HomeMy WebLinkAboutMarch 21, 2024 - 260th Regular Minutes signedMINUTES OF THE 260th REGULAR MEETING OF THE PLYMOUTH ROAD
DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF LIVONIA
The 260th Regular Meeting of the Plymouth Road Development Authority of the
City of Livonia, Michigan, was called to order at 3:00 p.m., Thursday, March 21,
2024, in the 5th-floor Gallery of City Hall.
Members Present:
Members Absent:
Others Present:
Maureen Miller Brosnan, Mayor
Dan Laible, Chair
Susan Harvey, Vice -Chair
Jeremy Curtis
John Hiltz
Patrick Mies
Stephanie Roehl Blatt
Omar Faris
Mark Taormina, Economic Development & Planning Director
Mike Slater, Director of Finance
Debbie Lichtenberg, Director of Finance
Jacob Uhazie, Assistant Planning Director
Stephanie Reece, Planning Program Supervisor
Doug Moore, City of Livonia DPW, Assistant Director
Robert Bywalec, D & B Landscaping
Rhett Gronevelt, OHM
1. Roll was called. A quorum was present.
2. Audience Communication. None
3. Adoption of the Minutes.
On a motion made by Hiltz, seconded by Harvey, and unanimously adopted,
it was:
#2024-01 RESOLVED, that the Plymouth Road Development Authority
does hereby approve the Minutes of the 259th Regular Meeting held on
November 9, 2023.
Mr. Laible, Chairman, declared the motion is carried and the foregoing
resolution adopted.
4. Financial Reports — October 2023 through January 2024. Mr. Slater
started by introducing the new Director of Finance, Debbie Lichtenberg. Mr.
Laible stated that Mr. Slater will be missed and that he has a lot of
knowledge going with him. Mr. Slater said it is bittersweet, but Debbie is
here and will be taking his position. His last day is April 12, 2024. He said he
wished that there was a video from when the Authority started to where it is
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today. He feels it is important to the city to have the Authority. The Mayor
made comments about the history of the PRDA and the ups and downs of it.
She said that she has reminded the City Council that if the PRDA wasn't
there, the general fund has to take care of the corridor and it runs on such
tight margins, it wouldn't be able to accommodate it. Mr. Slater went on to
explain about the changes in the tax laws and how it was a huge tax base
for the Authority. The base value became higher than the current value and
that is where the capture was lost. He said the Authority tried a few different
things, such as special assessments. He is thankful for the 2 mils that were
passed to at least pay the bills for the irrigation and street lighting. He said
things are doing better now and the Authority can now consider some
special projects and landscaping. Mr. Slater went through all months of
financials. He specifically explained the disbursements for each month.
October expenses totaled over $51,000 to include streetlighting, irrigation,
and the audit fee, which happens every year. In November, which is the end
of the fiscal year, there were assets of $1,754,000, and liabilities of
$106,000. The balance at the beginning of the year was $1,275,000. There
was $369,000 incoming, so the ending balance was $1,644,000. He
explained that there are recurring items such as D & B Landscaping
because the Authority entered into an agreement with them for
improvements along the corridor. He went on to explain the different
columns in the Budget Performance Report for the end of the year. Mr. Hiltz
inquired as to whether we are responsible for any luminaires. Mr. Slater said
we are not since there is a stock luminaire which is what DTE pays for. Mr.
Hiltz asked what sundry items are and Mr. Slater explained that they are
miscellaneous items. Ms. Blatt asked if there are any lights that are not LED
and did we want to upgrade them. Mr. Slater is under the impression that all
the lights along the corridor are now LED. Mr. Slater then went on to finish
explaining the report. He did acknowledge that it is always brought up about
how much the irrigation system costs and how that has never been solved.
The sprinklers have to be fixed. They can't be spraying into the streets and
there are contractors that are always working in the right-of-way digging
holes and buying cables, which breaks the irrigation system. for November.
