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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes_Special Meeting_02/02/2006MINUTES • VILLAGE OF TEQUESTA EMERGENCY SPECIAL VILLAGE COUNCIL MEETING THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2006 11:00 A.M. I. CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL The Tequesta Village Council held an Emergency Special Village Council Meeting at the Tequesta Recreation Center, 399 Seabrook Road, Tequesta, Florida, on Thursday, February 2, 2006. The meeting was called to order at 11:03 a.m. A roll call was taken by Village Clerk Gwen Carlisle. Council Members present were: Mayor Jim Humpage, Vice Mayor Pat Watkins, Council Member Geraldine A. Genco, and Council Member Tom Paterno. Also in attendance were: Village Attorney Scott Hawkins, Attorney Sterling Clarke, Village Manager Michael R. Couzzo, Jr., Village Clerk Gwen Carlisle, Department Heads. II. APPROVAL OF AGENDA MOTION: Vice Mayor Watkins moved to approve the agenda, as submitted; seconded by Council Member Genco; motion passed 4-0. III. Discussion and possible action regarding recommendation for Tegnesta Drive Bridge by the Department of Transportation/Kisinger Campo & Associates (KCA). • Mayor Humpage noted he will make a brief opening statement and then the other Council Members can make their comments. He read the following: "The Village's first priority must be and has been the safety of the residents and our visitors. Upon notification by the state on Friday, January 27, 2006, at 2:00 p.m., the Village closed the Tequesta Drive Bridge for that very reason. Since Friday, the Village has made every effort to gain additional information and take steps necessary to protect the health and safety of our citizens and other people and individuals." He stated the Village, along with Martin County, Palm Beach County, and the Village personnel has made arrangements to ensure the public safety. He stated that today's discussion will address the problem, and what direction Council should pursue, both as a temporary solution as well as a permanent solution. Mayor Humpage introduced individuals who were in attendance at the meeting. Those present were: Ms. Ginger Baldwin, Senator Ken Pruitt's office, Ms. Holly Demers, Representative Joe Negron's office, Ms. Sheri Healey, Representative Carl Domino's office, Mr. Joe Quintana, Department of Transportation, Mr. Bill Reese, Reese Macon Associates, Mr. Thomas LoCicero and Mr. Ken Reinholt, Kisinger Campo & Associates (state engineers}, Mr. Charlie Rich, Palm Beach County, Engineering division, Ms. Cindy DeFilippo, Commissioner Karen Marcus's office, and Martin County Commissioner Lee Weberman. Mayor Humpage stated everyone is represented from between the counties and municipalities, and many residents. Vice Mayor Watkins explained Council takes this matter very seriously, that it impacts everyone, • the residents as well as the businesses. She mentioned this decision was not made lightly, and Minutes -Emergency Special Village Council Meeting February 2, 2006 Page 2 • wanted to thank the Village Manager and anyone involved in getting the bridge closed on Friday and getting the word out as quickly as possible to the schools for the school buses, etc. She mentioned Mayor Humpage made a dialogic message to the residents, noted this was something Council felt they needed to do. She thanked the public for their patience, and commented Council is trying to be very cautious in looking at the bridge and making the right decision for everyone. She thanked Commissioner Weberman who called her on Saturday when he heard the news about the bridge and offered the assistance of Martin County. She asked that the public be patient as Council was trying to do what is in the best interests for the residents, since this is a very serious problem. Council Member Paterno reiterated, Council is there to do what is best interest of the community and to get the bridge fixed as quickly as possible. He noted that is the goal today. Council Member Genco wanted to thank everyone that showed up to the meeting. She hoped they would help in resolving this issue for all the residents and surrounding areas. Village Attorney Scott Hawkins wanted to reassure the citizens and everyone involved that Tequesta is moving forward with all involved to resolve this issue, which has been perceived to be an issue of major regional impact. He stated upon learning of the information on Friday, he had a detailed conference call with all department heads, and they analyzed how to respond to the situation. He stated he and his colleagues have reviewed all the information, and explained Ms. Sterling Clarke has assisted him in the process. He stated they are doing everything they can to ensure they are acting in view to protect the public health, safety and welfare of the citizens in • this region. He mentioned Staff has really been on top of this issue and he appreciated the cooperation of the Department of Transportation. He explained the Department of Transportation has the ongoing obligation to inspect under statute; they have received the Deparknent of Transportation's report and have responded as quickly as possible. After the above introductions Mayor Humpage started to summarize his position and those of the engineers. Ms Genco asked that we hear what the Department of Transportation had to say before we hear additional comments and opinion from the Council. At that time Mayor Humpage then asked Mr. Quintana to comment, Structural Facilities Engineer, DOT explained last Friday he received a call from an inspector at Kisinger Campo, and Associates stating that they found a serious deficiency on the bridge. He stated soon after they go# together and analyzed all the facts and they determined that the bridge needed to be closed immediately. He stated they called the Village and they took immediate action, which he commended them for taking the proper action. He stated Kisinger Campo and Associates (KCA) is the local consultant for the local government inspection program. He explained this program is federally sponsored and is on a 2-year basis; and every two years DOT selects a consultant and for the past two years they have had KCA. He stated they have been with the DOT program before, and in his view they have done everything by the book, and the final result was actually done. He stated they were able to find the deficiency ahead of time, notify the Village and the bridge was closed, and now everyone can take it from here. Mayor Humpage introduced Mr. Ken Reinholt, KCA inspector for DOT. Mr. Reinholt stated that they have worked with DOT for may years, and have excellent inspectors that work • throughout the state of Florida with DOT and other entities throughout the State of Florida. He 2 Minutes -Emergency Special Village Council Meeting February 2, 2006 Page 3 • stated their inspectors aze well qualified; they found a deficiency on this particulaz bridge. He noted the Tequesta Drive Bridge is inspected annually, because of the load restrictions on this bridge. He pointed out the deficiencies have increased significantly over the last year when they inspected the bridge. He noted they inspected the bridge in Mazch 2005, and the deficiencies were there but they have accelerated over the past year. He commented one of the main slab units 3-7 has settled, and the deterioration of the prestressing strands have become so brittle that twenty of them aze 100% corroded through. He commented their inspectors found this up close, and called his office; and his office's recommendation to the DOT was that the bridge be closed. He stated they do not make it a policy to go around closing bridges, but safety is their primary concern and that is why the bridge was closed. He stated they could talk about other methods and try to get the bridge back in service. He indicated they would be at the meeting for any questions. Mr. Thomas LoCicero, KCA Engineer wanted to compliment the Village on their proactive