Agenda Notes:
- Agenda Item #29 - South Corridor Project Train Control and Communications Contract Award
- Agenda Item #42A - Gleneagles Road Widening
Information Items:
- Status of Full Funding Grant Agreement of the South Corridor Project
- Prosperity Church Road Widening Phase III
- Concerns of Jim Roberts
- Quad State Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity Conference
- M/WBE and SBE Utilization for Northlake Mall Project
- Small Business Development Program Organization Chart
- Members of SBDP Goals Committees
- UNCC Five Ventures 2005
Attachments:
- March and April Calendars
- Concerns of Jim Roberts 3/23/05
- UNCC Five Ventures Brochure
- ED and Planning Committee Summary 3/2/05
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Agenda Notes:
Agenda Item #29: South Corridor Project Train Control and Communications Contract Award
Staff Resource: Ron Tober, 704-336-7245
At Monday's Business Meeting, Council will be asked to approve the award of a $33.6 million contract for the installation of the Train Control and Communications systems for the South Corridor Light Rail Project subject to approval from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) of a Letter of No Prejudice. The low bidder recommended for award of this contract is Mass Electric/Aldridge Electric, a joint venture, whose bid is within the revised budget for the Project.
Bids on the Train Control and Communications contract package were originally opened in December. Award of this contract has been delayed by a protest filed by the second low bidder Crowder Construction Co. who alleged that Mass Electric/Aldridge Electric as a joint venture did not have the proper North Carolina licenses to perform the work involved under the contract. The Crowder protest was subjected to extensive review by CATS staff and the City Attorney's Office which included consultations with the North Carolina Licensing Board for General Contractors, engineering experts and outside legal counsel. CATS staff and legal counsel completed their review of the protest filed by Crowder on March 9 and have determined that Mass Electric/Aldridge Electric as a joint venture does in fact have the appropriate licenses to perform the work and is in fact the lowest responsive and responsible bidder for the contract.
Crowder Construction Co. has now filed an appeal of the CATS determination on this matter to the FTA. This appeal is now being considered by the FTA's staff and we are hopeful that a determination from FTA will be received by Monday.
CATS staff would like to award this contract as soon as possible given that the contractors' bids are aging and that the work to be performed under the contract is a critical component of maintaining the Project's revised schedule to start service by April 2007. Mass Electric and Aldridge Electric are firms that have extensive experience with the design and installation of the sophisticated systems and equipment that will comprise the train Control and communications systems for the South Corridor Light Rail Project. Council has already awarded a $17 million contract to this same joint venture to design and install the traction power system for the Project.
Agenda Item #42A: Gleneagles Road Widening
Staff Resources: Tim Greene, 704 336-3649 and Bob Drayton, 704 336-3300
Construction of the Gleneagles Road widening was completed in April 2003. The goal was to finish the project in time for the Inaugural Wachovia Championship PGA golf tournament. At the time, staff had not completed negotiations for right-of-way and easements needed from the property owner, Cameron Harris, on the north side of Gleneagles Road (directly across from Quail Hollow Club Entrance). Staff has now reached a settlement with Mr. Harris based on our independent appraisal. Approval of the agreement in the amount of $345,000 is scheduled for the March 28th Council Agenda.
Separate and unrelated to the Gleneagles Road Widening project is The Village at Seven Eagles Site/Harris property project. Last summer, this property at the corner of Gleneagles Drive and Park Road was cleared and graded for a private commercial retail center with Saks Fifth Avenue proposed as the anchor tenant. Upon losing the anchor tenant, Harris Land Company placed the project on hold.
Due to uncertainty of the projected completion date, Land Development staff requested stabilization of the entire site. Currently, a large excavated area in the middle of the site is retaining water and is now a shallow pond. However, there is no violation of the Soil and Sedimentation Control Ordinance since the site is currently stable. Homeowners in the area have expressed concerns with Spring/Summer mosquito infestations. Staff forwarded these concerns to the County environmental staff that handles mosquito problems. The County intends to treat the standing water to prevent infestations.
Mrs. DeDe Harris reports that she is currently working on securing new tenants and that they will move forward with the project in the near future.
Information Items:
Status of Federal Full Funding Grant Agreement for the South Corridor Project
Staff Resource: Ron Tober, 704-336-7245
The Full Funding Grant Agreement (FFGA) for the South Corridor Light Rail Project was submitted to Congress by the FTA on March 4 for the mandatory 60-day Congressional review of such grant contracts. The FFGA reflects the revised Project budget of $426.8 million agreed to with the FTA and approved by the MTC in January. It also reflects the revised Project schedule to complete the Project by December 31, 2007 with a revenue service target date of April 30, 2007.
The 60-day Congressional review period is designed to provide Congressional Committee and Members with the opportunity to review and comment on such federal contracts since Congress will be expected to appropriate future funding for the Project in the annual appropriations cycle over the next two to three years. The review period will end on May 3. A formal signing of the FFGA for the South Corridor Project is expected to occur shortly thereafter.
Prosperity Church Road Widening Phase III
Staff Resources: Tim Greene, 704-336-3649 and Leon Howe, 704-336-4563
City staff from the Charlotte Department of Transportation (CDOT) and the Engineering & Property Management (E&PM) Department have been working on plans to install a roundabout at the intersection of Prosperity Church Road and DeArmon Road. A roundabout is an intersection design that uses a circular island rather than traffic signals or stop signs.
