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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2014-02-03-WALKS-min Lexington Sidewalk Committee Meeting Minutes Monday, February 3, 2014, 9 AM Selectmen's Meeting Room Present: Jeanne Canale , Judy Crocker, Bettina McGimsey, Sean Osborne, Francine Stieglitz; Liaisons present: Elaine Celi, Hank Manz, Marc Valenti; Guest: John Livsey Judy Crocker called the meeting of the Sidewalk Committee (SWC) to order at 9:05 AM. 1.DPW and Engineering Updates: Ms. Crocker began by thanking DPW for the great work they have been doing to keep sidewalks cleared this winter. Hank Manz noted that a sidewalk that connects Militia Drive and Worthen Road is never plowed. Marc Valenti will look into who is responsible for that sidewalk. John Livsey provided an overview of what DPW will do to improve the Hancock Street rotary near Diamond Middle School. The traffic circle will be converted into a roundabout. Currently, drivers on Hancock Street have a straight-away to Burlington Road and often do not slow down despite the yield sign. Pedestrians are in conflict with vehicles right now with a great deal of traffic from North Hancock and Hamilton. Improvements will include the narrowing of the opening from Hancock to the rotary since the road and sidewalk will be pushed out into the current configuration by about 10 feet, causing cars to slow down; the building of an mid-roadway island in the crosswalk; and the proposed roadway will be further toward the center island resulting in a larger setback for the bushes at the end of the Diamond School driveway, thus improving sight lines. In addition, seven new handicapped-accessible ramps will be installed. Currently, the crosswalk on Burlington Street does not connect to North Hancock. The residents at 106 North Hancock have agreed to remove a large tree on their property which would allow for a sidewalk in front of their house. If the Town approves this tree removal, there is a possibility that there could be sidewalk from the Burlington crosswalk to North Hancock. Ms. Crocker asked whether TSAC might consider putting in a crosswalk on North Hancock if this sidewalk goes in. She also asked whether a pedestrian plaza might be created at the Diamond driveway intersection, given the large number of students that walk there from Diamond. Mr. Livsey said the funding would need to come from the school. Mr. Valenti noted that the current path is plowed with a pickup. Given how wide it is, there may be no need for the pedestrian plaza. Ms. Crocker than asked whether the circle would be landscaped to discourage students from walking across it. Mr. Livsey noted that LPS and the various schools affected should get information about this construction out to their communities. The intent is to build the roundabout during the summer prior to school starting in the fall. He also noted that there would be a connecting path from the corner house on Burlington, which is a religious school to the Diamond School driveway. Ms. Crocker noted that she will raise this with Safe Routes committees and will send information out about the construction after bus registration materials are sent. Francine Stieglitz asked how drivers would know to slow down at the roundabout. Mr. Livsey noted that there would be signs to slow down, as well as signs and triangular street markings showing the need to yield. All curbing on the streets in the area will be granite, which should further help to slow traffic. Mr. Livsey then provided an update on Robinson Road, which is currently in the permitting phase. A Conservation Commission hearing will be held in February as the site includes the need for extensive drainage. The Tree Committee will also need to approve the project. The plan is to go to bid this spring, with construction starting before school lets out and not being done until after school starts. The approximate timeline is from May through October. The intent is to stage the construction so that children will be able to walk to school. Ms. Crocker noted that the Transportation Mitigation Policy at Estabrook will be effective for September. They want to let people know what they are allowed to do in terms of traffic. Elaine Celi asked whether Estabrook was aware of the timeline. Mr. Livsey noted that Pat Goddard had been informed. The final timeline will be in place once all of the permitting is completed. Additional projects discussed were: Bedford Street - The sidewalk will be replaced where the water main construction occurred. Concord Ave - This two-year project will go to the Conservation Committee in March. Mr. Valenti noted the following maintenance projects will be done in the spring: Pathway behind Lincoln Field - will do this after school is out since they will occupy the pathway once construction starts. Second phase of Muzzey Street from Raymond to Forest and connecting Forest to Mass Ave and Waltham on the northern side. This will be done prior to Lincoln Field pathway. Once Engineering finalizes their roadway construction schedule, Mr. Valenti will work with them to determine what additional sidewalks to do. 2.Correspondence Log: Ms. Stieglitz reported on the following pieces of correspondence: Karen Walker sent her thanks to DPW for the plowing of East Street from Lowell to Douglas. Robert Stone of Prospect Hill Road asked that an email he sent to the SWC prior to the December 2013 meeting be included in the minutes for that meeting. The minutes do note that his email was received. Given that the email had not been read at the December meeting, it was deemed inappropriate to include it in its entirety in that meeting's minutes. Instead, the SWC chose to read his email at this meeting. His email from Thursday November 28 at 10:59 AM reads as follows: To the Lexington Sidewalk Committee, I am, in spirit, supporting the concerned parents of our