response. He stated he has been talking with Village Manager Couzzo and Assistant Manager Gazlo since the eazly inception of this bridges' deterioration that has occurred. He stated from their findings this past week it has been a very proactive response from the Village to get the speed restrictions posted, because the safety of the public is the number one priority. He stated this also entails not only vehicular traffic but marine traffic as well. He stated the cause of the deterioration could be a combination of both traffic from vehicles and the under salt spray from jet skis, to give the dry and wet of the actual slab to accelerate the corrosion, and even though weight and speed restrictions have been imposed, prior to closing the bridge, and they have photos to depict this, the bridge is still getting a substantial amount of heavy vehicular traffic He stated once the Unit 3-7 was to the point where it was getting close to failure, it did not take much in a very short time to completely fail, and that is where the bridge is at this point. Council Member Genco stated she was looking at the report from KCA, dated January 31, 2006, and that was a summary sheet of the load rating. She noted his first comment was based on the January 28, 2006 field inspection, noting that the bridge had twenty-two pre-stressed strands that were deteriorated; two strands had 100% section loss, eleven strands had 50% section loss, and the remaining nine strands had 25% section loss. She mentioned as a result of that review, their analysis said that the Village should post the bridge for an STS type vehicle. She questioned what was an STS type vehicle. Mr. LoCicero explained under the corrtract with the FDOT their load rating obligation is to not only assess a particular bridge for what they called the design load, that is the load that you actually see in the set of plans, but to add to that they are supposed to analyze, based on what they call the Seven Florida Legal Loads. He stated with those legal loads, there are three different groups: 1) single unit vehicles (concrete trucks, gravel trucks etc), which can go anywhere from two to four axel configurations; 2) commercial vehicles, (moving trucks which can go from three to five axels; and 3) STS, which still needs to be analyzed and considered, but for the area in which that bridge is located, he did not think the Village would see the piggyback tandem trailers, that can have five axels and a double tandem setup on their main cab. • 3 Minutes -Emergency Special Village Council Meeting February 2, 2006 Page 4 • Council Member Genco stated what Mr. LoCicero was stating is that the Village needed to post the bridge for all kinds of vehicles. Mr. LoCicero stated those Florida loads that are designated by the state, this is a case where all seven need to be restricted. Council Member Genco clarified then any kind of vehicle encompassed in this STS type vehicle. Mr. LoCicero agreed that is correct. Council Member Genco again referred to the same report, noting it stated "at or below number eleven, fifteen and seventeen tons; our recommendations include a blanket posting of eleven tons if the bridge is to return to service one lane, two way traffic". She stated if she was reading that correctly, he was saying, the bridge can be returned to service for aneleven-ton or less vehicle provided the Village goes to one-way traffic, which in this case would be westbound. Mr. LoCicero agreed, and stated their recommendation based on the analysis findings, if they were to set aside those Florida Legal Loads, the worse case on the actual tonnages, which is the SU being the most stringent, and that is why they came in with a blanket posting of eleven tons. He noted with particular weight restriction criteria, (the failed slab is in the eastbound lane) they recommended travel in the westbound direction as proposed, in order to maintain two-way traffic and it would have to be manned 24/7. Council Member Genco reiterated with aneleven-ton vehicle, generally speaking, what would be the highest category vehicle that would represent. Mr. LoCicero responded 11 tons would be light trucks, light weighted garbage trucks, or lower class fire trucks. Council Member Genco asked if that would be a lower class commercial vehicle. Mr. LoCicero responded yes. • Council Member Genco stated obviously something needed to be implemented to restore the eastbound lane. She stated she understood there were problems with the Village getting a permit because of the current type of pilings the bridge has. She asked if it was possible to get an exemption from the requirement of upgrading the pilings in order to repair the bridge. Mr. LoCicero stated he was not at liberty to answer that, as their firm only provided the inspection services for the DOT. Council Member Genco asked if was anyone in the room that could address the issue. Village Manager Couzzo stated that the Village was addressing the issue, that through Reese Macon and Associates and a local structural bridge designer who should conclude their analysis tomorrow. Council Member Genco asked if there was anyone present today who handled the permits. Village Manager Couzzo stated no one was present. Council Member Genco stated she had one other concern which was a DOT issue. She stated the bridge they are using right now for access in and out of the Village is the bridge that is on the north fork of the Loxahatchee River, which is on County Line Road in Martin County. She stated when she is driving on the bridge there are trucks that have four or five axels, which are the largest flatbed trucks that is completely loaded with concrete blocks for construction. She stated that if the road continues having that load go over the north folk bridge, is that going to be something that will be deteriorating that bridge. Mr. Reinholt stated if the truck carries the legal weights there should be no problem with the bridge. Council Member Genco asked if that bridge could handle every type of commercial vehicle. Mr. Reinholt asked if the bridge was posted. Council Member Genco felt it was not. Mr. Quintana responded then it is open to all legal loads. Council Member Genco stated then that bridge would have no problem at all handling all loaded or types of vehicles that might go over it. Mr. Quintana stated they should be fine if they carry 4 Minutes -Emergency Special Village Council Meeting February 2, 2006 Page 5 • the allowed weight, but if they were above, then they would need a permit to go over the bridge. Council Member Genco commented then the Village might have concerns on following up on that, because the Village may need to monitor it. She asked if that was a possibility. Mr. Quintana noted if the bridge is not posted, he does not see a problem. Martin County Commissioner Lee Weberman stated their engineering department needed to work with the Village Manager to make sure that both sides of the county line are working together. He stated the Village could post as many signs as they want but if no one is going to enforce the bridge loads, then you aze just deceiving yourself. He commented he did not think this issue was going to be resolved today, but in working with Village staff, he wanted to make sure both engineering departments are in unison, and they follow up with enforcement. He stressed in following up, he wanted to make sure it did not cause a problem somewhere else. He stated he felt the Martin County bridge was posted in the past with the load limits, and was not posted at this time, but he noted that was a political decision, not an engineering decision. Council Member Genco thanked Mr. Weberman. Council Member Genco asked on an intermediate basis; the bridge is now being closed and final resolution of the problem, was it the impression that Council could open up the westbound lane. Mr. LoCicero responded that low rating results, taking in account the primary emphasis of the condition of the superstructure, which are the slab units, the westbound