Public Safety & Transportation Committee

Village of Lombard Village Hall 255 East Wilson Ave. Lombard, IL 60148 villageoflombard.org Minutes Monday, November 14, 2016 7:00 PM Lorraine G. Gerhardt Community Room Public Safety & Transportation Committee Trustee Dan Whittington, Chairperson Trustee Mike Fugiel, Alternate Chairperson Jennifer Perkins, Michael Corso, John Larkin, John Schwarz, Robert Corbino, Gary Cation, Jerry Schaefer and John Mullins Public Safety & Transportation Minutes November 14, 2016 Committee 1.0 Call to Order and Pledge of Allegiance The meeting was called to order by Chairperson Whittington at 7:00 PM. 2.0 Roll Call Present 10 - Dan Whittington, Mike Fugiel, Jennifer Perkins, Michael Corso, John Larkin Jr., John Schwarz, Bob Corbino, Gary Cation, Jerry Shaefer, and John Mullins 3.0 Public Participation Scott Gronwola, 740 S. Charlotte St. Mr. Gronwola stated that he was speaking in favor of the parking plan and that he appreciated the committee working on this matter. He went on to say that looking at the map of the current restrictions around Glenbard East, it becomes obvious why they are parking on the 700 block of S. Charlotte. It is the closest available parking to the high school. He explained that he had a conversation with Bill Ware who expressed concern and wanted more than just a band aid. He believes this plan does that as the 25-30 vehicles would be more evenly dispersed. He appreciates that this plan looks at the big picture. William Harris 1037 S Main Dr. Mr. Harris explained that he lives across from Glenbard East. He said that some years ago he was informed by a community service officer that they would not issue a ticket if the car was registered to the house it was parked in front of, so he hasn't had a problem with that. However, when there are evening events at the school, both sides of the street become lined with vehicles. (Mr. Harris showed the committe pictures) There was 12' between cars all the way down the street. There are two disabled elderly ladies that live on the street and he said he wonders whether emergency vehicles can get down the street and operate when both sides are lined. Mr. Harris said that he went to the Fire Department today. He stated that he got a warm reception and the person he spoke with listened to the problem and looked at the pictures. (He showed the committee a picture of a truck parked within 5' of a fire hydrant) He went on to say that the Public Works Director liked the idea that the west side (the fire hydrant side) of Main Drive remain no parking entirely. Although he has not had a problem with kids parking there, and he understands when parents park for 10-15 minutes waiting to pick a kid up, he does not wish to be calling 911 to tell them there's somebody parking there for more than 2 hours. He doesn't want to take away resources for such a silly problem. He added that he thinks opening it up to 2 hour parking may cause a problem when kids coming in to take exams will park there. He concluded with saying that he thinks 2 hour parking needs to be Village of Lombard Page 1 Public Safety & Transportation Minutes November 14, 2016 Committee rethought and would ask that the hydrant side be no parking anytime. Shahe Bagdasarian, Principal, Glenbard East High School Mr. Bagdasarian said that he was here to hear the concerns and to help brainstorm a solution to the parking issue. Kristine Kolton, 217 W. Graham Ave. Ms. Kolton explained that she lived there when the original parking restrictions were implemented. She added that the residents have lived through not being able to park, but most like it. Ms. Kolton also expressed concerns about enforcement and said that she talked to a police lieutenant and he suggested that maybe a lanyard could be issued to residents to allow them to park. She added that although she sympathizes with the kids, she felt that with 2 hour parking they will start parking all over. Fred Walker, 811 S. Charlotte St. Mr. Walker commented that when he goes north on Charlotte there does seem to be a public safety issue. If a child were to run out between the parked cars there could be a situation. Bob Biddle, 821 S. Charlotte St. Mr. Biddle stated that with all the kids walking down the street there is garbage all over. He further stated that the issue comes down to the 700 block [of S. Charlotte] is a mess. It seems that common sense is to make at least one side no parking. At Sunset Knoll the 70 some odd spots are not used. The solution is in front of us, if the lot has the spots it needs to be utilized instead your pushing the kids into the neighborhoods. Come up with a solution that fixes it longterm and get the kids off of the streets. Tami Urish, 216 W. Maple St. Ms. Urish stated that she was here to speak on behalf of the kids. Her daughter parked on Wilson last year. In order to do that she had to get up at 5:30 AM to get there before 6 AM. There is not enough parking and it needs to be addressed. 