Yesterday's News and Rain Delay

Yesterday, August 28th 2006, some of the business/residences along the north side of East Main Street (i.e., Gimme! Coffee, Kinney Drugs, etc.) lost water around 8:40am. This unscheduled disruption was due to human error. Crews accidently broke a piece of the new water main while installing the feeder pipes from that main pipe to the rest of the locations along the street. Crews immediantely began to work on the break and were able to restore water in about an hour. As of yesterday afternoon, the rip had been patched and the pipe was back to its orginal condition.

There will be no construction work on Main Street today due to the heavy rains. According to the latest weather report, rain is supposed to clear up by tomorrow August 20th 2006. Water main superintendent Stu Doty and sidewalk superintendent John Jenison do not have a clear estimate of how the rains will affect the construction schedule.

Changes to Sidewalk Protocol

The biggest news to come out today's (August 24th 2006) construction progress meeting dealt with the end of water main work and the beginning of sidewalk work.

Water Main

This might be the last time you see the "Water Main" header here on the MSP blog. Water main superintendent Stu Doty plans to have all his work down and crews out by September 1st 2006. Currently, all the small businesses on the south side of West Main Street (a.k.a everything from the Reverby law office to the car wash) enjoy water from the new water main. All the new main pipe for the water main has been laid down and crews are right now making the final feeder pipe connections from the main into the rest of the buildings on both sides of Main street.

The MSP understands that the water main work has taken much longer than expected. Originally what was supposed to only take two weeks extended into the end of August. The main reasons for the delays are the long wait to hear back from the New York State DOT about the open cut on Washington Street and all the unknown off buried items found by the crews. Water main crews found old cisterns, leftover debris from previous projects, concrete culverts, and pockets of fuel while digging under Main Street. Each of these finds represented a brief delay that added up. However, even with all the delays, the project has remained on schedule as crews have always kept up with their "doable" amount of work.

Sidewalks

Sidewalk crews entered the Village downtown on Wednesday August 23rd 2006. This was as mentioned on both our blog and website and the August 23rd edition of The Trumansburg Free Press. The crews began their jobs by breaking up sidewalk along the Elm Street/Main Street intersection and along the sidewalk in front of Trumansburg Family Dentistry and the Village Office. This was to prepare the ground fro NYSEG's utility crews. NYSEG originally planned to wait for all water main work to end before moving in, but, in order to stay on schedule, they decided to mobilize just before the official end of watermain work. NYSEG crews plan to begin their work on September 5th and end by September 7th. They will refurbish the utility mains underneath the street.

Also, in order for the actual contractor's sidewalk crews to remain on schedule, Mayor John Levine approved on August 23rd 2006 the ability to dig up both sides of the sidewalk. This was at Economy's suggestion. Economy originally planed to rip up and work on one side of the street at the time, leaving the other side as an untouched pedestrian corridor. However, to make sure they do not lose any time, they asked if they could open up both sides of the street. This means that both sides of the street will feature lengths of temporary gravel sidewalks while Economy works on those sections. This does not mean that crews will be working simultaneously on both sides of the street. Economy cannot do that because of traffic management issues. Instead this means that both sides of the street will be ready for work, but crews will only work one side at a time. Hence, at least one sidewalk will always be open, but both sides might have strips of temporary patches/construction infrastructure. The MSP understands that this represents an inconvenience for pedestrians who might face temporary, uneven path ways, for a while, but the project does not want to lose momentum and have to entertain a construction extension in the future.

The MSP also realizes this changes the sidewalk information presented in a previous blog post, website entry, and the latest Main Street Report article in The Trumansburg Free Press. Please understand that this change happened after the article had been submitted to the paper and that the decision was reached the very same day as the paper came off the presses. While the MSP encourages everyone to use The Trumansburg Free Press as one of our communications pathways, the project also thanks everyone that uses this blog as a way to make up for that information gap.

Updates to Come

Yesterday (August 22nd 2006) the MSP held an advisory committee meeting and tomorrow the project will hold its bi-weekly construction updates meeting. Expect some big updates to the site and blog tomorrow afternoon. Until then feel free to call us 387-4471 with any MSP related questions. See you tomorrow!