lane can be, in their opinion, maintained two-way, if the Village does a blanket posting of eleven tons. Council Member Genco stated that if the Village goes to a repair situation, and we are repairing the eastbound lane, would they be able to maintain the westbound traffic lane or will it have to be closed to do the repairs. Mr. LoCicero responded it depended on how you set up your maintenance of traffic, or traffic control He stated the good thing is, that either way of travel, whether eastbound or westbound, the structural makeup, the transverse rods that connect all the slab units together, that it does not go continuous from one side of the bridge to the other; they stop at the midpoint of the bridge so you have some strength in the westbound side of the bridge that can be maintained while you make repairs to the eastbound side because it is segregated. Mayor Humpage stated that the DOT stated that the superstructure of the bridge was okay up to eleven tons, but asked if DOT was making any type of call on the portion under the bridge that supports the superstructure. Mr. LoCicero responded that is called a substructure. Mayor Humpage asked if the inspectors have taken any consideration the ability of the substructure when they say the westbound lanes could be opened. Mr. LoCicero responded when they took into account the recommendation they made, when they performed their routine inspection, (Before things got critical with that particulaz slab unit); they looked at both the superstructure and substructure. He indicated in this case, based on that finding and how they have moved along to where they aze at now, the emphasis on the failure of that one superstructure unit, if the Village maintains the eleven-ton weight limit that would pertain to the bridge as a whole. Council Member Genco mentioned when KCA did their inspection a yeaz ago it appeazed the superstructure and the surface had not separated. She stated it separated within the last yeaz, and questioned whether this could be hurricane related damage. Mr. Reinholt responded no, and felt the wind did not do any additional damage to the bridge. 5 Minutes -Emergency Special Village Council Meeting February 2, 2006 Page 6 Mayor Humpage explained the State said the Village could open the westbound lane, and that the superstructure and substructure aze okay. He commented the Village has commissioned a study through Reese Macon and Associates to be sure the superstructure was okay. Mr. Bill Reese, Principal, Reese Macon and Associates stated the Village contacted them when a boater had observed some falling debris from the bridge. He mentioned they reviewed the inspection report from DOT, but the Village asked them to have an independent consultant look at the bridge to see if there was a problem. He stated they did the study and made the recommendation to the Village that there was a level of concern and recommended that the speed limit and weight limit be reduced; he also recommended the Village contact the DOT and have them come back out and look at the bridge a second time. He commented on Monday this week the Village asked them to again look at the bridge and offer their opinion on what it would take to reopen the bridge and under what limited condition. Council Member Genco asked if they were going to do an independent stress and load test. Village Manager Couzzo responded that they aze doing it now, and that they should be done with the tests by tomorrow. Council Member Genco asked if this was going to be done by a bridge specialist. Mr. Reese responded yes. He stated that they are asking the specialist to report: 1) what it will take to reopen the bridge and under what conditions it can be reopened, and 2) the specialist should tell them what repairs should be done. Council Member Genco asked they were planning on codifying or confirming the present report from KCA. Mr. Reese responded that would be an independent determination as to what they feel is appropriate. Council Member Genco questioned if after KCA advised the Village, then did they intend to go ahead and utilize Reese Macon for resolving a plan of action. Mr. Reese responded yes, they would recommend a developmental plan of action to effectuate repairs. Council Member Genco asked if there was a question of the validity of the KCA report. Mr. Reese responded he had no reason to think there was, but he had no basis to say there was not either. He stated he would need to hear from the bridge design associate, and on Tuesday morning he engaged them to start this process; they looked at it Tuesday and on Wednesday they stated they needed additional data; which they provided. He mentioned the bridge associate needed to come out and look at the bridge which he is doing tomorrow morning. Mayor Humpage stated Council could probably base their decision today on the DOT report, but felt it would be wise to be guarded that the Village's engineers feel the same. Council Member Genco stated Council is going to be making a decision today and she wanted to make sure that that decision was not going to change. Vice Mayor Watkins wanted know how the bridge could have been okay in March and now needs to be shut immediately. She stated her confidence was a little shaky and she needed to be thoroughly convinced that the bridge was safe before she would ever vote to allow trat~c to go over it. She commented her primary responsibility was the safety of the citizens. She asked if it would be closed to school buses. Mr. LoCicero responded yes. Vice Mayor Watkins stated she had no level of comfort when it came to opening up the westbound lane for traffic until, at the very least, until they heazd from Reese Macon. She stated she is not an engineer and she had to make her best guess on what information she received from the engineers. She stated it is a very serious situation. She felt she would rather incur the ire of the residents over their frustration in having to go around and spend more time, than have someone get hurt. She stated her level of comfort at this time would be to do nothing until the Village had the other report. 6 Minutes -Emergency Special Village Council Meeting February 2, 2006 Page 7 Council Member Genco stated that is why they called this meeting to resolve this problem but yet they did not have all the information. She stated she was dismayed that they did not address these things in a timely manner so that they could have this meeting. Vice-Mayor Watkins asked if the report comes back from Reese Macon that they aze okay with this; then maybe they could reconvene or let the Manager know that it is okay. Council Member Paterno asked in reference to using the westbound lane, that cazs and trucks going over the bridge will cause vibrations, could it be that the potential slab would fall into the waster. Mr. L,oCicero responded by stating that no matter what the additional report stated, based on the report from DOT and KCA, the condition of the bridge would warrant some type of monitoring. He stated that they needed a plan of action that would go into a period of time, which the Village was working on from his understanding. He stated if the bridge is posted at eleven tons, it would need to be looked at on a frequent basis to verify that no continued deterioration was happening or the deterioration has not been accelerated. He stated that what he meant by accelerated deterioration is both topside and underside. He stated it would be taking heavy trucks off the bridge if the Village decided to utilize the westbound lane at a restricted weight. He stated it would have to be manned 24/7 because of the heavy truck traffic that would constantly pound that structure in addition to the salt-water spray from underneath. Council Member Genco stated that until they develop a replacement plan of action, based upon what the DOT said, she would like to see them limit traffic m the westbound lane to residential traffic only. She stated they should not allow any type of commercial vehicle over the bridge