HomeMy WebLinkAbout2020-09-17 MinutesDraft Minutes☐
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Approved Date: October 22, 2020
Minutes
City Of Edina, Minnesota
Transportation Commission
WebEx
September 17, 2020
I. Call To Order
Chair Richman called the meeting to order at 6:11 p.m.
II. Roll Call
A. Welcome New Student Commissioners
Commissioners Atri, Clark and Khariwala introduced themselves to the rest of the Commission.
Answering roll call were Commissioners Ahler, Kane, Lafferty, McCarthy, Plumb-Smith, Richman, Ruthruff,
Atri, Clark, Khariwala.
Late: Commissioner Scherer
Absent: Commissioner Johnson
Staff present: Transportation Planner Andrew Scipioni
III. Approval Of Meeting Agenda
Motion was made by Commissioner Ahler and seconded by Commissioner McCarthy to
approve the agenda. All voted aye. Motion carried.
IV. Approval Of Meeting Minutes
Motion was made by Commissioner McCarthy and seconded by Commissioner Ruthruff
approving the August 20, 2020 meeting minutes. All voted aye. Motion carried.
V. Special Recognitions and Presentations
A. Special Recognition – Erik Ruthruff
Commissioners and staff thanked Commissioner Ruthruff for his years of service to the City. He is
moving out of Edina and will be ineligible to continue serving.
VI. Reports/Recommendations
A. Traffic Safety Report of September 1, 2020
The Commission reviewed the Traffic Safety Report of September 1, 2020.
Item B2: Request to relocate stop sign at Normandale Road and South View Lane.
Motion was made by Commissioner Kane and seconded by Commissioner Ahler to
recommend the Traffic Safety Committee communicate further with Edina Public
Schools to determine whether the proposed break-away post mount will address
the issue. All voted aye. Motion carried.
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Motion was made by Commissioner Kane and seconded by Commissioner Lafferty to
approve the Traffic Safety Report of September 1, 2020 with the added recommendation.
All voted aye. Motion carried.
Commissioner Scherer arrived at 6:36 p.m.
B. 2021 Roadway Reconstruction Projects
Staff Liaison Scipioni introduced the proposed 2021 roadway reconstruction projects and relevant
transportation-related components to the Commission.
C. 2020 Work Plan Updates
#1 CloverRide – Ridership is down due to COVID-19, DARTS plans to add plastic dividers to
bus to be able to safely increase capacity. DARTS is working on getting rider testimonials to use
in marketing, staff is reaching out to residential properties in Southdale.
#2 Traffic Impact Studies – 6600 France and 7001 France have been in for sketch plan, traffic
studies will be shared when formal applications are received.
#3 Travel Demand Management – Staff will present draft policy in October for comments,
review with the Planning Commission in November and seek Council approval in December.
#4 TIS Framework – No update.
#5 Educational Activities– Commissioners created six posts that the City will share on social
media platforms (Facebook, Nextdoor, Twitter, Instagram) over the next few weeks.
#6 Traffic Safety Reports - No update.
#7 CIP/PACS – Staff introduced the 2021 roadway reconstruction projects; the engineering
studies will be presented for comment in October.
D. 2021 Work Plan Proposal
Commissioners discussed their work plan proposal and ranked their initiatives as follows:
1. Lead a cross-commission committee with the EEC to investigate the impacts of organized trash
collection with regard to Travel Demand Management, environmental goals and reducing wear-
and-tear on City streets.
2. Serve on the Street Funding Task Force to develop recommendations for street reconstruction
and maintenance funding.
3. Review and comment on CloverRide circulator bus service and serve on the advisory
committee.
4. Review and comment on monthly Traffic Safety Reports.
5. Review and comment on proposed Capital Improvement projects, including roadway
reconstructions and projects funded by the Pedestrian and Cyclist Safety (PACS) Fund, including
application of equity criteria.
6. Review and comment on traffic impact studies associated with proposed developments.
7. Monitor staff’s implementation of the Travel Demand Management policy and promote TDM
within the community.
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Motion was made by Commissioner Ahler and seconded by Commissioner Plumb-Smith
to approve the 2021 Work Plan proposal. All voted aye. Motion carried.
