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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2013-04-01-WALKS-min (DRAFT) DRAFT DRAFT DR�FT Lexington Sidewalk Coinm.ittee Meeting A�Iinutes Monday, April 1, 2013, 9 AM Battin Aaditorium, Cary Memorial Hall Present: Judy Crocicer,Ma�y Hosmer Fanucci,Betiina McGimsey,Francine Stieglitz,Jeny van Hook;Meinbers absent: Jeanne Canale; Liaisons: Hank Ma.nz(B�S), Marc Valenti(DPW), Elaine Celi(Transportation};Guests: Residents of the Winthrop Street neighborhood Juditli Crocker, Chau-man of the Sidewal.lc Comtnittee, called the meeting of the Sidewalk Committee(SWC)to order at 9:02 AM. The puipose of this meeting was for proponents and opponeuts of the proposed concept of completing the Winthrop Street sidewallc from Highland Ave ta Walthan St to sha�-e their views with the SWC.The meeting was announced as being recorded in arder to aid today's Comnuttee secretary in obtaining an accurate and complete set of minutes as possible. Attendees were also asked to use the sign-inn sheets. It was made clear by Judy Cracker that the St�TC committee has within its charge the authority to only c�ffer recoimnendatians wi.th regard to any proposed sidewallc project to the Board of Selectmen. It does not have jurisdiction to decide whether the sidewalk is actually financed or constructed, or deterniine what side of the street it should be located. The parameters of the meeting were established at its start. In order to provide equal opporiunity for citizen corrunent, each member af the audience would have the opportunity to speak once foY- a ina�mlun of 3 minutes. The speaker would be warned that their time is near completion at the 2 _ ininutes and 30 seconds mark. Proponents were asked to use the"Yes"microphone. Opponents were asked to use the"No"microphone. Abutters were invited ta be the first ones to make theu• presentations.The order of speakers alternated Uetween those for aud those against the proposed sidew�.lk. Further,the coimnittee indicated that it would make no comment an the project today. Discussion among the members of the SWC would occur at the May 6,2013 meeting. At that time, the Committee will not take citizen comments and members will vote on whether or not to recoimnend that the proposed Winthrop 5t�-eet side��alk project be approved. As of April l, 2013,the SWC had.received a total of 40 letters regarding this project. Some of these are from individuals unable to attend today's meering. Dan Kriapka, an a.butter,respectfully requested th.at abutters be the first ones to express their opinions.This request was granted. Speakers L Louis Counts, 45 Winthrop Street NIr. Counts Is in favor of the sidewaik. He moved froxn Han.cock Street to Winthrop Street i.n September 2012. He has observed peaple of a11 ages walking in the road. He believes this is an issue of public safety. 2. Dan Krupka,40 Winthrap St�•eet Mr. Kruplca emphasized that he is not against public safety. He believes there are other means available for solving safety issues. He referenced the role and protocol used by the Traffic Safety Advisory Committee(TSAC}in assessing traffic problems.He would like an eitensive tr�affic study conducted to help understand traf.fic flow at his location. According to Mr. Krupka, during a mid-March inid-week personal survey of pedestrians in the area,the average pedest�-ian i�affic DRAFT DRAFT DRAFT is 5 per hour. He einphasized that there are 9 abutters opposed to the sidewalk. They don't want the sidewalk,nor do they feel that they need it. Mr. Ktupka also indicated th.at the process followed by the S WC was not rigoraus. He believes that it is unfair and favored proponents. He ` said the SWC process only offerad guidelines, and did not provide far objecrive analysis of data. He felt the process was undemocratic and that no alternati��es ta a sidewalk were considered. 3. Jason Ross, 38 Winthrop Street Mr. Ross indicated he lives on the side of the raad,which would have the proposed sidewalk. Two and a half years ago he sent an email regard.ing road safety in his neighborhood to Jer�y Van Hoalc of the SWC. He observed that the neighborhood is large,with no connecrion on�jinthrop Road. Vehicles travel on the road at high speeds.There is a lot of traffic.He feels that the process is no langer the issue. This sidewalk is a matter of safety not aestherics. He called on us to recoirunend the installation of the sidewalk. He called on his neighbors to see the benefit of safety for everyone. 4. Mari.o��Krupka, 40 Winthrop Raad Ms. Krupka shared traffic observations she inade near her home over a few days time. See attached dacument. She emphasized that as a result of her study, the neighborhood doesn't need or want the sidewalk. She also indicated th.e process for dealing with.this issue via the SWC committee was flawed. S. Aiu� Groves, 1�Winthrop Ms. Graves d.iscussed the dangera��s cun�es that exist an Winthrop and Vinebroak Roads. She suggested the idea of using a crushed stone walkway instead af an asphalt or conerete sidewalk. — Sh.e l�as one near her home. The Lexington DPW did soine woxk for her to improve draina�e and floading prablems she was having. She has seen improvement. Her suggestion.is to have a simil�• walkway installed on Winthrop Road, as this would be more aesthetically pleasing. Ms. Groves discussed haw she maneuvers her car so she doesn't have to back out of he.r driveway. The curves are dangerous and she prefers to exit her driveway going forward so she can avoid collisions. 