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From YouTube: June 29, 2020 Special Board of Public Works Meeting
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B
D
A
Hopefully,
you've
all
had
a
chance
to
review
the
memo
that
I
sent
out
and
also
the
meeting
summary
through
all
the
topics
that
have
come
up
during
the
past
12
months.
I
don't
have
a
lot
to
add
to
that,
but
I'll
go
ahead
and
kick
off
the
conversation
right
now.
All
city
staff
are
struggling
to
keep
our
heads
above
water.
A
A
Supporting
the
Board
of
Public
Works
is
an
administrative
burden
on
staff.
Kathy
servoz
used
to
do
all
the
work
for
us
and
coordinating
with
all
the
different
departments
and
also
helped
us
put
together
minutes
agendas,
agenda
materials,
things
like
that
and
she
is
on
furlough.
We've
left
a
few.
Other
engineering
staff
also
used
to
support
the
board
quite
a
bit.
A
A
We
we
don't
meet
as
often
and
I.
Don't
think,
there's
a
need
to
be
as
often,
but
there
is
still
a
create
a
burden
on
staff
just
to
keep
these
things
going,
we're
trying
to
find
ways
to
help
streamline
the
city-
and
you
know
this
was
one
a
possibility
that
came
up
that
certainly
reduces
a
lot
of
staff
time.
A
So
the
one
thing
I
guess
I
want
to
I'm.
Sorry!
Well,
okay,
you
know
if
it
is
one
of
the
few
municipalities
left
in
the
country
that
still
has
a
board
of
Public
Works
staff
is
fully
capable
of
making
informed,
Public
Works
decisions
and
we
have
a
whole
staff
of
engineering
operations
and
construction
professionals.
They
coordinate
extensively
with
other
city
departments
and
so
we're
just
looking
for
ways
to
sort
of
ease
the
amount
of
work
on
the
table
for
us
with
that
I
guess:
I'll,
open
it
up
to
thoughts
or
comments
from
board
members.
E
B
A
B
A
G
E
Follow-Up
of
that,
what
what
are
the
tests
and
aside
from
you,
laid
it
out
in
your
letter
and
obviously
administrative
setting
up
the
meetings?
Writing
the
agenda,
doing
that?
Are
there
any
other
tests
that
you
didn't
list
in
your
letter
I'm
getting
that
what
what
it
takes?
What
burden
can
we
take
off
the
staff
possibly
to
maintain
to
have
a
board
I
want
to
really
kind
of
get
to
the
nuts
and
bolts
is
what
I
was
thinking
so.
E
A
Weights
that
time
before
and
after
meetings
and
during
meetings
again,
it
depends
on.
What's
there,
some
of
the
items
are
more
complex,
it
usually
does
items
that
are
more
complex,
also
go
to
Common
Council
for
discussion,
so
there's
a
duplication
of
efforts
in
a
lot
of
cases,
and
so
it's
hardly
and
on
a
specific
basis.
Right
now
there
have
been
a
few
items
that
have
been
requested
to
be
put
to
the
board
and
I've
been
deflecting
some
of
those
items.
A
These
are
the
water
bill,
appeals
where
I've
gone
out
and
spoken
to
people
directly,
but
I
didn't
feel
like
it
was
necessary
for
us
to
put
together
resolutions
board
materials,
put
together
a
zoom
meeting
and
get
ten
people
in
the
same
room
together
to
discuss
a
water
bill
appeal.
So
small
things
like
that
take
up
quite
a
bit
of
staff
time.
E
A
Yes,
that's
it
does
a
small
example
Dave.
So,
for
example,
I
spent
15
minutes
kind
of
talking
to
somebody
who
wanted
to
put
in
a
water
bill
appeal
if
we
had
done
that
we
to
put
together
if
we
wanted
to
bring
that
to
the
board,
we
would
have
put
together
an
agenda
write
a
resolution
done
meeting
minutes.
Had
staff
attend
the
meeting
things
like
that.
Instead,
it
was
taken
care
of
in
15
minutes
by
myself.
E
E
E
In
the
past
years,
I've
been
on
the
board
I've
gotten
a
lot
of
positive
feedback
from
staff
and
council
about
how
we
have
helped
them
be
more
efficient
in
their
jobs.
When
we
review
things
in
all,
and
so
the
board
does
have
I
think
a
very
valuable,
but
you
know
whether
we
can
afford
or
not.
You
know
we'll
go
into
that,
but
it
does
have
a
valuable
contribution
to
the
city.
I
think
a
very
valuable
one,
whether
we
can
afford
it
or
not.
That's
what
we're
here
for
it's.
E
E
We
have
different
influences
and
I
think
that's
a
real,
positive
and
I
think
we've
shown
that
it's
a
real
live
in
the
past,
so
there's
a
lot
of
assets
having
a
board
and
and
we're
also
a
pretty
direct
line
to
the
to
the
citizen.
I've
been
approached
many
times
about
issues,
not
a
lot
of
them,
not
even
coming
up
on
the
board,
but
just
I
get
information.
I
have
access
to
some
information
and
I
can
transfer
it
back.
So
there's
a
lot
of
benefits
to
the
board.
B
Thank
you,
yeah
I've
got
to
next
I'll
just
say
just
for
so
my
feelings
are
on
the
record
and
clears
that
I
did
ask.
