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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2016-10-27 MinutesDraft Minutes☐ Approved Minutes☒ Approved Date: 11/17/2016 1 Minutes City of Edina, Minnesota Transportation Commission Council Chambers October 27, 6:00 p.m. I. Call To Order Chair LaForce called the meeting to order. II. Roll Call Answering roll call were members Bass, Boettge, Brown, Iyer, Janovy, LaForce, Miranda and Olson. Absent at roll call were members Koester, Loeffelholz and Olk. III. Approval Of Meeting Agenda Motion was made by member Janovy and seconded by member Olson to remove Item V.I. E. All voted aye. Motion carried. Motion was made by member Bass and seconded by member Janovy approving the amended meeting agenda. All voted aye. Motion carried. IV. Approval Of Meeting Minutes Motion was made by member Bass and seconded by member Miranda approving the edited Sept. 15, 2016, minutes. All voted aye. Motion carried. V. Community Comments None. VI. Reports/Recommendations A. Discussion with Edina Public Works Director Director Olson said Public Works (PW) had a great year. He said because of the early spring, they were able to mill and overlay over five miles of roadway and seal coat three miles. He said while they had good weather, it was also one of the wettest summers, so they were on alert for flooding. Discussion • What is the schedule for chip and seal on streets that were reconstructed? Director Olson said year 7, 23, and 41, and at year 60 the street is reconstructed again. • Does staff think about the impact of snow pile height on pedestrians and cyclists? Yes, said director Olson. He said Edina is unique in that the streets and sidewalks are plowed with the same priority. He said snow has to be hauled away, especially on France Avenue and on some residential streets because of a lack of storage space. He said this is one reason why boulevard sidewalks are preferred. • Director Olson was asked about sandbags and road construction signs languishing after work is completed. He said PW removes their signs and can reach out to other companies to remove theirs if PW is notified. • The Edina To Go app was new last year and you said the volume of requests was high. How is it going now? Director Olson said the app has reduced the number of phone calls they receive. He said the app is another communication tool that allows direct feedback and is more efficient. • What is the biggest challenge facing the department now or in the future? Director Olson said a lack of resources to get the job done. He said the Council does a good job but there just isn’t enough money in the Capital Improvement Plan. • Who will remove snow from the Nine Mile Creek Trail? Director Olson said the current agreement does not include snow removal. Draft Minutes☐ Approved Minutes☒ Approved Date: 11/17/2016 2 • Was synergy discussed with the school bus garage that is going in near PW? Yes, said director Olson but they were not able to synergize. B. Passenger Rail Service in Edina: Response to City Council Questions Chair LaForce asked for feedback on the draft report that answered the three questions from City Council. After discussion, “Light” will be removed from references to “light rail” because it has a specific definition. Motion was made by member Brown and seconded by member Bass to strike “Light” where it appears before “Rail.” All voted aye. Motion passed. Planner Nolan suggested presenting the report as an advisory communication to City Council since it is a Work Plan item. Motion was made by member Iyer and seconded by member Janovy to strike “engage consultants to” from The ETC recommends that the City engage consultants to move forward with this question. All voted aye. Motion passed. The above motion was amended to The ETC recommends that the City engage consultants to moves forward with this question as described in the proposed next steps on the back. All voted aye. Motion passed. Motion was made by member Bass and seconded by member Iyer to convert the document to an advisory communication. Member Janovy will write the advisory and chair LaForce and member Brown will review. All voted aye. Motion passed. C. Additional Updates on 2016 Work Plan Initiatives The ETC discussed the following Work Plan Initiatives: 1. Community Circulator This was previously discussed as an item to eliminate from the Work Plan; however, it is in the 2008 Comp Plan which is being updated soon, and, there are other transit plans that will be discussed for inclusion in the 2018 Comp Plan. This item will remain on the Work Plan. 2. Host a transportation-themed event with a speaker The Chuck Marohn event was a success. Member Bass said the Q&A should be on the City’s website. 3. Comprehensive Pedestrian and Bicycle Plan Member Olson said Kurt Johnson volunteered to serve on a sub-committee to update the bike plan. He and member Miranda will present an update to the ETC in November. 4. Review Edina To Go App – completed. 5. Review City’s Quality of Life Surveys to identify gaps around transportation systems Chair LaForce said he reviewed the surveys and talked with people at the Open Streets event but feedback was more about lack of bike and pedestrian facilities. He was not able to glean anything from the surveys related to gaps. Member Janovy suggested that each member identify gaps they’re aware and seek feedback on them. This item will remain on the Work Plan. 6. Evaluation of Living Streets and Streets Smarts Outreach Campaign – completed. 7. Walking Map – was removed. 