Complete Streets Advisory Board

SARATOGA SPRINGS COMPLETE STREETS ADVISORY BOARD MEETING MINUTES DECEMBER 8, 2016 5:00 P.M. MUSIC HALL, CITY HALL ATTENDEES: STEVE GODLEWSKI, COLIN KLEPETAR, DOUGLAS HALLER, MAUREEN ROBERTS, AND TINA CARTON. ABSENT: KEN GREY, DOUGLAS HALLER, LOU SCHNEIDER, AND ROB WRIGHT. PUBLIC: DARLENE MCGRAW MEETING MINUTES ARE NOT A WORD-FOR-WORD TRANSCRIPT.  CALL TO ORDER - STEVE GODLEWSKI CALLED THE MEETING TO ORDER AT 5:04 P.M.  PUBLIC COMMENT – STEVE GODLEWSKI OPENED THE PUBLIC COMMENT AT 5:05. a. DARLENE MCGRAW SPOKE DURING PUBLIC COMMENT. SHE PRESENTED PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE SIDEWALKS A CROSS THE STREET FROM CVS AND CONGRESS PLAZA ON CONGRESS STREET. SHE STATED THAT THERE WAS NO STREET CROSS AT THIS INTERSECTION AND THERE SHOULD BE. SHE ALSO PRESENTED A PICTURE OF SIDEWALKS NEAR OLD BRYAN INN THAT WERE IN DISREPAIR. SHE ALSO PRESENTED A PHOTO OF SOMEONE PARKING IN A CURB CUT. SHE THEN PRESENTED PHOTOS OF AN ADA COMPLIANT CROSS IN ALBANY AND PHOTOS OF A MECHANICVILLE ARTICLE ABOUT STREETS. SHE WAS APPRECIATIVE OF THE EFFORTS OF THE COMMITTEE TO COMPLETE STREETS BUT THOUGH THAT MORE WORK NEEDED TO BE DONE IN THE CITY. SHE WOULD ALSO LIKE THE CITY TO EXPLORE AN ALTERNATIVE TO A PARK & RIDE TO GET TO BALLSTON SPA AND CLIFTON PARK. SHE THEN SUBMITTED A LETTER FOR THE RECORD: i. “I SPOKE TO VINCE D., AND MAYBE HAVING, A SIMILAR OF SORT OF LIKE NYS ADOPT-A- HIGHWAY PROGRAM, SARATOGA SPRINGS “ADOPT-A-BLOCK PROGRAM”. IT WOULD PUT PEOPLE WHO LIVE ON THOSE BLOCKS “ADOPTED” YOU WOULD NEED TO KEEP SIDEWALKS CLEAN, BE SEEN/SEE SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING, ETC.”  b. THE CSAB COMMENTED THAT IT WOULD EXPLORE WRITING A LETTER TO CDTA STATING THAT EXPANDED SERVICES WOULD BE BENEFICIAL TO RESIDENTS. THERE MAY BE A REGIONAL STUDY ON EXPANDED ROUTES.  APPROVAL OF MINUTES- 11/02/2016 MEETING a. TABLED  UPDATE ON COMPLETE STREETS PLAN AND POLICY a. STEVE UPDATED THE COMMITTEE TO THE STATUS OF THE COMPLETE STREETS PLAN AND POLICY. KATE MAYNARD, CITY OF SARATOGA SPRINGS PRINCIPAL PLANNER, AND DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS AND THE COMMISSIONER OF FINANCE WILL BE MEETING ON TUESDAY DECEMBER 13TH TO DISCUSS THE PLAN AND THE POLICY AND ADDRESS THE COMMISSIONERS’ CONCERNS. ONE OF THE CONCERNS REGARDING THE POLICY IS HOW THE INITIATIVES WILL BE FUNDED. THE COMMITTEE ALSO DISCUSSED INNOVATIVE METHODS TO FUND COMPLETE STREETS INITIATIVES WITHIN THE CITY. THE CSAB MEMBERS WILL EXPLORE WHAT OTHER MUNICIPALITIES HAVE DONE TO SUPPORT THE COST OF COMPLETE STREETS IMPLEMENTATION. THE COMMITTEE IS ESPECIALLY INTERESTED IN HOW OTHER MUNICIPALITIES ENCOURAGE SIDEWALK SNOW REMOVAL.  