You
know
I
asked
my
Goodin
all
the
senior
staff
to
say
look.
This
is
obviously
a
tough
time
if
we
could
take
something
off
your
plate.
What
would
you
do
off
the
plate?
And
this
is
what
Mike
suggested
I'll
say
that
it's
probably
not
a
secret
to
those
of
you.
B
B
Every
member
of
Council
is
their
own
wholly
elected
person
and
therefore
is
not
dependent
on
the
mayor.
Renewing
their
terms
to
stay
on
council,
so
I
do
think
that
now
cuts
both
ways,
but
I
am
very
sensitive,
I
guess.
In
short,
what
I'm
saying
is
that
well,
I've
enjoyed
working
with
the
Board
of
Public
Works
I
take
seriously
what
the
staff
is
saying,
which
is
that
this
would
reduce
their
workflow,
that
they
could
divvy
up
the
work.
B
Administrative
lay
some
of
the
going
to
Council
some
of
the
going
good
commissions
and
I
think
for
those
members
of
the
board.
A
couple
of
whom
I've
already
you
know,
but
any
member
of
the
board
who
wants
to
continue
serving
on
another
committee
or
the
Commission's
I,
think
what
I
think
would
still
make
the
same
positive
impact
in
the
city,
including
the
staff
David.
B
You
were
saying
we're
just
getting
citizen
input
I'm
serving
as
a
not
a
lightning
rod,
but
serving
as
an
antenna
to
amplify
a
neighborhood
interests
and
and
to
add
your
expertise
to
the
way
the
city
operates.
I
think
we
could
I
think
that
could
work
it
might
felt
from
the
subject
so
I've
Jonathan
next.
H
Yeah
thanks
mr.
mayor,
you
know
just
to
kind
of
echo
what
would
David
said
and-
and
would
you
said
mr.
mayor,
but
you
know
first
of
all,
I
guess
I
want
to
I.
You
know
I
really
do
appreciate
the
level
of
work
that
the
staff
does
to
prepare
for
those
meetings.
You
know
those
the
the
the
memos
are
very
thorough.
H
The
background
work
is
always
thorough
and
if
something
comes
up,
where
more
research
needs
to
be
done,
it's
generally
kind
of
spurred
by
a
very
lively
discussion
among
staff
and
and
BPW
members,
and
that's
something
I
really
appreciate
about
appreciate
about
the
interaction
between
the
board
and
the
staff
and
and
I
myself
have
really
enjoyed
going
to
the
meeting
and
being
a
part
of
that
group.
You
know,
I
I
will
say.
H
I
wasn't
totally
surprised
because
it
became
increasingly
clear
to
me
over
time
that
a
lot
of
what
we
were
doing
with
water
bills
and
kind
of
the
things
that
you
know.
It
was
very
clear
that
staff
were
fully
capable
to
do
certain
things.
I
think
there
are
a
couple
exceptions
there
and
it's
not
really
related
to
capabilities.
H
It's
more
related
to
having
a
group
of
people
really
don't
have
you
know
a
stake
in
the
game
to
think
about
things
like,
for
example,
I'll,
give
an
example
when
infrastructure
projects
come
up
where
we
can
serve
as
kind
of
an
unbiased
group
of
people
to
throw
a
bunch
of
ideas
out
there
and
I'll.
Give
you
one
example.
H
Several
times
talking
about
bike
lanes
and
what's
feasible
and
what's
not
feasible
and
really,
you
know,
I
think
we
pushed
him
hard
too,
and
and-
and
he
was
pushing
hard
and
I
I'd
like
to
think
that
that
interaction
was
really
positive
and
I
would
I
would
hate
to
lose
the
essence
of
those
types
of
things.
You
know.
I
I
myself
have
met
with
on
several
occasions
on
my
own
time,
with
some
of
the
private
developers
to
talk
about
you,
know,
circulation,
bicycle
pedestrian
access
and
in
and
and
to
do
that.
H
H
I
Great
thanks,
everybody
I'll
echo.
One
of
the
examples
that
I
have
been
thinking
about
was
exactly
what
John
had
mentioned:
the
idea
and
the
ability
of
us
as
a
board
and
us
as
commissioners
to
take
a
significant
amount
of
time
to
think
about
and
talk
with
other
people.
I
know
when
John
and
I
were
meeting
with
him
about
about
the
MLK
bridge
project
corridor
project
I
met
I
talked
a
lot
of
other
people
in
the
in
the
community,
and
then
we
sat
down
with
Tim
and
we
spent
a
lot
of
time.
I
I
understand
it
was
his
staff
time.
We
spent
a
lot
of
time
that
I,
don't
think
council
members
may
have
been
able
to
spend
I.
The
only
reason
I
say,
council
members
is
because
the
suggestion
for
what
would
have
happened
with
that
with
that
topic
is,
it
would
have
been
a
stack
wreck.
Staff
recommendation
to
Common,
Council
and
I
think
that
Common
Council
already
has
a
lot
on
their
plate.
Those
agendas
get
really
long.
I
I
go
run
it
late
into
the
night
and
to
being
able
to
have
another
board
in
place
to
be
able
to
to
look
over
those
design,
decisions
which
are
huge
and
affect
an
enormous
apart.
An
enormous
part
of
this
city
for
a
very
long
period
of
time,
I
think,
is
really
important.
