Kankakee County Board, IL Highways & Waterways Committee Meeting, 19 Jan 2023

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From YouTube: Highways & Waterways Committee Meeting 1/19/2023

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Highways & Waterways Committee Meeting 1/19/2023 9:00am

A

Good morning, I like to call the highway and waterways committee meeting on Thursday January 19 2022 to order um roll call, please Mr.

B

Carico President.

A

B

Dental Mr featherling Mr Snipes Mr, Smith, Miss, armor herbs, Mr, Ashcraft, Miss, ritmanagami, Ms, Turner, present Mr Beeler Mr, Alexander Hildebrand. We have a quorum.

A

Thank you, I. Don't have any public comments on the desk here and dessert. Any public comments. Is there any public comments here now next on the agenda will be the approval of the minutes for December 22nd 22.

A

uh can I have a motion uh Mr Donald second, by Mr Ashcraft, everybody in favor signify by say, aye. Anybody opposed the same sign motion carries thank you.

A

um We don't have any bidding or letting so next would be the counting uh accounting, engineer's pay estimate and of course, we generally go ahead and approve that, but I was asked by the engineer to um do a little highlight on the pay estimates today. So it's all yours these.

C

Are kind of a mishmash of everything they're, not their usual end of the year same old, same old pay estimates to for construction jobs, so the first one we have here is for uh our pavement number five for Kankakee County, Section, 22-0000-00-gm,.

C

If her Cargill Incorporated, this is for our rock salt that we use on the roads during the winter, as you can see, we're paying 82 dollars a ton this year when price went up and that amount is twenty five thousand three hundred thirty dollars and sixty four cents from our County motor fuel tax fund.

C

Next is pay estimate, seven for Kankakee County, Section, 22000 GM supplement three for Ennis Flint Incorporated. They Supply our traffic paint for our striping on County Roads, and you can see what we're paying you know around 10 or 11 dollars. A gallon yellow costs more than white because of the chemicals they put in that's but uh grand total for that one is fifty five thousand one hundred and twelve dollars and forty cents from the county, mft fund, foreign.

C

Pay estimate one to engineering resource Associates, that is, for bridge Inspection Services. They provided in the past month for special inspections and or meetings with idot. Regarding some of the issues we were having with our bridges and that amount is 11 852 dollars and zero cents from the county, Bridge fund.

C

Next is Kankakee County. This is a miscellaneous pay estimate number one to engineering resource they were. We were going to try to design a temporary fix to the County Highway 17 bridge that we've got closed right now, so this is the cost for them to provide that, and it's from just our other services and charges Fund in the amount of four thousand one hundred and eleven dollars and zero cents, and that's all I have.

A

Anybody have any questions or comments.

A

Mr, Smith uh Matt go ahead. Thank you. Mr chairman.

D

uh I was just curious. What kind of temporary fix needed to be done.

C

They were proposing uh putting a steel beam under the some of the concrete beams that were bad, but it turned out the way they were designing, that idot didn't approve that and that's when we switched and we're just going to replace the bridge, we're not going to try to do the temporary fix because it by the time we got done doing that we could have been halfway done with the bridge design. So that's the path we're going down now. Thank.

D

A

D

What all do they do for an inspection for eleven thousand dollars? Do they ultrasound it and all that stuff too? Well,.

C

It's not just one Bridge, it's it's lots of bridges throughout the county that we had Hideout when they were coming out um having problems with our inspections, they were coming out to meet with them. uh We ran around at least a couple of days. We ran around the county to all these Bridges and you know each one kind of takes a half an hour to get to, and and.

D

It says quantity, one so I just assumed that.

C

Oh, it's a lump sum Bill and uh I. Don't know if you got the second page to the it kind of details more what they were doing as part of that.

A

Anybody else comments or questions.

A

For none all right, so I'm gonna need a motion on the second to approve the County County Engineer's pay estimates Mr Smith. Second Buy Mr Turner uh need a roll call. Please Mr.

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B

Mr Dental aye Mr featherley, aye, Mr, Snipes, Mr, Smith, aye, Mr, burps, aye, Mr, Ashcraft, aye, Ms, Turner, aye Mr Wheeler motion carries thank.

A

You so there's no resolution uh for today. So uh next on the agenda would be um an update on the waterways for the aroma parks and uh project and I'm, assuming that uh Sherman wheeler. Do we have someone, that's going to do an update, or are you going to do the update okay.

E

Thank you, Mr chairman. The uh these I asked for regular updates monthly uh when anything are coming from the engineering firm, uh and in this case there you have it in your packet um they're, going to type it out.

E

If there's something uh I want to say major that he wants to discuss with the committee they'll, either zoom in or come on up here or something that we need, but I don't want to incur two thousand dollars in expense for having somebody drive up here for the meeting from Indianapolis just to go back home so and in this case I think this uh suffices here. The uh we had the kickoff meeting uh is it as it says here uh on December 22nd.