Sidewalk Work Begins Downtown

Today (August 23rd 2006) members from the MSP, Economy Paving, and NYSEG met to create a time table for NYSEG's utility work. The final wet tap connection on the new water main was made yesterday (August 22nd 2006) so Village residents now enjoy water from the brand new watermain! Since the water main work represented the deepest dig, NYSEG crews had to wait until now to begin their mobilization. However, since the water main work ran into many underground items (hunks of concrete, un-used storm drains, buried culverts, etc.) not in the designs, their work took longer than expected. This means that NYSEG is beginning their work later than expected and to keep with their proposed schedule they will have to work on the sidewalk at the same time that Economy's sidewalk team will be as well. Mayor John Levine authorized NYSEG's request and this means that on September 5th there will be construction work on both sides of the sidewalk. While the project remains on schedule, even with the delays, this change is necessary to make sure it stays on schedule. Economy Paving crews are right now in front of the Village Office preparing the sidewalk for NYSEG's team to come and refurbish the utility lines. So while NYSEG works on one side of the sidewalk refurbishing the utility lines Economy will be on the other side working on the sidewalk itself.

The MSP understands that this development negates the information included in today's Main Street Report article in The Trumansburg Free Press. Please understand that our bi-weekly column has Friday deadline, hence today's article, for example, had to be submitted by 12 noon on August 18th 2006. At the time the article was submitted, the MSP was acting upon the latest information. The project realizes that that leaves a four day period in which more news and updates can come. We strive to make up for that period through our other communication pathways like this blog, our website, e-mail listserve, and office phone. We appreciate you checking out this site and your efforts in staying informed about the project.

Additional Tree Work

As mentioned in a previous blog post and in several local media outlets, crews from David Allen's tree service removed two branches from the large redbud tree by 200 East Main street on August 15th, 2006. While the most notable work on the tree is the limb removal the Village also authorized the tree service to implement several measures to mitigate the cut's impact on the tree. Crews cleaned out a hollow internal cavity in the base of the tree that held some litter (empty bottles, styrofoam plates, foil bags, cigarette butts, etc.) placed there by passerbys. The service then removed some of the rotting wood from the inside of this cavity before filling the space with expansion foam. The foam will help stabilize the tree, keep moisture out of the cavity, and prevent any future passerbys from littering in the base again. Since the two limbs removed were cabled off two of the remaining limbs were cabled off to reproduce the stabilizing effect. David Allen's team then spread both some light chemical fertilizer (7-4-7) and a biological mix of beneficial soil bacteria and fungi.
On Saturday August 19th, MSP volunteers John Ullberg and Ben Guthrie built a small retaining wall around of the tree trunk out of architectural bricks. Their wall was built by hand, in accordance with a request from both the MSP and the Village that any work around the tree be done without power/heavy equipment. Hence, unless absolutely necessary, the final pour of the sidewalk by the redbud tree will bed done/completed by hand. Economy Paving's sidewalk sub-contractor left for another job on August 14th so that stretch by the redbud will not be filled in with sidewalk concrete until early September. Once that segment is filled the new sidewalk will be complete.

Quick Updates

There are no big updates to report on construction or the project. The next construction update meeting is Thursday August 24th 2006 and a MSP advisory committee meeting is expected sometime next week, so bigger updates are to come. However, here a few quick notes about what is happening.

• Alan Vogel, builder of the "T-Ville" schoolhouse outside the Village Office porch attached a display/information board to the building earlier this week. This board further explains the history of the house and plans for it. While nothing concerning "T-Ville" has been officially confirmed the response from the Village and public remains positive and supportive.

• Bill Kappel's brick recovery projects continues to be a great success! Many thanks to all the volunteers and the space/tools provided by Maguire Chevrolet. As of today (August 18th 2006) the teams had recovered over 2,900 bricks!

• The blog template changed to a new color scheme that is a bit more similar to the color sequence on our main web page.
  

Check us out next week for bigger updates after the upcoming meetings.

Redbud Tree Decision

Today (August 15th, 2006) members of Dave Allen's tree service trimmed two branches off the large redbud tree mentioned in The Ithaca Journal, our website, this very blog, and other local media. At 4pm on Monday August 14th 2006 the stop work order issued by the Honorable Justice Christine K. Springer was rescinded, allowing the crews to come and trim the tree branches to Dave Allen's specification. Mr. Allen is a New York state certified nurseryman and served as a reference during the decision-making process.
The order was rescinded after both Village lawyers and the lawyers behind the stop-work order realized that Justice Springer was not in her jurisdiction on the stop-work order. Unable to prove that Justice Springer had the authority to issue the stop-work order, the order was rescinded and lead to the trimming this morning around 8:00am.
Contact the MSP (607) 387-4471 or the Trumansburg Village Office (607) 387-6501 for more information on this and any construction related manners.