Our plans for constructing this project have changed. Last summer, the North Carolina Department of Transportation announced a delay in construction of the leg of I-485 from NC 115 to I-85 North. The current NCDOT schedule calls for this segment to be complete in 2012. The delay of this leg of I-485 and the construction of the Prosperity Village Plan (which includes re-aligning Prosperity Church Road, extending Loganville Drive, and adding Prosperity Village Road) will affect how much traffic a roundabout at DeArmon Road could handle. City staff has determined that the roundabout will break down and not function properly under the anticipated traffic flows between now and 2012.
City staff has altered plans to install turn lanes on several legs of the DeArmon intersection and CDOT will install a temporary traffic signal. Council will be asked to award a construction contract for these temporary improvements this summer. The roundabout may be constructed in the future.
Concerns of Jim Roberts
Staff Resource: Major David Graham, 704-432-0470
Attached is a report from the Police Department in response to concerns raised by Mr. Jim Roberts related to traffic violations in the Windsor Park Neighborhood.
Quad State Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity Conference
Staff Resource: Willie Ratchford, 704-336-2195The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Community Relations Committee (CRC) hosted the Quad State Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity Conference March 16 - 18, 2005 at the Adams Mark Hotel. The conference theme 'Valuing Diversity in the 21st Century: Practice, Policy and Partnerships offered five distinct tracks of programming in the areas of conflict resolution, diversity, leadership, fair housing and employment. Scott Syphax, CEO of Nehemiah Corporation, gave the keynote address.
This year's conference had a record attendance of 300 participants from Tennessee, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Indiana, Florida, Georgia and Iowa. Participants represented public agencies, non-profit social service agencies, as well as state and local civil rights enforcement agencies.
Over $35,000 was raised to underwrite the costs of the conference from twenty-three sponsoring organizations and conference attendee registration fees. Proceedings from the conference will be available in mid May.
M/WBE and SBE Utilization for Northlake Mall Project
Staff Resource: Tiffany Capers, 704-336-3862
As requested by Council member Mitchell, the following report was provided to the Small Business Development Program on the M/WBE and SBE utilization on the Northlake Mall Project as of March 10, 2005:
| DBE Participation |
0.00% |
| MBE Participation |
5.54% |
| WBE Participation |
6.13% |
| VBE Participation |
0.00% |
| SBE Participation |
1.84% |
| Non WMBE Participation |
86.49% |
| Total MWBE Participation |
13.51% |
Small Business Development Program Organization Chart
Staff Resource: Tiffany Capers, 704-336-3862As requested by Council member Mitchell, on the following page please find an organization chart for the Small Business Development Program. With the addition of the recently hired assistant program manager, the total filled positions for the Small Business Development Program is 10. Council approved twelve positions in January 2003. Two of the positions are currently vacant and do not include funding appropriation for FY05
Member of SBDP Goals Committees
Staff Resource: Tiffany Capers, 704-336-3862
As requested by Council member Mitchell and Mayor Pro Tem Cannon, below is a list of volunteers serving on the Goals Committees. At the inception of the Goals Committees, members of the MWBD Stakeholder Committee were asked to volunteer to serve. Only one member of the Stakeholder Committee responded favorably and agreed to serve on the Goals Committees. After receiving input from the Goals Committees on individual projects, the SBDP staff developed a matrix in the Fall 2004 that included SBE Utilization Goals that were slightly higher than the goals that had been recommended by KBUs. The matrix, shown below, takes into consideration the scope of the project and the availability of SBEs to perform as subcontractors. The goals matrix creates a baseline for the organization and reduces the variance across KBUs in setting SBE Utilization Goals for projects of similar dollar value, as was the case with the previous contractor participation program. The SBDP is reviewing the matrix, percent SBE utilization on existing projects and completed projects to finalize the matrix for organizational use.
Goals Committee Members
Horizontal Goals Committee:
Clifton Budnick - Uprocon, Inc.
Otis Crowder - Crowder Construction (Member of the MWBD Stakeholder Committee)
Connie Hewett - Ferebee Corporation
Jessie Hite - Gannett Fleming
Donald Jones - Senoj South
Vertical Goals Committee:
Jack A. Fallin - United Construction, Inc.
Allen Gray - Carolinas AGC
Hazel Holmes - Holmes Trucking
Ronald L. Brown/ Scott Little - State Utility Contractors
Corine Thomas - Stinson Trucking
Professional Services Goals Committee:
Charles Brown, Jr. - Uprocon, Inc.
Derek McSween - Diversified Construction Management
Edward Oliver, Jr. - E. Oliver & Assoc.
Martha Rea Calkins - American Eastern Builders
Rebecca Wallace-Aktas - Altura Environmental
UNCC Five Ventures 2005
Staff Resource: Richard Bargoil, 704-336-2142
The City of Charlotte is a sponsor of this year's Five Ventures Business Plan Competition. The April 7 event focuses on what it takes to make a successful business. In addition to the business plan competition the agenda includes a keynote talk by Dwain Gullion, Founder of Magnet America; top CEOs discussing key issues for their companies today; and opportunities to participate in discussions with venture capitalists and angel investors. The event will take place from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm at the UNCC Barnhardt Center. As a sponsor, the City is provided four complimentary admissions to the event. The attached brochure provides an agenda for the event.
