HomeMy WebLinkAbout2013-09-09-WALKS-min
Lexington Sidewalk Committee Meeting Minutes
Monday, September 9, 2013, 9 AM
Selectmen’s Meeting Room, Town Office Building
Present: Jeanne Canale , Judy Crocker , Mary Hosmer Fanucci, Bettina McGimsey; Members absent:, Sean
Osborne, Francine Stieglitz; Liaisons present: Hank Manz (BOS)
The meeting of the Sidewalk Committee (SWC) was called to order at 9:08 AM by Judy Crocker.
1.Review of June 2012 minutes: The minutes were approved as amended.
2.Review of Town Meeting Report 2012-2013: Ms. Crocker noted that the SWC had submitted its report
highlighting what the committee had done over the past year.
3.Safe Routes to School (SRTS): The first meeting of the SRTS representatives will take place September
,
192013 Annual bookmarks detailing the dates of the Walking Wednesdays have been distributed to the
schools. All LPS schools are now SRTS partners and are registered with the State SRTS Office.
October 9 will be Lexington’s International Walk to School Day.
4.Ad hoc School Transportation and Safety Study Committee (STS) Update: The Town has hired World
Tech to do a school property traffic evaluation. The preliminary report is out and is being reviewed by
school principals and others involved with school transportation. A final report is due at the end of
September. Once that is published, the community will be able to provide feedback. The report notes
that, for the schools in town, there are no uniform procedures, policies, or traffic patterns. More uniform
procedures are expected to come out of this process. After the feedback period, the School Committee
will decide which recommendations to enact.
At the BOS meeting on 9/9, a proposed September tax bill insert stressing the importance of stopping for
flashing red lights on school buses and bike helmet safety will be on the consent agenda.
Bus ridership as of 9/16 includes 2826 students (43%) – up from 31% prior to the fees being lowered last
year. One additional bus has been added and more may be needed. Bus passes were passed out on the
first day of school at school as opposed to being sent home by mail. Last year 18% of the bus passes
sent via mail were returned.
5.Quarterly Transportation Forum Update: This group met in June and will meet again in October.
Discussion centered on:
a.Town Center Streetscape, which is currently in the first of three phases (data
collection/modeling, traffic study of the Battle Green, design plans)
b.Lexpress was free for seniors this summer.
c.A grant was received from JARC (Jobs Access and Reverse Commute) for a shuttle from
Hartwell Ave to Alewife. The shuttle began in September.
6.Correspondence Log:Correspondence was received on the following topics:
a.Concord Ave abutters are concerned about the removal of trees to put in a sidewalk on the
southern side of Concord Ave.
b.A crosswalk has been requested at Dewey Road and Grove Street .
We have not heard anything more from Nick Havan about the Marrett Road sidewalk request.
7. New Business:New items are as follows:
a.Bettina McGimsey and Francine Stieglitz have been reappointed to the SWC.
b.Michelle Ciccolo will be the Planning Board liaison to the SWC.
c.Lexington has joined the Active Street Certification Program - $10 million to adopt the
Complete Streets Program.With this certification, the Town can apply for grants that
promote pedestrian and bike culture.
d.Lexington has received a Healthy Communities Grant. It comes from Lahey Hospital and
will look at mental health, recreation and nutrition, and bike and pedestrian safety. Some
ideas for this are: 1) concrete benches at bus stops; and 2) a health fair for middle schools on
nutrition, bike and helmet safety, etc.
e.The Tree Committee will attend the October SWC meeting in order to discuss how the two
committees can collaborate, given the negative citizen feedback from the proposed Concord
Rd sidewalk installation.
8.Updating Master Sidewalk List and Website: Jeanne Canale will work on updating the website. The
entire committee has been asked to look at the Request for Sidewalk Guidelines to make
recommendations for change. This will be discussed at the October meeting.
9.The meeting was adjourned at 9:50 AM. The next meeting of the Sidewalk Committee will be October 7
at 9 AM in the SMR.
Respectfully submitted by,
Bettina McGimsey