neighborhood in their desire to create a safe and walkable Lexington, however, I have concerns about the construction of a new sidewalk on Prospect Hill Road. A previous assessment has already determined that retrofitting Prospect Hill road with a sidewalk is not appropriate. The main problem is that the construction of a new sidewalk would negatively impact abutters and change the character of the neighborhood without slowing down the traffic in the street. Engineering Department designs to extend the current sidewalk from 46 Prospect Hill Road to meet with Marrett Road were reviewed and abandoned by the Board of Selectmen in 1988 for many reasons. The continuation of the sidewalk on the south side of the street (even numbers) would require the removal of significant numbers of small trees and the creation of an expensive retaining wall just after 18 Prospect Hill Road. Creating a sidewalk on the north side of the street (odd numbers) would create a dangerous cross walk across Prospect Hill road and would require the removal of three large oak trees at 25 Prospect Hill Road. Building a sidewalk on either side of the narrow road would shorten already short driveways, eliminate limited on street parking, and create snow removal problems for residents of 9, 11, 15, 17, 18, 21, 22, 24, and 25 Prospect Hill Road. In 1988, the Board of Selectmen suggested other traffic calming measures, usage studies, and further review. I hope the Sidewalk Committee will carefully review the proposed project. It is possible that traffic calming measures would make Prospect Hill safer while avoiding the negative impact of a sidewalk. Sincerely, Bob Stone 25 Prospect Hill Road Lexington, MA 02421 Mr. Valenti noted that he had spoken with another resident of Prospect Hill Road who was opposed to the project. He encouraged her to discuss the project with Engineering. She was concerned that the SWC was pro-sidewalk and therefore not an appropriate forum with which to raise her concerns. He encouraged her to discuss her concerns with the SWC and to review the petition process to see how it works. Mr. Manz noted that the Board of Selectmen (BOS) had discussed Prospect Hill. Many residents attended that meeting. The BOS began that meeting by noting that the process of sidewalk determination was just beginning - that the sidewalk was not a done deal and everyone would have a chance to have their say throughout the process. Sean Osborne asked whether crosswalks were going in at Wachusett and Overlook. Mr. Manz said that the BOS had approved those last week. Mr. Valenti noted that the crosswalk would be built when his crew is working on the Lincoln pathway. 3.2014 Bike Walk'n Bus Week Update: Ms. Crocker noted the dates for this, which will be May 9-18. Safe Routes is teaming with Cary Library to include a science theme, most likely a Big Backyard-styled event. Events include: Historic walks: The organizers have teamed with the Lexington Historical Society to do these. Commuter breakfast on Friday at the Depot, as well as lunch activities. Bus visits - there will be a chance to visit both a school bus and a Lexpress bus. 4.Safe Routes to School (SRTS) and Ad hoc School Transportation and Safety Study Committee (STS): Ms. Crocker noted that once the transportation policy is in place, STS will conduct community education in time to allow families make decisions about the bus. For example, the fact that people will not longer be allowed to queue on Grove Street needs to be understood by the Estabrook community. Bettina McGimsey noted that there are queues at Hastings on Mass Ave as well. Mr. Valenti noted that it is impossible to get to Bridge on Middleby due to the queuing. Ms. Crocker noted that the design study for Clarke traffic improvements including a bus loop have begun to allow for better interface between pedestrians and cars. Any improvements will align with the proposed transportation policy. Ms. Crocker raised the question of whether the SRTS program has grown too large to be aptly run by a volunteer and whether its home-base would be better served somewhere other than the SWC. Given the present scope and size of the role, and the fact that it interacts with many stakeholders (Facilities, School Administration, police, SC, BoS, engineering, DPW), it might be worthwhile to consider if a Town employee position should be created. The PTAs would still have their individual school SRTS committees and would sit on the town-wide committee. Mr. Valenti noted that it might be difficult to fill the position from administration. Ms. Crocker was thinking of the LPS Transportation Coordinator or the Municipal Coordinator and that this role would function similarly to the LPS Big Backyard program. Ms. McGimsey asked whether the voice of the PTAs would be lost. Would having a municipal employee as chair take away the charge of the committee in terms of how it interacts with the schools? Mr. Osborne suggested have joint leadership - the Town administrator and a volunteer from one of the schools which would cycle through each school. Mr. Valenti suggested that we look at other communities that are similar to Lexington (Wellesley, Needham, Brookline) to see how they handle this. Ms. Crocker explained that each town handles the position differently and that there is no standard model, whether through the SWC (Lexington), police department (Winchester), paid employee (Bedford), local YMCA (Waltham), etc. 5.Review of January minutes: Minutes were approved as amended. 6.Updating Resident Guidelines for Requesting New Sidewalks document: The committee reviewed the New Sidewalk Request Form. The document will be updated to reflect this discussion. 7.The meeting was adjourned at 11:10 AM. The next meeting of the Sidewalk Committee will be February 24 at 9 AM in the SMR. Note: Date was changed due to March 3rd elections. Respectfully submitted by, Bettina McGimsey