CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS COMMITTEE

200 E. Wells Street City of Milwaukee Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202 Meeting Minutes CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS COMMITTEE ALD. ROBERT BAUMAN, CHAIR Ald. Nik Kovac, Ald. Michael Murphy, Ghassan Korban, Martin Matson, Mark Nicolini, and Mariano Schifalacqua Staff Assistant: Linda Elmer, 286-2231 Fax: 286-3456, lelmer@milwaukee.gov Fiscal Planning Specialist: Kathleen Brengosz, 286-3926, kbreng@milwaukee.gov Wednesday, June 4, 2014 9:00 AM City Hall, Room 301-B Meeting convened: 9:05 A.M. Members present: Mariano Schifalacqua, Mr. Korban, Mr. Froh, Mr. Matson, Ald. Bauman, Mr. Nicolini and Ald. Kovac (arrived at 9:10 A.M.) 1. Review and approval of the minutes of the April 28th meeting. Mr. Froh moved, seconded by Mr. Nicolini, for approval of the minutes. There were no objections. 2. Presentation of the Sidewalk and Pedestrian Facility Condition Report. Ms. Kristin Bennett presented the condition report of the City’s pedestrian facilities. She said that the City faces challenges including aging infrastructure, weather, winter maintenance and driver culture. She also said there are additional Americans with Disability Act (ADA) improvements that need to be made. She said that current safety practices include the use of pedestrian warning signs, standard and high visibility crossing signs, school crossing signs on walk to school routes, curb extensions at corners to shorten crossings, constructing median refuges and targeted streetscape projects. She said that traffic calming projects can include some pedestrian improvements but it not necessarily a key component. She said the target is to complete the conversion of all city owned signals to pedestrian countdown by the end of 2015 which ahead of the federal compliance schedule. Ms. Bennett discussed accessible pedestrian signals which make verbal messages or audible tones and have a vibrating surface for people who are visually and hearing impaired. She said the City has gotten numerous requests for installation. She said that Department of Public Works (DPW) staff will be attending an accessible pedestrian signals seminar on June 10th given by national experts. Mr. Bob Bryson said that DPW is one of the sponsors of the presentation. Ald. Bauman said he has received complaints about the noise the signals make. Ms. Bennett said the signals are volume responsive to the ambient noise of the site. She said that DPW has reviewed several intersections and addressed the noise issue. Ald. Kovac said he was concerned that installations were done without input from the public or elected officials. Mr. Korban said that outreach to the community and local officials should have been greater and it will be in the future. He said priority was placed on the people who would benefit from the installation. Mr. Bryson said that most of the early installations were on college campuses. He said the first installation was on Oklahoma and Superior at the request of the blind community. The second was at City of Milwaukee Page 1 CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS Meeting Minutes June 4, 2014 COMMITTEE Greenfield, Muskego and 16th streets because of the complexity of the intersection. Following that, they were installed on the Marquette Campus at the request of Marquette. He said there are currently 21 accessible signals installed. Ald. Bauman asked if the ADA requires the City to install an accessible signal whenever it is requested. Mr. Bryson said no, the City is required to evaluate if one is warranted. Mr. Bryson said that the Public Right of Way Access Guide is being reviewed in Congress. He said the comment period ended 2 1/2 years ago. He said one of the proposals is that audible signals be installed at every intersection with a traffic signal. He said that would have a huge financial impact because the cost is between $10,000 and $20,000 per installation. The City has approximately 750 signalized intersections. Ald. Bauman asked if signals can be removed once they have been installed. Mr. Bryson said he would check with the City Attorney. Mr. Bryson said that most of the installations were done with grant funding but that funding is no longer available so generally the conversions have stopped. Ms. Bennett discussed the testing of rapid flashing beacons and pedestrian hybrid beacons. She said the PowerPoint contained a link to videos from the Wisconsin Dept. of Transportation (WisDOT) that showed the beacons in operation. Ms. Bennett said that the City has received a federal grant for a pedestrian plan. She said work on the plan will start in late 2014. This will be the first pedestrian plan for the City. She said the Bicycle and Pedestrian Task Force is working on the plan so it is in line with the available funding. Mr. Schifalacqua suggested doing neighborhood plans instead of one City wide plan because pedestrian needs are so diverse across the City. Ald. Bauman agreed. Ms. Bennett said that she would like to coordinate with the neighborhood work that the Department of City Development (DCD) does. Ald. Kovac said he would like to address ways to change the driving culture and really prioritize pedestrian activities. Mr. Polenske said that the City has a number of plans including a bike plan that was initiated in 2010. He said all of the plans can come together in a Complete Streets policy. He said the policy could provide a framework for evaluating development and prioritizing what is important for a particular neighborhood or commercial district and for the city overall. He said one of the challenges is that each project comes from a different funding source which has different requirements. Ald. Kovac asked if the scattered site backlog was really five years. Mr. Polenske said he would have to check. He said that recent additional funding allowed the department to address some of the backlog but that it continues to grow. Mr. Korban said that the additional funding generated interest in the program and so the backlog grew. Ms. Brengosz said that the committee recommended additional funding for the scattered site program for