Streets & Roads Commission

Streets and Roads Commission Meeting Minutes January 8, 2019 Commission members in attendance: Brian Bieda, Cindy Dunigan, Lynne Galletti, Susan Harbison, Jennifer Smith, Councilwoman Washabaugh I. Call to Order and Pledge - The meeting was called to order at 7:04 p.m. by Chairwoman Jennifer Smith II. Administrative items a) Report from the Chair – Jennifer Smith asked the committee for their input on the approach to setting the agenda to include old business that was previously presented to this Commission but was not completed. Everyone present unanimously agreed to the format. b) Departmental Report – There were no reports from town staff c) Council Liaison Report – Councilwoman Washabaugh discussed the Town Council meeting from last night. She stated that the issue with traffic and parking in the Twin Arch neighborhood was presented to the Town Council along with public comment that addressed the issue. d) Approval of Meeting Minutes – Councilwoman Washabaugh motioned to approve the December 4, 2018 minutes, seconded by Cindy Dunigan, voted unanimously to approve. The minutes will be sent to staff to publish on the town web site. III. Community Concerns/Citizens Comments a) Sarah Towe Horsfall, Peddicord Road, presented a petition from residents outside of the town limits asking that the roads leading into the town on the North West side be kept as thoroughfares and the speed limits raised on these roads. Mayor Rockinberg addressed this issue with the history of the speed limits in town. There are approximately 10,000 town residents and another 20,000 residents in the surrounding areas. Within the town borders, the speed limit is 25 mph. The Town does not set the speed limits outside of the Town limits, the county does. The Mayor offered to give Ms. Towe the contact information for Frederick County. Karl Munder, resident of Sterling Glen, addressed the issue of speeding in his neighborhood and the surrounding roads. IV. Old Business a) Request for pedestrian crossing at the intersection of Prospect Road and North Main Street. The request was discussed at the October 2017 meeting. Councilwoman Washabaugh will email Mayor Rockinberg for a status update from Town staff. b) South Main and Route 27 – At the August 2017 meeting, the issue of turning Left onto Route 27 North from South Main was discussed and the difficulty of 1  making that left turn. Town staff was to contact the SHA. Councilwoman Washabaugh will email Mayor Rockinberg for a status update. c) Speeding Issues – At the February 2017 meeting, it was noted that the Town would be working with the new Police Chief to revise Town Ordinances and will determine road standards including speed limits. The issue was discussed with the Police Chief and the Commission members. It was agreed that any recommendations as to whether a town speed limit is raised or lowered goes through this Commission. It was agreed to remove this item from the agenda. d) Rising Ridge Road Signage – There is concern over inadequate warning signage for new cross walks installed on Rising Ridge Road at the entrance to Twin Ridge. Jennifer Smith will look into this issue with Mayor Rockinberg and bring a recommendation to the next meeting. e) Storm Drain Cover Condition Twin Arch Road and Century Drive – This was presented during citizen comment at the December meeting. Mayor Rockinberg emailed the Town Maintenance Department. He will get a status update for the next meeting. f) Detours on Main Street During Town Events – The issue of detoured traffic during town events was discussed and possible alternatives to detour routes when Main Street is closed. Alternatives included detouring traffic at South Main/Ridgeville Blvd to Rising Ridge. It was noted that during the last town event (Christmas Tree lighting) that the detour signs had been moved to Rising Ridge/Prospect and Main/Paradise. g) Sterling Glen Speeding Issue – Mayor Rockinberg noted that the traffic and speed monitors are out in Sterling Glen. Once the study is complete, staff will get the report to this Commission. h) Twin Arch Neighborhood Speeding Issue – Councilwoman Washabaugh noted that resident, Heather Hobbs Michael spoke at the Town Council meeting and stated that the issue is still very much an issue, she asked for increased police presence, and for the business owners to continue to educate their patrons to please drive carefully in the neighborhood. Police Chief Reitz stated that his officers are aware of the issue and they have increased their police presence. The Town was asked after the December meeting to perform a traffic and speed study. Councilwoman Washabaugh will email the Mayor to get a status update on this request. i) Back Acre Circle Parking Issue – Councilwoman Washabaugh went to the building around 5:15-5:20 to see what the parking and lighting looked like after dark. There did not appear to be a lot of available parking in the lot behind the building. The Mayor stated that the town did evaluate the street lighting and there is adequate lighting. Anywhere that there can be lights, there are. The Mayor met with the business owners again to discuss the concerns and what they can do to help with the issue. The Mayor wants to continue working with the business owners to come up with an agreeable solution to the issue. Chief Reitz stated that anyone making an illegal U-turn can be charged with negligent and wreckless driving. He had spoken to the town attorney and discussed the installation of the No U-turn signs. Once the signs are installed, it will be a clear violation for which they can issue citations. The Mayor stated that the town has ordered the 2 signs and they will be installed as soon as they are received, in approximately 3 weeks. Mayor Rockinberg is also working with the building owner, Frank Dertzbaugh, of the EDC, who has installed battery packs for the blinking lights that are installed in front of the building. The Mayor reported on the request to confirm the width of the road. Staff did measure