Ms. Blatt asked if the contractors should be paying for it and Mr. Slater said
if you can find them and also there is the argument that the lines aren't
marked. They aren't electrified to find them like Ms. Dig finds them. The
contractors will say if it isn't marked, it isn't their responsibility. Mr. Hiltz does
acknowledge the fact that sometimes it is easier to just fix it than try to find
out who broke it. Mr. Slater said that the irrigation system is a really big cost
to the Authority. He went on to explain more about the Performance Report
for the year. He explained that there was some subsidization to help with
utilities when the Authority could not support itself. He said the Authority is
self-sufficient again and going forward it looks like that reimbursement is not
needed anymore. He explained there is a placeholder in the capital outlay of
$450,000 for projects in the future. The year to date was revenue of
$804,000 and expenses of $445,000 and we added $369,000. For
December the expenses were a little over $20,000 with the standard
expenses of D & B, energy controller, street lighting, and OHM for updating
the GIS system. For January, there was a water bill that included back to
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November and the DTE expense and the OHM GIS update with a total of a
bit over $100,000.
On a motion made by Mayor Brosnan Miller, seconded by Blatt, and
unanimously adopted, it was
#2024-02 RESOLVED, that the Plymouth Road Development Authority
does hereby accept and approve the Financial Statements of
the Authority's Special Revenue Fund for the months ending
October 2023 through January 2024.
Mr. Laible, Chairman, declared the motion is carried and the foregoing
resolution adopted.
5. DTE Tree Trimming / Removal Program Mr. Taormina explained that this
issue came to the city a couple of weeks ago and some concerned citizens
and business owners asked about the work being done. He said the area
affected is fairly limited along the corridor. He explained that it is part of a
continuous trim program and they do periodically trim the trees. He said
they were a little overzealous in this case and said we need to work with
DTE and their trimming methodology to try and minimize it where we can,
but also expect them to be reliable. He also asked if what they did was
acceptable and if we want to keep it this way or if the PRDA should be
considering DTE to remove them. The plantings go back to the early 2000's.
Mr. Moore gave a bit of an update as to where DTE has been trimming. He
said it is in front of the Rogan dealership and in front of the Salvation Army
and OHM. He said they also trim in front of the Ford Transmission Plant
behind the sidewalk. He didn't understand why they would touch behind the
right-of-way. Ms. Blatt explained that it is mandated by the Public Service
Commission for the tree cutting. She would recommend that they be
removed. She doesn't know if DTE would do that. It would be her
recommendation to remove them and replace them with more compatible
trees along the lines. She said that Consumers Energy is required to trim for
reliability purposes. She explained that Consumer's is on a seven-year trim
cycle and they are reducing it to five years. She said if you don't replace
them with something more compatible, this is what it will look like going
forward or you take the lines down and contend with reliability issues. The
Mayor asked whether the specs that Consumers use are their own or are
they mandated. She did explain that sometimes residents will ask why you
can't just cut certain trees and she said that sometimes it isn't within the
right-of-way in the easement. If it is a resident -owned tree, then it is their
responsibility. Ms. Harvey asked if they did or did not exercise discretion
while doing this. Ms. Blatt assumed that this was what they were required to
do for reliability. Ms. Harvey understood that but was questioning if they had
judgment. Do they follow specific guidelines, or does the guy cutting the
trees have room to exercise his own discretion or judgment? Ms. Blatt said it
depends on the situation. Ms. Harvey said that if they had coordinated with
the city and told us they were going to trim them to look like this or we would
go ahead and take them down if we preferred, that conversation could have
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happened if they had given us a heads up. Ms. Blatt said they probably
gave a heads -up. The Mayor did say that they give us a general trim plan,
but it doesn't tell us what the outcome will be. Mr. Moore said they didn't say
they were going to be in these specific areas, so it was a bit of a shock. Ms.