the 2015 budget. Mr. Korban said the department has experimented with shaving to eliminate tripping hazards. He said efforts have been focused on downtown but there may be an effective way of doing it city wide. He said the process is expensive but it is cheaper than removing and replacing sidewalk and it is more aesthetically pleasing than asphalt. He said that if the offset is over 2 ½” shaving can’t be used. Mr. Nicolini asked for written clarification of the sidewalk assessment policy. Ald. Kovac asked the department to provide funding and assessment scenarios to reduce the backlog. Ms. Bennett discussed the City’s bicycle facilities. She said that she is working to verify the City’s inventory of bike facilities. She said the City has approximately 114 miles of bike lanes on arterial streets and about 3 miles of City owned paved trail. She said there is about 20 miles of the Oak Leaf trail in the City which is owned and maintained by the County and between 10 and 12 miles of the Hank Aaron State Trail. Ald. Bauman asked if the City owned the trail between Washington and Maple. Ms. Bennett said yes. Ald. Bauman asked what the snow clearing policy was for off street trails and bike lanes. Mr. Polenske said that the department is currently developing a policy. He said the policy will include design considerations as well as making sure appropriate equipment is available and establishing the priority of bike City of Milwaukee Page 2 CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS Meeting Minutes June 4, 2014 COMMITTEE facilities in snow removal operations. Ms. Bennett said the department is working to implement the recommendations of the Milwaukee by Bike Plan that was done in 2010. She there are some major projects, some local paving projects and some federally funded stand alone projects. Ald. Bauman asked if there were any plans to put a bike trail on the green way that the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) just made along the Kinnickinnic River. Mr. Polenske said that the department has been talking to MMSD. They have proposed projects that will take you all the way up to Jackson Park and 43rd Street that could have a trails associated with them. Ms. Bennett said that the department is plating open grate bridges. She said that the designs of the Cherry, Wells and Water Street bridges have been completed and that construction is expected in spring 2015. Grant approval is pending for the Plankinton and Emmber Lane bridges in 2018. The remainder of the bridges will be done with rehabilitation or reconstruction projects. She said that by 2018 or 2019 all of the bridges should be addressed. Ms. Bennett discussed bicycle parking. She said there is a lot of interest in in-street bike corrals. She said she is working with permit staff to create a process for approving and installing them. Ald. Bauman asked if the City still had a bike rack program. Ms. Bennett said the bike racks were installed with grant funding and the grant is long since spent. She said that bike rack maintenance is becoming an issue as racks begin to age and rust. She said the City has some bike lockers but that the program is not currently well handled. She said the department is working with planning staff in DCD to develop parking code improvements and that the City should be prepared to deal with abandoned bicycles. Ald. Kovac said the City passed a law several years ago clarifying the Police Department’s ability to tag and remove abandoned bikes. Ms. Bennett said that the City has a federal grant to install more bike lanes. She said 24 miles of new bike lanes were laid out and striped last summer. She said additional projects are scheduled for fall and hopefully signage will be associated with those. Ms. Bennett said that the City working with the County on a coordinated signage approach on trails and on-street off-street connections. The grant application for that project is pending. Ald. Kovac said he thought trail signage was lacking especially at connection points. Ms. Bennett said the City has also developed a partnership with Milwaukee County Parks and UWM to do trail traffic counting. Ms. Bennett discussed bicycle boulevards. She said a typical bicycle boulevard will have lower traffic volume and provide direct, continuous well signed connections. She said they may have intersection enhancements to make crossing easier. She said the first one being developed is 37 Street south from the Valley Passage. Ald. Bauman said that Pierce Street would not be a bad bicycle boulevard. Ald. Bauman asked if the department has considered center median bike lanes. Ms. Bennett said no but the department is looking at other types of facilities to address merging situations. Ald. Kovac asked about bi-directional bike lanes. Ms. Bennett said bi-directional lanes are often seen on one way streets because of the signaling challenges that they present. Ms. Bennett discussed public bike sharing. She said that our partnership with Midwest Bike Share is moving forward. They have been raising money and there is a pilot rollout of about six stations scheduled for this year. The City has been assisting with the site process because the stations may be in the public right of way. Mr. Polenske said the station at Discovery World had approximately $8,000 in revenue last summer. Ms. Bennett said the price structure at Discovery World was different than it would be for an actual bike share. 