RECAP OF NORTH BROADWAY BIKE LANES PRESS EVENT a. THE CSAB DISCUSSED THE SUCCESSFUL NOVEMBER 9TH NORTH BROADWAY RIBBON CUTTING. THE SARATOGIAN RAN THE FOLLOWING STORY: HTTP://WWW.SARATOGIAN.COM/ARTICLE/ST/20161109/NEWS/161109796  CDTC MINI-GRANT (CARTON) a. THE CITY DONATED THE REMAINING BIKE HELMETS TO THE BIKEATOGA HOLIDAY KIDS BIKE GIVEAWAY ON SATURDAY DECEMBER 10, 2016. TINA CARTON COORDINATED WITH PAUL FELDMAN OF THE HOUSING AUTHORITY TO DISTRIBUTE FLYERS AND LET RESIDENTS KNOW OF THE EVENT. EXPERT HELMET FITTER WILL BE AVAILABLE TO FIT BOTH CHILDREN AND ADULTS.  OTHER BUSINESS a. THE COMMITTEE WOULD LIKE TO CONSIDER REPRINTING LAST YEAR’S SNOW REMOVAL ARTICLE. b. THE COMMITTEE ALSO DISCUSSED CREATING A TRAFFIC WATCH FORM ON THE CITY WEBSITE FOR SPEEDING AND CONCERNS WITH INTERSECTION SAFETY.  NORTH BROADWAY BIKE LANES a. THE COMMITTEE DISCUSSED RE-ORGANIZING A PRESS EVENT/PUBLIC RIDE. THE COMMITTEE TH IDENTIFIED NOVEMBER 9 AS A GOOD DAY FOR THE EVENT. DUE TO DAYLIGHT SAVINGS, THE CSAB WILL TRY TO ORGANIZE THE EVENT FOR 3:30 TO 4 PM. THE EVENT WILL START AT THE ENTRANCE TO SKIDMORE AND END AT THE END OF NORTH BROADWAY. PRESS AND PHOTOS WILL BE ARRANGED FOR THE END OF NORTH BROADWAY NEXT TO THE CITY OF SARATOGA SPRINGS SIGN ON RT. 9/50. STEVE SUGGESTED EXPLORING IF THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE WOULD BE ABLE TO PROVIDE A RIBBON FOR THE CEREMONY.  CDTC MINI-GRANT (CARTON)  a. DUE TO THE CHANGE OF DATE AND OTHER OBLIGATIONS, CSAB MEMBERS WERE NOT ABLE TO ASSIST THE SARATOGA HOUSING AUTHORITY AND OPERATE A HELMET GIVE-AWAY (OCTOBER FESTIVAL, OCTOBER 23RD FROM NOON TO 5 PM). TINA CARTON DID INFORM THE AUTHORITY THAT THEY WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO ATTEND. THE COMMITTEE DISCUSSED OTHER OPTIONS SUCH AS THE HOUSING AUTHORITY HOLIDAY PARTY AND THE BIKEATOGA BIKE-GIVEAWAY ON DECEMBER 1ST AS OTHER OPPORTUNITIES TO GET THE HELMETS TO THOSE IN NEED. BOTH OPTIONS WILL BE EXPLORED.  OTHER BUSINESS a. PARK-N-RIDE: COLIN WOULD LIKE THE CSAB TO LOOK INTO HOW TO COORDINATE A PARK-N- RIDE AT THE SPAC PARKING LOT. COULD BE USED SEASONALLY, BUT WITH THE NUMBER OF COMMUTERS FROM SARATOGA SPRINGS TO SCHENECTADY AND OTHER POINTS SOUTH, THIS WOULD BE A POSITIVE FOR THE COMMUNITY. b. NEXT MEETING: SCHEDULED FOR DECEMBER 8TH AT 5 PM  PUBLIC COMMENT: STEVE GODLEWSKI RE-OPENED THE PUBLIC COMMENT AT 5:45 a. DARLENE MCGRAW OF SARATOGA SPRINGS: i. DARLENE RAISED CONCERNS ABOUT WAITING FOR THE TRANSIT BUS AND THE BUS DRIVER NEARLY MISSING HER AND NOT STOPPING DUE TO HER BEING OBSCURED BY PARKED CARS. SHE WOULD LIKE THE CITY TO BUMP OUT TRANSIT STOPS AND/OR DESIGNATE BUS STOPS AS NO PARKING. SHE ALSO WANTED TO RAISE THE CONCERN THAT THE INTERSECTION OF JEFFERSON AND VANDERBILT WAS TIGHT FOR A 30 FOOT BUS TO SAFELY TRAVEL AND TURN AND IF THIS WAS THE CASE IT WOULD EVEN BE MORE DIFFICULT TO HAVE A FIRE TRUCK SAFELY GO AROUND THIS CORNER. SHE WOULD LIKE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ALL WORK TOGETHER TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO SOLVE THESE ISSUES. SHE ALSO WANTED THE COMMITTEE TO BE AWARE OF THE SMART CITIES LEGISLATIVE FORUM IN ALBANY AT THE CAPITAL ON 11/15 AND SUGGESTED ATTENDING THE EVENT.  ADJOURN