Blatt explained that Consumers and DTE have gotten more money for tree
trimming because branches are the biggest reliability issue, so there will be
a lot more trimming in both commercial and residential areas. Ms. Harvey
agreed that they should be taken down, but when DTE is going to be
trimming, to have a conversation and if they are going to be so overzealous
with them, then take them down. She understands that it may not be
something they will do or can afford, but at least a conversation can happen
and be coordinated in advance. The Mayor said that the relationship with
DTE is a good one and that they come in on a regular basis and that is why
she wanted this item on the agenda. She wants to know the members'
thoughts. If there is a situation like this and it is unavoidable, •and this is the
protocol, then would we rather have those trees taken down along the
corridor? If so, that is a conversation that we need to have with DTE. She
did acknowledge that this trimming is exactly what we asked for regarding
reliability issues. Mr. Hiltz said there is a life cycle. We want them big
enough when they are young to make an impact, but they are much too big
for being in the vicinity of power lines. He understands that there is a line
between a small ornamental and something that is going to have some
impact. He does feel that the replacement of the streetscape, not only the
pavers but also the vegetation, would be wise. Ms. Blatt mentioned that
Consumers has a program for tree grants. She doesn't know if DTE has one
or not. Mr. Moore said they do. She said it may be something the city would
like to look into. Mr. Hiltz mentioned the fact that not only is the height of the
tree a possible concern, but also trees block the view of the businesses. He
also wanted to know if there has been any discussion on going underground
with any of the utilities in the corridor. The Mayor said not in this corridor,
but the next opportunity we have is as we build out the downtown here. DTE
is working on a plan to bury everything from Hubbard to Farmington. She
mentioned that DTE is looking to do six miles in Detroit underground. She
said that whenever we have new development and whenever we have a
major street being torn up, it is an opportunity we try to have them put in
underground. It is in the planning process right now. She said it is a cost
savings for them. She said Livonia is the only city in the State having that
conversation. Ms. Blatt said that Consumers is doing a 10-mile pilot
program for undergrounding. She said it is a pilot program to see how it
goes and the costs associated with it. She said there is also a negative side
to this. When there are issues, there will be tearing up of lawns and
sidewalks and roads only to find out where the problem is, and then the
problem has to get fixed. She said it is good when it is good, but maybe not
so much when it is bad. Mr. Laible summarized the conversation by saying
that the options currently are to leave the trees as is and live with this,
knowing that there is a good chance that these trees have been impacted
and there are more to be impacted in the future, or we can investigate the
removal of these trees with replacement of appropriate foliage that will have
a smaller scope. He asked if there were any other options to consider. The
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Mayor suggested using the space between the trees for supplemental
planting and that before these trees come down, we are actually growing
the next level of trees. If they are removed, then it is not clear cut. She
would like to ease into the removal with foresight. Ms. Harvey mentioned
conical -shaped trees because they don't branch out but can get tall. She
said they wouldn't fall onto the lines. Ms. Blatt said there is a list of trees that
are recommended and are appropriate along lines like our easements have.
Mr. Moore said the city does have an approved species list based on the
width of the right-of-way and what is overhead in the area. Mr. Taormina
mentioned that he believes that the board went with the Honey Locust trees
because of their hardiness. He said that a consultation would need to
happen to determine what a good compromise would be because part of the
intent was to have a tree canopy. He said this issue does not affect a large
portion of the corridor. He explained that the portion from Inkster to
Middlebelt is not affected and that the trees have grown nicely and are in
great shape. He said it would be nice to try and replicate that with a different
species. He recommended a columnar tree that is super hardy. We would
have to rely on the experts to help determine what that might be. Mr. Slater
mentioned that what is behind the right-of-way needs to be considered also.
