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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2007-07-12 TAC MINUTES• • • City of Englewood, Colorado ENGLEWOOD TRANSPORTATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING Minutes of July 12, 2007 The regular monthly meeting of the Englewood Transportation Advisory Committee was called to order by Chair Anderson at 6:36 p.m. in the City Council Conference Room, City of Englewood Civic Center. Members Present: David Anderson, Chair Andy Berger Mark Craft Danielle Gregory James Weeks, Alternate Member Ray Tomasso, Council Liaison Rick Kahm, Director of Public Works, ex officio Members Absent: Daryl Kinton It was determined that a quorum was present. Also Present: Ladd Vostry, Traffic Engineer Linda Wilks, Recording Secretary Officer Erik Lutz Approval of Minutes Chair Anderson asked if there were any additions or corrections to the minutes of June 14, 2007. Council Liaison Tomasso, referring to page 3 of the minutes under Committee Members' Choice, stated that the Connex supervisor vehicles speeding through the Zuni St. neighborhood occurred at 4:30 p.m., not a.m . There being no further corrections, a motion was made and seconded to approve the minutes as amended. With all Members present voting aye, the motion passed. Public Comment There were no visitors present. Old Business Committee Member Berger distributed copies of a recent article from the Rocky Mountain News regarding the Rocky Mountain Rail Authority. Bernie Zimmer from the Rocky Mountain Rail Authority made a presentation to ETAC at their meeting in May. After reviewing the article, it was determined the City's decision to appoint a representative to serve on the Authority would not be affected. Director Kahm reported that he will be preparing a resolution to support joining the Authority without financial contribution, and that Council Member Tomasso be considered for appointment as the City's representative to serve on the Authority, and, additionally, that Councilman McCaslin be considered for appointment as an alternate member. Brief discussion ensued. New Business There were no items presented for discussion under New Business . Director's Choice • Director Kahm noted that the Sheridan redevelopment project is progressing on schedule. Englewood has been fairly successful diverting trucks from that project off of City streets and onto Santa Fe and Hwy. 285 for traveling to and from their dump site; lately, the number of truck trips from that site have decreased significantly. • Mr. Kahm announced that the first phase of the Bates Ave. closure east of Clarkson St. is scheduled to take place beginning July 17, 2007 with installation of signage. Construction of curb and gutter to redirect traffic will follow in early Fall. Brief discussion ensued. Chairperson's Choice • Chair Anderson inquired about the status of needed street repairs resulting from last winter's heavy snow storms. Director Kahm advised that staff has completed ~rack sealing on most streets, and the Microsurfacing program was completed in May followed shortly thereafter by the Cape Seal program. Mr. Kahm explained that cape seal involves a two step process, an application of "chips" followed by an application of slurry to provide a nice level surface. Yet this year, staff will begin overlaying identified local streets, and then Broadway overlay will begin in September when temperatures are cooler. Brief discussion ensued . • Mr. Anderson inquired about the South Broadway Improvement Project. Mr. Kahm stated that median construction south of Tufts Ave. is scheduled to begin in the late Fall, 2007, followed by median landscaping in the Spring, 2008. The last step will include overlaying that section of Broadway. • Mr . Anderson inquired about the speed trailer having recently been placed on Quincy Ave. near Jason Park. Officer Lutz advised that the trailer was placed as the result of a citizen request pertaining to speeding vehicles. The results indicated that only approximately 8 to 10 vehicles were +5 mph over the speed limit for the two-day period the trailer was stationed . Traffic Engineer Vostry noted that, in the near future, staff will be conducting annual speed studies in the vicinity of Jason Park. • Mr. Anderson asked if there have been any significant accidents in the City recently of which ETAC should be informed. Officer Lutz said that, in March, there was a double pedestrian accident at Cherokee St. and Hwy. 285 wherein both individuals, while intoxicated, stepped out into traffic around 11:00 p.m. Mr. Lutz noted a higher number of auto/pedestrian accidents than usual in the past 8 months, the cause of which seems to be pedestrians stepping into traffic. Committee Members' Choice • Council Liaison Tomasso stated that when waiting for a green light at Dartmouth and ?anta Fe, he noticed that the blue light detector was "out of sync". Following further clarification, it was determined that there was no malfunction. Mr. Tomasso reviewed the 2nd quarter Municipal Court statistics report, comparing the number of citations