3. Presentation of the Bicycle Facility Condition Report. This item was taken up concurrently with item #2. City of Milwaukee Page 3 CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS Meeting Minutes June 4, 2014 COMMITTEE 4. Presentation of the Forestry Condition Report. Mr. David Sivyer discussed the condition of the City’s trees and boulevards. He said that there are 194,000 street trees representing 295 distinct species or cultivars. He said that 89% of the street trees are rated as fair or better. He said there are still 32,000 ash street trees in the population. He said the City loses about 2% of the tree population annually to disease and decline. Mr. Sivyer said the highest priority is removing dead and hazardous trees in a timely manner. The next highest priority is tree pruning. He said stump removal is important because most stumps occupy a future planting location. He said the goal is to replace trees within one year of removal. Mr. Sivyer said that the department maintains about 120 miles of landscaped boulevard. He said that 2008 to 2010 was the sustainable boulevards transition period. Annual beds were removed and transitioned to larger perennial beds. He said that since 2011 a number of bio-swales have been installed in the boulevards to help capture storm water runoff from the street. The bio-swales have plants and mulch and they require some maintenance. Mr. Sivyer discussed the department response to the emerald ash borer (EAB). He said that in 2008 the department did an ash tree mapping project and outreach project which confirmed at least 15,000 property owners had ash trees. He discussed the life cycle of the borer saying that adults emerge from June through August and feed on ash leaves. They lay between 50 and 100 eggs in bark crevasses of ash trees. The larvae cause serpentine damage to the wood that interrupts the flow of nutrients and water within the tree. The larvae overwinter under the bark and emerge as mature adults the following June. The exit holes are D shaped which is diagnostic. He said other borers that might affect ash leave round holes. He said the borers can fly up to two miles. Mr. Sivyer said that Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) was confirmed in four trees near 80th and Mill Road on private property in July 2012. Nearby inoculated street trees were inspected and found to be healthy. He said that currently 21 counties are infested and quarantined with EAB. There are 10 known infestations in Milwaukee County. The County has removed about 45 trees in Wahl Park. He said there is an infestation at a commercial facility near 80th and Alder. Mr. Sivyer said the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has established a protocol for when to begin actively managing EAB. Their guidelines say that within 15 miles of a known infestation you should consider treating high value trees. Using that guideline, all high value trees in Milwaukee should be considered for treatment. He said the department has been treating street trees since 2009. Mr. Sivyer discussed a research based mortality curve that shows steep increases in tree mortality begin in year six or seven of an infestation. He said that the further you get on the curve, the fewer options you have for treatment and management. Mr. Sivyer said that there are about 587,000 ash trees in the City limits, most of them on private property or County owned land. He said high mortality is typical in woodlands because there is no cost effective way to treat large numbers of trees. Ald. Bauman asked if infested ash trees can be used as lumber. Mr. Sivyer said that if it is harvested immediately, it can still be used but that ash doesn’t have high stumpage value. He said the department is working to establish a market for urban timber. Mr. Sivyer said there are only two proven EAB treatments. Chemical treatments have 99% efficacy. He said that beetles will find untreated trees and mortality will be 100%. He said that ash is a weak wooded tree and within one year of dying they will fall apart under their own weight. The only other treatment is to remove the tree and replace it with a resistant species. Mr. Sivyer said researchers are still trying to develop biological control such as wasps to treat larger woodlots. He said that research has shown that when winter temperatures fall below -30 degrees, there is City of Milwaukee Page 4 CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS Meeting Minutes June 4, 2014 COMMITTEE larvae mortality of about 50%. If the temperatures remain above -20 degrees there is very little mortality. Ald. Kovac asked how many streets in the City have all ash trees. Mr. Sivyer said that in the past the City has diversified on a block or street basis. Where there are ash trees it is likely they are on both sides of the street for the entire block. He said that the department has shifted to an inter-block diversification strategy. If there are two trees of the same species next to each other, the next tree will be something different. Mr. Sivyer discussed the pruning schedule. He said the department is struggling to maintain the pruning schedule. He said that in 1999 there were 138 authorized Urban Forestry Specialists. He said that currently there are 109. He also said that in the past training crews were hired before positions became vacant which made it easier to maintain staffing levels. He said the use of the transitional workforce has helped offset some of the boulevard maintenance but that it is still difficult to keep up. Mr. Preston Cole said that the department would like to utilize transitional workers for mowing and boulevard maintenance and use the Specialists for a summer pruning crew. Mr. Sivyer said that each year the department prunes the backlogged trees first. He said that he anticipates that in 2015 the department will be one full year behind schedule. He said most pruning is done in winter so the frequency of snow and ice events has a profound effect on pruning. If there is snow in the trees they can’t be safely climbed. Winter pruning allows better evaluation of the branch structure and reduces the biomass removed from the trees. Mr. Sivyer said that there are currently 74 bio-swales installed, 57 of which are maintained by Forestry. An additional 53 are proposed for this year and next year. He said new installations typically have a two year maintenance contract. 5. Discussion relating to what the Commitee needs from departments and how to best obtain and schedule it. Ald. Bauman asked if there any comments regarding the capital request forms. Mr. Froh said that it didn’t appear as those there is a lot of effort made in filling out the forms. He said the forms don’t provide a lot of new information. Ms. Brengosz suggested discussing the forms at a future meeting. 6. Set next meeting agenda. Meeting adjourned: 11:03 A.M. Linda M. Elmer Staff Assistant City of Milwaukee Page 5