He reiterated the fact that trees have completely blocked all the signage for
some commercial businesses, so that has to be thought about too. Ms. Blatt
said that tree trimming, at least done by consumers, is usually done in the
winter. Mr. Laible said there are a lot of questions regarding this issue. He
said we don't know how much it costs to remove the trees. Is DTE going to
pay for it, or are we going to use grants? If there is a replacement, how
many trees are we replacing? He did mention that we may want to wait and
see what the trees look like after they get their leaves. The Mayor would like
the board to ask for a report and recommendation. She can talk to DTE
about this in future discussions. The board could then do homework and
figure out if there is an alternative plan and who is responsible if we do get
the trees cut down and then bring back more information to be able to make
a more comfortable sound decision and maybe a recommendation on
alternative trees. She will have a critical conversation with DTE and ITC to
make sure everyone has a better understanding of what the expectation is,
and then we can understand what the expectation is and what the
parameters are regarding trimming the trees. The Mayor wanted the
Authority to understand that this is a problem and that she is working on
getting a resolution. Mr. Hiltz asked whether the trees are okay or is there
significant damage to the tree. Are they healthy enough to survive? Mr.
Moore said there is at least a year if not longer. He said they are vigorous
and that the roots are still going to do what they need to do. They don't
realize the tops were cut off. He said it doesn't have to be a decision made
right away.
On a motion made by Hiltz, seconded by Mies, and unanimously adopted, it
was
#2024-03 RESOLVED, that the Plymouth Road Development Authority
does hereby request further information and a future
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recommendation relative to the tree trimming along the
Plymouth Road Corridor
Ms. Blatt recommends that a Forester come in and a tour is taken so
explanations can be made as to what is the customer's responsibility and
what is theirs
6. Discussion on Future PRDA Projects. Mr. Taormina said that a couple
items have just been identified that can be discussed that the board might
be interested. D & B looked at the plazas and provided a proposal. It is
regarding the four corners of the Middle Belt and Plymouth Road
intersection. It includes the plan and a proposal of a three-year maintenance
plan. Mr. Taormina said that it could be replicated to some extent at the
Farmington Road intersection. Robert Bywalec spoke as to what is currently
at the Middle Belt and Plymouth Road plaza. He said they want to provide a
classy, eye pleasing, inviting and curb appealing landscape within a realistic
budget. He is introducing five plants and one tree. He is recommending
mass planting. It will give you that wow factor. The other thing is low
maintenance. He understands that maintenance is a big issue. They wanted
recommendation to be plant material that would be resistant to disease and
insects. It would also need very little pruning. There would be a tree on
three of the four corners because the fourth has an electrical box in it. There
would be two ginkgo's at the bus stop. He explained what he means by little
pruning. There would be no scheduled pruning. He explained the mass
planting helps to choke out weeds. It would have year-round interest. The
plan includes the overall design, any revision, constant consultation,
supervision, labor, materials, equipment, tools, taxes, permits and of course
a guarantee. He said that if the project started this year, they would maintain
it this year and the next two years. The maintenance includes things like
spring clean-up, bed care, plant care, fall clean-up, fertilization, herbicide
spraying on all the concrete areas, which would be the brick pavers and any
of the walkway, and refreshing of the mulch in the third year. He said the
mulch that they put on is good for about two years. They normally give a
one-year guarantee on the plant material, but they would be offering a
three-year guarantee on the plant material because they are maintaining it.
It would be for anything other than an act of God, such as a vehicle accident
or vandalism. He went to discuss the use of a sod that needs very little
water and is low growing, called Pro Vista Kentucky Bluegrass. He said it is
uniform and has a beautiful green color. It is a dense turf and eliminates
weeds because of its density. No fertilizer or weed control is required unless
it needs it, maybe once a year. He said it should cut down your mowing
expense by about $1,500 an acre, every year. He said these corners are the
perfect place to test this to see if we may want to use it later on down the
corridor. He said as construction happens or repairs have to be done, we
would install this new turf. He said that the cost is not that much more than
traditional Bluegrass. Ms. Harvey asked where is this going to be installed.
