Board of Public Safety

APPROVED CITY OF WILDWOOD September 5, 2013 Meeting Minutes Board of Public Safety Meeting 6:30 p.m. Members Present: Absent: Marshal William Garrett Council Member Dave Bertolino John Bradley Walt Guller John Gragnani Also Present: Captain Ken Williams Mayor Tim Woerther Mr. Ryan Thomas, Director of Public Works Mr. Michael Hartwig, Assistant City Engineer I. ROLL CALL Board Member Gragnani made a motion, seconded by Board Member Guller, to open the meeting at 6:30 p.m. with the above noted present. II. APPROVAL OF MINUTES A motion was made by Board Member Gragnani, seconded by Board Member Guller, to approve the minutes from the August 1, 2013 meeting. All were in favor and the motion was approved. III. OLD BUSINESS A. Strecker Road – Through Truck Traffic (Clayton to Manchester) Director of Public Works Ryan Thomas Stated that as requested at the August 1, 2013 Board of Public Safety Meeting, a vehicle survey was completed on Strecker Road, to make a determination of the number of trucks traveling this roadway. Director Thomas provided reports that summarized both vehicle lengths and travel speeds. Over the course of a seven- day survey, 194 vehicles with lengths in excess of 30 feet were recorded, out of a total of 15,886 vehicles during the survey period. This amounted to about one (1) large vehicle every 52 minutes. Director Thomas concluded by stating in the opinion of the Department, this is a relatively small number of trucks (some of what are local trips) and would not warrant any further action at this time. No further action was required of the Board at this time. B. Woods Road – Request to Restrict Traffic Director of Public Works Ryan Thomas stated that the residents using Woods Road to access their residences overwhelmingly stated they were not in favor of closing any part of Woods Road. 1  APPROVED The Board discussed various options, such as a coded access gate, speed bumps, the unique issues of traffic enforcement due to the nature of the roadway and surrounding area, restricting turns at peak traffic times, and additional signage. Council Member Wojciechowski made several suggestions regarding the “Quiet Streets” approach which utilizes different techniques to divert traffic and make the use of certain roads less appealing. Board Member Gragnani made a motion recommending the installation of signage for Local Traffic Only. Marshal Garrett seconded the motion. Council Member Bertolino, Board Members Bradley and Guller voted against the motion, Marshal Garrett and Board Member Gragnani voted for the motion. The motion did not pass. Marshal Garrett stated that the Board will continue to look for viable solutions for traffic issues on Woods Road. C. Forest Leaf Parkway – Evaluation of New Speed Cushions Director of Public Works Ryan Thomas provided the Board with a speed survey for Forest Leaf Parkway, following the installation of the speed cushions, which demonstrated a reduction in the 85th percentile from 30mph to 25mph at this location. The only problem that has been observed here, and at other speed cushion locations, is that motorists will sometimes cross the yellow centerline to avoid the speed cushions. This issue can best be addressed through ongoing police enforcement. No further action was required of the Board at this time. D. Consideration of Emergency Generator at New Municipal Building Director of Public Works Ryan Thomas stated that the Department of Public Works has been investigating options for an emergency generator for maintaining power to critical components of the new municipal building, and has received some good information from Captain Chris Von Gruben of the Metro-West Fire Protection District. They have diesel- powered generators installed at each of their station houses, which were supplied and installed by Oakley Services, from Okawville, Illinois. Metro West is pleased with Oakley Services’ performance. The generators are set on an auto-transfer in the event of a power outage, and are also set to run automatically for about 30-40 minutes weekly to keep the diesel fuel from spoiling. Weekly inspections are conducted to verify fuel-oil levels and to check for any problems. Such a system came installed for about $27,000 each. The Department has been in contact with Oakley Services, who will be scheduling a time to visit the building and evaluate our system needs. Director Thomas concluded by stating the City will go out for bids for the generator(s) and will be in contact with the mechanical engineers to verify with them which parts of the building are already wired for the generator. E. Peaceful Court Director of Public Works Ryan Thomas stated that at the August 1, 2013 Board of Public Safety Meeting, questions were raised of whether the request for a parking restriction was more of an issue with a neighbor than a widespread public safety issue. Director Thomas 2  APPROVED confirmed that the primary problem has been a neighbor from another