A meeting of the Highway Committee of the DeKalb County Board met on Thursday December 6, 2007 at 6:00pm in the Conference Room of the DeKalb County Highway Department, DeKalb, Illinois.  

Chairperson LaVigne called the meeting to order at 6:00pm.  Committee members present were, Mr. Anderson, Vice-Chair Augsburger, and Mr. Stoddard.  Also present were Mr. Bill Lorence, County Engineer, Wayne Davey, Support Services Manager, James Quinn, Operations Manager and Gregg Millburg, Farm Bureau.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES:

Motion made by Mr. Anderson and seconded by Mr. Stoddard to approve the minutes of the regular November 8, 2007 meeting.  The motion to approve the minutes carried unanimously. 

APPROVAL OF AGENDA:

Motion made by Vice-Chair Augsburger to approve the agenda and Mr. Anderson seconded this motion.  The motion carried unanimously to approve the agenda as presented.

PUBLIC COMMENT:  There was no public comment. 

AWARD RESOLUTION FOR THE 2008 GENERAL COUNTY LETTING:   

Mr. Lorence explained to the Committee that bids were taken for the 2008 General County Letting.  This is a yearly event where the County requests bids from local vendors to supply the County and all Road Districts with set prices for certain road maintenance materials.  These materials range from aggregate to bituminous patching material to liquid Calcium Chloride.  Once all bids have been reviewed the County awards to all bidders.   Whichever vendor provides the lowest cost to a particular project, that vendor will supply the FOB product for that project.  Prices went up slightly this year, averaging between 2-3% over 2007 prices.  Mr. Lorence recommended that all bids be recommended to the full County Board.  A motion was made by Mr. Stoddard and seconded by Vice-Chair Augsburger to forward the award resolution to the full County Board recommending approval.  The motion carried unanimously.

AWARD RESOLUTION FOR THE REPLACEMENT OF ONE TANDEM:

Mr. Lorence explained to the Committee that bids were taken for the replacement of one 1994 Ford LTS8000 Tandem.  The County received four bids from three vendors and none of the vendors met the specifications that were requested in the bid documents.  However, Chicago International Trucks from Chicago, Illinois provided the lowest bid with specifications that were within the range the Highway Department could live with.  With the acceptance of this bid the Department would not have to stock any additional new parts or supplies because there is already an International in our fleet.  The truck bid by Chicago International meets the requested peak torque specifications, which is very important when using our vehicles to push snow.  Mr. Lorence recommended awarding this bid to Chicago International Trucks in the amount of $67,075.00 to include the requested warranty options.   A motion was made by Mr. Anderson and seconded by Mr. Stoddard to forward the award resolution to the full County Board recommending approval.  The motion carried unanimously.

MFT RESOLUTION FOR 2008 SALARY AND EQUIPMENT RENTAL:

Mr. Lorence informed the Committee each year the County utilizes a portion of their MFT allocation to pay for new equipment and salaries.  The salaries can only be paid with MFT funds for operations that pertain to roadway maintenance.  All other functions must be paid for from the Highway Department general fund.  In order for the County to utilize any MFT funds the full County Board must approve this utilization and the State must authorize it.  This resolution will accomplish and satisfy this requirement.  Mr. Lorence recommended approval of this resolution in the amount of $765,740.00.  A motion was made by Vice-Chair Augsburger and seconded by Mr. Stoddard to forward the MFT resolution to the full County Board recommending approval.  The motion carried unanimously.

RESOLUTION FOR PRELIMINARY ENGINEERING SERVICES AGREEMENT FOR THE BRIDGE OVER SOMONAUK CREEK LOCATED ON SUYDAM ROAD 0.5 MILES WEST OF SANDWICH:

Mr. Lorence presented the Committee with the Preliminary Engineering Agreement for the deck replacement of the bridge over the Somonauk Creek located on Suydam Road, 0.5 miles west of Sandwich, across from the golf course.  This project is scheduled for FY-2009 and requires the services of a Structural Engineer in order to be completed.  Mr. Lorence recommended the firm of Fehr-Graham & Associated LLC for this project.  The not to exceed amount for this project is $82,000.00 for their services.  Fehr-Graham will prepare all the necessary reports, permits, plans and surveys for this project.  .  A motion was made by Vice-Chair Augsburger and seconded by Mr. Anderson to forward the resolution to the full County Board recommending approval.  The motion carried unanimously.

RESOLUTION FOR PRELIMINARY ENGINEERING SERVICES AGREEMENT FOR THE BRIDGE OVER THE SOUTH BRANCH OF THE KISHWAUKEE RIVER LOCATED ON FIVE POINTS ROAD:

Mr. Lorence presented the Committed with the Preliminary Engineering Agreement for the complete bridge replacement of the current bridge over the South Branch of the Kishwaukee River located on Five Points Road just north of IL Route 72 and the Village of Kingston.  This project is scheduled for FY-2011 or 2012 timeframe and requires the services of a Structural Engineer in order to be completed.  Mr. Lorence recommended the firm of Hutchison Engineering, Inc for this project.  The not to exceed amount for this project is $233,000.00 for their services.  This project is a more complex project than the one on Suydam Road and will require sidewalk, curb and gutter and impact

 studies to be completed.  The County is requesting Federal money for this project, as the initial estimate is over one million dollars.  Federal funds would be an 80/20 split with the Federal funds covering 80% of this project to include the cost of the preliminary engineering.  Hutchison Engineering will prepare all the necessary reports, permits, plans, studies and surveys for this project.   A motion was made by Vice-Chair Augsburger and seconded by Mr. Anderson to forward the resolution to the full County Board recommending approval.  The motion carried unanimously.

CHAIR’S COMMENTS:            Chairperson LaVigne requested Mr. Lorence inform the Committee of the recent accident on Rimsnider Road.  Mr. Lorence stated that on Tuesday two people lost their lives on Rimsnider Road just north of Duffy Road in Squaw Grove Road District when their vehicle struck a cement bridge abutment.  The cause of the accident is unknown as to why the vehicle struck the bridge.  No structural damage was evident and the bridge was cleared to be re-opened to truck traffic.

COUNTY ENGINEER’S COMMENTS: 

The Transportation Improvement Progress Report for December was provided to the Committee for their review.  The highlighted projects on the December report were discussed.  Shabbona Road bridge project is listed as 100% completed, however seeding needs to be accomplished in the spring.   Work is beginning on the Perry Road Bridges and the Committee started the process tonight for the Five Points Road and Suydam Road bridges.  Progress continues on the right-of-way acquisition for Glidden Road.  The States Attorney’s Office has indicated they are in the process of proceeding with the eminent domain proceedings concerning the Anderson property.

Mr. Lorence distributed the 2007-2008 Snow Removal Policy to the Committee for their information. 

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: None

ADJOURNMENT:

Chair LaVigne inquired if there was anything else that needed to be brought before the Committee and hearing none asked for a motion to adjourn.  A motion was made by Mr. Anderson to adjourn and Vice-Chair Augsburger seconded this motion.  The motion passed unanimously and the December 6, 2007 meeting was adjourned at 6:40p.m. 

Respectfully Submitted

Patricia LaVigne

Chairperson