because then you get into the issue of having to monitor the weight. Mayor Humpage stated you would still have to monitor the bridge. Council Member Genco felt not having access to this side of the Village, including Martin and Palm Beach County, would severely impact businesses. She stated that if they allow only residential traffic, they could get more service out of the bridge and serve the residents and businesses. Council Member Paterno asked if they allowed people to go over, would they continue to have the falling concrete onto the boaters. Mr. ],oCicero responded that based upon the inspection reports that he had seen, along with a visual inspection that he conducted this morning, with the condition of the bridge as it is, there was a potential that existed that the bridge will have continued delaminating underneath. Council Member Paterno confirmed with Mr. LoCicero that he was recommending that the boat traffic cease until the bridge was repaired. Mr. LoCicero stated yes, and noted Council's number one priority was the public safety, and that included vehicular and marine traffic. Mayor Humpage stated Council has been inundated with calls, and their first question was how could they have been driving over the bridge Thursday but on Friday they cannot drive on it at all. He stated the reason the Village took on this independent study was so they would be comfortable with the decision they make. He stated that he read the bridge inspections for both March and August. He stated that the inspections aze fairly identical. He stated the only issue the State had was with a bank problem, which the Village had budgeted this yeaz. He commented the rating of the bridge was the same both in March and August. • 7 Minutes -Emergency Special Village Council Meeting February 2, 2006 Page 8 Mayor Humpage felt what was happening from August until last Friday, the 27~` of January, the wheels have fallen off the bridge. He stated that a resident happened to observe it and contacted Mr. Paterno. He noted this is what brought this new survey forward. Mayor Humpage stated for the record that when the report said it is a bank issue and 10% of the cabling or less of the underside was distressed, and now we aze at twenty-two strands broken from August to January, it seems to him that "someone missed the boat". He stated that he had gotten a lot of phone calls; one resident stopped him at a red light. He stated he is sure the residents are not happy with how this has evolved. He stated it is the obligation of the State to do these inspections since the Village is not the authority here. He commented the Village is doing everything they can to get the residents back over the bridge but he expressed to the State, that they do a little more due diligence when they inspect the bridge again as well as other bridges. He stated he was a little disappointed in the reports because he does not see a dramatic difference from Mazch to August. Thus, he feels more comfortable taking the information he had received and giving it to the Village's engineers and having them come to the Village stating they either agree or do not agree. He stated he would not want to agree with the report and then have an issue with the bridge. He wanted someone else to step up to the plate and state they agree with the DOT's findings and to open up the west side. Council Member Genco stated that was her earlier point. She stated that by not inspecting the underside of the bridge and just doing a service inspection, things aze getting missed. • She commented we live in an area where the bridges are critical and she strongly suggested that bridges that are subject to saltwater spray should be inspected on a routine basis. Council Member Paterno stated that one thing with the inspection that was brought to his attention was that the jet skis are part of the problem because they spray the water underneath the bridge. He asked Mr. LoCicero if he ever recommended to the cities that this was occurring and action should be taken so that it does not deteriorate the bridge. Mr. LoCicero stated in 1997 or 1998 they started noticing the first phase of the delaminations on the underside of the slabs; in 1999 they started getting the initiation of the spalls, going along with the delaminations overall He stated that when they do an inspection, and it is a full in-depth inspection, they have an actual section where if they notice any delaminations or spalls on the underside of the slab units, there is a section in the report where it says "repair spalls and delaminations on the undersides of slab units" and they will list out those recommendations based on those deficiencies for each particular member. Council Member Paterno stated they did receive that and that no corrective action had been recommended since 1997. Mr. Reinholt stated that was incorrect, that they had recommended the corrective action for the slab units for ten years. He stated that the last time they inspected this bridge was in March 2005, and he was not aware of a report from August. Mayor Hurnpage stated he had it in front of him. He stated he was not aware of that report but apparently they inspected the bridge in August. Council Member Genco read from the report that stated there were some cracking and opalescence with one distressed area with 10% or less. Council Member Paterno stated that when it was brought to his attenrion in November, they had their engineer go out and re-inspect in January. He confirmed that what Mr. Reinholt is saying is that from August to November the one strand with twenty pieces snapped in two months, that it deteriorated that bad. 8 Minutes -Emergency Special Village Council Meeting February 2, 2006 Page 9 • Mr. Reinholt responded that the August inspection, which they aze under contract with the DOT to do damage assessment after hurricanes, but one aspect they do not look at is the underside of the slab units. They look for major areas of erosion or scour at the bridge after a hurricane goes through. They aze not required to do a structural assessment of the underside of the bridge. He stated his last inspection of the bridge was in March 2005, and they did look at the underside of the slab units. He stated their recommendation is in the report to repair those delaminations; and the recommendations were also made up to 1996 on those slab units and spalls. He noted all their reports are turned over to the city. Council Member Genco stated that she looked at the reports going back to 2002. She stated they reflect the same thing that the August 2005 report shows. She stated this goes back to the public safety issue, which is beyond what the Village has. She stated they needed to start inspecting the underside of the bridges as a part of the annual review. She stated that if this was not picked up, and if DOT is saying they did pick it up but the report did not indicate it, those two things are not consistent. Mr. Reinholt responded by stating that the deterioration had increased over the last yeaz, coupled with the corrosion process, those strands deteriorating and becoming brittle, the load going over them, the slab units are acting independently, and it fractured that slab unit. Council Member Genco stated that the August 26th report, after Hurricane Katrina, does not reflect that. Mr. Reinholt responded by stating all they were there for was hurricane assessment and scouring. Council Member Genco reiterated that she looked at the reports going back to 2002 and they are identical with the August 26th report. She stated this is why she was . concerned. She wanted to know what they missed and what if anything contributed to the accelerated corrosion and asked about bridges in the surrounding areas. Mr. Quintana stated jet skis excel corrosion, and there are things you can do to prolong the bridge but you cannot bring it back to great condition. He stated the damage to the Burt Reynolds Bridge was identified and repaired, which prolonged the life of the bridge. Ms. Genco