What's That?

If you have driven past the Village Office buidling anytime since last week then you must have noticed the large wooden playhouse in the front yard. If you have been out of town or just haven't noticed then take a look at the pictures we provided.

Designed by Village residents Alan Vogel and Cheryl Thompson the building was built as a play structure for children during this year's Grassroots festival. It was a big hit with the kids and that got Alan Vogel thinking about incorporating this building and others like it onto Main Street as part of a "playground village" tentatively titled, T-Ville.

Plans are to place this building along with the two other yet to be built ones by the Colonial Laundromat on Main Street. The shack in front of the laundromat would be removed (sold at auction to fund the construction of T-Ville) and the play village would go there. Aside from this pictured building, T-Ville would feature other community built, wooden buildings themed after Village locations. So T-Ville could feature this T-Ville house along with a T-Ville post office and T-Ville General Store. Or a T-Ville restaurant. Or a T-Ville Village Office. In any case it would be a chance for kids to come play in a homegrown playground right there on Main Street.

Please note that right now, T-Ville is only a proposal and not a set installation. While not an MSP project per se, there are lots of MSP volunteers and members helping out with the project and the T-Ville organizers hope to have the playground installed by the end of construction along Main Street.

You can get more information about the proposed T-Ville project by contacting the MSP or taking a look at the meeting minutes for the August 14th 2006 general Village board meeting soon to be available on the Village's website. Or you can stay tuned to this blog and our website for more information.

Brick Orders Return!

Recently, the MSP has received lots of citizen interest in the commemorative engraved bricks sold by the MSP in 2002 as a fundraiser. While the initial order went out in July, the project still keeps getting phone calls and requests for bricks.

In order to satisfy this demand and to make sure that everyone has a chance to leave their mark on Main Street the MSP has begun collecting new brick orders! You can find order forms on our website (available as a PDF) or swing by the MSP office in the Village Office building. While the forms date back to when the bricks were first offered (circa 2002) they are still good and contain the exact cirteria/prices for bricks.

Any bricks ordered as part of the new brick order will be collected and sent to our engraver, Brick Markers USA, sometime at the end of the year. These will then arrive by late spring and will end up on Main Street by summer 2007. These new bricks will go right with the bricks featured as part of our first order. Brick layers will just pop out some of the blank bricks next to the engraved bricks and put the second wave of bricks in. More details on deadlines are to come, but if you missed out on the first brick order or could not think up an inscription then you have another chance! Feel free to contact the MSP with any questions.

The Search For Bricks

This week's edition of The Trumansburg Free Press mentioned twice the brick recovery initiative lead by Village resident, Bill Kappel. While the main article mentioned how Bill had no volunteers to help him, in actuality, over a dozen people have come to help him since word first got out through the MSP Communication Pathways. The newspaper articles were submitted before either of the authors learned about Bill's success.

With the help of his volunteers and lots of hard work, Bill has saved over 1,500 bricks for future use on Main Street! He plans to hold a work day this Saturday August 12th at 9am at the dumpsite by the Village Fairgounds in order to save more bricks and attract some new volunteers. You can contact Bill at wkappel@usgs.gov or tell the MSP (607-387-4471) to forward your interest.

Construction Update Meeting #3 Synopsis

Just got out of our third construction update meeting and here is the summary of what has happened and what is to come.

Water Main

• After receiving approval to use the open-cut method at the Washington St./Main St. intersection from the New York Starte Department of Transportation, members of Economy Paving's water main crew cut the street yesterday (Wednesday August 9th) morning. They will begin with the final water main connections at that end of the street on Monday August 14th 2006.

• The water main work you can see on Main Street right now and tomorrow (Friday August 11th) concerns putting in the new infrastructure for storm water drains.

• Downtown property owners interested in taking advantage of the water main works and having their feeder pipes from the water main enlarged to 2 inch diameter should contact the Village by Friday August 18th. Extending the diameter of the feeder pipes allows building owners the kind of water volume and pressure requried for a fire-suppressing sprinkler system, which cannot be delivered by the standard 3/4" diameter pipe. Changing the pipes width is a cost that must be assumed by the interested property owener and more information can be obtained by contacting the Village or the MSP.

