HomeMy WebLinkAbout2014-11-03-WALKS-min
Lexington Sidewalk Committee Meeting Minutes
Monday, November 3, 2014, 9 AM
Selectmen's Meeting Room
Present: Jeanne Canale, Judy Crocker, Mary Hosmer Fanucci, Bettina McGimsey, Sean Osborne,
Craig Weeks; Liaisons present: Elaine Celi, Tim Dunn; Visitors: Hank Manz,
Craig Weeks called the meeting of the Sidewalk Committee (SWC) to order at 9:05 AM.
The Agenda was covered quickly, for the most part.
1)Public Comment: Comments and concerns from the community –
No visitors present and no recent letters received. Francine was attending another town
meeting and had not reported any new correspondence
2)DPW Update
Mr. Valenti was not present due to an unanticipated conflict.
3)Planning Board Update
A possible sidewalk installation on an unaccepted portion of Colony Rd contiguous to the
current sidewalk was discussed as part of a private lot improvement at an October PB meeting.
Because the proposed section leads to the Fiske School property, Ms. Crocker spoke of how it
would benefit the Safe Routes program.
4)LPS Transportation Update
Ms. Celi handed out a report demonstrating the continuing success of the town-wide school
bus advocacy program, tremendous improvement in ridership, thanks to many peoples’
efforts and the Town’s bus fare subsidy.
5)Safe Routes to School Update
Ms. Crocker handed out a summary of the Safe Routes to Schools activities and FY15
school bus ridership figures. Currently, 47% of LPS students use the bus with the greatest ridership
at Clarke (73%), followed by Bowman and Estabrook (56%). The most challenging population
where about one-third of the students can drive is LHS, which boosts 36% ridership. The next
Walking Wednesday event is the Turkey Trot on Nov 12.
Coordinator roles for review: The major administrative issue on the table currently is the
appropriate ‘home’ for the Coordinator. Should it remain a volunteer position or become a
staff responsibility. The SRTS program is very well established after implementing the
concept about 9 years ago and is now active in 8 of 9 schools.
6) Correspondence Log
Nothing reported.
6)Review of Sidewalk Committee charge.
An issue raised independently by two committee members is whether the SWC has fulfilled
its charge and remains a viable asset to the town, as many of its charges are now addressed
by other town committees or departments. Another element of the equation is whether the
town is adopting Complete Streets design concepts, and how that impacts recommendations
and standards for sidewalk network development.
A summary of the charge and current status:
implement and sustain a Safe Routes to School program at all schools within the
town (8 of 9 currently)
Recommend a Master Plan for sidewalk construction and maintenance, including
a prioritization strategy – DONE – manually created sidewalk inventory now
digitized under the purview of the DPW – prioritization strategy connected to
SRTS walking/biking routes/school bus stops and connectivity to recreation and
conservation lands.
Recommend design concepts such as tree requirements, green borders between
the edge of pavement and sidewalk, roads that necessitate sidewalks, crosswalk
signage. This element of the charge seems to be no longer pertinent. Tree and
border design elements fall typically within the Tree Committee for opinions and
ultimately with the Engineering Dept to comply with MA DOT and municipal
standards.
Recommend a policy and bylaws/ordinances for sidewalk maintenance by private
property owners, particularly snow removal, Town of Lexington right of way
clearances and removal of tree and brush obstructions upon sidewalks and
unpaved public pathways – DONE – through newspaper articles, policy creation
and recommendations to the town administration.
Recommend a method of financing the development of the proposed Master Plan
DONE – annual budget line item created
The conclusion was that it is appropriate to inform the Board of Selectmen of our question as to the
value of the SWC to the town and how best our Committee can support the town departments and
residents. Mr. Weeks will forward the question to the Board of Selectmen via Ms. Ciccolo our
Committee’s Board Liaison.
7)Review of October minutes – not available yet for review.
8)Ms. McGimsey has tendered her resignation from the Committee effective today. Ms. Crocker
and the Committee expressed their thanks and appreciation for her contributions, especially as
dedicated recorder.
There are two residents who have expressed a membership interest. Upon determination of the
Charge for the Committee (see item 6 above) any vacant seats will be offered to those
interested.
The next meeting will be held on Dec 1 at 9 AM in the
The meeting was adjourned at 10:30 AM.
Parker Room of Town Hall.
Respectfully submitted by,
Craig Weeks