Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board

Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board Monday, March 25, 2019 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. 777 E. Waterman, Bldg. 200 Wichita Transit Van Maintenance Facility Wichita, KS 67202 Meeting Notes Members present: Maxine Bostic, Jack Brown, Jane Byrnes, Barry Carroll, Russell Fox, Tom Lasater, Christopher Parisho, Marcia Schroeder & George Theoharis Members Absent: Elizabeth Ablah, Tyler Stutzman City Staff: Scott Wadle, Senior Management Analyst, Lee Carmichael, Shawn Mellies, Aaron Henning, Albert Price, Public Works Guests: Cindy Claycomb, City Council Member-District 6, Donna Carrell, Rick Sroafe, Clayton Pearson, Alan Kailer, Kelly Wenz, Dave & Sharon Hewitt, Kim Neufeld, Barbara Coats, Brenda Mueller, Chole Parisho, Jerry Jones Item Description 1. Call to Order: Jack Brown, Board Chair, welcomed board members, City staff, guests and called the meeting to order at 5:30 pm. 2. Approve Previous Meeting Notes: The board approved the February 11, 2019 meeting notes. 3. Public Comments: Clayton Pearson gave a PowerPoint presentation that outlined his commuting route with a Strava ‘heat map.’ In addition, Clayton provided a related handout as well. The board thanked Clayton for his informative presentation. 4. Project Designs & Construction: Lee Carmichael, Public Works, made the following comments:  Delano Path: Construction from the Ark River westward to South Seneca will commence in the summer and may be completed in late 2019;  Chisholm Trail Paths: Design will be initiated from South Seneca to McCormick; there are consultants assigned to the project; construction is scheduled for 2021;  Douglas Avenue – Washington to Grove: Workshops will be held on April 2nd & 3rd;  Downtown Signals Upgrade Project: This is a multi-year project that will upgrade 100 signals; the project is going to bid; staff will be able to adjust timing remotely as needed;  Redbud: K-96 Eastward to 159th: Construction may begin in late 2019;  Waco / Douglas to Central: Construction will begin in the summer; the project will convert four lanes to two lanes, with a turn lane and on-street bike lanes;  17th Street-Canal Route to Broadway: There will be bike lanes; construction in 2020;  Pawnee Prairie Park: The Park Department has nearly completed the upgrades;  Maple Street: The street is slated for repaving in late spring or summer;  Harry – Oliver to Hillside: There are plans to repair this section of Harry; and  Mt. Vernon: Bike lanes will be constructed westerly from Oliver towards the river; 1 5. Hoover Road Bikeway: Shawn Mellies, Special Projects Engineer, provided an update on the design and construction of the Hoover Road Bikeway. When completed the bikeway will connect the Zoo to the proposed Crystal Prairie Lake Park. A traffic signal will be constructed at Zoo Boulevard and Hoover. After a brief discussion, Barry Carroll moved [Chris Parisho] to recommend that the City Council approve the project design and funding for the project. Motion carried 9-0. The City Council is scheduled to consider the Hoover Road Bikeway on April 2, 2019. 6. Riverside Park Villas: Jerry Jones, Jones Commercial Development, presented information about the proposed Riverside Park Villas and possible bikeway improvements. Jerry explained that the former Booth Memorial building will be demolished this summer. There will be 22 park villas constructed that will look toward the south over the golf course. In addition, the developers plan to work with the City to establish a Tax Increment Finance District. The proposed TIF improvements would fund the project to include improvements to a section of the east bank path, lighting enhancements from 13th Street to the Red Bridge, and creation of a City park north of the development site. In response to a question, Mr. Jones indicated that it might be possible to connect the cul-de-sac road in the development to the path – providing an east/west connection to the path. After a brief discussion, Russell Fox moved [Tom Lasater] to recommend that the City Council approve the proposed Tax Increment Finance District and funding of the improvements presented during the meeting. Motion carried 9-0. 7. 