2015-05-27-WALKS-min - Laserfiche WebLink

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Lexington Sidewalk Committee Meeting Minutes Monday, May 27, 2015, 7 PM Selectmen's Meeting Room, Town Office Building Present: Chair Craig Weeks, Jeanne Canale, Judy Crocker, Francine Stieglitz Members Absent: Mary Fanucci Hosmer, Sean Osburne Liaisons Absent: Elaine Celi (LPS Transportation), Michelle Ciccolo (Selectmen), Tim Dunn (Planning Board), Marc Valente (DPW) The meeting of the Sidewalk Committee (SWC) was called to order at 7:09 PM. The Chair stated that the purpose of this meeting was to serve as a public hearing to gather comments on the proposed installation of a new sidewalk on Hill Street. Committee members will not deliberate nor comment on any public remarks, but instead use this meeting to learn of public sentiment. Deliberations will be held at the next scheduled Committee meeting on June 8. LexMedia is filming the hearing. He also asked everyone to sign the sign-in sheet. Mr. Weeks stated that DPW currently has plans to resurface Hill St. this summer (FY16). The Committee does not have in its possession any engineering or site maps. Therefore, it will ask the community to rely upon a google doc map being shown as a reference during the meeting. 1.Public Comment: Comments and concerns from the Community on the proposed new sidewalk installation on Hill Street a.Rob and Miranda Wilkerson, 18 Hill St – are pro-new sidewalk. He said that there are about 50 residents on Hill St. and 200 outside of the abutter area who have shared their opinions on a recent google group. This group asked Hill St residents their opinion on the proposed new sidewalk including categorizing neighborhood issues. The resultant 8-page document has been submitted to the Traffic Safety Group. According to the findings of their google group: 31 support, 2 opposed, 1 household is split, 6 have no view, 9 shared no response on a new sidewalk installation. Arguments from their poll against the new sidewalk include: country lane nature of the road will be ruined; false sense of security for pedestrians on sidewalks therefore one would make the road more dangerous; tree destruction; landscaping consequences; residents do not want to clear snow from sidewalks. Arguments from their poll in favor of a new sidewalk include: increases pedestrian safety on a road with high vehicle speed, blind corners, bicyclists; makes it safer for local Hastings and Diamond students to walk to school; same reasons as were listed 4.5 years ago with the previous neighborhood petition. b.Mike Lipton, 64 Hill St – a resident since 1981 and raised his kids in this house. He is for traffic abatement measures and to a sidewalk on the golf course side of the street. He is concerned about the steep hillside that meets the roadway with ledge near his property and tree loss. Dramatic changes in front of his house would make his driveway too steep and would need a new retaining wall. He is not against safety as a whole. c.Dave Robinson, 15 Hill St – spoke of the granite marker on his front property that