I
think
it
might
be
possible
to
find
a
place
to
be
able
to
do
that
other
than
the
Board
of
Public
Works,
but
I
think
there
are
other
reasons
why
we
should
keep
it,
one
of
which
was
the
the
mayor.
I
You've
been
you've
been
posting.
You
know
a
lot
of
budget
discussions
in
light
of
the
the
Cova
deficits
and
what
keeps
what
you
keep
highlighting
essentially,
is
that
the
Department
of
Public
Works
is
essentially
the
largest
piece
of
the
budget
and
being
the
largest
piece
of
the
budget.
The
Board
of
Public
Works
does
a
lot
of
work.
I
They
do
you
know
according
to
the
spending
they
do
more
than
any
other
any
other
piece
of
what's
being
paid
out
of
the
budget,
and
that's
probably
why
it
seems
like
these
boards
are
pretty
expensive,
because
it's
such
a
huge
portion
of
the
budget
but
I,
don't
think
that
means
we
should
eliminate
it.
In
fact,
I
think
that
means
we
should
maybe
rethink
who's
coming
or
how
often,
how
often
the
meetings
are
being
pulled
are
being
held.
I
I
One
of
the
ways
I
think
that
the
board,
but
but
I
have
issues
with
many
of
them
and
I
can
go
over
individuals
if
anybody
want
individual
pieces
and
why,
if
people
want
to
one
of
the
big
things
that
I
think
the
Board
of
Public
Works
has
sort
of
moved
into
is
rather
than
what
it
sounds
like.
The
board
did
many
years
ago
was
covering
every
single
decision.
I
The
Board
of
Public
Works
has
been
more
of
like
a
sort
of
a
30,000
foot,
Oversight
Committee,
rather
than
a
than
a
every
day
in
every
minute,
Oversight,
Committee
and
I.
Think
that
makes
a
lot
more
sense.
Frankly,
I
feel,
like
we've
done
a
lot
more
of
like
policy
approval
and
creation
recommendations
to
common
council,
although
it
seems
duplicated
I
think,
is
really
important,
because
it
takes
a
lot
of
time
that
Common
Council
members
may
not
be
able
to
devote
to
really
diving
deep
into
designs
and
policies.
One
example:
that's
come
up.
I
Are
the
play
streets?
There's
a
play,
Street
pilot
program
that
the
Board
of
Public
Works
approved
last
year
in
June,
June
18th,
and
we
approved
it
and
then
and
then
later
in
the
summer,
we
met
about
it
to
review
it.
And
when
we
were
talking
about
how
that
how
that
program
had
gone,
we
as
a
board
had
decided
generally.
If
you
look
at
the
minutes,
I
think
it
was
in
August
or
September.
We're
very
pleased
with
how
that
play
streets
project
had
gone
everybody.
I
So
we
all
wanted
to
create
a
policy
to
streamline
it
so
that
it
would
take
less
staff
time
and
what
happened
this
year
was
rusty,
applied
for
the
play
streets
program
and
was
denied
because
of
policy
points
that
had
been
created
at
the
Department
of
Public
Works,
without
any
input
from
anybody
in
the
public.
Despite
these
being
public
streets.
And
then,
when
rusty
tried
to
appeal
that
that
decision,
he
was
told
that
he
wasn't
able
to
that.
I
The
board
wasn't
meeting
and
the
many
departments
had
said
that
that
wasn't
going
to
be
an
option,
and
so
I
worry
that
something
like
in
a
public
amenity
like
our
streets.
If
that
becomes
staff,
approval
and
and
and
people,
don't
don't
have
the
right
recourse
to
be
able
to
appeal
those
decisions
that
we
lose
access
to
to
many
of
our
public
and
we
we,
as
citizens,
can
lose
access
to
many
of
our
public
amenities.
F
Thank
You
Marshall
I
just
wanted
to
add
one
minor
clarification,
which
is
that
it
wouldn't
I
believe
the
legislation
that's
in
front
of
the
board
and
the
city
administration
committee
at
this
point
would
propose
that
the
city
administration
committee
or
some
other
Standing
Committee
of
the
Common
Council,
would
be
the
primary
vehicle
so
you're
right
to
refer
the
Common
Council.
Of
course,
I
just
want
to
clarify
for
everyone's
understand.
Then
it
wouldn't
be
those
long
first
Wednesday
of
the
month,
Common
Council
meetings.
That
would
get
necessarily
even
longer,
though.
F
Some
of
this
would,
of
course
go
through
to
those
meetings
as
well,
but
that
the
primary
vehicle
for
a
discussion
and
and
for
ensuring
that
there's
still
lots
of
public
participation
and
visibility
into
the
public
works
process
would
be
amazing.
Committee
of
the
Common
Council
that
has
more
time
on
their
agenda
to
look
at
this
than
just
a
full
Common
Council.
So
very.
I
J
I
Is
that
is
clear
in
a
lot
of
the
summary
of
BPW
topics,
a
few
of
the
ones
that
I
spoke
about?
Specifically,
the
approval
for
a
pilot
for
the
place
treats
pilot
program
is
called
out
to
go
to
the
to
go
to
Common
Council.
Similarly,
the
recommendation
for
design
alternatives
for
the
South
Tioga
Street
bridge.
