HomeMy WebLinkAbout2012-11-05-WALKS-minLexington Sidewalk Committee Meeting Minutes
Monday, November 5, 2012, 9 AM
Selectmen's Meeting Room, Town Office Building
Present: Jeanne Canale, Judy Crocker, Mary Hosmer Fanucci, Bettina McGimsey, Francine
Stieglitz, Jerry van Hook; Liaisons: Elaine Celi (Transportation), Hank Manz (BOS), Marc
Valenti (DPW); Guests: Mary Ellen Dunn (LPS), Maureen Gaines, Sarah McSweeney, Karen
Stulck
The meeting of the Sidewalk Committee (SWC) was called to order at 9:05 AM.
1. Welcome of new members: Jeanne Canale and Mary Hosmer Fanucci have officially joined
the SWC. Karen Stulck is considering membership.
2. Proposed Clarke Middle School infrastructure improvements: Mary Ellen Dunn, Assistant
Superintendent of Business and Finance for the Lexington Public Schools (LPS), provided an
overview for a proposed new school bus loop at Clarke Middle School. In previous years
buses only entered the school grounds via Brookside Avenue. With the increased number of
buses this year, buses have been allowed to enter the school grounds via Stedman Road and
then exit via Brookside, thanks to the opening of a gate on the west side of the school.
Ms. Dunn noted that LPS has made a capital request of the Town for design funds and
construction cost determination for a bus loop and additional parking spaces on the Stedman
Road side of the school. The request is currently in review with the Capital Expenditure
Committee. Should the bus loop be built, it would be up to the Fire Department as to
whether the gate remained. If the gate is not needed, that land would most likely revert to
green space. Jerry van Hook asked why the gate was closed in the first place. Hank Manz
noted that in earlier years when the gate was open, parents started using it, increasing traffic
along Stedman Road, which drew opposition from the neighborhood. It was relegated to be
used only as a fire emergency gate.Judy Crocker asked whether the key to the gate could be
given to DPW for snow removal. Mark Valenti noted that he would prefer for Central
Dispatch to continue opening the gate.
Additional points discussed were the increased number of buses at both middle schools:
Clarke currently has 14 buses and Diamond 11 (including two METCO buses at both
schools). Mr. van Hook asked whether there was a need for additional buses at Diamond.
Ms. Dunn replied that there is not the same level of bus density issues at Diamond as at
Clarke. Should there be increased numbers of buses, Diamond would need to use the Sedge
Road side of the school, which would most likely lead to a future capital request as there are
drainage issues on Sedge Road.
3. Prospect Hill Road new sidewalk request: Sarah McSweeney and Maureen Gaines presented
a petition for a new sidewalk on Prospect Hill Road from Wachusett Circle to Marrett. They
noted that many children walking to and from Bridge, Clarke, and Lexington High use the
road. Without a sidewalk the street is quite dangerous. Mr. Valenti noted that the Town
would need to have a study done here, as there are issues with line of sight, right of way, and
the need to take down trees to install a sidewalk.
Ms. McSweeney asked whether it would be possible to have signs or mirrors installed to
make it safer. Mr. Valenti noted that the appropriate committee for those requests is the
Traffic Safety Advisory Committee (TSAC). Francine Stieglitz asked whether a crosswalk
has been put in from Wachusett Circle to the sidewalk on Prospect Hillthat starts there.
There is no crosswalk — this would also be an issue for TSAC to address.
Ms. McSweeney noted that she had brought a petition a number of years ago before the SWC.
Ms. Crocker will contact Craig Weeks to find the original petition. She noted that when the
petitioners go before the Board of Selectmen, they should bring both petitions. Bettina
McGimsey asked how many Prospect Hill Road residents had signed the petition. All but
two neighbors had signed the petition, indicating strong desire for the sidewalk.
4. Review of October minutes: The October minutes were approved as amended.
S. Safe Routes to School update: Ms. Crocker reported that the Safe Routes to School (SRTS)
committee had met with Rick Abrams from Across Lexington, the group in town that is
mapping walking routes across town. These maps may prove useful to schools, despite the
fact that most are no longer publishing walking routes to school. Using the routes for fun
runs, Walks for theArts, and Big Backyard walks were all mentioned as possibilities. It was
noted that Mr. Abrams should contact LPS administration and the PTA Presidents' Council.
Safe Routes has written a letter of support for the work of Across Lexington for CPA funding
for pathway signage.
Ms. Crocker also noted that as of mid - October, bus ridership levels were back to 2002 levels,
currently at 2641 riders and exceeding the goal of 2500.As of this year with the subsidy
approved by Town Meeting, the price of the bus was cut in half for all schools. The
Transportation Department has also offered the Lexpress partnership for high school and
middle school students, as well as afternoon buses for afterschool programs. It was noted
that, should the subsidy go away, people may stop taking the bus again. In Natick the school
bus subsidy is voted in on an annual warrant at Town Meeting. Mr. van Hook noted that this
might be a good idea — it would allow the Town on a yearly basis to vote for or against.
Mr. van Hook asked about the queuing on Grove Street outside of Estabrook. Ms. Crocker
noted that Estabrook families were not offered free busing during school construction,which
may have alleviated the number of cars going to the school and thus perhaps the queueing.
6. Ad hoc School Transportation and Safety Study Committee update: At Spring Town Meeting
the STS committee will bring two articles: 1) to work with police and TSAC to replace
school signage across town; and 2) to give the police power to enforce traffic laws on school
property. Currently, the police only have the jurisdiction to enforce fire lane and
handicapped parking laws on school grounds, but nothing else traffic related.
7. New business: Two requests have come in:
• The pedestrian signs at the intersection of Roosevelt and Crosby were incorrectly
installed. Mr. Valenti and his crew will fix this.
• There is a need for signs directing the flow of traffic in the back parking lot of the high
school. SRTS and STS working with Facilities will be discussing this.
8. Old business: Mr. van Hook and Mr. Valenti will work together on the Master List of
sidewalks. Ms. McGimsey asked whether the list includes a variable that indicates "amount
of use." Mr. van Hook noted that we should look at all of the criteria for each street included.
Mr. Valenti said we could have an engineering firm do an assessment of the existing
sidewalks and their frequency of use. Jeanne Canale asked for clarification on how the
master list was made. It was compiled by the SWC and then John Davies, former member of
the SWC, drew a map. Mr. van Hook noted that to redo the Master List, it would need to be
a joint effort of DPW/Engineering and the SWC.
Karen Stulck asked how many miles of sidewalk Lexington has. Mr. Valenti noted that there
are 147 miles of streets and 62 miles of sidewalks that are plowed. These numbers do not
take into account the total sidewalk mileage, since not all streets have sidewalks and not all
sidewalks are plowed.
9. The meeting was adjourned at 10:50 AM. The next meeting of the Sidewalk Committee will
be December 3 at 9 AM in the SMR.
Respectfully submitted by,
Bettina McGimsey