issued second quarter 2006 with second quarter 2007: Traffic Infractions -(10%) decrease Traffic Offenses -4% increase DUI Fines -85% increase Parking Offenses -0% increase Parking Fines -3% increase 2 • • • • • • Brief discussion ensued regarding generation of parking fines, etc. Chair Anderson inquired about the parking distance regulations for alleys, to which Mr. Vostry replied 5 feet. Committee Member Berger inquired about the difference between a violation and an infraction. Officer Lutz replied they are two different summons -an infraction is a ticket for speeding, running a red light or stop sign, etc.; a traffic violation is a more serious offense, i.e., careless driving, reckless driving, no proof of insurance, DUI's. Infractions are handled through the municipal court while traffic violations (offenses) are handled through the county court. Brief discussion ensued. Mr. Tomasso reviewed a letter from City Council to RTD, prepared at the request of the City of Arvada, in support of the Gold Line Study Team selection of a commuter rail along the Burlington Northern Union Pacific corridor with electric multiple units as preferred propulsion technology. Brief discussion ensued. • Committee Member Craft inquired about the schedule for c;:ompleting striping on Broadway and Floyd. Traffic Engineer Vostry stated that a contractor will be scheduled to complete crosswalk installation at Broadway intersections north of Hwy. 285 within the next two months. Following completion of the Broadway overlay project between Hwy. 285 and Tufts Ave. in early Fall, staff will then apply crosswalk tape on Broadway south of Hwy. 285. Mr. Craft noted that a Simon Center Parking sign, located in the alley west of Simon Center, has been knocked down. Mr. Vostry advised that the sign is the property of Simon Center. • Alternate Member Weeks reported that water line work on Downing at Bates Ave. has resulted in debris being scattered over the roadway. Director Kahm stated he will make a report to the Utilities Department. • Committee Member Berger inquired about the status of removal of the railroad tracks that cross Navajo St. near Stanford Ave . Director Kahm advised that staff has contacted representatives of Windsor Industries as well as the railroad, and discussions are taking place for removal of the tracks; Navajo St. will then be patched by City crews. Mr. Kahm noted that staff also advised the railroad that tracks crossing Santa Fe south of Oxford are also in need of repair. Discussion ensued. • Officer Lutz briefly discussed some additional items that were listed on the Municipal Court Quarterly Statistics report. • Chair Anderson noted that ETAC's activity and attendance of visitors, since the Committee's inception in 2002, has gradually decreased, over time. With that said, Mr. Anderson asked for Members' comments regarding the feasibility of canceling ETAC's August meeting. Discussion ensued. Regarding funding for ETAC projects, Director Kahm explained that City Council must approve spending of funds used for projects recommended by ETAC. Each year, "seed" money is budgeted in Traffic Engineering's budget to be used throughout the year for traffic related tasks. Additionally, $30,000 is budgeted in the Public Improvement Fund (PIF) for traffic improvements, spending of which also must be approved by City Council. There are no discretionary funds budgeted. Council Liaison Tomasso suggested it may be possible that ETAC resume signing for Englewood's bicycle routes, a project that was taken over a few years ago by Community Development. Chair Anderson stated he would be in favor of reclaiming that project. Director Kahm stated that Community Development 3 is currently awaiting the arrival of a new director and believes it best to wait until he is on board to approach them regarding this issue. Mr. Kahm noted that Public Works does not have staff available to take over bike trail signing, but that he could provide facilitation for that project. Mr. Kahm noted that the bike trail connection adjacent to the Denny's Restaurant on Hwy . 285 has not yet been completed because ownership of the property has recently transferred, however, staff is pursuing that possib ility with the new ownership. Alternate Member Weeks wondered what process is used to notify citizens of their option to meet with ETAC. Mr. Tomasso suggested that a statement could be added to the Citizen Newsletter. Discussion ensued. Committee Members agreed that, in light of the decline in the numbers of agenda topics, it may be feasible to cancel the August meeting, keeping in mind that a meeting could yet be called should unforeseen items of concern require Committee's consideration before the September meeting. • There was discussion regarding the upcoming Board and Commission Appreciation Night, scheduled for Monday, August 27, 2007, 6:00 p .m., at Pirates' Cove. (Secretary's note: This event was later rescheduled to take place on August 25t h.) Adjournment There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 7:52 p.m. Linda Wilks, Recording Secretary 4 • • •