The Department’s infrastructure management skills are applied in several broad areas. The Department is the primary caretaker for the City’s streets. DPW cleans and beautifies the City’s streets providing street sweeping, landscaping and litter abatement services to maintain the beauty and character of the community. DPW continuously monitors and assesses the condition of the City’s streets; providing minor repairs where appropriate and maintaining an inventory of street resurfacing and reconstruction needs.  The Department also inspects and maintains bridges, culverts and other street structures; establishes grades and elevations of roadways; and the City Engineer maintains the official City map.  The Department issues permits for driveway and sidewalk construction and re-construction as well as curb cuts.

DPW also maintains the City’s wastewater and stormwater collection systems.  Conditions of the sanitary sewer system are routinely monitored and assessed.  A preventive maintenance program for the wastewater and stormwater collection systems is currently being developed and implemented.  The Department assesses the need for additional sanitary sewer and stormwater collection facilities as the City continues to develop and change.

The Department works closely with community groups, volunteers, community service and other stakeholders on all manners of activities from neighborhood cleanups and beautification projects to needs analyses for libraries, parks and other facilities for public use. The Department strives to maintain facilities and spaces that incorporate community needs and desires in a manner that effectively utilizes the limited public funds that are available.   The Department manages its construction activities and the activities of other public and private agencies to minimize the adverse impacts on the City’s residents and businesses.

The Department further serves the public’s interest by exercising the highest levels of fiduciary accountability in its management of public infrastructure, construction projects and programs. The City Engineer assists policy makers by providing essential expertise in the assessment of public facilities and infrastructure, and planning for capital improvement programs.

Personnel

DPW staff during the calendar year announced no retirements or resignations.

Volunteers

These community volunteers should be applauded and praised for the work that they do.  The City is grateful for your energy and dedication.

Sidewalks

The City maintains many of its own sidewalks around City owned buildings and parks and over bridges and culverts.  It is important to maintain the sidewalks in good condition for pedestrian safety and community beautification.  In 2006, the Department of Public Works crews replaced approximately 285 linear feet of sidewalk in our parks, at the library and Senior Citizens Center, and over a culvert on Washington St.  Without the hard work and skill of our DPW “sidewalk crew,” this would not have been possible.

Private property owners replaced a total of 25 private sidewalks during 2006 in various locations throughout the City according to permits through the City Engineer’s Office.  The total length of the 25 replaced sidewalks was approximately 1,550 feet.
 

The proposed sidewalk program for next year would encourage even more people to replace their aging and deteriorating sidewalks.  The City Engineer will carefully consider the most efficient ways to administer a new sidewalk program and make recommendations to policy makers.  Many possibilities and creative solutions that the whole community will benefit from will be presented for consideration.

Street Resurfacing Program

The Common Council authorized a $221,926.60 paving program for 2006.  Funded by “CHIPS” money for 2006 ($198,571.16) plus a cumulative rollover balance from 2005 ($23,355.44), resurfacing projects include: 

                                                                                                                 Total =            7,490 feet

 In general, work involved the milling of existing pavement surface, utilization of tack coat to assure good asphalt adhesion, installation of truing and leveling course, binder course, and top course.  Nare St., N. East Ave., and the end of Pennsylvania Ave involved the milling of existing pavement and the installation of new asphalt concrete binder course and top course.  The work on the remaining streets involved the milling of the existing surface and installation of asphalt concrete top course.  The following table shows the material quantities used:

The City has $9,138.12 left as a cumulative rollover balance in the CHIPS Capital program awarded by New York State Dept. of Transportation.  This amount may be utilized in next year’s paving program in addition to the City’s CHIPS funding for 2007.

Sanitary Sewers

A slightly different approach to sanitary sewer maintenance is in its infant stages of development.  Many manholes and sewer lines were inspected to ensure a free flowing wastewater collection system in 2006.  Upon receipt of sanitary sewer back-up calls, the immediate problem was corrected.  On many occasions, DPW employees were sent back to the problem area during normal working hours to address any other potential problems in the area and to verify the sanitary sewer was open and flowing.   

A preventive maintenance program to reduce off-hour sewer back-up calls is important to reduce the city’s costs in maintaining its wastewater collection system.  Several sanitary sewers were cleaned with the sewer jet to improve function and capacity.  The city’s inverted siphon structure located off Union Avenue near the Cayadutta Creek was cleaned thoroughly after a few years of neglect.  The siphon will continue to be cleaned on a semi-annual basis.  Access to the siphon structure was also improved and brush and small trees cut away from its base.

The city’s three wastewater pump stations were inspected on a weekly basis.  Each week the pump hours were recorded in a log to monitor pump station performance and energy usage.  Two of the pump stations have backup generators which are run once per week to maintain their operational capacity.

