A meeting of the Highway Committee of the DeKalb County Board was held on Thursday, October 4, 2012 at 6:00pm in the Conference Room of the DeKalb County Highway Department, DeKalb, Illinois.  

Chairman Gudmunson called the meeting to order at 6:00pm.  Committee members present were Vice Chair Augsburger, Mr. Brown, Mr. Cribben, Mr. Deverell and Mr. Foster.   Others present were Mr. Nathan Schwartz, County Engineer and Wayne Davey, Support Services Manager, Jim Quinn, Operations Manager from the Highway Department; Mr. Gary Hanson, Deputy County Administrator and Mr. Tom Zucker, Executive Director TRANSVAC.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES:

Motion made by Mr. Cribben and seconded by Mr. Foster to approve the minutes of the regular September 6, 2012 meeting.  The motion to approve the minutes carried unanimously. 

APPROVAL OF AGENDA:

Motion made by Mr. Brown and seconded by Vice Chair Augsburger to approve the agenda as presented.   Discussion followed to amend the agenda by adding Resolution #R2012-68 Authorizing the Execution and Amendment of Downstate Operating Assistance Grant Agreement as new item 1 and renumbering the remaining items accordingly.  Vice Chair Augsburger moved to amend the agenda as requested and Mr. Deverell seconded the motion.  The motion passed unanimously.  Motion to approve the agenda as amended carried unanimously.

PUBLIC COMMENT:   None

RESOLUTION #R2012-68 – AUTHORIZATION TO EXECUTE AND AMEND THE DOWNSTATE OPERATING ASSITANCE GRANT AGREEMENT:

Mr. Zucker explained he had just received approval of the operating grant submitted earlier by TRANSVAC.  The next step is for the County to grant approval to the Deputy County Administrator to sign or execute the grant.  This is a pass through grant administered by TRANSVAC with oversight by the County through the Finance Department.  These funds are used for the daily operation of TRANSVAC with no additional cost to the County.   A motion was made by Vice Chair Augsburger and seconded by Mr. Cribben to forward the resolution to the full County Board recommending approval.  The motion passed unanimously. 

BUDGET APPEAL:           

Mr. Foster presented a FY 2013 Budget Appeal submitted by County Board Member, Mr. Newport, for the deletion of one new Dump Truck and one new pickup truck from the Highway Department’s recommended budget.  Mr. Schwartz provided an overview of all equipment being recommended for replacement during 2013 and provided the rational for said replacement.  Mr. Foster made a motion to support Mr. Newport’s appeal but modified it by leaving the pick-up truck in the budget and removing the utility truck and giving the Department Head the latitude to choose which Dump Truck is to be replaced during 2013.  Clarification was provided for the funds budgeted for the equipment being removed from the 2013 budget.  Those funds would remain in the Highway Department’s budget and if the additional equipment is needed during the year the equipment needs could be revisited at a later time.  A roll call vote was taken with Vice Chair Augsburger casting a no vote and Mr. Brown, Mr. Cribben, Mr. Deverell, Mr. Foster and Chairman Gudmunson voting yes.  Motion carried by 5 yes votes to one no vote.

CHAIRMAN’S COMMENTS:  Chairman Gudmunson commented on Somonauk Road resurfacing project and that citizens he had spoken with were pleased with the results.  It appeared to be a good construction season with the seal coat project being completed during the hot weather and this resurfacing project being done while the weather a bit cooler.

Mr. Foster inquired into the number of miles in the County that are currently posted as an 80,000 pound truck route.  Mr. Schwartz provided Mr. Foster with that information and also informed him that information is available on the County’s web site as well.

Mr. Foster requested clarification for the fee being charged by the County for the installation of culverts within the County’s right-of-way.  Mr. Schwartz indicated the County continues to charge a five dollar administration fee for the permit to install a culvert within the County’s right-of-way.  The County’s past policy was to charge the landowner for the cost of pipe and aggregate needed for the installation and the County would install the culvert if requested to do so by the land owner at no cost.  In order to improve efficiency and place more attention to addressing problems on the roadway itself, the County no longer is installing culverts.  The installation will be the responsibility of the landowners with the County providing final approval of the installation when complete.  Culverts currently can still be purchased from the Highway Department provided the requested culvert is in stock and not designated for a particular project.

Mr. Cribben requested that the Highway Department’s current fee schedule be placed on the agenda for review by the Committee at a later date.

COUNTY ENGINEER’S COMMENTS: 

Mr. Schwartz presented the Transportation Improvement Progress Report for the month of September.  Bethany Road Bridge is on schedule to be let during November of this year.  It is still the plan to have the deck replaced and the road opened before the end of the year.  The approaches will have to remain gravel until the hot-mix plants open next spring, but at least the road will be open to traffic again.  Chicago Road is complete except for some paperwork.  East County Line Road, Five Points Road, and Hortense Street bridges continue to move forward.  Hortense Street Bridge has the beams removed and timber piles encased in concrete.  The new beams should be
placed on October 9, 2012 and the bridge is scheduled to be opened within a couple of weeks after that. 

Somonauk Road from Illinois Route 34 north to Chicago Road is nearing completion.  The Department did receive some complaints about the priming operation and those complaints have been forwarded to the Contractor for resolution.  It is the Contractor’s responsibility to address those concerns.  The project should be completed in the next week or so depending on the weather and the project looks good.

Mr. Gudmunson inquired into project number 23 – Suydam Road Bridge over Buck Branch.  Mr. Schwartz stated this project is currently awaiting a funding slot.  Bridges with a higher need for replacement might push this project back by a year or so. 

Mr. Brown inquired if there was any movement on Keslinger Road Bridge.  Mr. Schwartz indicated no meeting had taken place yet but was expecting one would occur in the near future.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS:   None presented.

ADJOURNMENT:

Chair Gudmunson asked if there was anything further that needed to be discussed and hearing none asked for a motion to adjourn.  A motion was made by Vice Chair Augsburger and seconded by Mr. Brown to adjourn.  The motion passed unanimously and the October 4, 2012 meeting was adjourned at 7:50pm.

                                                                        Respectfully Submitted,

                                                                        John Gudmunson
                                                                        Chairperson