9th & McLean Boulevard: Marcia Schroeder, board member, provided an update on the February site visit to the proposed crossing. Despite inclement weather, there were several people who crossed McLean at 9th Street, according to Marcia. It was reported that $150,000 from the City’s CDBG funds was initially programmed for this crossing but has been shifted to other projects after work was not initiated on the crossing project for about two years. Similarly, funding for the Mt Vernon Bike Lanes was also programmed and then allocated to other projects but is being re-instated. There was extensive discussion on the need for a safe crossing in the general area and options for achieving that. Barry Carroll moved [Maxine Bostic] to recommend that the City initiate a study for a possible crossing at 9th & McLean or the general vicinity. Motion carried 9-0. 8. Bikeway Maintenance: Aaron Henning, Director of Street Maintenance, introduced his colleague, Albert Price, to the board. Aaron provided the board with updates regarding the ongoing and future maintenance work on Wichita’s bikeways. City crews have done extensive repairs on the bike/ped network. According to Aaron, approximately 35% of the bike lanes and paths have been inspected so far in 2019. Following the presentation, it was reiterated that ongoing maintenance is a high priority of the board. The board thanked Aaron for his informative presentation. 9. Scooter Pilot Program: Mike Tan, Wichita Transit Director, presented the proposed scooter pilot program and changes to the City’s Municipal Code. According to Mike, the City has been studying this matter since before Christmas 2018. There have been several potential vendors who have expressed interest in providing scooters. The board was appreciative of the City’s proactive efforts in advance of the deployment of scooters. Following a brief discussion, Tom Lasater moved [Barry Carroll] to recommend that the City Council approve a scooter pilot program and municipal code – with the acknowledgement that changes will likely be made to the proposed pilot and code changes before it is presented to the City Council. Motion carried 8-1 [George Theoharis]. 10. Progress Report Implementation: Scott Wadle provided an update on the 2018 implementation status report. Scott reported that he has requested crash statistics from the Kansas Department of Transportation [KDOT] and the report is pending. 11. Project Updates: Scott Wadle, Senior Management Analyst, reported on the following:  Project Website: Scott stated that a website would be created for the projects;  Neighborhood Bicycling & Walking Route Plans: A plan has been drafted for review; 2   Bicycle Counting Project: The counters will be installed by City crews;  Crash Best Practices for Advisory Boards: Scott will meet with the Law Department;  People First Neighborhoods – 1600 N Park Place: A report has been drafted;  Bicycle Wayfinding Improvements: The project is on ‘hold’ for now;  Senior Walking Routes: A report has been drafted; and  Pedestrian Wayfinding Improvements: A report has been drafted. 12. Revised Board Bylaws: Tom Lasater, board member, provided an overview of the proposed updated bylaws for approval by the board. After a brief discussion, Barry Carroll moved [Tom Lasater] to recommend that the revised bylaws be adopted. Motion carried 9-0. 13. Board Member Project Reports:  9th Street Project: Jack Brown reported that the project is nearing completion; and  Azure Street Project: The project is being designed. 12. Announcements  Clapp Golf Course Advisory Committee: George Theoharis reported that the committee will submit a report; the City Council will consider on May 7th.  WAMPO Webcasts: Jane reiterated that webcasts are routinely held every three weeks; the April 17th topic will be ‘Designing Streets.’  City Bike/Ped Maps: Barry Carroll reported that bike shops are requesting maps. All the maps have been distributed. Barry will reach out to WAMPO staff about updating and printing new maps.  Spring Bike/Ped Tour: Scott will send a ‘Doodle Poll’ to board members.  Pawnee Prairie Park: There will be a ribbon cutting ceremony on Friday, April 26th @2 pm; directions to the event will be forwarded to the board. 13. Closing Thoughts:  Future Agenda Items: o ‘Big Ditch’ Access from the Zoo to the Crystal Prairie Lake Park o West Street Access to the Bridge Over the ‘Big Ditch’ o Proposed Bicycle Parking at the New Baseball Park There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 8:35pm. The next meeting of the board will be held on April 8th, 2019 @5:30 pm. Respectfully submitted. Barry Carroll, Board Secretary 3