Complete Streets Advisory Board

SARATOGA SPRINGS COMPLETE STREETS ADVISORY BOARD MEETING MINUTES FEBRUARY 2, 2017 5:00 P.M. COUNCIL CHAMBERS, CITY HALL ATTENDEES: STEVE GODLEWSKI, LOU SCHNEIDER, COLIN KLEPETAR, ROB WRIGHT, MAUREEN ROBERTS, KEN GREY, DOUGLAS HALLER, AND TINA CARTON. ABSENT: NONE PUBLIC: ANNE SOPHIA WRIGHT MEETING MINUTES ARE NOT A WORD-FOR-WORD TRANSCRIPT.  CALL TO ORDER - STEVE GODLEWSKI CALLED THE MEETING TO ORDER AT 5:06 P.M.  PUBLIC COMMENT – NO PUBLIC COMMENT.  APPROVAL OF MINUTES- 1/05/2016 MEETING a. COPIES OF THE MINUTES WERE DISTRIBUTED AT THE MEETING FOR REVIEW. WITH A QUORUM PRESENT, STEVE GODLEWSKI MADE A MOTION TO ACCEPT THE MINUTES. LOU SCHNEIDER MOVED TO AMEND THE MINUTES AND CORRECT THE SECOND SPELLING OF HIS NAME ON PAGE ONE. FIRST MAUREEN ROBERTS, SECOND LOU SCHNEIDER. UNANIMOUS VOTE TO ACCEPT THE MINUTES. MAUREEN ROBERTS MOVED TO APPROVE THE AMENDED MINUTES AFTER THE CORRECTION OF THE SECOND SPELLING OF LOU SCHNEIDER. LOU SCHNEIDER SECONDED TO ACCEPT THE AGENDA. AYES - ALL  UPDATE ON COMPLETE STREETS POLICY a. KATE MAYNARD PROVIDED STEVE GODLEWSKI AN UPDATED POLICY. STEVE WILL REVIEW AND EDIT THE POLICY IN THE UPCOMING MONTH. KEN GREY UPDATED THE COMMITTEE ON THE DISCUSSION WHICH TOOK PLACE DURING THE SARATOGA GREENBELT TRAIL (SGT) EARLIER IN 1  THE DAY. KATE MAYNARD ATTENDED THE MEETING AND REMINDED THE GROUP THAT THE COUNCIL APPROVED THE NEW PLAN, AND IS EXPECTED TO VOTE SOON ON THE NEW POLICY. THE GROUP DISCUSSED COORDINATING WITH THE CSAB IN IDENTIFYING AND PRIORITIZING STREETS THAT ALSO FACTOR INTO THE SGT PLAN. DOUGLAS AND COLIN WOULD LIKE TO MOVE FORWARD WITH SCHEDULING A MEETING WITH THE DPW TO DISCUSS PAVING SCHEDULES AND THEN FOLLOW UP WITH A SECOND MEETING WITH THE DPW TO ADDRESS THEIR CONCERNS REGARDING THE POLICY. b. THE COMMITTEE DISCUSSED THE INCLUSION OF THE NACTO DESIGN STANDARDS WITHIN THE POLICY AND THE IMPROVEMENT THAT PROVIDING THIS GUIDANCE WILL HAVE ON CITY PROJECTS. c. IN ADDITION, IT WAS SUGGESTED THAT THE COMMITTEE TAKE A NEW LOOK AT THE COMPLETE STREETS CHECKLIST. THIS MAY NEED TO BE UPDATED, ESPECIALLY IN LIGHT OF THE ADOPTION OF THE COMPLETE STREETS PLAN. d. KEN GREY UPDATED THE COMMITTEE THAT THE OPEN SPACE BOND FUND WAS NEAR DEPLETION OF ITS FUNDING. THE OPEN SPACE BOND FUND CAN BE AN IMPORTANT INSTRUMENT IN PRESERVING LANDS AND CREATING NEW OUTDOOR SPACE.  UPDATE ON CDTA BIKESHARE AND TROLLEY a. TINA CARTON PROVIDED AN UPDATE ON THE 2017 CDTA BIKESHARE PROGRAM INCLUDING THE CURRENT TIMELINE, NUMBER OF BIKES INCLUDED, AND GENERAL INFORMATION REGARDING HUB LOCATIONS. THE CITY IS CURRENTLY WORKING WITH CDTA ON HUB LOCATIONS AND MARKETING. CDTA EXPECTS TO ANNOUNCE A SPONSOR IN THE NEXT MONTH AND START THEIR MARKETING CAMPAIGN TO GAIN ENTHUSIASM BEFORE THE SUMMER LAUNCH. b. THE SUMMER TROLLEY WAS A SUCCESS LAST YEAR WITH A THREE-FOLD INCREASE IN RIDERSHIP. THE CDTA WOULD LIKE TO REMIND THE CITY THAT COMPARING IT TO THE PREVIOUS YEAR IS NOT A FAIR COMPARISON SINCE IT WAS NOT PREVIOUSLY FREE AND THE ROUTE CHANGED FROM THE PREVIOUS YEAR. CDTA PROVIDE IT FREE OF CHARGE AGAIN THIS YEAR. THE CITY WILL CONTINUE TO COORDINATE WITH CDTA AND HOPES THAT CDTA WILL INCREASE ITS MARKETING AND SIGNAGE OF THE TROLLEY TO BOOST RIDERSHIP AGAIN THIS YEAR.  INNOVATIVE METHODS TO ENCOURAGE SNOW REMOVAL a. DOUG HALLER AND MAUREEN ROBERTS UPDATED THE COMMITTEE ON THE JANUARY 11TH MEETING WITH DPS TO DISCUSS WHAT THE CITY IS CURRENTLY DOING AND WHAT BARRIERS THE CITY FEELS IMPACTS THEIR ABILITY TO ENFORCE SNOW REMOVAL. THE DPS FEELS AS IF RESIDENTS ARE GENERALLY AWARE OF THE SIDEWALK ORDINANCE AND ARE CLEARING THE SNOW. THE MAIN BARRIERS ARE ZOMBIE PROPERTIES – THOSE IN FORECLOSURE OR HELD IN ESTATE ISSUES AND BUILDINGS OCCUPIED BY TENANTS WITH LANDLORDS WHO DO NOT LIVE LOCALLY. THEY HAVE PLACED DOOR HANGERS ON PROPERTIES THAT ARE DELINQUENT, BUT SINCE THE MAJORITY OF THESE PROPERTIES DO NOT HAVE LOCAL OWNERS THIS APPROACH HAS NOT BEEN THAT SUCCESSFUL. THE OTHER BARRIER ARE THE COURTS WHO GENERALLY DO NOT WANT TO PROSECUTE HOMEOWNERS FOR FAILURE TO CLEAN THEIR SIDEWALKS. THEY ALSO DISCUSSED 2  ALTERNATIVE METHODS TO ENCOURAGE SNOW REMOVAL AND ALTERNATIVE LEGAL APPROACHES TO VIOLATORS. b. MAUREEN WILL RESEND AROUND HER SNOW REMOVAL ARTICLE FOR FINAL EDITS AND TINA CARTON WILL ASK MARILYN IF CITY APPROVAL IS NECESSARY TO PRINT THE ARTICLE ON BEHALF OF THE COMMITTEE.  OTHER BUSINESS a. NEXT MEETING: SCHEDULED FOR MARCH 1 AT 5 PM IN CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS.  ADJOURN AT 6 P.M. 3