional Consultant List - this list has been developed and includes fifteen firms that may be utilized for projects.

16) 2004 Summer Maintenance Work Plan

Members of the Committee received a copy of the 2004 Summer Maintenance Work Plan.

17) Adjournment

 The regular meeting adjourned at 4:00 p.m.

Respectfully submitted, Karen Fuller, Deputy Clerk.