Commissioner Lafferty left at 8:04 p.m.
E. Proposed 2021 Regular Meeting Dates
Commissioners reviewed the proposed meeting dates for 2021. The September meeting date was
recommended to be moved to the fourth Thursday (the 23rd) to avoid conflicting with Yom Kippur. The
October meeting date was recommended to be moved to the third Thursday (the 21st) because the
Minnesota Educator Academy (MEA) conference will be held the previous week.
Motion was made by Commissioner Ahler and seconded by Commissioner Ruthruff to
approve the proposed 2021 regular meeting dates as amended. All voted aye. Motion
carried.
VII. Chair and Member Comments
A. Street Funding Task Force Update
Commissioner Sherer stated that the Task Force has identified three potential funding streams; special
assessments, franchise fees or property taxes. The Task Force learned that assessments vary significantly
based on the amount of subgrade excavation and thinks that this work should be paid through property
taxes rather than assessments. Commissioner Scherer noted that the City has previously lobbied for the
ability to create street improvement districts but no such legislation has passed. The next Task Force
meeting will in-person at the Public Works Facility.
Commissioner Ahler welcomed the new student Commissioners. Ahler noted that staff’s Town Talk
presentation went well last night and expressed interest in the viewership statistics and how they compare
to other City meetings. Ahler watched AARP’s Livable Communities Workshop this week, which included
topics of equity, race, wayfinding and sanitation on public transportation. Ahler asked if the PACS equity
criteria can be applied to past projects and if it can be used to highlight areas of the City that may not have
received enough investment.
Commissioner Kane requested to see the recent traffic data for Hibiscus Avenue and West Shore Drive.
Commissioner Richman shared the following comments on behalf of Commissioner Johnson:
Johnson attended the student Commissioner’s orientation, is excited to work with them
and appreciates their interest in various modes of travel.
Johnson asked if Commissioners could have access to volume and crash statistics related to
traffic safety requests.
Richman commended staff on last night’s Town Talk and thanked Commissioner Ruthruff for his service.
Commissioner Ruthruff thanked the other Commissioners for volunteering and said it has been a pleasure
to be part of the Commission. Ruthruff asked the student Commissioners to help the Commission
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Approved Date: October 22, 2020
communicate with people their own age. Ruthruff noted he will still be involved in transportation through
another volunteer position and wished the rest of the Commission well.
VIII. Staff Comments
Last night’s Town Talk on traffic/transportation reached over 1,000 people on Facebook. The video
is available on YouTube and Better Together Edina and residents can submit questions to staff
through BTE.
Engineering is scoping out repairs to the Wooddale Avenue bridge over Minnehaha Creek. The
Heritage Preservation Commission reviewed a sketch plan last month; the Transportation
Commission will have an opportunity to review functional components of the bridge.
Commission Chairs will present 2021 work plan proposals at the City Council work session
October 7.
The next regular meeting, October 22, will be held virtually.
IX. Schedule of Meeting and Events as of September 11, 2020
For information purposes only, no discussion.
X. Adjournment
Motion was made by Commissioner Ahler and seconded by Commissioner Kane to adjourn
the September 17, 2020 meeting at 8:33 p.m. All voted aye. Motion Carried.
TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION ATTENDANCE
J F M A M J J A S O N D # of Mtgs Attendance %
Meetings/Work Sessions 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 9
NAME
Ahler, Mindy 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 8 89%
Johnson, Kirk 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 7 78%
Kane, Bocar 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 9 100%
Lafferty, Peter 1 1 1 1 4 100%
McCarthy, Bruce 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 8 89%
Plumb-Smith, Jill 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 8 89%
Richman, Lori 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 9 100%
Scherer, Matthew 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 7 78%
Atri, Nihar (s) 1 1 100%
Clark, Anna (s) 1 1 100%
Khariwala, Anand (s) 1 1 100%
Olson, Larry 1 1 Term Expired 2 N/A
Ruthruff, Erik 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Resigned 9 N/A
Erickson, Tayden (s) 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Term Expired 7 N/A
Venell, Simon (s) 1 1 1 1 1 Term Expired 5 N/A