Mr. Bywalec said at the southeast corner. He then went on to explain it
would go under the gingko's. He said this would be a good opportunity to
see what happens with this turf. He said that there are people sitting on the
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wall and there are brick pavers under the wall that have sunk, and he thinks
the pavers are there because people would walk on the plantings while
trying to get on to the wall. He said they would fix the sunken pavers. He
said it would take about 30 days from start to finish for the project,
depending on weather. He spoke a bit more about mass planting. He said
there will be color spring to fall. He gave a brief description of each type of
planting. Mr. Laible just explained that the board had requested a proposal
at one of the prior meetings, for this specific intersection. Mr. Bywalec stated
this is the largest of the three also. Mr. Laible asked if the other two
intersections would have smaller price tags. He clarified that the
improvement fund is over $400,000 and that the fund is accruing currently.
Mr. Slater did confirm that the balance is $450,000 budget for
improvements, which the project that Mr. Bywalec presented would fall
under. He said that if the board decided that they want to do more, there is
the option to go in front of the City Council and ask for a budget amendment
because the money is there. Mr. Bywalec did say that any of the irrigation
modifications or repairs in these areas that they are working on will be done
by D & B and Tech Seven would not have to do anything to fix or reroute
them. Irrigation is included in the proposal. They will get with Tech Seven to
coordinate the setup. The Mayor told a story as to how she met Robert and
what his dream was. She feels the relationship is very valuable and she
appreciates the comprehensive plan. Mr. Bywalec mentioned boulders and
that it could affect the pricing. Ms. Harvey wanted to clarify the warranty and
she understands that once the modifications on the irrigation are done, that
they will be managed by another company. She said it is a potential for
conflict. Mr. Bywalec said that they would be getting with Tech Seven for the
three years and D & B would monitor the system to make sure it is getting
adequate water. Mr. Bywalec said that the breaks after the first year would
be Tech Seven, but during the landscaping they would monitor it. Ms.
Harvey mentioned that because Tech Seven may not be able to fix a break
immediately, there may be a break in coverage. Mr. Taormina asked if the
full amount would be due this year or would it be spread out. Mr. Bywalec
said it could be broken up with maintenance part taken out and it could be
paid for over the next few years. Mr. Curtis asked since this proposal goes
through 2026, what would be a ballpark estimate going forward. Mr.
Bywalec said he could provide that. Mr.Curtis also asked if anybody has
talked to MDOT about any upcoming projects on Plymouth Road that the
board may want to wait to proceed with the proposal. Mr. Moore said that
that is a question for Todd in the Engineering Department. Mr. Curtis said
that if we go through with the project and then someone comes through with
utility work, who is responsible for putting it back? Is it is the utility provider?
According to Ms. Blatt, the restoration is either the way it was when they got
there or better and it includes sidewalks, and vegetation. Mr. Curtis is
concerned that if a line were bored, what type of grass would be installed.