Sorry,
that's
the
wrong
one
for
the
MLK
Boulevard,
presumably
also
would
have
gone
as
a
staff
recommendation
to
Common
Council.
So
it
would
have
skipped
that.
F
I
F
F
K
So
we're
trying
to
think
about
the
various
levels
of
government
that
we
would
have
in
order
to
the
last
thing
that
we
want
to
do
is
convey
the
the
notion
that
we
are
not
looking
for
public
input
on
any
of
these
kinds
of
projects
that
would
have
normally
come.
We
just
think
maybe
there's
a
different
way
to
get
at
it
and
that's
what
that's?
What
our
initial?
Thank
you
boys.
B
L
I
also
worry
about
the
public
and
their
their
concerns,
and
when
they
have
a
come
point
as
to
who
they
would
go
to
I
got
a
tree.
I
got
a
sidewalk,
I
got
busted
pipes,
I
got,
who
do
they
go
to?
Usually
they
come
to
us
and
then
we've
sorted
out
from
there
I
understand.
We
have
there's
a
lot
of
committees
that
go
and
they
all
come
to
the
Common
Council.
L
But
through
the
years
we
have
always
helped
most
of
all,
the
committees
for
the
city
of
Ithaca,
to
infrastructure
and
and
but
you
know
what
our
suggestion
was
and
then
they
take
it
from
there.
Otherwise
we
were
the
foot
soldiers
to
me,
so
that's
how
I
feel
and
I
think
we
should
keep
it
even
if
we
go
to
meeting
every
other
month
or
like
us
or
even
like
to
say,
keep
them
once
a
month,
but
I
think
it's
something
that
as
a
city-
and
we
are
different
in
all
ways
that
we
should
keep
this.
B
N
I
mean
just
last
week,
for
example,
we
met
for
five
hours
and
a
lot
of
the
decisions
that
were
being
taken
are
really
tough,
tough
decisions
where
we
go
back
and
forth,
and
back
and
forth
I've
only
been
on
a
Public
Works
board
for
two
years
yeah
and
although
I
agree
in
principle
with
everything
my
colleagues
have
said.
You
know
in
practice.
In
the
two
years
I've
been
on
the
board
in
striking
contrast
to
the
Planning
Board,
there
haven't
been
many
decisions
where
I
really
felt
torn
where
I
thought
it.
This
is
a
tough
one.
N
N
Maybe
the
the
attorney's
office
could
speak
more
about
that
and
I've
I've
overlooked
the
draft
legislation.
I
apologize,
but
I
just
don't
know
you
know
trying
to
decide
between
one
thing
in
an
alternative
and
I,
don't
know
what
the
alternative
is.
You
know,
so
maybe
the
you
know
I'm
just
looking
through
article
5
of
the
city.
There
are
a
lot
of
you
know,
responsibilities
built
in
there
and
I
presume
the
attorney's
office
has
gone
through
and
tried
to
figure
out
where
those
responsibilities
would
be.
You
know
elsewhere
in
the
city.
N
You
know
one
question
I
would
ask
for
common
counsel
is.
Are
we
just
shifting
work
from
our
board
to
you,
and
you
know,
is
this
really
improving
efficiency?
So
you
know
that's
my
that's
my
comment.
I
just
don't
quite
know
how
to
weigh
on
this
without
knowing
what's
the
alternative
or
considering
in
place
the
board
a.
F
Last
month,
earlier
this
month,
city
administration
committee
I
then
had
the
full
legislation
in
it
and
we
also
have
a
shark.
That's
what
Marshall
was
just
referring
to
for
the
CC
for
Common
Council
on
CA
for
subcommittee,
each
and
every
one
of
those
responsibilities
in
terms
of
I'm.
Where
would
be
proposed
to
flow
so.
F
N
O
Thanks
I've
said
this
before
and
I
in
a
previous
meeting,
but
I
I
do
think
that
the
board's
primary
value
is
in
the
30,000
foot
view
in
really
looking
at
things
like
design
issues
like
what
Marshall
was
talking
about,
I
think
back
to
when
we
had
discussions
about
creating
the
stormwater
utility
and
Bill
Goldsmith
said
to
me.
You
know
you
can
just
ask
staff
to
start
researching
that,
and
we
formed
some
committee
and
everything,
and
now
we
have
a
stormwater
for
so
our
utility
and
I.
O
If
the
tasks
of
the
board
go
to
advisory
committees
or
to
see
a
or
two
you
know,
it
gets
scattered
to
the
wind
sort
of
I
definitely
agree,
though:
the
offloading
of
some
of
the
more
common
things
like
water,
appeals
and
stuff,
like
that,
because
I
think
staff
has
always
made
good
recommendations
and
I
think
they're
perfectly
capable
of
dealing
with
that
on
their
own.
And
if
city
administration
is
an
appeals
board
for
that
kind
of
stuff,
then
I
think
the
public
still
has
a
way
to
you
know:
challenge
a
staff
decision.
E
Want
that
one
thing
related
to
overseeing
projects,
one
response
I
got
when
I
kind
of
tried
to
get
some
feedback
from
people
was
I.
Think
I
might
not
have
clean
water.
The
way
we
have
it
now
without
the
Board
of
Public
Works.
That
was
one
response.
I
got.
That
was
before
a
lot
of
people's
time
here,
Claudia.
You
were
right
in
the
middle
of
that,
but
I
wasn't
directly
involved
with
that
either.