4.0 Approval of Minutes A motion was made by John Larkin, Jr., seconded by Jerry Schaefer, that the minutes of the October 3, 2016 meeting be approved. The motion carried unanimously. 5.0 Unfinished Business 6.0 New Business Village of Lombard Page 2 Public Safety & Transportation Minutes November 14, 2016 Committee 160464 Amendment to Parking Restrictions A staff recommendation to establish a 2-hour parking restriction between the hours of 9 AM and 3 PM on school days in an area within a 1/3 mile radius of the property lines for Glenbard East High School. (DISTRICT# 2 & 6) Schaefer asked Badasarian what established the 1.5 mile radius for school bus pick up. Badasarian answered that it is set by the School Board. Although the school is not required to provide transportation, students living over 1.5 miles would need transportation. Schaefer asked if it was possible to reduce the circumference to encourage more kids to take the bus. Badasarian replied that that has not been discussed. It would effect not just Glenbard East, but all of the Glenbard schools. The full impact would have to be determined. Schaefer asked if there had been any dialogue with school officials about this situation. He added that the committee has struggled with it for years and would encourage dialogue at the district level to talk with the Village to try to come up with a solution. Badasarian answered that they are aware that parking has been an issue for years. One of the things the school has done is to open up Sunset Knoll parking lot. The school has dropped the permit price quite a bit. Student parking on campus is done by lottery and the cost is $100/semester. There have been discussions internally about changing the criteria, maybe kids in athletics or that are carpooling. That's something that the school can do on our end to try to address parking. He went on to say that he thinks if the restrictions go into place, more kids will use Sunset Knoll. There are plenty of spots in that lot. He went on to say that the school also reached out to the owners of Enchanted Castle to try to work out some deal that students could park there, unfortunately, they're not really willing right now to sublet those spots. Schaefer asked if the school property is landlocked. Badasarian replied that it is, except for a lot on the south side of the building. There has been discussion about purchasing it, but it would cost quite a bit of money to make a parking lot out of that. Whittington asked how many cars are parking out in the neighborhoods. Goldsmith answered that there was 23 cars on the 700 block of S. Charlotte, but overall it's probably about 100-125 cars. Whittington asked if Sunset Knoll can accommodate them. Goldsmith replied that it would accommodate most of them. Schaefer asked if it would be possible to put diagonal parking on Wilson and would that be the responsibility of the school or the village. Goldsmith replied that it would be the school's responsibility. Village staff suggested to the former principal to create a one-way drive, which would have created 82 spaces, but they said they couldn't lose property from the fields. Cation asked why the kids are not using Sunset Knoll. Badasarian replied that it is farther to walk and it costs $25/semester. He went on to say that when that lot was finished, the thought was that the spots would sell, but that Village of Lombard Page 3 Public Safety & Transportation Minutes November 14, 2016 Committee didn't happen. The cost then was $50; the school has since dropped it to $25. Ms. Urish asked if it is limited to seniors. Badasarian answered that it is open to juniors and seniors. He added that maybe the school needs to communicate it better, it could alleviate some of the congestion there. Cation asked if the permit fee is for the cost of maintenance. Badasarian replied that it is, the school numbers the spots and gives them a permit. We want to make sure they are paying that fee and they have a guaranteed space. Perkins suggested that perhaps others aren't aware of it as well. Goldsmith gave a brief overview of the situation and reviewed the existing restrictions. Staff wanted to encompass areas already restricted. Trustee Ware requested that the northern boundary be extended to Madison so it's a natural boundary. The 2 hour restriction will allow residents to use the street, but some level of restriction to make it difficult, if not impossible, for students to use. Much like students have to have parking, the Village has to have access to roadways and a safe