E

It was the first you know meeting of this this group and they discussed the the design um they had their initial coordination with Rock Island uh District of the Army Corps to discuss the application uh and uh through Section 10 permitting now what I did find out you know is the they're going to have to.

E

As we mentioned, we, we still have money left on the grant, so we were going to look to go back up River towards the Ryan's Pier area to see how far we could get uh so they're gonna have to do some more uh mathematics on that that area to figure out exactly what the path will be um and then so they're gonna. It says here uh they're trying to get it by the end of February uh and that's TBD to get that new survey done and then back in our hands.

E

What we're, what they're thinking as far as total cubic yards of saying that they can get out um so they're they're they're. uh They got to set up the pre-construction pre-application meetings, uh estimated uh draft permits, beginning in March or sooner depending on this additional bathymetric uh survey um that has the they've expended uh little.

E

Almost thirteen thousand dollars of the sixty thousand that's been approved uh for design and permitting, and they indicated that the U.S Army Corps had seen an article in some publication somewhere and uh had noted that- uh and we knew this but they're going to want a muscle study of that area.

E

um Yes and John's gonna pull out the big guns there you go, um but not so they have to go that whole area used to have a lot of muscle species in it. Since the sand took over. That may not be the case, but they the the core.

E

Does that so we're still looking at you know uh mid-year, you know, hopefully to have that uh done and then, depending on how far we can go, how far the sand has to be trucked uh and then these structures that we're going to build into the area uh into the Natural Area Burke was going to be suggesting some ways to keep the sand moving. Instead of piling back back up in that side of the island over there there's things you can do to keep the water moving.

E

As we saw a little bit of those pictures from Indiana those little tails that go out into the into the water, they build those to kind of push the channel along, so the sand just doesn't drop when the water slows down so more to come. This is just a start, but I figured. The committee would want an update when there is something to update.

A

Questions comments, Mr Snipes,.

F

Okay, I've been on the forums uh the US Army Corps indicated that a miso survey may be needed on the Kankakee. What to prove no endanger? Are they talking about the river? Are they talking about the land around it? What are they stating that has to be done and I think you're saying is going to be done confirmed at the pre-application, but what is going to be confirmed at the pre-application.

E

I'm sorry muscles don't live on land, they live in the water. I, don't know how to answer that question. It.

F

Says indicate that a muscle survey may be needed on the kinky to prove no endanger a critical species are present. So are we talking just the muscles? Are we talking, in addition to any type of wildlife or whatever? That would be an endangerment, that's existing in our River of that just specific muscles, and is that and even if it was that the wording here just says neither on the Kankakee. So if you're talking just that, we assume that it's just a river um is that it and if it is put it in a document, my.

A

Understanding that isn't just relation to the river and um what was the stipulated will be the muscle. So uh if there is anything else that they want to be included on, these studies will probably wouldn't know they will notify us. But yes,.

F

They prove no endanger or critical species are present. So that's what I'm saying how they just limited to this muscle. Was it other things that they're looking for and then this is going to say, kinky rivets, he needs to say, may be needed on the Kankakee to prove it doesn't say Kankakee River. So what I'm saying is uh it was just the Kankakee River then have that included in this document, because the word or something is missing, but.

E

The project is kinky Rivers, the river I mean. Does the people ask Tom, Sawyer and Huck Finn? You know the mighty Mississippi, you know I mean come on. You.

F

Don't answer that question? It makes no difference. If anybody was to read this, we want to make sure it's plain whether you understand it or not, is one thing I wanted to be playing if the word is missing, put it in there, the Kankakee, River, otherwise,.

G

When you say the Kankakee.

F

It could be the land around Kankakee when you're saying species you open up the doors to things that lives around the river. No we're not! uh Oh, yes, you do. If you sing in danger or critical species Mr chairman, can we move on I've.

E

Answered the question: no.

F

He talks open there, but you don't. If I'm not satisfied, we need to have the word Kanki River put in the document.

E

I'd like to make a motion, we move on.

H

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Motion made second, everybody in favor signify: Miss AI anybody opposed I'm. Sorry, okay!

A

um Is anybody else. First time any questions or comments.

A

Second time.

A

Do you have anything else for us.

E

Does the engineers give us information.

A

Okay personally, I think this is it's a very exciting time for all of us. I've been watching, uh you know, things happen with can't get River for a very long time and I'm very excited to see that we are now being proactive when it comes to do something about the river.

A

um You know it's been always um well-used River uh doing the summer and spring summer, and some of you guys that already have boats- and you know that, and so that's gonna be you're gonna take time. You know this is going to be a study. It's going to be a development of a project. It's going to be taking action into the project so and- and we don't know until everything starts what else we need to do and modify you know if you uh been accustomed to do a remodeling at home.

A

You know that before you open at the wall, you don't even know what you're gonna find so I think we have to keep up every month. Having updates and know exactly what what other steps we need to take. It's not a matter of a. We cannot give all the answers in one meeting and say: okay. This is how it's going to be.

