R2003-65 AUTHORIZING AGREEMENT - Laserfiche WebLink

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Page two April 24, 2003 The possibility of the City and the Park District working together to again start this project was discussed between Stephen Swanson, the City's Director of Engineering & Infrastructure, and William Clevenger, the Park District Director. The need to improve the access to the cargo facility area has continued to increase and improvements to Twin Bridge Road and its' intersection with Route 36 are needed to better accommodate truck traffic. The needed improvements may be reasonably anticipated, but the improvements associated with the intersection at Route 36 will require the approval from the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT). This will require that a study be completed and approved by IDOT before proceeding with any design. It was decided that a private consultant would be needed to perform the study, because such a study is more than the staffs of the City and the District can undertake and complete in a reasonable time frame. For this reason, it was decided that professional consultant would be used to do the study when funding could be found. The City and the District made a joint application to the Decatur Urban Area Transportation Study (DUATS) to obtain funding for the study. DUATS approved a Surface Transportation Program Urban (STPU) grant for the project. The grant funds 80 percent of the study which was estimated to cost $40,000. The City and District would each contribute 10 percent towards the cost of the study. A Request for Qualifications and Proposals was prepared by City and District staff and sent to consultants considered to have the professional expertise and the interest to perform the study. Eight consultants submitted proposals in response to the request. The eight proposals were reviewed by the City and the District and a decision was made to interview three firms for the project. The firms of Blank, Wesselink Cook & Associates; Homer L. Chastain & Associates; and Hanson Professional Services Inc. were interviewed by City and Park District staff. The interview panel selected Homer L. Chastain & Associates to do the study. The final selection was based on each firm's project understanding, experience and its assigned staff's direct experience with similar studies. In the process of negotiating the agreement, Stephen Swanson, and Gene Marcinkowski, Airport Director, met with a representative of the Village of Long Creek to discuss the project and to obtain any input or interest the village may have in the project. The section of roadway between Route 36 and Ocean Trail Drive is in the Village, but the Village's interest in the project is very limited. This short segment of roadway may be a candidate for a jurisdictional transfer between the City and the Village at some time in the future. The City and District staff have negotiated an agreement between the City of Decatur, the Decatur Park District and Chastain (copy attached). The study will essentially result in a intersection design study for use in determining the improvements to Twin Bridge Road and its' intersection with Route 36. The cost of the study is not to exceed the amount of $43,765. A request has been made to DUATS to increase the amount of funding for this project. This request has been approved. The Decatur Park District Board has approved the agreement with Homer L. Chastain & Associates. POTENTIAL OBJECTION: There are no known objections to this matter.