6. Alex Bonner, 37 Winthrop Road Mr.Sonner reiterated the position that the neighborhood daesn't need or want a new sidewalk. He also emphasized that the SWC process was flawed. He said the majoriry of abutters do not ��vant the sidewalk. It would be a waste of money. Of the 13 residences in the area, 9 are opposed, 1 is unknown, and 3 are in favor of the project. 75%do not want the sidewalk. N1r. Bonner suggested the members ofthe SWC speak with each abutter to hear for us. And,he referenced a January 12, 2013 comment by Jerry Van Hook of the SWC. Nfr. Bonner said that Mr. Van Hook - zndicated, "Abutters need to agree". Mr. Bonner asked what is to be gained by continuin�this discussian. 7. Suzanne Shavelson, 8 John Poulter Road Ms. Shavelson Shared tha.t evelyone in the neighborhood is directly affected by the lack of a sidewalk. There are 2 dangerous S curves. She would like to be able to walk instead of driving. The street is hilly and eurvy. She is fearful for her kids and herself when they walk. Cars travel at high speeds and have poor sight lines. She has resorted to walking on lawns,but feels nncoinfortable about this. She wants a sidewalk an John Poulter Road,too. She said we shauld - DRAFT DRAFT DRA�'T - realize this issue is not just about aestl�etics. It's alsa about safety. S. I�atherine Bower,44 Winthrop Street Ms. Bower has lived in Le�ngton.for 44 years, She stated they don't need or want a sidewalk on. Winthrop Road. There is no data indicating the need for one. Slie suggested walkers use other routes and that e�sting sidewalks be improved. She enjoys the se�ni-ruxal feel of her neighborhoad. A sidewallc would change the appearance of her neighborhood. She also worries about erosion. She said the area where the sidewalk tivould be is too narrow far one. She feels it would be dangerous because walkers would be close to the nearby brook. She also indicated there are wetlands in the area. She has been very unhappy with the SWC process for this project. She said discussions about this project have been happening for 4 years, but she only learned about it this year. 9. Ed Dziadzo, 36 Highland Avenue Mr.Dziadzo has a daughter who is a fi�eslunan at LHS. She walks to schoal with 3 fi•iends. The snow banks in the winter make it dangerous because the road gets very narrow, and there is no place for the girls to waik safely. He also has a son in 6t1i grade. V�Tinthrop Road is a cut-through. Mr. Dziadzo has empathy for the abutters,but feels the sidewalk is necessary. 10. t�lan Simpson,2 Highland Avenue Mr. Sim.pson indicated he has issues with the pracess the SWC has followed for this proposed _ project. He said the SWC poli.cies are not sufficient. The process is skewed to proponents of any project. He said the prablem sho�ld Ue cleaz•ly identified. ThThere should be better coinmunication, data, alternarives to be considered. What are the rights of abutters?He referenced the TSA�website.They have a traffic calming policy on their website. There's a flow ch.art, etc. for making decisions. This project needs to be reconsidered. There was no Y�igor in the evaluation of it. 1 l. Carolyn Fantasia, 217 Walthaan Street Ms. Fantasia said there is no place to cross Waltham Street at Winthrop Road. She said traffic speeds up past the light. High school students dash across the street. She said a sidewalk is necessary there. 12. Masazaini Nagai, 42 Winthrop Street Mr.Nagai maved to Lexington from Japa�i. He said the process for this project has gone against the p�inciples of dernocracy. Everyone should have a right to be infonned,at the begu�ning of the project. There was not enough notice given to abutters. I3. Emily Cooper,31 Winthrop Roa.d Ms. Caoper visits the Fariners Market every Tuesday fram April through October. She walks her children in a douhle stroiler. She said her route is dangerous and that she has had several near misses with automobile traffic. She said�uallcing on Winthrop Road is daiigerous for anyone and asked us to particularly imagine how d.ifficult it would be to travel on this street in a wheelchau�, an crutches,with a walker, siroilers,etc. She also indicated the area is a school zone. She said the issue is na longer about tl�e process,but how to get the sidewallc. DRAFT DRAFT DRAF`T 14. Steve Cooper,28 Winthrop Road Mr. Cooper indicated he doesn't want or need a sidewalk on Winthrop Road. He said the process for evaluation is flawed. He asked,where is the data? What is the pedestrian activity?There was no data gath.ering by proponents. He said he there is no evidence of a neighborhood poll. No one contacted him about landscaping implications. There has been no verification of infornlation from proponents. He said the data is not correct. Winthrop Sheet is not a gateway. There are plenty of alterriative routes.Mr. Cooper said he thought the SWC should have an audit function. There should have been validation of tl�e need for a sidewalk montks ago. He also said na money�=ould be wasted. 