DPW employees replaced about 60 linear feet of sanitary sewer main and a deteriorated manhole on N. Market St. at the intersection of Mason St.  The sanitary sewer main in this area had been prone to sewer back-ups for many years.  A partially obstructed sewer main was found and replaced to alleviate the back-up issues.  Two downstream manholes were also cleaned and the inverts re-configured to allow a smoother flow.  This work involved working around underground electric, fiber-optic conduits, natural gas pipeline, and water main.  The city’s water main had to be temporarily removed and re-routed to perform the sanitary sewer work.  Water Dept. employees were very helpful and assisted in the project.

DPW employees assisted the Gloversville-Johnstown Joint Wastewater Treatment Facility (GJJWTF) in clearing the right-of-way along the 42-inch trunk sewer from Yost St. to the GJJWTF.  The project involved cutting many small diameter trees, removing brush, locating and uncovering manholes, and re-establishing a road for maintenance equipment after years of neglect.

A section of the city’s sewer main from Chestnut St. to the siphon structure was cleared to improve access to our manholes.

All of the manholes on streets that were resurfaced were inspected for deterioration.  Manholes in need of repair were re-constructed prior to street resurfacing. A total of eighteen manholes were re-constructed and the frames and covers re-installed throughout the City, eleven of which were on streets that had been resurfaced.

The City experiences a large increase in flow with storm events.  The sanitary sewers exhibit a great deal of stormwater and groundwater inflow and infiltration.  At the GJJWTF, the recorded flow rates may go from 6 million gallons per day (MGD) to as much as 25 MGD within a 24 hour period.  This increase in flow results in the wastewater collection system becoming surcharged in many locations around the city.  In the coming years, the DPW will start making a greater effort to seek out the sources of this infiltration and inflow and correct the problem areas.  

Stormwater Management

As the community develops and grows, stormwater management infrastructure must be constantly evaluated and its condition assessed.  As development occurs and more impervious surface is constructed, stormwater runoff arrives at stormwater collection points much faster.  It is because of this fact that stormwater collection pipes that were adequate thirty years ago may not be adequate today.  In an urban environment, the relationship between development and stormwater management becomes very complex.  It is difficult for city planners to foresee exactly how a cumulative development process will affect stormwater runoff and the impacts to existing infrastructure.  DPW employees really face three separate challenges with stormwater management.  The first is maintenance of the existing system; second is improvement in areas that have seen development in the recent past; and three is emergency response during flooding events. 

As a part of the first challenge, DPW employees reconstructed twenty-one catch basins, primarily in areas where paving work was accomplished, to facilitate storm water drainage from City streets to natural drainage courses.  The City Engineer’s office is currently evaluating the stormwater collection system in several areas of recent development within the city in an attempt to address the second responsibility.  The results of the evaluation will undoubtedly result in the recommendation to replace or improve some of the stormwater collection system in various parts of the city. 

This past year the city was devastated with two major flooding events, one of which required the declaration of a State of Emergency.  The Federal Emergency Management Agency responded to help repair local infrastructure including a culvert crossing Johnson Avenue.  DPW employees assisted Fire and Police Dept. employees in maintaining emergency routes and assisting residents.  Public infrastructure was assessed and repaired as necessary shortly after the flooding had subsided.

Property Management

Several city-owned properties were auctioned off in 2006.  The city acquired ownership of these properties through tax foreclosures in prior years.  These properties are now back on the tax roll.  Many of these properties have already been successfully rehabilitated.  The city is also in the process of auctioning off a block of vacant land known as the Mapleton Tract between Pleasant Avenue and N. Perry St.  This block of land is an attractive candidate for development.

·        119 N. Perry St.
·        18 W. State St.
·        9 Hoosac St.
·        15 Hoosac St.

It is anticipated that the asbestos abatement and demolitions of the above four properties will be performed in early 2007.  

Environmental Projects

Groundwater monitoring and water quality results are periodically reported to the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation for the monitoring well network surrounding City Hall and the former DPW garage area.  The network monitoring is a result of previously removed leaking underground storage tanks.  The tanks contained fuel oil and diesel fuel.  As a part of the groundwater remediation project identified below, the groundwater must continue to be extracted, treated, and monitored until such time NYS DEC is satisfied that the remedial action has accomplished its regulatory goals. 

Continued groundwater monitoring at the former Johnstown Landfill was accomplished on a semi-annual basis in 2006.  Malcolm Pirnie, Inc. continues to be retained for this service.  The City Engineer’s office is working with U.S. EPA and the NYS DEC to remove the landfill from EPA’s National Priority List.  This action would remove EPA from jurisdiction and hand all regulatory control over to DEC.  That procedure would allow the City to monitor the groundwater at the former landfill on an annual basis instead of twice per year resulting in a $7,000.00 per year savings. 

