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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2009-01-08-LBAC-min MEETING MINUTES Committee Name: Lexington Bicycle Advisory Committee Date, Time and Location of Meeting: January 8, 2009, 7 pm, Legion Room, Cary Hall Members Present: Peggy Enders (Chair), Stew Kennedy, Mike Tabaczynski, Abe Shenker (FoLB Chair), John Frey, Jerry Van Hook, Laurel Carpenter, Sandra Shaw (Recreation Liaison). Others Present: Rich Spencer, Bob Hausslein Members Absent: Richard Canale (Planning Board Liaison), Marita Hartshorn, George Gagliardi, Hank Manz, (Selectmen’s Liaison) Minutes: Reviewed and approved with two changes December 11 meeting minutes. Snow Plowing: The committee shared its frustration with the condition of the bikeway, the particularly difficult and unpredictable winter weather, and its general concern with the efficiency of the current arrangement with the town. In response to a question about the costs to date, Peggy said that the first two plows will be covered by the donation from the Trustees for Public Trusts – approximately $1,100. John mentioned that the sand/salt mix on the streets had been changed to a salt/slurry mix and said this may result in more salt ending up in the water. Jerry said that the Sidewalk Committee had met that week to talk about sidewalk plowing, saying that the bikeway plowing was putting additional strain on the system and the equipment. He said that, when the DPW is re- opened in May, better equipment repair facilities will be available again. The committee talked about whether it was sensible to continue the current plowing arrangement, given the condition of the bikeway (i.e., frozen slush) and the prediction of more snow in the near future. After discussing various options, the committee agreed that the best way forward would be to work with the town to decouple bikeway plowing from sidewalk plowing, and until a new agreement was reached, to suspend plowing of the bikeway. Abe read a letter from a plowing donor who was quite unhappy with the conditions on the bikeway. A motion was made to “temporarily suspend plowing until we explore alternatives to the current arrangement and to assure that there are sufficient funds for end-of- season plowing.” The motion was seconded and approved unanimously. The committee talked about the prospect of federal funding for “shovel ready projects” to mitigate the deteriorating conditions on the bikeway, including the need for root barriers, new bollards, and a full repaving. Stew mentioned that he and Peggy have an appointment to meet with the new town engineer, John Livsey. Fog Line/Bike Lane Subcommittee Update: The group reviewed the draft of a proposed letter from LBAC recommending to the Selectmen the adoption of new sideline striping standards on major town streets. Comments were offered, including the importance of emphasizing safety in the first sentence, in diminishing references to sidewalks, to being more emphatic. Laurel mentioned that Arlington has a similar initiative underway. It was recommended that letters of support be enlisted from the Friends and other committees and that this be an agenda item for the Selectmen at an upcoming meeting. Setting Priorities for the First Half of 2009 : Peggy handed around a list of suggested priorities for 2009 and asked for comments. After some discussion, the group decided to focus in upcoming months on the following: ?? Sidewalk plowing pilot ?? Striping (recommendation, agenda for Selectmen, gather support) ?? Improve safety and signage on the Minuteman Bikeway at Revere Street ?? Bikeway reconstruction: paving, root barriers, bollards, drainage problems ?? Improving information on the LBAC website ?? Develop community The group talked about speaking at the early April Town Meeting, when the budget is discussed, about LBAC priorities. The LBAC meeting was adjourned at 8:35 pm. Record of Friends of Lexington Bikeways Discussion : Treasurer’s Report: Rich Spencer reported that FoLB received $770 in snow plowing contributions since our December meeting, bringing the current balance to $ 4,656.32. Abe mentioned that he has an additional $1,950 in donations that have not been deposited and $150 more for the Charles Herlihy memorial. Abe said he will send thank you notes to contributors, both for the plowing and toward the memory of Charles Herlihy. He said that he doesn’t think more money will be forthcoming from donors, since the results have not been good and our arrangement costs four times more than plowing Arlington. We agreed that the town managers – Bill Hadley, Dave Pinsonneault and Carl Valente – need to know that “the Friends feel it can be done better.” Friends Website: Stew agreed to be in touch with Harvey Bingham’s family to ask that his site be taken down. Laurel is interested in creating content for the site, and Abe has offered to help her set it up. January Newsletter : Laurel hasn’t yet developed content for the newsletter, but said that the topics being planned include: MBTA and biking; plowing and fund raising; fog lines; goals and accomplishments; the Hall of Fame celebration; Bob Sawyer story; Harvey Bingham’s contributions; Charles Herlihy. It was agreed that content should be sent to Laurel by January 22, with a target publication date of February 15. Planning for a First Annual Potluck: Laurel will check with churches (Follen and Redeemer) about availability on a weekend night, with dates in early March. The first day of Spring was also suggested. There was consensus that the new meeting room was not suitable for bike group meetings, so Peggy agreed to find an alternative for the rest of the year. The meeting was adjourned at about 9:15 pm. Information Distributed: ?? Agenda for January 8 meeting ?? Draft minutes from December 11 meeting ?? Draft letter to Selectmen regarding sideline striping ?? List of suggested 2009 priorities Recorders : Peggy Enders and Abe Shenker Editor : Peggy Enders Next Meeting : February 12, 2009, 7 pm, in a room to be announced.