Sidewalks

The sidewalk crews began to pour concrete earlier this week and will continue pouring as the approach the downtown area. Economy Paving's sidewalk sperintendent, John Jenison, predicted that sidewalk crews would enter the Village's downtown area by late next week (August 16th-18th). They will begin to refurbish the sidewalks and utilities downtown and will tear up the lengths of old sidewalk. No businesses will be forced to close because of construction and the longest a business might be inaccessible is the hour to hour and a half that it requires for crews to pour new concrete and setup accessability ramps.

Thanks

• The MSP wants to thank everyone that came to out first "Morning on Main Street" meeting on Tuesday August 8th. We had some great conversations and were able to get information out to the business owners in attendance. Our next meeting is scheduled for August 15th at 8am on the porch of the Village Office.
  
  Economy Paving thanks all the Village residents for being so patient with the disruptions associated with construction and for all the Route 96 commuters for slowing down in the work zones and staying safe.
  

Final Open Cuts Approved

While it appears that Economy Paving's water main crews had to remain in Waterloo, there is some water main news to report. The project just received final approval from the New York State Department of Transportation (DOT) to use the open cut method at the Washnington St./Main St. intersection. This will allow the crews, on their return, to complete all the water main work on Main St.

Want to know more about the open cut vs. boring decision? Want an explanation? Fell free to scroll through the blog or contact the project directly at 607-387-4471 or tburgmainst@fltg.net.

The MSP List Serve

Web-savvy folks like you blog readers can have Main Street Project news and updates sent to your e-mail inboxes by signing up for our e-mail list serve. The list serve features about one to two weekly updates about the MSP and whar is happening with construction. Anyone can be on the list serve, but the MSP especially encourages local organizations (clubs, schools, churches, etc.) to have a representative on the listserve so they can spread the information to their colleagues/members. If you would like more information about the list serve or want to sign up for it then contact the project at tburgmainst@fltg.net or 607-387-4471.

Where have all the construction crews gone?

Many of you probably noticed the lack of construction work within Trumansburg's downtown area. Currently, Economy Paving's water main work superintendent, Stu Doty, coordinates four projects in the central New York area. A pressing concern at their Waterloo, NY site required that Stu concentrate all of his efforts and resources at that location today. This is why there is no water main work in downtown Trumansburg today and the lack of work downtown is not a result of the stop-work order issued last week. That order only affects the immediate area around the redbud tree.

However, the sidewalk crews continue to work on digging the trench along the southside of Main Street so there is still some construction work in the Village, albeit not in the Village center.

Water main crews plan on returning tomorrow, Tuesday August 8th 2006.

Redbud Tree Hearing

As reported in the Saturday August 5th edition of The Ithaca Journal, citizen concerns about a large redbud tree along Rt.96/East Main Street produced a stop-work order for construction along that area. The plans propose removing two of the tree's limbs in order to free up enough space so that the proposed sidewalks are approved by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), a requirement on a project using federal funds like the MSP. However, the tree is considered the largest redbud tree in Tompkins County and due to this status and the aforementioned citizen concerns the stop-work order was issued by the Honorable Judge Christine K. Springer (Ulysses Town Court). There will be no construction within close proximity to the tree until after a decision has been reached about its status and possible alternatives to removing two of its limbs.

A meeting will be held on Thursday August 10th in the Ulysses Town Hall at 7:30pm. Residents are encouraged to attend this meeting to hear the proposed alternatives to cutting and to also share their opinions about the situation. This meeting is required by the court as a part of the stop-work order. For more information, please contact the MSP at 607-387-4471 or via e-mail at tburgmainst@fltg.net.

Corrections

Wanted to post a quick correction to the blog. A previous post on July 31st 2006 said that the next Main Street Project progress meeting was on July 10th 2006. This is an error and should have said August 10th 2006. The meeting will take place on Thursday August 10th and you can expect updates coming out of that on the blog and website by Friday morning.

Thanks and Things to Look Out For

You might notice at the bottom of our blog a small icon that says "Site Meter." The icon is just that, a site meter provided by the equally utilitarianly named website Site Meter. The service tracks the amount of visits we get to our blog. It is great to see that folks are checking out the blog and taking the extra step to stay informed about the Main Street Project! Thank you for staying updated and for making the project stronger with your questions, concerns, and feedback.

The MSP plans to have another project update meeting on Thursday July 10th with C&S Engineers and Economy Pacing. Expect a lengthy post on both the website and blog about that with the latest MSP info.