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.