But
I
was
aware
and
following,
but
there
was
a
lot
of
politics
I
my
understanding.
There
was
a
lot
of
pressure.
E
There
was
a
lot
of
controversy
about
the
treatment
plant.
I
think
we
ended
up
with
a
very
good
decision
and
the
board
played
a
very
integral
part
in
doing
that,
as
and
in
Mike's
tenure
here,
I
don't
think
we've
had
well.
We
Stefan
Utley
have
not
had
a
scope
of
that
size
that
you've
had
to
deal
with,
but
the
board
things
come
up,
and
so
that's
an
example.
E
B
E
B
B
A
Just
want
to
say
I'm,
very
appreciative
of
everything
that
the
board
has
done
and
I
enjoy
it,
working
with
the
board
and
right
now
what
I'm
looking
at
is
this
is
this
does
create
a
lot
of
staff
time
and
I.
Just
look
at
every
other
city
in
America.
That
does
not
have
a
board
of
public
works
and
certainly
I
have
never
worked
in
any
other
municipality
where
there
was
a
Board
of
Public
Works,
and
you
know
if
the
rest
of
the
country
can
do
this
I'm.
A
Looking
at
this
as
a
staff
time
savings
and
way
to
streamline
government
and
I
know
Garrett.
You
have
mentioned
the
Planning
Board
I.
Think
every
city
in
America
has
a
plan
I
think
if
the
kid
is
one
of
the
very
few
that
has
a
board
public
works
and
so
I
am
I,
don't
want
it
to
come
across
as
though
I'm
miss
valuing
the
board's
role
in
the
past
or
even
now,
I
am
looking
at
a
way
to
streamline
government.
D
Think
it
might
be
helpful
to
have
a
little
bit
of
historical
explanation,
then,
of
why
Lord
Ward's
of
Public
Works
evolved
and
then
why,
across
the
rest
of
the
country
allegedly
they
have
disappeared.
It
might
be
helpful
to
understand
the
history
of
the
rise
and
fall
of
boards
of
Public
Works.
It's.
B
A
good
question
all
right
do
know
that
that
history
I'll
stop
your
head
or
maybe
Dan
you
did
I
know
you
did
a
lot
of
well.
What's
the
poke
look,
what
was
that
called
pull
the
cords
about
the
rise
and
fall
of
boards
of
Public
Works,
why
they
were
created
and
why
they
whine
when
they
went
I,
was
styled
and
why
ours
never
did
go
hardest
time.
I.
C
Yeah
I
can't
give
you
I,
can't
I
can't
give
you
a
dissertation
on
the
history
of
boards
of
Public
Works
generally
like
what
I
can
tell
you
is
that
when
I
was
on
council
back
in
2011
I
did
share
a
group
called
the
public
works
governance
working
group
also
known
as
public,
and
we
did.
We
did
interview
a
number
of
other
communities
to
ask
them
how
they
governed
their
public
works
processes.
C
You
know,
and
at
that
time
we
did
not
come
across
I,
don't
recall
if
we
came
across
any
other
boards
of
Public
Works
and
we
were
looking
mostly
at
cities
in
New
York
State,
because
you
know
we
were
trying
to
sort
of
stick
close
to
home,
although
we
may
have,
we
may
have
interviewed
one
or
two
other
cities
outside
the
state,
and
you
know,
and
by
and
large
you
know
they
all
had
other
ways
of
dealing
with
it.
In
some
cases
they
did
have.
You
know
four
appeals.
F
Do
know
that
at
least
one
piece
of
that
history,
which
I
thank
you
very
briefly,
I
mentioned
earlier
mayor's
around
as
major
new
public
works
services
like
water
and
sewer
and
very
basic
fundamental
services,
but
now
we
have,
and
but
as
those
were
initially
rolled
out,
I
think
coming
public
works.
They
are
both,
helps
do
that,
but
also,
frankly,
to
help
ensure
the
financial
integrity
of
those
projects
in
a
way
that's
I'm
not
needed
under
modern
law.
I'm
was
also
an
important
function
and
I
guess
what
I
mean
by
that
is
back.
F
Then
I
think
there
was
much
more
concerned,
perhaps
legitimate
at
the
time
that
you
know
the
mayor's
favorite,
brother-in-law
or
wherever
it
might
be,
was
going
to
get
the
contracts
for
big
projects
at
the
wrong
price.
And
today
we
have
state
laws
that
keep
keep
everyone
honest
and
that
create
appropriate
transparency,
and
there
was
a
city
controllers
office
that
is
always
carefully
checking
that
the
city
is
getting
a
fair
deal.
I
I
Some
kind
of
answer
I
wasn't
able
to,
but
in
looking
I
do
find
boards
of
public
works
from
Indiana
to
Massachusetts,
to
South
Carolina
to
Washington
to
California
I,
don't
know
if
I
said
Maryland,
yet
Wisconsin
West
Virginia,
it
doesn't
seem
like
the
nation-
has
gotten
rid
of
them.
If
we
were
just
looking
around
the
state
of
New
York,
maybe
that's
the
case.
I
I
haven't
I,
haven't
I,
haven't
taken
that
deep
dive,
but
just
from
a
quick
google
I'm,
seeing
lots
of
current
minutes
and
calendars
from
boards
of
public
works,
so
I'm
not
I'm,
not
sure,
but
I
also
don't
know
if
that
particularly
matters
just
be
I.