A

This is what we're going to do and when we're going to start when we're going to finish so, we are going to have to be patient and we all have to contribute to give some ideas and feedback into this Mr fedlin yeah.

D

Speaking of the muscle thing, when we had this project, when we had the original project for that area, probably eight seven eight years ago, I don't remember anything. It could be six seven years ago. Can you use them six? Seven years ago um we had Aqua had uh the guy who did all his uh outside stuff. We got they're, not there anymore uh over Culver, that's it. He did. He went out there and did uh they do test tubes? They check for the muscles.

D

You know they go around and move the sand and then they open they're, looking for certain kinds of things in the water to help clean the water and eat the bacteria and stuff that's in the water, so he had been doing a muscle study on a regular basis in that area. There he had, like, maybe eight or ten spots that he would hit so I, don't know where those studies are at or who has them, but they brought them to our meeting and said no we're good to go. We don't have any problems there.

D

So but that hasn't you know a muscle, company I, don't know if they're what how they get that, but anyway being that we're having a nice mild winter I hope it stays This way everything could get going in the spring real good. If it, if we don't get a nice jam up or a bad jam up, that we usually get so it's not even I, don't think it's even Pros. Never yet this year, I don't think it might have been some of the shallow areas, but I don't think the main rivers ever froze so.

A

A

um This armor, through uh C4 there we go, is.

G

The river All County responsibility or does City, have any responsibility. If we do something there.

E

Responsibility I'm trying to think is probably not the right word. um City has purview over their Dam, uh but really DNR uh and then Army Corps of Engineers, so it's Army, Corps DNR, then down to.

E

Although we do have some jurisdiction over out of the planning department over, you know easements and setbacks, and people trying to build on the river, but really the Coast Guard actually has a role in that as well, since it's a navigable stream, so um I believe that means the property owners own up until the water line it doesn't go into the middle of the river I. Believe that's the case is that correct, John yeah? We did talk about that.

E

So if it's not navigable, then you- the property owner, owns to the middle of the river, but if it is yeah.

E

Well, if we use Indiana as any guide, there is always an effect. There's always been saying coming since there was glaciers melting, but um it came in slow like little pushes now it comes in major whooshes when it rains uh so they're doing in such a manner that they want to dredge and not create things Downstream that are problems, but you, when you always when you unsettle something. Something else happens, all those sand, bars and islands are moving and they have been for 50 years.

E

We've got the actual maps of where they were where they are where, where they were went away and then came back, you know it's really strange to see that so uh there's always the law of unintended consequences, but that's what the Army Corps is for to minimize that as a realtor I just.

H

Know that it's a big changes on the river people wanted to vote now they can't vote.

H

On a survey we've done or anything.

E

Like that yeah we're doing this so the can boat and we can't get the uh the emergency craft in the water out of our own Park. So that's that would not be a good outcome.

A

All right um what I can say um with some of the uh other comments that were you know were made.

A

Is that a few years back, probably about three and a half years ago, I didn't me: uh I had a meeting with the uh with the lieutenant for the Coast Guard, audible, Marine safety, and um we talked about uh Genki River and he is in charge of waterways for the Coast Guard, and he looked that up on the computer and said yes, kinky river is under the jurisdiction of the Coast Guard, uh because it's it's inevitable a river, so I already knew that a few years back and um and in relation to the other comets when it comes to this some species on water, there is a process a lot of times and I've been into some of the meetings uh together with the Coast Guard in meeting with Encore engineers and the others where we sat together and we looked into.

A

Actually there was the Asian carp in Chicago, so there is a process and we'll find out. As things go by, you know, keep coming because there are meetings, they look at, they talk and they make suggestions. We ask questions, so it's not something that's going to be resolved overnight so, um but we keep adjusting everything as at things um up here will happen.

A

Is there any other comments or questions.

A

I hear none, we don't need any motion, that's just an update on on a processed on the work, uh just any old business to come before this committee. There's any old business, any new business.

A

Is there any new business, other business, Mr Snipes.

F

Let me stay for the record, something if I uh y'all made a motion that was out of really odor, because uh when you open for discussion or debate, if I had the floor and unless you didn't change the bylaws, because I definitely went back to read them, it's the second time that you have a five minute limit.

F

If that's not the first time, and if I have the floor, I, don't care who answers how they answer or whatever that person don't end my debate at any given point in time by making it out of uh the air motion. If you had a motion to end debate, then you can have placed that up on the floor. Any other one would have been out of order, I, don't care who the person was that made it.

F

So in a point of order, if I'm ever interrupted again- and it's not correct with our bylaws, do no that I don't care who's. Talking we're going to have an issue and I'll I'll hold the flow until that issue is resolved under our bylaws, our ordinances or the robber Rules of Order period. So that's my comment for the record.

F

A

You all right, I, have a motion to adjourn. Second from Mrs Mr Smith uh um everybody in favor signal five I, say aye aye anybody oppose the same sign.