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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2003-12-10 MinutesCity of Fayetteville Sidewalk and Trails Task Force Minutes Wednesday, December 10, 2003 City Administration Building, Room 219 Members Present: Nancy Allen, Richard Covey, Laura Kelly, Scott Mashburn, Craig Mauritson Public/Staff: Chuck Rutherford, John McLarty, Leif Olson, Ginny Apperson, Steve Hatfield, Terry Gulley Meeting called to order by Nancy Allen Laura Kelly made a motion to approve the October meeting minutes; Craig Mauritson gave a second and the motion passed. John McLarty gave an update on the implementation of the Regional Heritage Trail plan in Northwest Arkansas. The Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department will begin with a test case involving improvements in the City of Farmington. The original design includes five-foot bicycle lanes and six-foot sidewalks. During the second public input session, some questions and objections were raised regarding the bike lanes, due to an additional ten feet of right-of-way that would be required. Subsequently, John McLarty was invited to attend a Farmington City Council work session to further explain the origin and future plans for the Regional Heritage Trail plan. John gave a presentation and answered questions, some involving safety issues concerning the possibility of children using the potential bicycle lanes. John further explained that the lanes would be intended solely for use by adult cyclists and that children would be expected to ride on the sidewalk. The Farmington Chief of Police voiced his support of the lanes due to the volume of bicycle traffic in the city. Following this presentation, the Farmington City Council passed a resolution supporting the proposed improvements of the Regional Heritage Trail Plan. The implementation of such improvements will rake the western and of Farmington an excellent prototype for bicycle and pedestrian facilities throughout Northwest Arkansas. Steve Hatfield proposed an idea to post the Sidewalk and Trails Task Force meeting minutes and agenda packets on the City's web site, rather than distribution by e-mail or mailing paper copies. Benefits to this change would include saving money due to decreased postage, conserving paper required for printing copies, along with the ability to refer back to the web site in the event of misplaced or forgotten meeting information. The Task Force members supported this idea and a decision was made to post meeting minutes and agendas on the web, beginning with this month's meeting. Any member without Internet access can contact Steve to request a hard copy of these documents. Sidewalk & Trails Task Force Meeting Minutes Page 2 Steve Hatfield gave an update on the West Mud Creek Trail. Progress has been slowed due to inclement weather, but is continuing to advance. The State of Arkansas recently informed Steve of excess grant funds that will be available for use. He presented the State with some possible options to consider for the use of these funds. The first option presented was the construction of a connection between East Mud Creek Trail and the east end of West Mud Creek Trail along with added amenities to the trail, such as lighting. A second option would be the application of funds towards the Center Prairie Trail project. The last option presented was to create a connection across Mud Creek at Old Missouri Road. The final decision on where to apply the excess funds is still pending at this time. The remaining construction of the West Mud Creek Trail should move along quickly, as soon as the weather permits progress to continue. Laura Kelly spoke regarding the online Citizen Request for City Services System, which is located on the City's web site at www.accessfayetteville.org. Laura complimented Fayetteville for continued maintenance and frequent updating of the web site. She wanted increase awareness of the Citizen Request service and the convenience that it provides for citizens who may need assistance from City departments, such as Transportation, Animal Services, Solid Waste, etc. Any citizen can request services by clicking on the web site's link and completing a simple form online, which includes contact information, the location of the problem, and a description of the request. The current status of a previous request can be viewed by returning to the web site and entering the service request number issued at the time of submission. This service provides an excellent way for the citizens of Fayetteville to voice their concerns. Laura Kelly spoke next about the State of Arkansas driver's education manual. Extensive research has shown that driver's manuals in many other states include progressive language, educating future drivers that their rights and responsibilities remain the same whether operating a motor vehicle or a bicycle. Arkansas's current manual fails to make this information clear. Laura feels that some simple additions to the manual could greatly benefit drivers and cyclists by clarifying information as it pertains to both types of drivers. Sample driver's education manuals from other states were submitted to provide examples of information commonly included regarding cyclists. The State responded by saying that they will work on incorporating the suggested additions when the manual is next revised. However, the changes will require additional costs, which must be publicly funded. Citizens can encourage this transition by contacting the Arkansas State Police Department and/or their State Representatives. Steve Hatfield gave an update on the Lake Fayetteville Trail Spillway Bridge. Last month, Steve accompanied Mayor Coody on a visit to Little Rock for a presentation to the Governor's Committee. They presented information on the Lake Fayetteville Trail Spillway Bridge for a grant, which if awarded will fund this project The visit went well and they received a positive response. The final decision on the gram award recipient should be made sometime in December. The design and construction plans for the bridge are 95% complete. They are now awaiting the grant award decision, which will determine how much City funding will be required. The project will hopefully go out for bid in approximately one month. Sidewalk k Trails Task Force Moau* Minutes Page 3 f Steve Hatfield gave an update on Walker Park and the Senior Center Trails. Both trails are under construction, although they have faced some weather related challenges. The contractor plans to delay work for approximately one month, awaiting improved weather conditions. Other Business — John McLarty spoke regarding the Trail of Tears through Northwest Arkansas. There is a northern route, which has already been declared an official Trail of Tears route. There is currently a bill before Congress, which would give two additional routes official status as well. These routes span from Huntsville into Elkins on Highway 74, then into Fayetteville on Highway 16. This bill is a result of the renewed effort to commemorate the events of the late 1830's. The National Parks Service is in favor of improving these routes to include bicycle and pedestrian friendly accommodations. Additional information is available on the web at www.anpa.ualnedu and www.cherokee.ora. Scott Mashburn spoke regarding a local sewage treatment plant in Fayetteville, located near Fox Hooter Road. The plant has recently made a transition eliminating sludge application. The land previously used for this process is now available for other use. Scott presented the idea of using this land to create multi -use trails. The area would be very suitable for mountain biking, walking, or equestrian use. Some preliminary discussions have taken place regarding this property and follow-up will take place in the near future. Meeting adjourned.