Building Projects

City Hall underwent significant changes in 2006.  At the beginning of the year, the conference room on the first floor was renovated to accommodate the City Clerk’s office and a partition was installed to create a hallway for employee bathroom access and a bank of internal mail slots.  The former City Clerk’s office was renovated for the offices of Assemlyman Marc Butler and Senator Hugh Farley.  The space formerly occupied by the Senator and Assemblyman was renovated for the Mayor.  The Mayor, Clerk, Treasurer, Assessor, Police, Senator, and Assemblyman all have their office on the first floor of City Hall for convenient access to the public.  The Assessor’s office received new carpeting with more renovations upcoming in 2007. 

The offices of the City Engineer and City Attorney were also renovated as part of the changes to City Hall.  All of the renovation work was performed in-house by DPW personnel except for the carpet installation.  The renovations are yet another testament to the skills of the DPW employees.  Assemblyman Butler and Senator Farley both contributed grant funds for the renovations making the extensive projects possible.

The west foundation wall of City Hall was repaired and waterproofed.  The wall had seen an increase in the amount of water infiltration in recent years due to many factors. 

The Police Department upgraded the lockers in the locker room to new units purchased on New York State Contract through the Office of General Services.  The lockers were installed by DPW and Police employees.  The Police Department also completely replaced all the equipment, partitions, and fixtures in the locker room bathroom.  This work was also done by DPW and Police employees.  The concrete floor was completely removed by jackhammer, the plumbing re-installed, and a new concrete floor poured. 

The equipment and vehicle repair shop at the DPW garage had its concrete block walls painted.  The paint made the appearance of the repair shop much cleaner and brighter.  The cold storage area, sign shop, carpenter shop, and tool storage room were all cleaned out and organized.  All of the equipment, tools, and materials are much more accessible and easy to catalog.

In August, the Common Council authorized public bidding for the DPW garage roof replacement.  The roof was replaced over the heated portion of the garage with a fully adhered EPDM rubber membrane for a total of $88,139.50 by WeatherGuard, Inc. of Schenectady, NY.  As part of the replacement, rotting wood deck members were replaced and insulation was installed to increase the energy efficiency of the building. 

Sanitation

Implementation of the new yard waste drop off program schedule should be considered a great success.  It is anticipated that this new format will continue for years to come.

The annual spring cleanup program conducted behind the Johnstown Area Community Center at the City owned materials stock yard cost the City $4,645.60 in disposal fees.  DPW employees recorded each vehicle load resulting in a total of 975 vehicle loads of debris accepted.  These loads resulted in the disposal

of 116.14 tons of garbage, approximately 50.0 tons of metal, and 423 tires.

The cleanup of miscellaneous metals located on City owned property resulted in numerous truckloads of materials transported to Bornt’s scrap yard.  A total of several thousand pounds of metal was recycled resulting in $2,544.70 of revenue for the City. 

Overall sanitation statistics are available in the Engineering Department for review.

Equipment

Several obsolete pieces of equipment owned by the DPW were auctioned off.  In December, the City received bids on city owned surplus equipment for the following equipment and vehicles: 

                                                                                   Total              $4,842.30

A new wood chipper was purchased from Morbark, Inc. on New York State Contract at a cost of $32,584.00 to replace the existing chipper.  The existing wood chipper is in the process of being traded to the City of Gloversville for an asphalt paving machine.

Two new single axle dump/plow trucks were purchased from Dunn Truck Sales on New York State Contract at a cost of $242,821.88.  The cost included a complete plow and sander setup and dump body for each truck.  The trucks can be used as plows in the winter and as single axle dump trucks in the summer.  The year round versatility will offer the most efficient use of the City’s resources.  The two new trucks will replace two existing units, one of which will be utilized as a backup plow/sander.  The other unit will be stripped of its plow and sander setup and utilized as a flatbed truck for the mason crew.  The chassis of this 1981 truck is still in good shape.

Two new trailers were purchased from Bennett Trailers at a total cost of $3,125.00.  One trailer is being utilized as a landscape trailer for the Parks crew.  The other is being utilized for the curb machine, road painting machine, and other miscellaneous small equipment.  The landscape trailer eliminates the need to drive our Jacobsen riding mowers around the city for mowing city owned parks and grounds.  The Jacobsen mowers are not meant for driving on hard surfaces.  It is expected that the life of the mowers will be extended dramatically by this operational change. 

In 2007, the City Engineer will be implementing a new fleet maintenance record keeping system.  Repairs to vehicles and equipment will be logged on work orders.  Vehicle and equipment operation logs will be maintained to keep record of employees’ use of equipment. 