8. Passenger Rail Ongoing – see item VI. B. Draft Minutes☐ Approved Minutes☒ Approved Date: 11/17/2016 3 D. Traffic Safety Report of Oct. 7, 2016 A.1. Is this a standard handicap sign? Yes, said Planner Nolan; he was asked if the policy was updated and he said it is on the ‘to do’ list. A.2. What was the reason for the approval? Planner Nolan said queuing issues and many drivers drive into the neighborhood to turn around. It was noted that this would affect service vehicles and they could be setting a precedent with this approval. Planner Nolan will follow up with vehicle count. A.3. Is the street not wide enough for parking on both sides? Planner Nolan said no; he could not recall the street width but said there was difficulty when cars are parked on both sides. It was noted the safety issue was not clear and a determination could not be made without vehicle counts. Also, the decision creates an opportunity for enforcement, but if not enforced there should be fewer restrictions. D.6. This item looks like a denial; why wasn’t it under Section B? Planner Nolan will check and follow up. Motion made by member Olson and seconded by member Bass to forward the Oct. 7, 2016, TSC report to the City Council. Aye: Bass, Boettge, Brown, Iyer, LaForce, Miranda and Olson Nay: Janovy Motion passed. VII. Correspondence And Petitions None. VIII. Chair and Member Comments Member Boettge said in a recent TSC report, a resident asked to make the walking culture friendly and two things came to mind when thinking about this: 1) the TSC name is misleading and she asked for clarification on what residents should do if they have this concern. Planner Nolan said this is already happening by coming to the TSC and the ETC could elevate the issue with an advisory communication or add it to the Work Plan. 2) The ETC has talked about education and there has been consensus on this but discussion ends with no action. She would like to discuss this more because she shares the same concern. Member Bass said when they reviewed the TSC, they talked about making changes to reflect the Living Streets Policy and they should get back to doing this. She said the website does not say who makes up the TSC and planner Nolan said they are listed in each report but he would add them to the website. Member Bass said she has been thinking about racial equity as it relates to transportation and what they could do. She said member Iyer has repeatedly requested that they think more equitably when considering projects. She suggested coming up with a point system, based on an article she read, and she would be happy to work on this if anyone else would like to join her. Members Boettge and Olson volunteered. Member Iyer apologized for not having an advisory communication regarding sidewalk on Valley View Road ready last month. He said it would be ready next month. He asked if he could add other examples of missing segments of sidewalks to make a strong case. The consensus was to include the examples in the analysis to not detract from the Birchcrest A sidewalk. Member Olson encouraged everyone to visit the Historic Society exhibition at Arneson Acres on the history of Southdale Mall including automobiles, naming of the parking lots, etc. Member Brown said the highways in and out of Edina are congested and he thinks the Council should think more aggressively about I-494, and Hwys. 100 and 169. He said this affects his livability in Edina and will determine where he lives next. Draft Minutes☐ Approved Minutes☒ Approved Date: 11/17/2016 4 Member Miranda said everyone is aware of the recent issue on Xerxes Avenue that had to do with the closing of a sidewalk and asked what the policy was for closing sidewalks. Planner Nolan said it was a new sidewalk being constructed. He said state law requires you to use the sidewalk if one is available and one was available on the other side of the street. Member Miranda said Grimes Avenue will be closed for Open Streets on Halloween. Chair LaForce said he attended the all-chair meeting and they talked about agenda item ‘Community Comment,’ and if they should follow the same process as the Council where guests speaks for three minutes but not on item on the agenda. He said they also talked about coordination between boards and commissions and showed a strong interest. He spoke with the chair of the Planning Commission and he has a strong interest but they’re not sure how it would work. There was also a meeting to discuss their Work Plan and Council has until Nov. 1 to provide feedback. IX. Staff Comments for October 2016 • 2016 projects are wrapping up or have been completed. • 2016 sidewalk projects are wrapping up or have been completed. • The east end portion of the Nine Mile Creek Trail is completed; the bridge is already being used although it is not open yet. • Chuck Marohn with StrongTowns.org appreciated his visit. • The federal grant applications for the Valley View Road bike lane extension and the pedestrian bridge scored very low -- 29 and 34 out of 39 applications. • Police agreed to focus on crosswalk violations in 2017 and it may be monthly instead of annually. X. Calendar of Events A. Schedule of Meeting and Events as of October 27, 2016 XI. Adjournment at 7:41 p.m. J F M A M J J A S O N D SM WS # of Mtgs Attendance % Meetings/Work Sessions 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 11 NAME TERM (Date) 6/21 Bass, Katherine 3/1/2017 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 9 82% Boettge, Emily 3/1/2017 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 9 82% Brown, Andy 3/1/2019 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 8 91% Iyer, Surya 3/1/2018 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 9 82% LaForce, Tom 3/1/2018 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 11 100% Loeffelholz, Ralf 3/1/2018 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 8 73% Janovy, Jennifer 3/1/2017 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 11 100% Miranda, Lou 3/1/2019 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 9 100% Olson, Larry 3/1/2017 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 10 91% Koester, David (student) 9/1/2017 1 1 50% Olk, Megan (student) 9/1/2017 1 1 50% Ding, Emily (student) 9/1/2016 1 1 2 18% Ruehl, Lindsey (student) 9/1/2016 1 1 1 1 4 36% TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION ATTENDANCE