Back Acre Circle and it is 36 feet wide. Century Drive is 40 feet wide. The Town is working to push Back Acre Drive through to provide another possible exit for the traffic. Brian Belski, husband of the dance studio owner, spoke on her behalf. He stated that they are willing to do whatever is needed to work with the town. They are continuing to reach out to their clients to help enforce the recommendations of the town and the residents. Per Mayor Rockinberg, the Town Administrator will issue a letter for the owners outlining the recommendations and actions that have been taken. Pamela Reid of 200 S. Main Street discussed the road size of 36 feet and asked if there could be designated parking spaces on the business side of the road like Main Street. Town Engineer Barney Quinn said that there is room for parking on one side there could be two 12 foot lanes and one 9 foot parking lane. Jennifer Smith stated that a 12 foot road is standard. Nick Henderson, resident of Twin Arch said that it is a people problem, not a road problem. He suggested that parking be removed in front of the business. Frank Dertzbaugh said that there are 41 parking spaces behind the building. Laura Madenboo takes her child to the dance studio. She said she had made Uturns and driven through the residential neighborhoods as there is no other way to get out. She has tried to park behind the building but it is a dead end, she supports the no U-turn signs. Tony Falletta, resident, stated that as a resident and former Planning Commission member, he is glad to see businesses in town and wants to see a solution to the parking issue. He noted that Back Acre Circle had a hill/upgrade. He questioned whether parking is allowed per Maryland State Code 21-1003(s). Jennifer Smith will look into this with the Town Engineer, Barney Quinn. Shane Bickish, resident, stated his concern with the no U-turn signs and the increase in traffic into the neighborhoods. Kim Bynack, resident, HOA president, suggested possibly sharing the parking with the neighboring businesses. Mayor Rockinberg asked the building owner, Frank Dertzbaugh to look into talking to the business owners next door about that possibility. Karl Munder asked if it’s possible to cut the parking through on Back Acre in the East side of the building. Frank Dertzbaugh, building owner, member of the EDC, he has been involved in the development of Back Acre Circle since 2004. The opening of the rest of Back Acre Circle will help with traffic. He pointed out that putting an entrance on the East side of the building would present a problem because the elevation is about 8 feet from the last parking space – there is too much of a grade difference to put an entrance there. He discussed the issues involved with sharing parking with other building owners and making a walkway between the two parking lots such as liability and maintenance but he will talk to the other building owners. He suggested dividing Back Acre Circle into two 12 foot lanes and one 12 foot parking area in front of his building. Mayor Rockinberg stated that parking on Main Street is allowed and unrelated as parking on Back Acre is not allowed, however, he still wants to try to work together to come up with a solution. Cindy Dunigan asked if there could be 3  an exit from the building near the intersection @ the stop sign. Jennifer Smith stated that there is a minimum that an intersection has to be from an entrance. Chief Reitz asked the residents if they have called the Police. He asked the residents to please call and report any issues going on so that dispatch can log those calls and try to get an officer out. V. New Business a) Requests for Temporary or Permanent On-Street Parking – It was discussed at previous meetings that Streets and Roads come up with a list of information needed to make a judgment on any future request to allow temporary or permanent on-street parking – Jennifer Smith asked Commission members to come to the next meeting with ideas. b) Traffic Light at Main Street and Ridgeville Blvd – Councilwoman Washabaugh will email Mayor Rockinberg to have the town contact the SHA as they have jurisdiction over this light. c) Hill Street Issues – A letter was received from a resident on Hill Street asking the Town to look into the speeding issue and possibly lowering the speed limit on that street. It was recommended that a speed and traffic study be done, Councilwoman Washabaugh will email Mayor Rockinberg to ask for this study to be done. He also asked the town to look into a drainage issue in front of 404/406 Hill Street. The Town had previously addressed this issue with a storm drain that is no longer there. Barney Quinn asked for the resident’s letter to be forwarded to him so that he can look into this issue. Lynne Galletti will forward the email. d) Ridgeville Blvd and Ridgeside Drive Light Issue - A town resident emailed and asked that the town look into the stop light at this intersection. There are burned out bulbs, for left turning lanes. This is controlled by the SHA, Barney will send an email to the SHA. He also asked Councilwoman Washabaugh to share the SHA information with the resident so that she can contact the SHA also. e) Other New Business – Susan Harbison discussed the issue with 27 South at the entrance into Safeway and the right turning lane. This is controlled by the SHA. Barney Quinn gave her the contact information for the SHA for the District 7 Main Office – John Cochran 301-624-8250 so that Susan Harbison can call them about this issue. Cindy Dunigan asked Barney Quinn if the town evaluates the streets and has a plan for maintenance of the street conditions in the town. Barney Quinn said that they do evaluate the streets and they have a 5 year plan to keep the streets paved and maintained. They update their plan as needed. VI. Next Meeting – The next meeting of the Streets and Roads Commission is Tuesday, March 5, 2019 7:00 pm. VII. Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at 9:32 pm Respectfully Submitted by, 4 Lynne P. Galletti 5