President and Board of Trustees

123 Madison Street Village of Oak Park Oak Park, Illinois 60302 www.oak-park.us Meeting Minutes President and Board of Trustees Monday, July 13, 2015 7:00 PM Village Hall I. Call to Order Village President Abu-Taleb called the meeting to order at 7:00 P.M. II. Roll Call Present: 6- Village Trustee Brewer, Village Trustee Lueck, Village Trustee Ott, Village Trustee Salzman, Village Trustee Tucker, and Village President Abu-Taleb Absent: 1- Village Trustee Barber III. Agenda Approval It was moved by Village Trustee Tucker, seconded by Village Trustee Brewer, to approve the agenda. A voice vote was taken and the motion was approved. IV. Public Comment Charlene Schwar. Ms. Schwar expressed concern that Rush Hospital's proposed new parking lot will divert more traffic onto an already congested Wisconsin Avenue. V Regular Agenda A. ID 15-218 Eisenhower Expressway (I-290) Update and Discussion: Harlem Ave. and Austin Blvd. Traffic Analysis. Village Manager Pavlicek stated that this meeting is the second in a series of Study Sessions regarding the Eisenhower. Tonight's meeting will focus on vehicle and pedestrian traffic at Harlem Avenue and Austin Boulevard in relation to the I-20. Village Engineer Bill McKenna will give a Powerpoint presentation and representatives from IDOT are present to answer any questions. Rick Kuner. Mr. Kuner commented that the Board has been paying attention to the I-290 issues but there are still other items to consider such as air and noise issues. David Moehring. Mr. Moehring noted that decisions made by the Board will impact Oak Park for a long time. There is great potential for transit oriented development and the CTA must be part of the improvements. Village Engineer Bill McKenna discussed existing vehicle related conditions on Harlem. These include inadequate ramp storage, more green time allocated to I-290 ramp traffic than Harlem traffic which results in backup beyond Jackson Boulevard and Harrison Street during peak hours, inadequate left turn lane storage, inadequate turning room for trucks at all four corners and conflicting left and right turns. Pedestrian related conditions Village of Oak Park Page 1 Printed on 7/21/2015 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes July 13, 2015 include poor access to transit, inadequate space for bike parking, narrow and non-ADA compliant sidewalks, sidewalk encroachments, lack of pedestrian/vehicle separation, lack of east/west pedestrian crossing and inadequate pedestrian signal equipment. Proposed pedestrian related improvements include widening of sidewalks, islands between ramps, new pedestrian signals, bike parking, new northbound bus stop and improvements at the CTA station. Traffic related improvmetns include using one signal for the entire exchange, improved radius for trucks, improved ramp storage and dual left turn lanes. Mr. McKenna discussed existing conditions on Austin, which are similar to Harlem. Poor ramp storage and inadequate green time to Austin traffic at this interchange results in traffic backup beyond Garfield Street and Harrison Street. Like Harlem Avenue, there are conflicting left and right turns, inadequate turning room for trucks, poor access to transit, inadequate space for bike parking, narrow and non-ADA compliant sidewalks, sidewalk encroachments, lack of pedestrian/vehicle separation, lack of east/west pedestrian crossing and inadequate pedestrian signal equipment. An existing condition unique to Austin is increased crash exposure due to a left turn being allowed off of Garfield Street on to Austin. Turning vehicles merge across to the right lane to access the I-290. Mr. McKenna noted that 82% of crashes are related to left turns into through traffic. Proposed improvements mirror Harlem improvements with the addition of changing Garfield to right turn in-right turn out at that intersection. Village Trustee Brewer commented that these improvements are years away and asked what could be done now in regards to conditions at Garfield and Austin. Mr. McKenna stated that the plans for right in-right out may be implemented in the short term. Ron Orzel. Mr. Orzel expressed concern regarding "fly over" ramps, noting that this possibility is a key issue in his neighborhood. He also wanted to know how long construction would take. Ed Pacer. Mr. Pacer was concerned that IDOT had no plans to improve street and pedestrian safety other than that being contingent upon this project. He also noted that there was no sense of urgency in regards to the noise analysis and air analysis. Rafael Valadez. Mr. Valadez commented that IDOT has no vision of how to move goods and people effectively and no vision of future events. The construction is being based on policies created 60 years ago. Village President Abu-Taleb spoke about the positive collaboration between IDOT and the Village's Working Committee. Village Trustee Lueck noted that rebuilding the I-290 is unavoidable. However, the Village has the opportunity to create some positive outcomes, such as wider, ADA compliant sidewalks and creating connectivity from North to South Oak Park. She added that there could be negative impacts as well and the positive must be weighed against the negative. These questions cannot be answered until the Board goes through all of the Study Sessions; some important issues such as ramps and air quality are coming up for discussion. Village Trustee Salzman expressed concern in regards to the lack of clarity of IDOT's objectives. He specifically noted that he has heard no follow up to the ramp discussion from the last meeting. Village Manager Pavlicek stated that their 3-D model is almost Village of Oak Park Page 2 Printed on 7/21/2015 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes July 13, 2015 ready for the Board to view. This is a complex topic and IDOT can only move so fast once they get feedback from the Village. The ramp study is not complete; many details are being discussed in the Working Group meetings. Village Trustee Ott asked how many more meetings the Board will have before they see a letter of intent from IDOT. Village Manager Pavlicek stated that it was agreed by the Board to have one every other month through the end of the year; she is anticipating four more. Village Trustee Ott expressed concern about the environmental impact and suggested that the Board be given a synopsis of what is discussed during every Working Group meeting. Village President Abu-Taleb commented that the water and sewer infrastructure under the highway will be torn out during the construction process. He insisted that this be a State expense rather than an Oak Park expense; this is non-negotiable. He is pleased at the progress being made. He asked the Trustees if they liked the direction that this project is going. There was consensus. VI. Adjourn It was moved by Village Trustee Tucker, seconded by Village Trustee Brewer, to adjourn. A voice vote was taken and the motion was approved. Meeting adjourned at 8:21 P.M., Monday, July 13, 2015. Respectfully Submitted, MaryAnn Schoenneman Deputy Village Clerk Village of Oak Park Page 3 Printed on 7/21/2015