asked about repairs to the Bridge and if in fact the bridge could be repaired. Whether an exception could be give from the current bridge construction standards as well as how long Mr. Quintana thought it would take. Mr. Quintana said it absolutely could be repaired and that an exception could be granted. He also noted that fast tracking the repairs could take as little as 3 weeks including lead time. Noting that there was an on going repair of the bridge on Loxahatchee River Drive. Ms Genco noted that it was her opinion that the Village set up its own annual review and inspection of the Bridge. Mayor Humpage referred to a report that was dated March 15, 2005. He stated there are five areas of checkmazks: "this report identifies deficiencies which require prompt corrective action" and this section is not checked; "structurally deficient" is not checked; he stated that the "state missed the boat". He stated that if these are structural issues and they cannot support traffic, then someone should have checked "this report identifies deficiencies which require prompt corrective action". He stated that he could see where 10% of the underside is an issue, or that the underside is spalled. He stated this certainly does not create a timeframe where the bridge is shut down. He stated he thinks the state needed to do a little bit more diligence when they do the reports. Mr. Reinholt stated they did make recommendations that are in a separate section in the • back. He referred to the March report, page 11. 9 Minutes -Emergency Special Village Council Meeting February 2, 2006 Page 10 . Council noted their report did not include page 11. Mayor Humpage stated he wanted the inspections to be thorough in the future and wanted the people "back in business". He stated they need the confidence level of their engineers to make this happen. Mr. Reinholt stated their recommendation is the westbound lane could be open with restrictions; if the Village had concerns about this, then they can monitor the bridge weekly or monthly to ensure there aze no other problems occurring on the structure while traffic is going over. He stated that the same thing should apply to the marine traffic. Mr. LoCicero stated, that based upon the analysis, the eleven tons is their recommendation based on the extension of the DOT. He stated, the Village being the owner, has the jurisdiction to post it at eleven tons or anything below that, as long as it was not less than three tons because then you have to close the bridge according to federal guidelines. Vice Mayor Watkins asked about slab 3-7. She read from the report "it appears that this slab is fractured in two". She stated she does not understand bridge construction but if it was fractured in two, she wanted to know how the bridge was safe. Mr. LoCicero responded by stating that the transverse continuity comes into play for this particular bridge, from a design standpoint, you have an area where you have to look at. He stated they took this into account with the eastbound out; they took into account certain materials, stress reductions when they did their analysis. He commented to play it safe, he stated they always err on the side of caution. He stated that they had an original set of plans to go by but in this case, the transverse continuity that tied those three main slab units together had separated. Thus, the westbound had its own continuity, not strong continuity, but the eastbound continuity was gone. He stated that as Mr. Reinholt stated eazlier, those slab units were working independently of each other, and there is no tying them together side by side. Vice Mayor Watkins asked if Reese Macon was looking at the pilings or if they are just looking at how the Village can do a quick fix. Village Manager Couzzo responded they are looking at the entire bridge. He stated that what they did was err on the side of caution and went out and got a second opinion. He stated he found out last night at 8:00 p.m. that the report was not completed but that they had to come out and analyze the data and do it tomorrow morning. He indicated it gave them some latitude to make some decisions today based on their report but it will be awhile before the bridge will be open. He stated that by mid-morning tomorrow, they will know whether the second opinion confirms what the first opinion says, which will give them a greater sense of comfort. He stated it is a matter of comfort. He stated they do not want to look down the road and regret their decision. Council Member Genco stated that regardless of their ability of opening up the bridge for residential traffic, because of the condition of the bridge, it is going to be restricted for a lengthy time, which means that the emergency services are going to suffer. She stated they are going to suffer, because the Village is going to have to have two sets of emergency coverage, one on each side of the bridge. She stated there are mutual aid agreements and she does not know if there was some way between Palm Beach County, Martin County to work out some sharing on this issue. She stated if they cannot work out some type of sharing, then the Village is going to incur some serious expenses in making sure the residents have the safety they deserve, not only the Village's residents but Palm Beach County and Martin County residents as well. She would like to see the entities get together and come up with some kind of time table where they could separate and share these responsibilities so that it is not just the Village of Tequesta that is going to have to beaz the burden. • 10 Minutes -Emergency Special Village Council Meeting February 2, 2006 Page 11 • Council Member Genco also wanted to know as to whether the other entities, which are being serviced by this bridge, were willing to help the Village in resolving the construction and repair issues. Mayor Humpage questioned where was the council going to go from here, assuming the Village's engineers agree with the DOT's parameters on the passing of vehicles on the westbound lane. Mr. Reinhalt stated that upon their inspection this morning, they felt that those two slab units should be replaced (3-7 and the one adjacent to it). Mayor Humpage reiterated they needed to replace the slabs. Mr. Reinholt confirmed this. Mayor Humpage stated they will figure out how the bridge is going to be repaired but right now they need to figure out what is a temporary fix for the residents to get around. Commissioner Weberman stated that because of the geography of South Martin County they aze partners with Tequesta. He stated that if Mr. Couzzo would work with their county administrator they would make sure no one suffers with mutual aid. He commented that Council Member Genco stated earlier that the Village post the bridge with the load limit, which would restrict commercial traffic. He stated that the Village needed to check with their attorney, because he does not believe they could do that. He stated that you might be able to restrict it for through traffic, but the way he understood the state laws you could not make the distinction between commercial and residential traffic. He stated it would be strictly by the weight you choose to restrict it to. He stated that to build public confidence when you choose an 11-ton or 10-ton limit, the most important thing is going to be enforcement. He reiterated that between the Martin County sheriff deputies and Palm Beach County, and the Village staff they can beef up. He stated that the greatest way to discourage people is ticket enforcement. Commissioner Weberman observed that the Village would want to make a formal request to the DOT so that their over-the-road inspectors can focus on trucks breaking those weight limits. He also stated they might want to contact the U.S. Department of Transportation. He stated they have over-the-road inspectors. He felt at this point the Village needed to make formal requests to the other agencies besides the sheriff's office to start ticketing people. He stated that the