HomeMy WebLinkAbout2012-09-10-WALKS-minLexington Sidewalk Committee Meeting Minutes
Monday, September 10,2012, 9 AM
Selectmen's Meeting Room, Town Office Building
Present: Judy Crocker, Jill Hai, Bettina McGimsey, Francine Stieglitz, Jerry van Hook;
Liaisons: John Livsey (DPW), Marc Valenti (DPW)
The meeting of the Sidewalk Committee (SWC) was called to order at 9:05 AM.
1. Update on Membership: Jill Hai is resigning from the SWC as she has been asked to sit
on the Town Capital Expenditures Committee. John Davies tenure is up as of this
September meeting; he will not be continuing on the committee. Jerry van Hook has
agreed to continue with the committee. Judy Crocker is willing to take on the temporary
Chair role for the meantime.
2. Review of the June 2012 minutes: The June minutes were approved.
3. Sidewalk projects during the summer and proposed near term projects by the DPW. John
Livsey and Marc Valenti provided an update on the work DPW has been doing with
Town sidewalks over the summer. Bettina McGimsey noted that the Hastings
Elementary community is very happy with the new sidewalk on the south side of Mass
Ave. It was noted that the new Lincoln Street sidewalks have met with approval as well.
Mr. Valenti gave an overview of the sidewalk maintenance work his crew has done with
FY 12 funding (amounting to nearly one mile of repaired sidewalks):
• Maintained the brick pavers downtown
• Bloomfield Street from Mass Ave to Eustus: replaced sidewalks, driveway aprons,
installed 3 ADA compliant ramps
• Rebuilt half of the Worthen/ Middleby pathway
• Clarke Street from Raymond to Forest — improved ramps and settlement issues
• Transferred some dollars to Engineering to help build sidewalks
• Hoping to build a new ramp at Bow and Mass Ave, shifting the crosswalk fromTaft to
Bow, as well as improve the Muzzey St. sidewalk with remaining FY12 funding
With FYI funding, plans are to install the sidewalk on Winthrop Road, continue
downtown paver maintenance, and fix the rest of the Worthen / Middleby path (including
fixing some drainage issues and replace the pathway to Baskin Road). Jerry van Hook
noted that the path between the Old Res and Bridge Elementary needs to be looked at —
both the condition of the path and the need for pruning. Mr. Valenti will check on this.
During the next construction season (Spring 2013), there will be water main construction
on Bedford Road south from the bike path to Revere Road that will provide an
opportunity to redo the sidewalks there. In FY13 or FY14, Mr. Valenti is also hoping to
work on Mass Ave from Forest to Clark Street.
Francine Stieglitz asked about 57 Baskin Street where the sidewalk has been damaged.
Mr. Valenti noted that the home is new and the contractor had done the damage and had
not repaired it. The homeowner is planning to ask the contractor to restore the sidewalk
when they install the driveway. Mr. Livsey noted that the Town should deal with the
contractor since he has pulled a permit with them. Mr. Valenti noted that Baskin Road
may be worked on using FY 13 or FY 14 funding anyway.
Mr. Livsey gave an update on recent and upcoming sidewalk construction:
• Marrett Road between Lincoln and Coppersmyth Way: A sewer pipe needs to be
replaced which sits under the sidewalk. This will require that the sidewalk in that
area be closed for a few months. The police department will provide details to help
school children navigate this area during the construction. This will affect children in
the Hastings, Bridge and Clark districts. There will also be a drainage project at the
Old Res where the sidewalk will be replaced from the parking lot to the Old Res path.
• 1.7 miles of new sidewalks were added this summer: Audubon from Mass Ave to
Lincoln; at Clark Middle Schoolfrom the driveway to the bridge; at Hayden Ave
along with two bike lanes.
• Existing sidewalks that were replaced include: Mass Ave, 10,000 feet; Adams Street
3400 feet plus guard rail work; Lincoln Street, 3100 feet replaced from Worthen to
Temple Isaiah. In total 2.6 miles of sidewalk were replaced and 57 handicap
accessible ramps were installed (with over 70 installed in the previous year). Mr. van
Hook asked whether the sidewalk at Adams would go as far as the Burlington town
line. If the sidewalk is in decent shape, they will keep it as is.
• Minuteman bikeway work on drainage has been completed. Root pruning will now
be done by the Parks and Trees Department.
• Signal updates: intersections at Mass Ave/Waltham Street and Hill /Revere /Bedford.
Mr. Livsey also noted that he wants to bring in a Complete Streets workshop to
Lexington. This would be very useful for SWC members to attend if they haven't already.
Upcoming sidewalk construction includes:
• Winthrop Street
• Waltham Street from Winthrop to Worthen with signal updates
Mr. Livsey noted that they would like to replace the Waltham Street sidewalk from
Winthrop to Mass Ave but are waiting to hear from the Centerscape project as to what
material to use. Ms. Stieglitz asked him if he could come to the Disabilities Commission
to get their input on the type of material. Engineering will also put in a capital article to
install a sidewalk or mixed -use path (includes bikes) on Hartwell Ave from Bedford
Street to the bikeway. At Fall Town Meeting, under consideration will be improvements
in Estabrook School District (sidewalk on Robinson Road, also some work along Grove
Street).
Discussion then turned to the path next to the Victory Garden development near Diamond
Middle School. The SWC recommends that this path remain a 3- season path with no
plowing in the winter. Students can easily walk to the path along the Diamond entryway
from Hancock Street that is plowed.
Mr. Valenti noted that there are many sidewalks in town that need work, but it would be
important to determine whether they are all in regular use. The SWC discussed the
following sidewalks:
• Bloomfield Street - Jill Hai noted that many high school students, HS teams, as well
as the residents of the transitional living facility in thearea do use this. They will try
to tie this sidewalk into the work that Engineering is doing on Winthrop.
• Hancock from Mass Ave north — needs replacing
• Oakland Street and others on Merriam Hill - Mr. van Hook noted that some of these
were not used frequently.
4. Safe Routes to School: Judy Crocker noted that there is no longer federal funding for Safe
Routes — it is now left to the states to fund these programs.
5. Update on student busing: Bus ridership is at 39% this year, with four new buses, 12 -15
new routes, and 150 students on the wait list. The SWC noted that if any of these wait list
families are new residents of the town, their needs should be dealt with as swiftly as
possible. Bus routes are not being published for safety reasons.
Mr. van Hook raised the issue of buses at Clark Middle School. It would be good to have
the buses go through the gate and up to Allen Street. Ms. Crocker noted that Mary Ellen
Dunn is working on this.
6. Estabrook School project: The task force has been dissolved. See bullet #3 for update on
sidewalks in the Estabrook school district.
7. Correspondence log: Ms. Stieglitz reported that a resident on Haskell Street raised the
issue of pesticides from the work of a lawn company ending up on the sidewalk. It was
noted that once it rains, the pesticides are washed off the sidewalk.
Other old and /or new business: All members will be on the outlook for potential new
members. Bettina McGimsey will take on the website function for the committee. Judy
Crocker will serve as temporary chair.
9. The meeting was adjourned at 11:10 AM. The next meeting of the Sidewalk Committee
will be October 1 at 9 AM in SMR.
Respectfully submitted by,
Bettina McGimsey