If
it's,
if
it's
not
working
for
us,
then
let's
look
at
it.
Iii,
don't
see
a
compelling
argument
that
nobody
else
does
it
and
therefore
we
shouldn't
I
mean
the
efficiencies
I
understand.
I
The
the
idea
of
being
efficient
in
government
and
being
efficient
is
one
of
the
things
that
I
try
to
do
the
most
in
my
in
my
work
right,
I
try
to
be
efficient,
I,
try
to
do
everything
as
quickly
and
as
efficiently
as
I,
possibly
can
for
the
most
part,
but
there
are
certain
aspects
of
at
least
of
our
business,
but
I
I
also
would
argue
that,
even
more
so
with
city
governments,
that
efficiency
shouldn't
be
our.
What
drives
us
I
think
that
we
should
be.
I
That
doesn't
mean
that
we
necessarily
have
to
keep
the
Board
of
Public
Works
I'm
open
to
the
idea
of
it
not
existing,
but
I
I'm,
not
seeing
what
I
don't
want
to
see.
Is
there
be
a
reduction
in
service
quality
to
the
public
and
right
now,
I'm?
Not
seeing
that
even
looking
through
what
the
proposed
the
proposed
legislation
would
be
I'm,
seeing
in
an
increase
in
in
efficiencies,
but
a
decrease
in
overall
service
and
transparency
to
the
public.
E
Want
to
just
get
a
little
into
the
nuts
and
bolts
I
mean
the
main
impetus
there.
I
think
is
and
I
agree
with
Michael
on
this.
They
cost
money
and
the
city
doesn't
have
money.
What
are
ways
we
can
make
the
board
efficient.
We
have
to
follow
the
open
public
open
laws
as
far
as
the
structure
of
a
meeting,
and
it
seems
like
there's
two
directions
are
actually
three
directions
we
can
go.
We
can
spread
out
the
meeting
so
there's
less
time
for
that,
but
we'll
have
less
services
than
if
things
come
up.
E
Unless
we
do
an
emergency
session
of
some
sort,
we
can
change
as
was
suggested
and
divert
the
BPW
function
to
other
committees.
Other
boards,
that's
going
to
pros
and
cons
to
that
when
one
of
the
cons
is
I,
think
the
public
will
be
getting
more
confused
about
where
to
go
and
what
to
do
about
things.
The
other
thing
is
in
the
board
itself:
the
costs.
What
are
there
ways
we
can
make
those
costs
more
efficient?
Can
the
board
take
on
some
of
the
costs
or
what's
that
structure?
E
That's
something
I'm
not
familiar
much
about
I'm,
not
good
at
the
type
of
stuff,
but
that
just
came
up
to
me
that
maybe
there's
some
things
that
board
itself
could
take
on
that
would
defer
some
of
the
costs
that
creates
this
problem.
That
seems
to
be
the
main
problem
here
and
we
all
want
to
save
the
city
money
and
keep
it
functioning.
B
Yeah,
what
if
there's
I
mean
not
wanting
to
put
anybody
on
the
spot,
but
I
am
wondering
if
any
of
the
other
staff
on
the
call
Eric
who's
been
serving
the
board,
since
as
long
as
I
have
been
on
it,
so
nine
nine
plus
years
now
or
Scott
Eric
Hathaway
mark
for
Bannock.
If
anybody
else
had
thoughts
of
feelings
about
how
that
the
workflow
could
continue
with
or
without
a
Board
of
Public
Works
dad.
B
M
One
thing
we've
talked
about:
it's
come
up
a
couple
of
times
related
to
efficiency.
Is
the
idea
of
the
board
just
maybe
meeting
less
often
than
it
does
currently,
but
I
would,
as
a
staff
person,
practically
speaking,
that
caution
against
meaning
less
often
because
a
lot
of
the
things
just
for
me
personally
that
I
bring
to
the
board
would
are
things
related
to
you
know
the
street
code
so
on-street
parking,
stop
signs,
one-way
streets
to
two-way
streets
and
so
to
have
to
wait.
I
Commissioners
taking
on
some
of
the
roles
to
to
help,
streamline
and
make
things
a
little
bit
less
expensive
for
the
city.
The
next
thought
is
that
I
appreciate
the
I
it's
I,
can't
imagine
being
in
the
shoes
of
the
mayor's
office
or
or
Mike's
the
superintendent,
Public,
Works
or
Common
Council
I
mean
this
budget
shortage
is
immense
and
it's
I'm.
It's
it's
really
hard
to
deal
with.
I
can
only
imagine
the
the
types
of
trade-offs
that
you
have
to
make
in
doing
this,
but
I
I
think
that
the.
I
G
G
G
H
G
G
There's
the
agenda
item
I
do
have
to
go,
get
the
deck
of
documentation,
make
sure
everything
is
in
order
where
that
that
you
guys
can
make
an
informed
decision
on
what
my
staff
has
done.
So
I
think
that
that
kind
of
helps
in
some
ways,
but
also
it
kind
of
it-
does
take
up
more
time
that,
where
I
can
just
easily
streamline
my
efficiencies
in
a
better
camera,
was
one
one
option.
Just
so
I
think
for
Board
of
Public
Works
to
kinda.