worst way to lose public confidence was if you post that bridge, for example, eleven tons and someone sees a concrete truck going over it. He stated that once you make the decision to open the bridge they can not do enough enforcement. Mayor Humpage stated now they are at a point where they are going to operate on the assumption that the Village's engineers and the DOT scenario of eleven tons would be viable on the westbound lane as a temporary measure. Council Member Genco stated that based upon what Commissioner Weberman stated earlier, if they wanted to restrict this to residential traffic, they can not do this. She felt this was the easiest way to implement a weight restriction, only because of the fact that if it was residential traffic only, it ends up being a lower weight limit. Attorney Hawkins stated he spoke with the engineers yesterday and told them, when they indicated their recommendation was not to exceed 11 tons, his initial implication was not to exceed five tons. He stated they agreed that you can always reduce the tonnage and he stated that this would give the Village an extra safety factor. Council Member Genco asked that if they reduce the tonnage to five tons, would they be effective in reducing this to residential traffic and was this legal. Attorney Hawkins responded that the Village could restrict weight; he also stated that there are exemptions on the point that if • there is an emergency situation created, as they azguably had here, in terms of being able to exercise police power, health and safety. Thus, he stated this might be an exemption that may be 11 Minutes -Emergency Special Village Council Meeting February 2, 2006 Page 12 • available. He stated he would prefer if a more pragmatic exemption dealing with weight, such as five or six tons. Council Member Genco asked if they end up leaving the State of Emergency and restricting this to five tons, would this be legal. Attorney Hawkins responded he would have to review it, but he believed it to be legal. Council Member Genco asked the Village Attorney to review it; she also stated they were waiting for confirmation that the KCA report has been confirmed by the Village's engineers. MOTION: Council Member Genco stated she would like to make a motion that Village Council take the steps necessary to open up the westbound lane of traffic, and to put a road signal or stoplight to enable less than five-ton vehicles use only. Mayor Humpage stated if they go to an automated device rather than a flagman, the problem he saw occurring was in with an emergency vehicle such as a police car or ambulance. Council Member Genco stated they are going to have to maintain the dual situation that they have now. She stated there was no doubt they are going to have to maintain a presence for both the police and fire over on the west side. Mayor Humpage asked Attorney Hawkins the issue of the school buses, since he had heard from many residents. Mayor Humpage asked if they could set a weight restriction to a school bus. Council Member Genco stated she would not want a school bus to go over the bridge. Mayor Humpage felt they fell well below the ten tons. Council Member Genco stated she would not . feel safe putting school buses on that bridge. Vice Mayor Watkins asked if they do not feel safe with school buses, then why should they feel safe with the residents. Council Member Genco responded by stating that residents have vehicles and that from the engineering reports, as long as it is confirmed, it is more than safe for residential or vehiculaz traffic. She stated it is a twenty-minute ride and businesses are suffering but if there is a short-term way to accommodate the residents, she thinks they should do it. Council Member Paterno asked if the staff had any ideas regarding flagmen or anything else. Also, he mentioned concerns regazding the economic aspect. He stated that if they have flagmen or policemen and thus goes on for six months, it would be costly. Council Member Genco proposed, on a temporary basis, for a flagman because it would take probably a couple of weeks to get a signal system set up or they can wait until they do get a signal set up. She stated she estimated it is going to be a one-yeaz process until it is completed. She stated that one year is a long time for the residents and the businesses to suffer. She stated that if they can get an emergency signal system set up in two weeks, and start utilizing this bridge for residents with vehicles under five tons, they should do it. She stated she is not comfortable putting a school bus that is over five tons, and not comfortable with anything over that. Mr. Reinholt responded that they needed to decide if they just want to repair specific sections of the bridge. He stated that if you want to repair specific sections, it could be done in less than three weeks. Village Manager Couzzo suggested addressing the traffic controls. He stated his concern that if you go to a mechanical signal there was no way you could control whether or not a truck was going to go over or not. He stated that the only way you can enforce this is if someone is there. He stated that unless you are there to continually regulate it you are not going • to get 100% compliance and this may include a big truck and that is where you are going to have 12 Minutes -Emergency Special Village Council Meeting February 2, 2006 Page 13 . an issue. Council Member Genco stated she believed there was a way to restrict the width and height as well, which would prevent a big truck from going over. She stated that what she is amazed about is that they can have it repaired and utilized in a matter of weeks. She stated that she was lead to believe this was along-term process. Council Member Paterno asked what they meant by "repair". He asked if this meant that it still needed to be repaired in the next couple of years. He understood this to mean this is only a temporary repair. Mr. Reinholt responded that with a good maintenance program the bridge could last another fifteen to twenty years. Mayor Humpage stated that this would be true with the assumption that the substructure would support the new spans. He did not want people to think that a new bridge could be put up in three weeks and then it not happen. Mr. Reinholt stated that would not be the case; he stated that if you want to replace the spans, it could be done in three weeks. Attorney Hawkins asked Mr. Reinholt if permits were required to fast track these repairs. Mr. Reinholt stated he was not sure. Mr. Charlie Rich, Palm Beach County Engineering stated that as soon as the engineers gave the Village the report, they could start on the repairs. Council Member Genco stated they needed to do this as well as keep the weight limits down even after they repair it. Council Member Paterno asked Mr. Reinholt to provide him with a copy of page 11 before he left the meeting. Mayor Humpage stated that assuming they can fast track the repairs, and the substructure is okay to support the new superstructure, do they still want to open up the westside. • Council Member Genco stated she wanted to withdraw her motion she made earlier. She stated it is probably going to take one to two weeks to set up a mechanical signal system and rather than focus all of their time and energy on that, she would like to see all of the resources focused on getting the bridge repaired. She stated if it is going to take two to four weeks to get this repaired, she thought this is what they should focus on. Council Member Genco felt they should post it for the lower weight limit of eleven tons once it is repaired, and also included some serious enforcement. She wanted this motion on the table subject to Reese Macon's engineers confirming the KCA report. Mayor Humpage confirmed with Council Member Genco that she did not want the bridge in temporary service on the west side. She stated Village Manager Couzzo stated to them that they would have to have signalmen and this would not work in the evening, which puts them in the