1.5. Georgia Glick,21 Elliot Road Ms. Glick has lived for 40 years at the top of Monroe Hill. She said residents of Monrae Hill were nat contacted about tke proposed sidewalk. She is delighted with the idea. She said she is a frequent walker and this sidewalk would give better access to`Valtham Street and Massachusetts Avenue. ^� 16. June Fanaure,20 Sherburne Road Ms.Fanaure said that Winthrop Road is not busy, only occasionally. She said that a sidewalk wouldn't solve t�•affic speeds. She wanted to know if traffic calming measures had been considered. 5he wondered if stop signs, flashing lights,etc. would be better. She asked the S�VC to please consider alternatives as nane of these are being used on Winthrop Road. 17. Laura Keiper, 6 Winthrap Road — Ms.Kerper is one of tlze original proponents of the Winthrop Street sidewalk. She said she made 4 separate trips, on 4 separate dates to speak with residents about the need for this sidewallc. If, on the 4th attempt, she was unable to reach soineone, she Ieft a self-addressed stamped envelope at the residence. The envelope contained the petition, along with contact infoi�nation for Lauren'???, and an invita�ion to sign the petition. She indicated that Dave Cannan and Charles Sargent of the Town of Lexington Engineering Depat�nent watched the traffic on Winthrop Street. They agreed a sidewalk is necessaxy. Ms. Kirker said this is a vital safety issue. Her children wallced to LHS. They are grown now, but she wants this sidewalk for the safety of the community. � 18.Baz-cy Sandberg, 2� Sherbu2ne Road Mr. Sandberg is nat intrinsically apposed to this sidewalk. He said he wants a better process for evaluating the project. He believes it shouid be further investigated and that data is needed. He said a distincrion should be made between guidelines and data. The proponents worked accoi•ding to the guidelines. The SWC did not audit their inforxnation. There was no notification to the neighborhood. The SWC should eYcuse petition�rs fi�om the discussion. He did agrea that safety is an issue. However,he also said that a sidewalk is not the only solutiou, aaid may not even be the best one. He said there are no traffic signs on the raad. He would like to see a inoratorinm on the proposal, and a caneiliatory solution developed. I9.Meena Kothendorlamer, 7 Sherburne Road Ms. Kothendarlamer's daughter walks to Wintlu�op Road and Waltha�n Street on the lawns of her DRAFT I7RAFT I�RAFT - neighbors. Ms. Kothendorlamer never walks oii Winthro�. She is too fearful. She says traffic speeds have increased and there are more cars. She said there are be many more children growing up and going to LHS, so a sidewalk is necessaiy. 20, Lois Zizzi,28 Wizithrop Road Ms. Zizzi indicated that Dave Cannon's"observations" are worthy. She never saw a petition. 21.Trish G4-een, 7 Winthrop Road Ms. Green thanked the SWC for their work on this issue thus far. She has been involved from the beginning. She said it is a safety issue and that 200-300 paople would benefit from the sidewalk. She understands the concerns of the abutters,but also said that sh.e thinks t��ey will all adapt to the changing landscape. She said this project is good for the coinmunity and shared pictures of the road with the SWC. 22. 3anet Simpson, 2 Highland Avenue She said that she is au enthusiastic walker. As af now, she is on the `no' side,but could be a `yes'. She lamented the divisive feeling in the neighborhood. She said she has no issue with the actual sidewailc. She worried about drainaDe issues and doesn't want an asphalt sidewallc. She also said she wants ta be pa�t of the process and do what is best. 23. Laura Aguirre, 17 VVinthrop Road Ms. Aguirre wanted to make it clear that she wasn't accusing anyone of lying with regaxd to the petition that was distributed asound the nei.ghborhood. She said they started working on it two and a half years ago. She said everyone should have an equal size in what happens.There are many peaple wlzo will be affected by the decision of wheflier to install a sidewalk. Ms.Nagury sai.d the sidewalk is uz keeping with the town's objectives of znaking the town rnore accessible to bikers and pedestrians. She also asked if the project could be cost effective and be piggybacked on another project. She also said she thought the process could be improved. 24. John Currie, 20 Winthrop Road Mr. Currie learned about this project 2 months aga. He said the proponents never mentioned it to hun. He said other oprions have not been considered. Speed is an issue on their street, even with the school busses. He indicated there has not been enough open discussion abont the proposed project. 25. Sasa Arnold, 15 Washington Street Ms. Arnold walks on Winthrop Road regularly. She lamen.ted the lack of a sidewalk. She also said she hea�-d about tUe project indirectly. She'd like to hear both s.ides ofthe argiunent. She said she syrnpathizes with the abutters,but still feels strongly that walkers should be safe. She also said that cars need traffic calming ineasures. She doesn't want to rely on those measures for pedestrian safety. 