G
Do
the
appeals
process
helps,
but
I
think
we
can
streamline
some
of
that
and
refocus
the
Board
of
Public
Works
on
more
broader
projects
than
just
the
appeals
and
the
water
appeals
in
the
snow
violations
and
stuff,
like
that
kind
of
hand,
that
off
so
we're
not
spending
so
much
time
trying
to
document
and
justify
what
we've
already
done
in
the
field
and
stuff
like
that.
So.
H
H
Yeah
I
mean
I.
Think
the
the
point
I
wanted
to
bring
up
is
I.
Think
I
agree
with
what
Mark
is
saying
about
their
refocusing
and
I.
Think
as
a
commission,
we've
been
really
open
to
moving
some
of
the
the
previous
responsibility
oversight,
responsibilities
that
we
had
to
staff
and
I
and
personally
I
won't
speak
for
the
other
commissioners,
but
personally
I'm
I'm
more
than
willing
to
yield
some
of
that
responsibility.
I
will
say
with
respect
to
the
appeals
process
for
the
water
bills
and
whatnot.
H
You
know
I
think
there
are
situations
where
it
is
not
black-and-white
in
the
discussion
helps
and
I.
You
know
so
I
think.
As
long
as
there
was
a
way
where
you
could
have
a
second
set
of
eyes,
just
look
at
just
to
make
sure
that
there's
extenuating
circumstances
it's
it's
not
so
much
a
lack
of
trust
on
staff.
It's
more
just
like,
let's
make
sure
so
that
no
one
comes
back
and
says
Oh
staff
was
biased
or
they.
You
know
that
mark
doesn't
like
me
or
something
like
that.
H
I
think
that
sort
of
holds
that
was
that
that
kind
of
responsibility
off
of
staff,
which
I
think
could
be
a
good
thing,
the
the
other
point
I
wanted
to
bring
up,
is
and
and
and
in
it's
been
brought
up
but
I'll
say
it
slightly
differently.
You
know
we
take
such
a
narrow
focus
in
our
in
our
look
at
these
projects
like
when
we
come
into
a
planning
project
and
I'll
give
an
example.
H
H
The
developer
is
not
going
to
think
of
that
I.
Don't
know,
staff
would
have
come
up
with
it.
I
I'm,
not
sure,
but
you
know
kind
of
looking
at
it
from
a
public
benefit
standpoint
is
something
is
an
example
of
things
that
I
think
Marco,
myself,
Dave
and
Rob
and
CJ
bring
to
the
team
making
sure
I
got
everyone
because
you're
not
in
front
of
me
the
normal
way
here.
So
it's
it's
kind
of
again,
it's
the
second
set
of
eyes
and
and
bringing
a
unique
set
of
unique
set
of
glasses.
D
I
do
understand
that
it's
extra
time
for
staff
to
sit
through
a
Board
of
Public
Works
meeting
and
then
possibly
either
and
then
either
a
CA
or
a
PA
DC
meeting
and
then
a
Common
Council
meeting
I
understand
that
but
I
don't
I,
don't
think
there's
too
much
of
a
marginal
cost
to
preparing
for
the
Board
of
Public
Works
meeting,
because
then
the
materials
are
already
ready
for
the
subsequent
meetings.
Isn't
that
right.
P
Wasn't
sure
if
Donna
was
done
well,
I
really
enjoyed
my
time
on
the
BPW
and
actually,
if
I
had
stayed
on
the
BPW
I,
never
would
have
run
for
council
I.
Think
when
I
think
about
the
types
of
decisions
that
we
have
ahead
of
us,
we
do
have
some
some
fairly
large,
fairly
big-ticket,
fairly
controversial
projects
that
I
completely
foresee
the
city
having
to
undertake
in
the
next
five
years.
P
But
this
is
something
that
I
think
is
going
to
take
some
thoughtful
planning
and
and
obviously
a
significant
investment
to
address.
It
will
also,
we
also
anticipate,
as
a
result
of
our
flood
mitigation
study,
the
recommendations
that
come
out
of
that
which
include
the
building
of
higher
berms
along
our
main
waterways,
these
very
same
waterways
that
we
are
trying
to
build
as
part
of
our
recreation,
tourism,
economic
development
infrastructure.
P
There
are
are
always
things
like
this
that
that
often
are
complex.
They
take
years
upon
years
to
to
prioritize,
to
plan,
to
design
to
implement,
to
fund
they.
They
come
with
very
big
ticket
items
and
one
of
the
benefits,
as
was
mentioned
earlier
with
that
30-foot
view,
is
also
to
have
a
body
that
makes
recommendations
on
on
things
that
come
with
tickets,
that
oftentimes
elected
officials
don't
like
being
associated
with
it's
very
hard
to
be.
P
You
know
the
person
sitting
as
an
elected
official,
where
your
decision
results
in
a
very
high
ticket
item
that
has
a
tremendous
amount
of
debt
or
higher
rates
and
so
on,
and
so
having
that
third
party
or
independent
board,
with
a
dedicated
focus
on
our
maintenance
of
our
facilities.
Whether
or
not
we're
talking
about
our
parking
garages
or
the
dredging
of
the
inlets
and
and
so
on,
is
is
very
valuable.