Bridges

The N. Market St. bridge was under construction for most of the year.  The project had been in the planning stage for years and finally began construction in August of 2005.  At the beginning of November in 2006, the bridge was re-opened to vehicle and pedestrian traffic.  The project not only involved the replacement of a 19^th century stone arch bridge, but also the remediation of soil and groundwater underneath the south bridge abutment.  The soil was contaminated from an adjacent National Grid site formerly used for coal gas harvesting and conversion to energy.  The bridge replacement project was complicated greatly due to the soil contamination and the Dept. of Environmental Conservation work restrictions due to the Cayadutta Creek. 

The project came to a successful completion in November.  The project was funded (5% local share) by a Federal Grant through the TEA-21 program administered by NYS Dept. of Transportation.  National Grid provided the funding for the environmental work associated with the soil contamination.   

The City Engineer’s office works closely with the Fulton County Highway Superintendent and NYS Dept. of Transportation on the evaluation of the city’s 13 bridges.  Inspections are routinely performed on a bi-annual basis on all bridges by the Dept. of Transportation.

Streetlights 

The city pays National Grid approximately $133,000.00 per year for operation of its approximately 900 city streetlights.  National Grid has an internet based notification system for reporting light problems and/or outages.  Citizens can utilize this service by going to National Grid’s website.  Under the “Your Account” tab there is a link to report streetlight problems.  Alternatively, streetlight problems can be reported to the City Engineer’s office for reporting to National Grid. 

Miscellaneous

The Common Council accepted Prindle Court as a city street.  Prindle Avenue was renamed from N. Chase St. west to its dead end to Prindle Court.  This change did not result in any mileage change on the City’s street inventory.  The name change was largely made so that the Johnstown Area Community Center could have a 911 address.

The Johnstown Industrial Park saw construction of a new multi-million dollar yogurt facility begin.  FAGE Dairy USA began construction of its new plant at the intersection of Opportunity Drive and Venture Drive.  The City worked hard in 2005 and 2006 to develop an infrastructure improvement plan for the new facility.  In spring of 2007, the city’s infrastructure improvement project will begin construction.

The City Engineer’s office issued many permits in 2006 as follows:           

            Sidewalk                                                          25
            Driveway                                                         27
            Right-of-Way/Street Opening/Sewer                 28
            Curb Cuts                                                          8
            Trees                                                              15

The parking lot to the west of City Hall was resurfaced and slightly expanded.  The fuel oil tank removal and remediation project necessitated the disturbance of much of the parking lot surface.  DPW employees performed 100% of the work utilizing the City of Gloversville’s asphalt paving machine.  The DPW had not used an asphalt paving machine in eight years, however the results were outstanding.

The main steps at the Library were improved from the existing sidewalk to the street.

A section of the F.J.&G. Rail Trail was paved from W. Main St. to the Frog Hollow area.  Starting from the north at the Gloversville City line, the rail trail is now paved to Union Avenue.

A Capital Plan is in its beginning stage itemizing future equipment replacement needs and needed improvements for City infrastructure and buildings.  This comprehensive plan will identify several areas in need of improvements to meet the City’s needs and to be in compliance with applicable codes.  It is anticipated that this plan will be revisited and updated often.

The Common Council in January created a 10-member Zoning Advisory Committee to update the City’s Zoning Map and Ordinances.  The Engineering Department may provide staff support to the Committee as it provides a plan for the City’s future.

Grant Management

The F.J.&G. Rail Trail grant – Phase 3 continues.  The grant award was for a total of $500,000.00 (80% Federal Share, 20% local share).  Approximately $200,000 of that grant remains.  It is anticipated that much of that amount will be utilized for a new pedestrian bridge over the Cayadutta Creek between W. State St. and Washington St.  The bridge work and other miscellaneous work along the rail trail is scheduled for 2007. 

A $39,933.00 grant (10% local share) was received from the New York State Dept. of State through their Brownfield Opportunity Areas Program.  This grant is administered jointly by the Dept. of State and Dept. of Environmental Conservation.  The grant is specifically for a Pre-Nomination Study to provide a preliminary description and analysis of the Karg Bros. Tannery site.  It is anticipated that this site will be the focus of a neighborhood revitalization effort.  This program attempts to reclaim and revitalize Brownfield sites that have been cleaned up under other programs.

A $20,000.00 Legislative grant (0% local share) was received from Senator Hugh Farley and $10,000.00 Legislative grant (0% local share) from Assemblyman Marc Butler for materials and supplies related to the City Hall renovation projects.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Brownfields program resulted in the award of a $200,000 Federal grant (0% local share) for the former Kargs Brothers Tannery property in 1999.  The grant provided money for the environmental assessment of the site, but has remained inactive since 2003.  This grant was partially used for site assessments of the former Karg Brothers Tannery from 1999 to 2003, however there is approximately $168,000.00 in grant money still available.  In 2006, the city was successful in convincing U.S. EPA to extend the deadline for the grant to September 30, 2008.  This grant may now be used for environmental site assessments on other properties within the city.

Department of Public Works and Engineering
2006 and 2007 Budgets