He stated that there is a difference between this grass in and putting some
topsoil on and throwing grass down. Ms. Blatt said that they will put down
seed unless sod is asked for. She said that at the time of the permit that the
conditions state that it is to be put back with the exact sod that is there. The
Mayor said that this is a contingency when issuing permits, and that it
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doesn't always work. What the utility company has as a picture is sometime
different than what we have a picture of, but she feels the city is getting
better at holding peoples feet to the fire. Mr. Curtis said that it isn't
necessarily Livonia issuing the permit, it is MDOT. He feels the city needs to
talk to MDOT and see if they are willing to agree to make that part of the
conditions of their permits. Mr. Hiltz mentioned his concerned about the
limestone being a hinderance to utilities. He doesn't feel the city wants that
liability. Mr. Bywalec said the boulders would be removed. Ms. Harvey was
asking about line -item breakouts and if things were removed, how that
affects the cost. Mr. Bywalec seemed to have no issue going back making
changes to the proposal and what the effects may be of the 2025 and 2026
seasons. Mr. Laible did express concern if the board were to push this off to
the next meeting. He wondered if a new quote could be provided with the
removal of the boulders and the breakout of the maintenance fees, as well
as a quick confirmation of the construction schedule. He wanted to know if it
were to be put in an email, is that consistent with the bylaws. Mr. Hiltz asked
about conceptually approving, with a budget not to exceed, and going
forward and allow administration to work through the details of this to fall
into the said budget. Mr. Mies asked about the maintenance program, and
would it be beneficial if that portion was removed since the board was
responsible for the $250,000 investment. Mr. Hiltz then asked how we want
to do the maintenance, through the courts or a proactive maintenance
program. He feels that would be a great use of funds to get it back to where
the board wants it to be and then maintain it. Ms. Harvey said the point is
that it is almost no maintenance. She said they are perennials, and they
require no work. Mr. Slater made the point that the board wouldn't want to
pay for 2025 maintenance until 2025. He said the maintenance can be part
of the deal, but it wouldn't be paid ahead of time. Mr. Taormina mentioned
that relying on the court and all the work they do is fine, but this is outside
their capability to keep it in good condition. The board has seen what has
happened in years past.
On a motion made by Laible, seconded by Hiltz, and unanimously adopted,
it was:
#2024-04 RESOLVED that the Plymouth Road Development Authority
does hereby authorize an expenditure not to exceed $285,000
to D&B Landscaping, Inc., for landscape/maintenance services
at the intersection of Plymouth and Middle Belt Roads, as
specified in the proposed contract submitted by Robert Bywalec,
Vice President of Sales. The contract shall include three (3)
years of maintenance with payments on an annual basis.
The Mayor asked John Hiltz if he is going to remain on the board and he
would like to step away. He would like Rhett to replace him and that is why
he has attended that past couple of meetings. Mr. Hiltz did say that if there
is a strategic planning session coming up, he would be happy to participate,
but this is his last meeting. Mr. Hiltz thanked the board for the opportunity to
participate in the board.
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Mr. Taormina said that the next items are just placeholders for discussion.
He said these may be things that the PRDA might be interested in for
getting the biggest bang for the buck. He said he understands that the
maintenance of the irrigation system and streetscape improvements is
priority number one, and number two would be the proposal that was just
discussed regarding D & B Landscaping. He suggested a proposal from D &
B for the Plymouth and Merriman intersection, depending on what happens
this year with the current proposal, and it may want to be continued down
the corridor. Regarding any of the other ideas, it is up to the board whether
there is interest and whether the board would want to invest in those ideas.
Mr. Hiltz had recommended looking at the stamped concrete and if not,
maybe do a replacement and get it back to where it once was. He said if it is
performing to the satisfaction of the board, it could be considered as an
option going forward to change out the pavers, which are difficult to
maintain, and it is less expensive. Mr. Taormina mentioned that grants are
something that other DDA's do use as part of their programming. He said
the Authority tried it and not many businesses took advantage of it. Mr.
Slater said the benefit was to the Authority, but there weren't a lot of takers.
He said it is a potential option and he believes it was an original
development plan that the Authority could take a look at and choose to do or
not do. Mr. Laible asked if it was a match program or was it just an all-out
grant. Mr. Slater said he thinks it was some loans and he didn't remember
the details. Mr. Taormina thinks it was a grant program more than anything.
He was recently approached about a business on Plymouth Road, and they
were wondering if there were any incentives. That is where he thought it
may be something to consider. He said it would probably be a small
amount, but if it were enough to move the needle to attract a quality
business into the corridor, maybe it should be considered. The Mayor asked
if the city has ever had a program where there are significant improvements
made in lieu of taxes. Mr. Taormina said that it has to be done within the
framework of the statutes and the Commercial Rehabilitation Certificate
Program is one way to do that. It freezes the taxable value of the real
property and enables the developer to advantage of those cost saving as
part of an improvement to a property. He said that it is probably the only
program that might apply. He also said that it only works when there is a
significant improvement going into the property where the new tax value
would be so high that it would be an impediment to redeveloping the site.