same restriction they are now. Mayor Humpage stated they could limit the hours from 11 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. Council Member Genco stated this could happen if someone wanted to make a motion to do that. Mayor Humpage stated he would like them to open up the west side. Council Member Paterno asked Village Manager Couzzo if he did an analysis of the cost. Village Manager Couzzo responded no but that it would take about three signalmen to do in shifts. He stated they are talking with the police department to see what kind of contribution they can make. He stated that if you look at closing it, that is going to reduce the cost and you can barricade it off at night and reopen it from 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. He noted from his understanding, there was not a lot of traffic after . that time period going over the bridge. He stated it might be cost prohibitive to do this but if you wanted to open the traffic the Village could make arrangements to do this. 13 Minutes -Emergency Special Village Council Meeting February 2, 2006 Page 14 Village Manager Couzzo stated that the police and fire deparhnents have done terrific jobs in working with the other agencies and this would minimize the overtime the Village was currently experiencing. Council Member Paterno stated the Village could leave the fire engine on the west side of the bridge, and the ambulance on this side, since they can go over the bridge; this would save on overtime and the public would be just as safe as they were before. Council Member Genco asked what hours he would propose. Mayor Humpage suggested a regular 8-hour shift and start at 6:00 a.m. Village Manager Couzzo stated he was a little concerned about the 8-hour shift because you are going to have to run them on weekends, too. He stated if they figure out what hours they want, he would make sure it is covered. Council Member Paterno was thinking daylight hours, due to nighttime hours and the safety issue. Mayor Humpage asked Attorney Hawkins if there were issues, if they wanted to close the bridge at night and keep it open during the day. Attorney Hawkins responded yes, because the Village has declared an emergency. Mayor Humpage stated that this will help but if they have the flagmen equipped with radios and they have an issue and a truck is giving them a hard time they can then contact the police department. Council Member Genco stated they are going to limit it to five tons or less. Mayor Humpage stated that the weight limit does not prevent someone from trying to cross the bridge. Vice-Mayor Watkins stated that you are going to have people using their own judgment. Council Member Genco stated that this is when the flagmen will step in and prevent them from crossing. She stated if you limit it to five tons or less and have the flagmen and limit it to daylight hours, then she was in favor of this. She also is in favor of doing the other thing that she . spoke about, but they need to make a decision and someone needs to make a motion to do it. Council Member Paterno stated he would prefer to wait until tomorrow or whenever it is done to get all the information; then find out what all the choices were because he would hate to put money into it and just put aband-aid on it and not fix it properly. He stated he would like the independent people to give them their opinion as well. Vice Mayor Watkins agreed, saying she wanted to be assured that those pilings are okay because if the pilings are not okay, that was a different issue. She stated you have two critical things here -one being what to do in the intermediate, and what makes sense for the bridge in the long term but she wanted to know what the other engineers say. Council Member Genco stated the only thing she thought they could address was the intermediate, and it was her understanding that that was the purpose of this meeting. Council Member Genco stated along-term resolution was going to be based upon a number of other things, which may be the subject of another meeting. She stated the short-term intermediate situation was opening up the bridge for the westbound lane, having a flagman, and having it open during daylight hours; and in the meanwhile the Village and Administration was on track towards, if the engineers agree, doing a repair which she hoped would be a much shorter length of time. She stated this does not mean they are not going to look at a long-term issue of whether or not to replace the bridge or do something else for the bridge but at least for the short- term they have developed a plan of action. Vice-Mayor Watkins asked Attorney Hawkins if they had the DOT's report and if the Village's engineers came back and stood by this as well, does this help the Village in any way from a liability standpoint if something happened on the bridge, and if we allowed westbound traffic 14 Minutes -Emergency Special Village Council Meeting February 2, 2006 Page 15 • with the best engineering input we have to formulate this decision. Attorney Hawkins responded the Village's liability would be strong. He stated although there was a State agency responsible for transportation giving you an opinion from a highly qualified renowned engineer but the Village's neck is out there because you are dealing with Public Safety. He stated it is a reasonable response. He stated Council needs two motions -motion one would be regarding hours, authorizing Staff need to develop a plan; motion two should be if you want to authorize Staff to study a rapid repair and report back to the Village as to what needed to be done. Council Member Paterno stated it should be limited to four tons so to eliminate the trucks who think they are five tons in order to keep it to passenger SUV or smaller. Council Member Genco stated that when they post a sign stating the weight limit, it should say residential traffic only. Commissioner Weberman stated in order to be enforceable you need to look at the DOT standards because he thought trucks had to carry documents showing they are a certain weight. His concern was that people are going to be arguing over the weight of their truck. Village Manager Couzzo stated that the law enforcement personnel know how to check the weight loads on vehicles. He stated if there was a discrepancy then the flagman can call the law enforcement personnel and they will take care of it. Council Member Genco stated that if the Village is under a state of emergency and they post it for three or five tons and they put a sign stating "closed to all but residential traffic", the flagmen should not have a problem interpreting it, then on an interim basis the westbound lane can be opened. Mayor Humpage asked Mr. Reese if they would have their report by tomorrow morning regarding the condition to tie into the state report. Mr. • Reese stated yes, unless there is a problem and they find they need more time because of the bridge condition. He asked that based upon the two reports, if they were consistent, was it a consensus that they open up the westbound lane. MOTION: Council Member Genco stated the motion would be provided that the Village's engineers confrrm the DOT report, that the Village would post a sign for four tons only, and they put a flashing light on the side saying "closed for residential tall c only "; and they get flagmen to keep the bridge open for westbound traffic only under those conditions, during daylight hours. Mayor Humpage stated for two-way traffic. Council Member Genco agreed. She stated the sign "residential traffic only" would mean that the Village is looking for that type of vehicle only. Mayor Humpage commented the old expression is "local tall c ". Council Member Genco suggested "local traffic" opens it up for commercial vehicles and that is where she was a little uncomfortable. Village Manager Couzzo suggested `passenger vehicles only ". Council Member Genco suggested leaving the verbiage up to Staff. Council Member Paterno asked that the motion include specifying that emergency vehicles, frre rescue only, use the bridge, as necessary. Council Member Genco stated this would not include the fire trucl~ only fire rescue and police. Mayor Humpage stated they need a timeframe. Council Member Genco stated daylight hours only. Attorney Hawkins asked that they specify the timeframe, such as 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. because daylight is a variable issue. Council Member Genco stated 6:00 a. m. to 7:00 p. m. Council Member Paterno asked if the issue of boats be included; Council Member Genco stated the existing restriction on marine traffic holds; seconded by Council Member Paterno; motion passed 4-0. 