TO: Honorable Mayor & Members of the North Port Commission
FROM: Jonathan R. Lewis, ICMA-CM, City Manager
TITLE: Discussion and direction regarding the City of North Port paying to paint traffic control signals on US 41 between Salford Boulevard and Sumter Boulevard relating to the US 41 Widening Project in the amount of $27,500.
Recommended Action
Direct staff regarding whether the City will pay to paint traffic control signals on US 41 between Salford Boulevard and Sumter Boulevard.
Background Information
The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) will be widening U.S. 41 between Salford Boulevard and Sumter Boulevard. The bid will be awarded on April 20, 2017, construction begins July 20, 2017, and construction will be completed in Mid-2019. The construction plans indicate that the traffic signal poles and mast arm assemblies at the intersections of US 41 with Salford Boulevard, Cocoplum Village Shops driveway and Sumter Boulevard are being replaced with a galvanized metal finish (Attachment No. 1).
The traffic signal poles and mast arms that are currently City Center Green are located on US 41 at:
• Salford Boulevard
• Sumter Boulevard
• Tuscola Boulevard
• North Port Boulevard
• Pan American Boulevard
• Biscayne Drive
There are three pole/mast arm assemblies at the Cocoplum Plaza/Home Depot intersection which are painted bronze, and one is City Center Green.
The North Port Urban Design Standards Pattern Book requires all steel and aluminum in Activity Center 1, which extends along US 41 from southeast of the Salford Boulevard intersection to the Ortiz Boulevard/Talon Bay Boulevard intersection, to be colored City Center Green. Since adoption of the Urban Design Standards Pattern Book, new traffic signal pole and mast arm assemblies were fabricated and existing ones were painted to conform to this color scheme. In addition, the established maintenance schedule includes painting the traffic signal poles and mast arm assemblies every six years for an approximate cost of $14,213.
Staff requested clarification from Michele Norton, AICP, Planning Division Manager concerning
the required color of the traffic signal pole and mast arm assemblies. Ms. Norton provided staff
with the following finding (Attachment No. 2):
“The guidelines for public amenities to be City Center Green are for way finding such as benches, furniture, street lights and so forth. A traffic signal is not an urban amenity or a way finding feature. The term outside furniture and metal is construed to be of a like nature as outside furniture and traffic infrastructure are not one in the same. In addition, where all steel and aluminum is to be painted, is part of language pertaining to the onsite architectural details of a development site and not public rights of way. Therefore, I find that the Urban Design Standards Pattern Book does not consider Traffic Signal Mast Arms to be included in urban outdoor street furniture (it would be public infrastructure) and would therefore not be required to be painted City Center Green. That would be solely at the discretion of the City.”
Pursuant to the Locally Funded Agreement between FDOT and the City of North Port (Attachment No. 3), the City of North Port would be responsible for the initial cost to paint the poles and mast arms as well as continued maintenance of the color coating pursuant to the Transportation On System Post Project Maintenance Agreement between FDOT and the City of North Port (Attachment No. 4). FDOT has estimated a cost of $27,500 to powder coat the poles and mast arms during fabrication. In addition, there would be maintenance costs totaling $42,640 every six years to repaint the three traffic signal poles and mast arm assemblies. This agreement requires the City of North Port to deposit this amount to the State Comptroller’s Office by February 1, 2017.
Should the Commission opt to require that these three traffic signal poles and mast arm assemblies be painted City Center Green, staff will place the Locally Funded Agreement and the Transportation on System Post Project Maintenance Agreement between FDOT and the City of North Port on the January 24, 2017, Road and Drainage District meeting agenda for consideration by the Commission. The initial painting costs in the amount of $27,500 will be funded by the Road and Drainage District.
Should the Commission opt not to require that these three traffic signal poles and mast arm assemblies be painted City Center Green, the traffic signals and mast arm assemblies will be constructed by FDOT with a galvanized metal finish. FDOT will assume the entire cost of construction for all three traffic signal poles and mast arm assemblies with no additional costs to the City of North Port. In addition, execution of the two above referenced agreements would not be required.
Strategic Plan
Maintained/Upgraded/Expanded City Infrastructure
Financial Impact
Funds are available in Account No. 107-5000-541.52-16
Procurement
Attachments:
1. State of Florida Department of Transportation Contract Plans Financial Project 422710-5-52-01 Signalization Plans
2. Email to Julie Bellia, Public Works Director from Michele Norton, AICP, Planning Division Manager dated October 24, 2016, regarding City Center Green Interpretation
3. Locally Funded Agreement Between the State of Florida Department of Transportation and City of North Port.
4. Transportation On System Post Project Maintenance Agreement Between Florida Department of Transportation and City of North Port
5. Power Point Presentation
Prepared by: Benjamin Newman
Department Director: Juliana B. Bellia