environment for residents. We need to find a balance. The Village did contribute to the reconstruction of Sunset Knoll parking lot, along with Glenbard East and the Park District. The intent was to alleviate student parking. In 2014 the Village paid for an appraisal of the lot south of Glenbard East. It appraised at $164k. A letter was sent to the Superintendent, however the reply was that it did not fit into their plan at that time. Staff did a mock up of the lot; it would pick up 42 spaces and would funnel out to traffic signal. It would be an expensive proposition, because there is nowhere to put stormwater. It would probably be about $800k to acquire and construct. Staff believes that the restriction will address the concerns, however, it will not solve every problem. There will always be people who find ways to skirt it. It will cost approximately $2-$3k to replace all of the signs, but it will be a phased approach. DC Wirsing commented that from an enforcement perspective, although there may be some people out there that would skirt the system, the Police Department does have the resources for enforcement if necessary. As far as permitting each resident, that would be difficult. There are so many different variables, that there may still be tickets issued that would then have to be fought at adjudication. The department will make an effort, especially in the beginning, to do full force enforcement. Schaefer added that he thinks that there would be a more serious problem if there are that many kids running out there to move cars. Badasarian explained that the kids start at 7 AM and first lunch is at 10:15, so that would be over the 2 hours. They can only leave during lunch period and only certain kids that have earned it are allowed to leave. Most of the kids that have the privilege to leave campus have a very full schedule. He concluded with he does not think it will be an issue. Village of Lombard Page 4 Public Safety & Transportation Minutes November 14, 2016 Committee Goldsmith added that the time period between classes is 5 minutes, so it is unlikely that a student can leave. Goldsmith spoke about what will be done with future petitions. Per the proposed policy, staff is suggesting that if a petition is received from areas outside of the proposed restriction area, they will be forwarded to the Village Manager and he will work with staff to determine if it's a public safety concern or a nuisance. If there is not a public safety concern no action will be taken. General discussion ensued. A motion was made by John Schwarz, seconded by Bob Corbino, that this Request be recommended to the Board of Trustees for approval of staff recommendation, including signing the west side of Main Drive No Parking. The motion passed by an unanimous vote. 160466 Edson Place & Elizabeth Street, Stop Sign Request A resident request to install a stop sign. (DISTRICT #2) Sgt. Grage commented that it was a bad accident, but fortunately no one was hurt. The intersection does not meet warrants for a stop sign, however, Public Works did install an arrow sign to give warning to motorists. A motion was made by John Larkin, Jr., seconded by Bob Corbino, that this Request be denied. The motion passed by an unanimous vote. 7.0 Other Business 8.0 Information Only 150468 Fire Department Reports/Information AC Howell told the committee that the Fire Department currently has a driving simulator at Station 1. Lombard, along with 11 other agencies, was awarded a $240k grant. The simulator is encapsulated in a trailer. In the sim you can change maps; urban road, country road, snow, ice, dark. There are cameras that look at their feet, their eyes, did they cover the brake, did they look left or right. AC Howell invited the committee to come see it or drive it. It will be at the station for the rest of the month. 150469 Police Department Reports/Information DC Wirsing gave a brief update of Police Department activities. The annual shop with a cop is December 3rd. There are about 10 kids Village of Lombard Page 5 Public Safety & Transportation Minutes November 14, 2016 Committee participating, as well as, 15-18 staff and the Citizens Police Academy. The Department is moving forward on the new range. Sgt. Grage informed the committee that with the new grant, the first officer that went out had a DUI arrest and a felony DUI. Last year, this time, there were 177 DUIs, we are currently at 207. Last years total was 204. Schwarz asked how the boot program was going. Sgt. Grage said they are currently playing cat and mouse with a trucking company that owes over $10k. 9.0 Adjournment A motion was made by Bob Corbino, seconded by John Larkin, Jr., to adjourn the meeting at 8:13 PM. The motion carried unanimously. Village of Lombard Page 6