15 Minutes -Emergency Special Village Council Meeting February 2, 2006 Page 16 • MOTION: Council Member Genco made a motion that Staff goes ahead and gets this investigated and resolved, and reports back to Council. Mayor Humpage suggested Staff move forward diligently to try to get this done expeditiously; seconded by Vice Mayor Watkins; motion passed 4-0. Commissioner Weberman wanted to offer if this takes longer than Council think it should. He stated there is a bridge in Martin County on Britt Road that is actually operating with this temporary one-lane condition. He stated that if someone from the Village wants to drive up there, near the Treasure Coast Mall, the Britt Road Bridge, and take a video and see this in operation they have one currently. Mayor Humpage asked if any of the representatives would like to speak. A resident from Country Club Drive asked for clarification for the boat traffic. Mayor Humpage commented one of the things they were trying to do, was if someone wanted to take their boat out, it could be brought out under another span, because the police boat stationed there. He suggested a onw- way move. He stated the Village is trying to stop the constant traffic. He stated it would be closed to marine and vehicular traffic. Council Member Genco stated it was to remain closed since there had been falling debris and it was a safety issue. Mr. David Becker, resident of Country Club Circle stated there is a certain span that is broken, but since the bridge is so long there is plenty of room for a boat to go through. Mayor Humpage stated the navigable span is the center two spans, so if a boat goes to the side and it hits one of the rocks, where is the Village. Mr. David Baker, resident of Tradewinds Circle asked if the Village owned the River. Mayor Humpage stated the Coast Guard, mandates it. He noted the State said to close it to vehicular and marine traffic. He noted DOT was present. Mayor Humpage suggested having the Village Staff look into it, and noted the Village has an obligation for their own protection to do what mandated by the State and Coast Guard. He stated if they can work something out they would be happy to do that, and would let the public know in a few days. Mr. Baker asked who was going to notify the public. Mayor Humpage stated they have a mandate from the Department of Transportation and the Coast Guard but what the Village will do is the minute they get a relief or an answer they will put signs on the bridge. He stated the inspection authority (consultants) for the DOT found this problem and then DOT sent them the letter to close, and the Coast Guard agreed. He commented Staff would have to check in with the DOT to decide if it is navigable as well as the Coast Guard. He stated if they agree, than they can post the bridge and open it. He stated it is not the Village's call. Council Member Genco stated she was concerned about it and felt they needed to wait until they determine what their repair or restoration plan was before they know if they can open it up for marine traffic. She felt she was not comfortable with opening it up because if a piece of concrete falls with someone's boat underneath it, someone could get killed. She stated until she has another report that states that it is safe for marine traffic or the bridge is repaired, she does not want to do anything; she wants to take the advice of the experts. She told Mr. Becker that he is one of the few people to follow directions, but others may go under the bridge and hurt themselves. She commented this is a safety factor. Mayor Humpage reiterated that until they get a different call from the Coast Guard and the DOT it is not the Village's call. Mayor Humpage stated if they do let marine traffic go and someone gets hurt, it is then the liability of the Village. 16 Minutes -Emergency Special Village Council Meeting February 2, 2006 Page 17 • Council Member Genco stated this would probably be part of the normal process as they continue to look at the repair situation and as soon as they find out, they will have another Council meeting and open the bridge up for marine traffic. She stated right now they do not have asign-off and have a written warning that it was not safe. Mr. Baker asked if the Coast Guazd and DOT were working separately, or together. Mayor Humpage stated he could not answer that. Mr. LoCicero stated they made the recommendation to the Coast Guazd. Council Member Genco stated Council could not do anything until they get the report from the engineers, because it is dangerous. Mr. Baker asked if they could get their boats in and out one time. Mayor Humpage stated the marine patrol officer would record the number of the vessels that comes and goes. Ms. Abby Roeloffs, resident of Tradewinds Circle questioned the reports and the missing Page 11, of 11. She said it goes back to the confidence that these reports are being read and why no one on the Council looked for page eleven of the report. Mayor Humpage responded by stating that on the report there are five major criteria, which expressed the condition of the bridge. He read from the report, "this bridge contains structural, critical components; this bridge is scour critical, this report identifies deficiencies which require prompt corrective action, functionally obsolete, structurally deficient". He mentioned he did not read all ten pages, and that he reviewed the overview provided. He stated Council budgeted for the bank repairs that were recommended. He stated he is not an engineer and when he goes • through the pages with graphs, he does not know if the Village has anyone on Staff that could understand all of it. He stated that the first three pages of the report tell you what is going on in layman's terms and if you have deficiencies; He commented the one that was to be corrected was the slope, the banks which they budgeted for. The second part directly took issue with the underside at 10% or less having an issue. He stated they aze at 50% and how that occurred in four months, he does not know. Council Member Genco stated she read the engineering reports for the last three years, and it is thick, and she did not understand all the definitions. Council Member Genco explained last year she called the DOT because she did not know what was meant by "obsolete" etc. She commented the report comes in sections so when you are looking at the numbering, you look at what looks like page ten and then the eleventh page looked the same as page ten so she thought the page that was not numbered was page eleven. She stated she did look at everything. Ms. Roeloffs noted they depend on the Council; she would like someone on Staff or someone that really knows how to read these documents do so. She mentioned probably half of the residents live on the other side of the bridge. Mayor Humpage agreed. Council Member Genco stated she would like to take it one step further; once a-year the Village engineers do an inspection of the bridge. She felt they could utilize the DOT and confirm it, or say that they do not have the same opinion. IV. ADJOURNMENT • MOTION: Yice-1Lfayor Watkins moved to adjourn the meeting; seconded by Council Member Genco; motion passed 4-0. 17 Minutes -Emergency Special Village Council Meeting February 2, 2006 Page 18 The meeting was adjourned at 12:47 P.M. _~ .(,~v - en Carlisle Village Clerk • c: 18