Board of Public Safety

APPROVED CITY OF WILDWOOD April 9, 2015 Meeting Minutes Board of Public Safety Meeting 6:30 p.m. Members Present: Absent: Marshal William Garrett John Bradley Council Member Dave Bertolino Walt Guller John Gragnani Also Present: Mayor Tim Woerther Rick Brown, Director of Public Works Michael Hartwig, Assistant City Engineer Captain Tim Tanner 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 February 5, 2015 meeting. All voted in favor and the motion was approved. III. OLD BUSINESS A. None IV. NEW BUSINESS A. Cherry Hills Meadows Drive Speeding Concerns Director of Public Works Rick Brown stated on Saturday, February 8th, a single-vehicle crash occurred about 5:45pm in The Enclaves at Cherry Hills. The crash occurred at 319 Cherry Hills Meadows Drive (near Cypress Place Drive). The driver had been speeding eastbound on Cherry Hills Meadows Drive and subsequently lost control of the vehicle on the curve leading into The Enclaves at Cherry Hills. The vehicle impacted a tree and caused damage to a residential mailbox. According to the police report, damage to the vehicle indicated a roll- over crash. Witnesses estimated the vehicle speed to be over 40 mph and possibly as high as 60 mph. Road conditions at the time were dry and the weather was clear. The probable contributing favor listed on the police report was excessive speed. Council Member Joe Garritano indicated speeding on Cherry Hills Meadows Drive is a concern of subdivision residents, specifically along two areas. The first area is where Cherry Hills Meadows Drive intersects Cherry Orchard Drive. The second area is the stretch between Golden Cherry Drive and Cypress Place in the Enclaves. 1  APPROVED In response to the crash and concerns about speeding, Traffic Officer Marc Beiner conducted a traffic speed survey on Cherry Hills Meadows Drive near Golden Cherry from Wednesday March 18th through Wednesday March 25th. In addition, the St. Louis County Police, Wildwood Precinct, placed a speed trailer on Cherry Hills Meadows Drive near Golden Cherry. It was in operation March 27 - April 2. It should be noted that the existing posted speed limit at this location is 25 mph. Additionally, the width of Cherry Hills Meadows is twenty-six (26) feet and the right-of-way is fifty (50) feet. The result of the traffic survey was an 85th percentile speed of 28 mph. Director of Public Works Rick Brown presented the following options to address speeding on Cherry Hills Meadows Drive:  Targeted Radar Enforcement  Slow Children Playing Signs  Keep Kids Alive, Drive 25  Stop Signs  Traffic Calming The Board discussed the proposed options. Marshal Garrett made a motion recommending the installation of Slow – Children Playing Signs along Cherry Hills Meadows Drive. Board Member Guller seconded the motion. All voted in favor and the motion was approved. B. Eatherton Road at Shepard Road Intersection Concerns Director of Public Works Rick Brown stated the Department had received a complaint from Police Officer Jamie Reiter regarding cut-through traffic on Old Eatherton Road during the morning rush period. The section of Old Eatherton Road in question is north of Clayton Road and south of Route BA. The problem that is occurring is that southbound traffic on Route 109 backs up in the morning at Shepard Road, causing some southbound drivers to cut- through on Old Eatherton Road to avoid the delays on Route 109. When the cut-through traffic reaches Shepard Road, drivers attempt to turn left onto eastbound Shepard Road and then immediately right onto southbound Route 109. To make these turns, cut-through drivers are in conflict with a long queue of vehicles attempting to exit St. Alban Roe. At times, the cut-through drivers, unable to turn left onto Shepard Road, block traffic entering the school, which further complicates the situation. It should be noted that the root cause of the problem is insufficient left turn storage for southbound traffic turning left onto Clayton Road. The lack of storage causes traffic to back onto the through lane of southbound Route 109 causing extensive queuing in the southbound direction. This problem is primarily the result of school traffic from both Lafayette High School and St. Alban Roe Parish and typically occurs from 7:30am to 8:00am, when both schools are loading for the day. Police