The Mayor did understand that it might work in the total redevelopment. Mr.
Taormina spoke about Rosedale Gardens and how there isn't quite a plan
yet. He feels it is on the horizon, with the Authority playing a critical role in
whatever happens there. He went on to discuss the end date of the PRDA
and if the board chooses to renew it, it makes sense to update the
development plan. The board is still working under the plan from 1995. He
feels it is in dire need of being updated and possibly expanded. Mr. Slater
and the Mayor spoke a bit about what the original plan had as it goals. Mr.
Slater recommended that someone have the sunset for the Authority in their
calendar for 2027. He explained that the process is not just a month and
there are a bunch of steps that have to be taken. He said that the process
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should be started a year earlier. He said that the original architect for the
plan was Mike McGee, and he is still an attorney at Miller Canfield. Miller
Canfield has significant expertise in DDA's. Mr. Slater would suggest that
the board look to an outside expert like that just to make sure we don't do
something inappropriate as part of the process. Mr. Laible started to talk
about a upcoming future strategic planning session and what that may entail
and though that an outside facilitator for updating the development plan
would be beneficial. Regarding the upcoming meetings, Mr. Taormina
mentioned that the bylaws say the board has to meet at least once a year,
but it is at the board's discretion when they would like to get together again.
Ms. Blatt said that she would prefer sooner rather than later if it is about
strategy and moving forward. Mr. Laible said the same thing, sooner rather
than later.
Mr. Laible did bring up the empty board seats. He asked if we would want
the new member before the strategic planning session and the Mayor said
her office will work to make that happen. Mr. Laible said if there are things
that the members want to discuss, send it out and the meeting will be
structured to include it. Some members mentioned that they would prefer
late May or early June for the next meeting.
7. Update on PRDA Asset Management Program (GIS) Mr. Uhazie has
been working with OHM on the GIS updates. Mr. Uhazie stated that their
architects are going back through and verifying all the updates they've
made. He said they are on track and on budget. He feels they should be
complete within the next six weeks. He said the computer work is complete,
and it is now just verification. Mr. Taormina explained that all the work that
was done with the asset management program and they are updating that
information in our GIS system which makes it easier to that we have a
tracking system for every single asset that the PRDA owns on the corridor.
There is an asset that is identified, documented with condition when it was
improved, and it includes pictures of the asset. It makes the information
easily accessible to do a follow-up asset review in probably a five-year
timeframe.
8. Comments from Board Members. Mr. Laible would like to start the
planning session with a review on the checkbook and see what we have in
different accounts and what the options with these accounts, and what the
budget looks like. He said he would like this information just to have some
context around what we want to spend money on. Ms. Harvey wondered if
anyone would have interest in getting a van and people that know the
history of what the PRDA has done and what the board might be looking to
do and actually seeing the corners and streetscapes. She felt it may be
beneficial from that perspective. She said she doesn't drive up and down
every day and have that historical background. Mr. Laible asked if we could
combine the "tour" with the next session. The Mayor felt this was a really
good idea. She said that people see things from different perspectives. She
said that when she did a tour after she took office it helps people
understand the history of things and why things were done. She feels it is a
March 21, 2024
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really valuable thing to do. She asked Rhett from OHM if the meeting could
be held at his offices after the "tour" since it is in the middle of the corridor
and it is a really great facility for a strategic planning session. Regarding the
planning session, Mr. Laible said that it may be beneficial to invite former
board chairs and others to get multiple perspectives.
The Mayor did introduce and welcomed Debbie Lichtenberg as the new
Director of Finance and gave a brief background.
9. Adjournment On a motion duly made, seconded and unanimously
adopted, the 260th Regular Meeting held by the Plymouth Road
Development Authority on March 21, 2023, was adjourned at 4:50 p.m.
cual
Patrick Mies, Secretary