2b. E11ie Baker, Vinebrook Road Ms. Baker has lived in Leacington for 10 years and has spent years worrying about this issue. She DRAFT DRAFT DRAFT believes the sidewalk would benefit everyone. She would like to know how many children li.ve in the area.That would be good data. She said she's had a few clase ca11s with cat•s herself.. She thinks the sidewalk would be a siinple solution to the safety i.ssue. She said the process should be - unproved. She asked that we let the sidewalk happen. 27. Clair Shef�22 Vinebrook Road Ms. Sheff said she has 4 children. She indicated that the argument that the sidewalk is "not needed"is circular. People don't walk on Winthrop Road because there is no sidewalk. The end of Winthrop Road with a sidewalk is well travelled by pedestrians. Ms. Sheff also indicated that the data collected by the opponents is not formal either and contains intrinsic flaws. There are 70 school age kids (elementary, middle and high school) in the neighborhood. The neighborhood is turning over, so there will be more children. She said she wanted to forward a website to the SVVC regarding the importance of sidewalks. 28. Ronnie Skerker, 52 Winthrop Road Ms. 5kerker said she would be personally affected by the installation of a sidewalk. However, she recognizes that it will benefit athers. She has a high school aged child. She said the roads get icy and safety is a concern. She believes this project would be making an investment in the future. She wants to have a vibrant, accessible neighborhood. She also said that a crosswalk is critical. Ms. Skirker said this project will enhance the community. 29. Kathleen Lenihan, 60 Bloomfield Street They have several children, one of whom will go to LHS soon. Winthrop Road would be a direct route to school. As of now, she/he (didn't get name here)won't walk on Winthrop. It's too unsafe. She said no one would ever see her walking there. She said cars and people do not belong in the same physical space. It's a town issue. 30. Elizabeth McLaughlin, 5 Sherburne Road Ms. McLaughin pointed out that people come and go in neighborhoods. This project would be for the greater good. She said that everyone would experience soine inconvenience, but that it would be temporary. This project is for the future and for the greater community. She doesn't let her children walk on Winthrop Road because it is too dangerous. 31. Maureen Gaines, 9 Highland Street Ms. Gaines has a one child in middle schaol and another in high school. She drives them to school sometimes. It is a busy time of day. There are always people in the street. Sometimes her high schooler rides his bike to and from school. He has to cross Waltham Street. She fears for his safety on this route. When they walk they sornetimes walk on lawns to avoid the street. She is also a runner and said that the area is a scary place to run _. IBR.A�FT DI�AFT URAFT - because she has to use the road instead of a sidewalk. She does commiserate with the abutters because she had a similar experience where she lived in Illinois. 32. Beth Briggs, 20 Percy Road Ms. Briggs said there is a lot of speeding on this road. She also pointed out there are many blind corners. She would like a sidewalk to increase the walkability of Lexington. She has a son who will be at LHS in the fall. She avoids Winthrop Road at all costs. She drives the area to avoid walking. She would like the opponents to consider the many people who would use and enjoy the sidewalk. She also asked that the sidewalk be concrete instead of asphalt. 33. Wendy Savage, 22 Slocum Road Ms. Savage has lived at this address for 2 years. Her family wanted to live closer to the town center. She would like to increase walkability in the area. She wants to give her kids more free reign to walk,but feels the neighborhood needs inore sidewalks to connect the streets. She doesn't feel safe on Winthrop Road. She tells her children to walk on the lawns. She is nervous about her kids walking just 2 blocks on Winthrop. Tkere are many young children in the neighborhood. She also said the opponents low traffic count is because people avoid walking on Winthrop Road. 34. Laura Brainard, 15 Sherburne Road Ms. Brainard drives her daughter to LHS everyday. She said it is a short drive,but she doesn't feel it is safe to walk. She is embarrassed to drive such a short distance. 35. Painela Cohen, 12 John Poulter Road She walks her dog on Winthrop Road and says it is scary. She says we need to keep people safe on the sidewalks. She doesn't want her kids walking to their friends' homes because it is too dangerous. Ms. Crocker clased the meeting and thanked everyone for attending. The next scheduled meeting for the SWC will be May 6 at 9ain in the Selectmen's Meeting Room of Town Hall. At that meeting, the Committee will nat take cominents from citizens on the topic of the praposed Winthrop Rd sidewalk. It will ask members if each has enough information to make a recommendation to the Board of Selectmen. If yes,then members will vote on a recommendation. If not,then members will obtain any additional information needed. The ineeting was adjourned at 10:35am. Respectfully submitted, Mary Hosmer Fanucci