HomeMy WebLinkAbout2010-02-01-WALKS-min
Lexington Sidewalk Committee Minutes
February 1, 2010 11:00 a.m.
Selectmen’s Meeting Room, Town Hall
Present
: Jerry Van Hook, Judy Crocker, Suzie Barry, Francine Stieglitz, Meg Lotz, Lucy Fletcher-Jones,
Jeanne Krieger
Liaisons:
Elaine Celi, School Transportation; Richard Canale, Planning Board
Guests
: Jonathan Wettstone, Assistant Principal, Clarke Middle School
Dawn McKenna, Tourism Committee-Battle Green Master Plan
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January 2010 Minutes:
Minutes were accepted.
Bowman EOT Project:
Judy reported about the recent meeting with representatives from DPW, Town Engineering, Bowman Safe
Routes to School, the Project Consultant and the State EOT to provide input and answer questions before the
final plans are submitted sometime in February. The grant is worth $455,000 and will include a passive
pedestrian signal at Pleasant Street & Worthen Road East, sidewalk improvements and new sidewalk
installation on Phillip Road and over Follen Hill, crossing Lantern Lane and Dawes Road to Locust Avenue.
Current timeline suggests going to bid in the spring of 2010 and work to be done in the Fall of 2010 into 2011.
Public hearings will need to be held; most likely at Bowman. Lucy reported there is a lot of enthusiasm in the
Bowman community for the project.
Clarke Middle School/Stedman Road access:
Jonathan Wettstone, Assistant Principal at Clarke Middle School spoke about the challenges of the Clarke
driving/parking/walking situation. Complicating the issue is Clarke has the same in and out for traffic and
busses and is bordered by wetlands. Jeanne indicated she would follow up with Conservation regarding a
sidewalk on the other side of the pedestrian bridge to help with walkability in an area that has drainage issues
and she would also investigate the status of the gate on Stedman Road. Richard Canale briefed the committee
on the request before the Planning Board for lot 87 at the opposite end Stedman Road from the Clarke gate.
The Committee voted that no standalone sidewalk should be installed, no live parking allowed and no stopping
signs should be installed by the walking path and that the gravel path beyond lot 87 be improved by making
drainage improvements but the walking path should not be paved.
Snow removal issues on narrowed sidewalks:
Jerry reported on a stretch of sidewalk on Adams Street past East Street heading towards the Burlington town
line where the sidewalk narrows due to a guardrail, trees and telephone poles and as a result cannot be plowed
with the Town sidewalk plow. Jerry indicated there are students that travel this route to school in the winter
months and it is quite dangerous left uncleared. The property owner adjacent to this stretch of sidewalk has his
home on Brent Rd and the rear of his property fronting on Adams St is heavily wooded. Any contact with this
owner, if needed for pole moving or other cleanup should come from the town. Jerry has contacted John Livsey
and Wayne Brooks about generating a list of similar sidewalk locations where obstructions interfere with snow
plow access for all the sidewalks currently plowed. The list will be reviewed at a future meeting
Safe Routes to School (SR2S):
Judy reported that the Safe Routes to School program is going well. Only half of the participating schools held
their January walk day due to the weather. The February walk day would be themed around Valentine’s Day
with thank you valentines to those who help the students get to and from school safely each day. Clarke Middle
Lexington Sidewalk Committee Minutes-02/01/10 Page 2
School is now a participating school in the Massachusetts Safe Routes to School program and Diamond Middle
School is in the final stages of coming on board as well.
Lowell Street Corridor/Northeast Lexington:
Judy reported on new and proposed developments in the Lowell Street/Northeast Lexington corridor that could
result in over 250 additional housing units and increased traffic on an already stressed area. Concerns center
around: walkability, traffic calming and safety. Jeanne suggested that the analysis and mitigation arrived at
could be similar to what was done at Avalon-Concord Avenue.
Lexington Gardens Project:
Richard indicated that Holmes Development would be having a hearing before the Planning Board on February
th
10 regarding the proposed development at what was known as Lexington Gardens. Jeanne asked if the Design
Review Team included representatives from Diamond Middle School and Safe Routes to School in its
discussions of the proposed development at Lexington Gardens.
Battle Green Master Plan:
Dawn McKenna, Chairman of the Tourism Committee gave an overview presentation to the Committee on the
Battle Green Master Planning Process which the Tourism Committee has undertaken. The group is in the midst
of soliciting input as to what the immediate and long term goals are for the Battle Green. Some of the key points
were: What structures should be on the Green? What materials should be used for sidewalks (the stone dust that
is used for some of the sidewalks is causing wear and tear on the Historic houses)? What types of signage is
needed? What usage should be allowed? The Committee is working with a consultant and hopes to bring a
report to Town Meeting in 2011. Francine asked about the accessibility of the obelisk. There was discussion
over the proper location of the crosswalks in front of the statue and the traffic islands in relation to safety and
accessibility of the Battle Green and the Monument.
Meeting adjourned:
12:50 p.m.
NEXT MEETING
: Monday, March 1, 2010, 11:00 a.m.
Selectmen’s Meeting Room, Town Hall
Respectfully submitted,
Suzie Barry