subdivision that backs up to Peaceful Court, using the street for the parking of their vehicles and those of their visitors. Since Peaceful Court is a public street, the trustees felt they had no other means to address this other than requesting the parking restriction. Director Thomas noted that this street is two (2) feet narrower than typical subdivision streets, so that could be used as justification in this instance without setting a precedent. After some discussion, the Board determined that no further action was required of the Board at this time. IV. NEW BUSINESS A. Bicycling Safety – Ossenfort Road at Hardt Road Director of Public Works Ryan Thomas stated that Council Member Wojciechowksi recently met with a citizen who raised some concerns over bicycle traffic on or near Ossenfort Road, and has offered some suggestions. Director Thomas continued that the intersection of Ossenfort Road and Hardt Road is confusing, not only for cyclists, but for motorists as well. The Department would recommend modifying the intersection to include a single intersecting point. Additionally a stop bar should be added for traffic on Hardt Road, approaching Ossenfort Road. Wild Horse Creek Road was also mentioned as having no passing zones established. While there may not be very many long straight segments where a passing zone would be appropriate, this could be evaluated and implemented the next time Wild Horse Creek Road is resurfaced. Public education will be a critical component of these improvements, including police enforcement of bicycle-related laws. The cost for the improvements will be approximately $5,000.00. Board Member Guller made a motion to modify the existing intersection of Ossenfort Road and Hardt Road and to include a single intersecting point and add a stop bar for traffic on Hardt Road. Marshal Garrett seconded the motion. All voted in favor and the motion was approved. Director Thomas added that public education for cyclists and motorists will be compiled and distributed. Council Member Wojciechowski requested the presence of police, especially on Saturday mornings, to improve driver and cyclist etiquette. B. Cherry Hills Meadows Drive – Sight Distance and Parking Concerns Director of Public Works Ryan Thomas stated that Council Member Wojciechowski recently attended a subdivision meting for the Meadows of Cherry Hills, where the following concerns were expressed by residents:  Sight distance was mentioned from Cherry Hills Meadows Drive to Manchester Road.  The need for a left and right turn lane from Cherry Hills Meadows Drive was mentioned.  Parking along Cherry Hills Meadows Drive was a concern. Director Thomas continued that the sight distance issue will be addressed by trimming some of the vegetation along the south side of Manchester Road. A Work Order has already been issued to a contractor. 3  APPROVED There is adequate street width to accommodate separate left-turn and right-turn lanes from Cherry Hills Meadows Drive onto Manchester Road; however, having separate lanes can cause new sight-distance problems from vehicles blocking visibility from one another between the adjacent lanes. The same situation exists on Old Fairway Drive at Manchester road, and adding lanes is not something Director Thomas would suggest implementing until such time that the intersection has multi-way traffic control established (which could be a consideration once traffic levels increase). The parking along Cherry Hills Meadows Drive may be best addressed through the development of the adjacent properties, which are expected to submit plans for a new residential development in the near future. To date, the Department has not observed very much on-street parking occurring. This may become more of a problem with the future development. No further action was required of the Board at this time. V. NOT READY FOR ACTION A. Audubon Village Drive Speeding Concerns B. Prospector Ridge Speeding Concerns C. Sun Meadow Drive Speeding Concerns D. Shepard Road Crash Review E. South End of Highway 109 – Accident Review F. Deer Strikes on City Roadways VI. Other A. CPR Class Update Board member Gragnani stated a CPR class has been scheduled for October 23, 2013 at City Hall. A minimum of ten (10) participants will be required to conduct the program. B. Hunter Safety Program Board Member Gragnani stated he has contacted Department of Natural Resources (DNR) which stated they would be able to conduct a train the trainer program for Hunter Safety classes in the City of Wildwood. Anyone born after 1967 is required to participate in the program to obtain a hunting license. DNR would prefer training six (6) individuals. Board Member Gragnani stated that he, Don Kozlowski and Dan Topic are willing to become trainers. VII. ADJOURNMENT Board Member Guller made a motion, seconded by Board Member Gragnani, to adjourn. All were in favor. The meeting adjourned at 7:59pm. Respectfully Submitted, Andrea Kuhnert-Heyer, Administrative Assistant 4