P
I
completely
agree
with
many
of
the
recommendations
that
have
been
put
forward
tonight
with
regards
to
seeing
what
the
the
really
long-term
value
of
the
BPW
is.
Preserving
and
enhancing
that
function,
transferring
some
of
the
responsibilities
away
from
the
BPW
to
staff
and
I
thoroughly
enjoyed
that
there
can
be.
There
is
a
body
that,
from
a
lay
person's
perspective,
thinks
through
challenges,
seeks
explanation
and
provides
an
opportunity
for
for
us
in
the
city
to
describe,
justify
and
and
basically
sell
the
reasons
that
we
are
undertaking.
P
These
particular
projects
the,
as
was
mentioned
earlier,
the
participation
of
BPW
in
the
West
MLK
Street
Bridge
project,
which
was
a
many
year
project,
highly
controversial,
highly
political,
highly
engaging
being
able
to
have
counsel
come
to
the
BPW.
Have
the
public
come
to
the
BPW
here
staff
and
the
BPW
talk
through
these
things
was
just
a
priceless
asset
and
in
a
very,
very
successful
project
that
did
not
bend
to
the
political
pressures
that
were
really
coming
to
bear
on
that
project.
So
I
would
like
to
see
the
BPW
be
retained
in
some
form.
P
I
think
it
functions
very
well
and
just
because
maybe
right
now
we
don't
have
a
need
for
this
tool
in
our
toolbox
doesn't
mean
you
get
rid
of
the
tool
or
the
toolbox.
It
means
you,
you
keep
it
as
a
resource
so
that
you
can
utilize
it
when
you
need
it
and
not
try
to
cobble
together
things
that
don't
quite
work
to
fix,
something
that
is
I
think
really
quite
essential
to
the
functions
of
the
city.
P
You
know,
I
will
also
remind
you
that
we,
the
city,
is
the
largest
property
owner
outside
of
Cornell
in
the
city
and
it's
it's
it's
all
land
within
the
purview
of
the
DPW.
Unlike
almost
every
other
city
and
county
in
New
York
State,
we
don't
have
a
parks
department,
so
the
BPW
serves
in
that
function
to
oversee
a
lot
of
the
departments
that
don't
actually
have
a
board
or
we
don't
have
a
parks
department.
We
don't
have
a
natural
areas
manager.
G
Q
Oh
okay,
all
right!
That's
fine!
So,
firstly,
I
appreciate
being
invited
to
participate
in
this
meeting.
I
also
want
to
thank
Mike,
we've
asked
and
the
staff
across
the
city
and
the
mayor.
Probably
you
can
ask
for
even
more
radical
ideas
of
how
we
can
work
more
effectively,
because
we
all
know
that
this
is
going
to
be
the
toughest
budget
season.
We've
faced
for
at
least
a
generation,
I
would
say,
and
so
I
really
appreciate,
Mike
putting
this
on
the
table
for
us
to
discuss.
Q
It
was
very
complicated,
Council
heard
very
many
different
and
strongly
held
opinions,
and
it
was
really
helpful
from
my
perspective
to
have
the
Board
of
Public
Works.
Consider
that
at
great
length,
I'm
on
the
city
administration
committee,
I,
don't
necessarily
want
to
see
all
of
that
shift
into
that
committee.
I
think
it's
important
that
this
group
really
has
a
function
in
terms
of
taking,
as
we've
said,
one
of
the
most
important
aspects
of
the
city
budget
and
giving
these
larger
projects
of
real
aring
if
you
like
in
terms
of
the
public
participate.
Q
B
Yeah,
those
are
less
than
scintillating
we've,
sometimes
taken
an
hour.
I
mean
I,
really
am
sympathetic
to
the
staffs
view.
That's
like
well
for
the
big
projects
to
take
a
lot
of
public
input
and
a
lot
of
Education
of
board
members.
All
that
work
is
then
duplicated
at
the
council
level
again,
and
it
can
feel
like
we're
just
having
the
same
conversation
again.
Why
didn't
we
just
do
this?
B
B
A
Just
I
just
to
address
some
of
Cynthia's
concerns
with
some
of
the
big
projects
coming
up.
We,
the
DPW,
is
focused
on
those.
Those
are
those
are
not
on
our
radar
screen
by
any
means,
I,
don't
think
anyone's
more
involved
in
the
flood
study
and
what
needs
to
be
done
there.
The
dredging
projects,
the
ice
jams,
those
projects-
those
are
those
are
four
months-
are
mine,
Tim
and
Eric.
M
Yeah,
that's
true
and
I'll.
Just
add
that
you
know
any
of
those
larger
projects
do
have
a
pretty
significant
public
outreach
built
into
them.
Always
you
know
and
I
think
increasingly,
as
we
found
new
ways
to
get
the
word
out,
we're
getting
a
lot
of
public
feedback
at
the
public
meetings
and
sometimes
it's
it
has
proved
to
be
a
better
conduit
for
for
exchange
of
information.
Sometimes
then,
then,
taking
it
to
the
board
I
found.
M
Sometimes
the
public
comments
at
the
board
from
members
of
the
public
can
be
not
given
at
the
right
time
and
and
sometimes
disrupt
the
meeting
I'm
thinking
of
University
Avenue.
That
happened
last
time.
I
was
there
so
just
a
reassurance
that
there
is.
There
is
always
a
robust
public
outreach
effort
for
all
the
larger
project.