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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2006-11-06-LBAC-min MEETING MINUTES Committee Name: Bicycle Advisory Committee Date, Time and Location of Meeting: November 6, 2006; 7:00 pm; Town Office Building Members Present: Abe Shenker (FOB & BAC acting chair), Harvey Bingham (scribe), John Frey, Mike Tabaczynski, Jerry Van Hook, George Gagliardi, Sandra Shaw (Recreation liaison) Others Present: Rich Spencer (FOB) Members Absent: Stew Kennedy, Dick Canale, Marita Hartshorn, Hank Manz, Jim Wichmann Record of Votes taken and issues discussed. Minutes from the October meeting were reviewed and some suggestions were made for changes. Hartwell Ave safety: Again this month there was much discussion of Hartwell Avenue safety. Jerry suggested that given the success of commuting hour rides led by Lincoln Labs bicyclists we should push ahead on requesting short-term safety improvements: striping and signage on Hartwell between the Bikeway crossing and Wood St. Jerry also suggested that we should make it clear that the committee is also committed to the longer term goal of improving safety between the bikeway and Bedford St, with plans for bicycle/pedestrian sidewalks on both sides of Hartwell Ave in a time frame shorter than the State plans which have TIP status in 2011 and may not be implemented, according to Dick Canale's estimate, until 2015. He argued that sidewalks within the 100 foot ROW need not wait this long. No committee comments or action were taken on these observations. It was also reported that a lack of a side stripe can be difficult for motorists at night. Abe reported that Lt. Mike O’Connell has been measuring traffic flows and planned to measure the other side of Hartwell Ave as soon as the equipment is available again. Abe will meet with Mike soon and suggest that the measurements be made on the Hanscom side of Maguire Rd. to assure that the Maguire traffic is being captured as well as per Terry Gleason’s suggestion. Minuteman Connector Trail: A meeting of the CPC was attended for the initial review of our application for the West Lexington Greenway Corridor, which includes a connector trail from the Minuteman to the Battle Road Trail in the National Park. $125K is being requested for the master plan (Phase 1). Questions were asked at that meeting about maintenance responsibilities. The Town Manager also suggested someone on town staff be designated to manage such a project. It was reported that at a follow-up meeting with representatives from Conservation and Recreation it was decided that they will be cosponsors of the application, and Karen Mullins and Karen Simmons will manage the project if it is approved. An option suggested is to also seek funding from the National Park Service. MWRA Sewer Relining: Work has stopped waiting for the liner to arrive. It will resume shortly after the liner has been delivered. Clarke Bridge: Abe contacted the Clarke parents and communicated that he would serve as the liaison to the bike committee and that Mike would be willing to help manage the rebuilding project if others would take the responsibilities for materials and volunteers. The Clarke parents were to meet with the principal, but Abe hasn’t heard back. Record of Friends of the Bikeway votes and discussions. Treasurer’s Report : Rich reported the treasury contains $2165 and that the FOB account was mistakenly charged for the racks replacing those inadvertently disposed of by DPW during the previous relining project. Renaming the “Friends of the Bikeway”: Abe suggested that we rename this group to “Friends of Lexington Bikeways”, as it is more reflective of the group’s broader interests in other bikeways. There was general agreement. Newsletter: No progress. Mowing: DPW is keeping one piece of equipment unconverted for winter so that mowing can be done. DPW is looking for guidance as to how much to mow. The old policy of mowing everything is a problem; however the original policy worked well. Rich Spencer would talk with Dave Pinsonneau about what we’d like. Information Distributed: Draft minutes from the October 2006 meeting. Recorder Name: Harvey Bingham (scribe); Abe Shenker (editor) Next Meeting: December 14, 2006, 7PM, Town office building Room 111