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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2007-02-08 TAC MINUTES• City of Englewood, Colorado ENGLEWOOD TRANSPORTATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING Minutes of February 8, 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 Members Absent: Daryl Kinton Rick Kahm, Director of Public Works, ex officio A quorum was present. Also Present: Ladd Vostry, Traffic Engineer Linda Wilks, Recording Secretary Commander Sam Watson Chair Anderson welcomed new Committee Member Andy Berger and Alternate Member James Weeks to ETAC. Approval of Minutes • Chair Anderson asked if there were any additions or corrections to the minutes of January 11, 2007. • There being none, a motion was made and seconded to approve the minutes as presented. With Members Anderson, Craft, and Gregory voting aye, the motion passed. Public Comment There were no visitors present. Old Business There were no items for discussion under Old Business. New Business There were no items for discussion under New Business. Director's Choice Traffic Engineer Vostry conveyed that Director Kahm sends his regrets that he is unable to attend this evening's meeting. • With regard to the City's snow removal efforts, Mr. Vostry stated that street crews are continuing efforts to plow a 10 foot wide path to pavement on all residential streets; completion is expected tomorrow. Additionally, intersections, grid streets, and known drainage issues are being addressed. Committee Member Gregory commented on plowing efforts that took place on Eastman Ave. at Logan St., to which Mr . Vostry explained that freeze/thaw cycles require continual maintenance to minimize drainage back up as much as possible, a process that could take several weeks to accomplish. Additionally, during hard freezes, it is not possible for equipment to remove the ice that has formed. Council Liaison Tomasso reported that Director Kahm advised Council, at this past Monday night's City Council meeting, that he expects costs to be exorbitant to repair the potholes that have resulted from recent snow storms. Staff believes, however, that the micro-surfacing application on Englewood streets, although damaged from blading and plowing snow, has greatly reduced the number of potholes throughout our city. Mr. Tomasso said that Mr. Kahm will present them with more detailed information in the near future regarding needed funding for pothole repairs. Brief discussion ensued regarding funding adjustments for snow removal efforts for the remainder of 2007, street conditions in Littleton and Denver, etc. • Traffic Engineer Vostry explained, for the benefit of new members, that blue light devices have been placed at the intersections of Hwy. 285 and Galapago St., and Dartmouth Ave. and Santa Fe, for the purpose of assisting police officers in enforcing red arrow violations; the current position of the blue light at Dartmouth and Santa Fe, however, does not allow officers to adequately detect red arrow violations. The process of repositioning the blue light requires contacting COOT, as well as coordinating with traffic staff and police officers, on site, to determine the position that will provide the best visual benefit for officers while, at the same time, not distracting westbound motorists. Because of the equipment involved, this process is also weather dependent. Chairperson's Choice To update new Members Berger and Weeks, Chair Anderson reviewed some of the recent projects that ETAC has been working on, including reducing residential speed limits to 25 mph, and discussion pertaining to installing red light cameras: Mr. Anderson stated that ETAC approved initiating a 25 mph speed limit in Englewood and made a recommendation to City Council. Council Liaison Tomasso stated that Council has included lowering the speed limit on residential streets on their priority list, however, funding for the $80,000 project has not yet been identified. Mr. Tomasso added that identifying a source of funding for this project could depend on the outcome of Citizen Survey questions that pertain to lowering the residential speed to 25 mph. Additionally, Mr. Anderson continued, ETAC has discussed implementing a red light camera program which would photograph red light and other violations at intersections. This program involves law enforcement officers following up with violators by mail. Brief discussion ensued. Mr. Anderson encouraged Mr. Weeks and Mr. Berger to review ETAC's web page to learn more about recent projects that ETAC has accomplished. Mr. Anderson reviewed rules of conduct that have been adopted by ETAC, over time, i.e., notify the Chair or Recording Secretary when unable to attend meetings, and follow Roberts Rules of Order when making motions and taking votes. 2 • • • • • Committee Members' Choice • Committee Member Berger advised that view of the Littleton school zone sign located within the Englewood city limits on westbound Belleview Ave., just west of Federal Blvd., is blocked by tree branches from adjacent properties. Commander Watson stated he will direct Code Enforcement to investigate. • Council Liaison Tomasso explained, for new members Berger and Weeks, that his role on ETAC is to inform Committee Members of information requested by City Council. Mr. Tomasso stated that City Council may refer citizens to ETAC to resolve their transportation related issues. Mr. Tomasso stated that Council appreciates the efforts of Committee Members, and citizens appreciate having a group of citizens, such as ETAC, to whom they can present their ~oncerns. Mr. Tomasso welcomed Members Berger and Weeks. Mr. Tomasso suggested that Mr. Vestry conduct a tour of the traffic computer room for new members, possibly in April. • Committee Member Gregory inquired about a school zone light on Dartmouth Ave. just west of University Blvd. Council Liaison Tomasso said the electronic speed sign on Dartmouth is programmed to change from 30 mph to 20 mph with the timing of the flashing school zone sign. • Committee Member Craft stated that his neighbor was hit by a car, recently, while crossing Broadway at Floyd Ave. Council Liaison Tomasso spoke briefly of this incident, a write up of which appeared in this week's Englewood Herald. Mr. Craft inquired about installing a flashing no left turn signal on westbound Floyd Ave. at Broadway. Mr. Vestry advised that this device has been ordered; delivery is expected in one to two months . Mr. Craft inquired about deploying the street sweepers to clean up the salt residue from the roadways. Traffic Engineer Vestry stated that the street sweepers are mobile on a continuous basis. As a side note, Mr. Vestry advised that staff has reapplied the lane lines on Broadway that were recently removed during the City's snow removal efforts. Mr. Craft asked when results of the Citizen Survey will be available. Mr. Tomasso stated that the Survey was recently mailed to randomly selected Englewood citizens, and City Council will receive the results in late spring or early summer to assist in preparing the 2008 budget. ETAC Members will receive the results once Council has reviewed the information. Mr. Tomasso explained that the results of the survey will be helpful in the outcome based budgeting process that Englewood follows when developing the City's budget each year. Mr. Craft noted that snow and ice collects around the bulb out adjacent to the Malley Center. Mr. Vestry stated he will report it. • Commander Watson explained, for new members, that he is the staff source for the Police Division of Safety Services, including Code Enforcement and the Traffic Unit. Mr. Watson stated that a Traffic Sergeant is being added back into the Traffic Unit, effective Monday. Officer Mark McKay is being promoted to fill that position, and may attend ETAC meetings, periodically, for Commander Watson. Council Liaison Tomasso suggested that interested Members can apply to ride along with a police officer by filling out an application • form through the Records Division at Safety Services. 3 • Committee Member Berger asked for clarification regarding ETAC's authority to implement improvements or changes in traffic measures throughout Englewood. Chair Anderson explained that ETAC recommends certain measures, such as changes in the speed limit or installation of electronic speed signs, to City Council for approval. Other measures, such as a request to trim branches that block the view of signage, are accomplished through staff. Mr. Anderson stated that staff members are a key ingredient in accomplishing various tasks. Brief discussion ensued. Adjournment There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 7:30 p.m. Linda Wilks, Recording Secretary 4 • • •