Office Reiter has requested a sign be posted to restrict left turns from southbound Old Eatherton onto eastbound Shepard. The restriction would be enforced weekdays during the time period of concern – the hours of 7:30am – 8:30am. Currently, St. Alban Roe Catholic School begins at 7:55am and the first hour for Lafayette High School begins at 8:16am. One concern is that left turn restrictions will affect all local traffic not just cut-through traffic. It should be noted that local traffic can still access Route 109 at the north junction with Old 2  APPROVED Eatherton Road. Another option would be to place a “Local Traffic Only” sign on southbound Old Eatherton Road at Route 109. However, Police Office Reiter has concerns that a “Local Traffic Only” sign would be more difficult to enforce than a left turn restriction. Another concern would be whether a “Local Traffic Only” sign would also restrict traffic that currently uses Old Eatherton Road to access St. Alban Roe. The Board discussed the following; the option of restricting right turns between 6am and 8am; the sheer volume of traffic at that intersection caused by the three (3) schools located in very close proximity to one another; restricting left turns from southbound Old Eatherton Road onto eastbound Shepard Road; the installation of “No Blocking Intersection” signs; and contacting MoDOT to determine if a longer green light time is needed to clear traffic volume. Director of Public Works Rick Brown stated he will be in contact with MoDOT to have them evaluate green time at the intersection in question and will advise the Board of the results as soon as they are available. V. BICYCLE ADVISORY COMMITTEE A. USDOT Mayor’s Challenge Mayor Woerther stated the Mayor’s Challenge is a nationwide program initiated by the U. S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) to encourage cities to take specific actions throughout 2015 that will increase bicycle and pedestrian safety. The Challenge kicked off March 12 at the USDOT Headquarters in Washington DC. As of this date over 200 cities and jurisdictions plan to participate. At its March 9th Meeting, the Wildwood City Council authorized the City’s participation in the Mayor’s Challenge, and Staff will be seeking input and direction from the City’s Bicycle Advisory Committee, as it takes on this challenge over the course of the next year. The Mayor’s Challenge suggests the formation of a local action team to take action on one or more of the seven (7) Challenge activities as follows:  Take a Complete Streets approach  Identify and address barriers to make streets safe and convenient for all road users, including people of all ages and abilities and those using assistive mobility devices  Gather and track biking and walking data  Use designs that are appropriate to the context of the street and its uses  Take advantage of opportunities to create and complete ped-bike networks through maintenance  Improve walking and biking safety laws and regulations  Educate and enforce proper road use behavior by all The Challenge provides a self-assessment tool which is meant to identify where we stand in regard to the seven (7) categories, and to help determine our primary goals for improving bicycling and walking safety over the next year. Mayor Woerther stated the staff will do the self-assessment and advise the Board of the results. 3  APPROVED VI. NOT READY FOR ACTION A. Regulation of E-Cigarettes and Similar Devices B. St. Paul / Kiefer Creek Road Intersection Safety C. Bicycling Safety Education VII. Other A. 2014 Hunter Education Statistics Board Member Gragnani reviewed the Missouri Department of Conservation Statistics regarding numbers of individuals who went through the Hunter Education Program in 2014 and numbers of hunter related incidents in the state. B. Survival Strategies for the Community Program St. Louis County Police Department, Wildwood Precinct Commander, Captain Tim Tanner advised the Board that the Tactical Operations Unit will be conducting a Survival Strategies for the Community Program on June 30, 2015 at 7:00pm at Wildwood City Hall. VIII. ADJOURNMENT Board Member Gragnani made a motion, seconded by Board Member Guller, to adjourn. All were in favor. The meeting adjourned at 7:09 pm. Respectfully Submitted, Andrea Kuhnert-Heyer Administrative Assistant 4