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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2004-02-11 MinutesCity of Fayetteville Sidewalk and Trails Task Force Minutes Wednesday, February 11, 2004 City Administration Building, Room 326 Members Present: Bob Davis, Cynthia Kalke, Laura Kelly, Sam LaFoy, Scott Mashburn, Jennifer Tracy Public/Staff: Ginny Apperson, Petry Franklin, Terry Gulley, Steve Hatfield, Chuck Rutherford, Celia Scott-Silkwood Meeting called to order by Bob Davis. Sam LaFoy made a motion to approve the January 2004 meeting minutes; Laura Kelly gave a second and the motion passed. Scott Mashburn initiated a discussion about the possible future use of OMI lands for multi -use recreational trails. His current idea is to begin the process by obtaining permission for Steve Hatfield to begin communication anddiscussion with the entities involved with OMI to determine if future multi -use trails on this land would be a possible option. There are some issues that will need to be addressed due to the nature of past use of the land, which included sludge application.. Due to these factors, some uses of the 1 land would be permissible while others would not. The OMI land is currently owned by the City of Fayetteville, making it an ideal candidate for trails due to the minnnal expense it would require. Steve will begin researching this and determining the perimeters of use. He will bring an update of his findings to next month's meeting. Lama Kelly reported on the Bicycle Coalition of the Ozarks news and up -coming events., B.C.O. is a special interest group aimed at creating a more bicycle friendly region. They use education and infrastructure to promote their cause. They will be holding a free bicycle clihicon February 28, 2004. Cyclists can bring their machine to the clinic for free hands -ort repair and maintenance training. The next urban bicycle ride will be held on February 24, 2004. Anyone who is interested in participating can meet at the Fayetteville Square. The ride is free of charge. Participants will need to bring a bike light, because the group will be returning to the Fayetteville Square after dusk. Terry Gulley presented the proposed 2004 Sidewalk Plan. A comparison of sidewalk construction totals for the years 2002 and 2003 shows a 348% increase in production. A total of 14,218 linear feet of sidewalk was constructed in 2003. Terry presented a detailed list of the proposed sidewalk projects for 2004. The streets have been organized by Ward. The following list reflects the amount of sidewalk construction planned for each Ward in 2004: Sidewalk aal Trails Task Face Meeting Mim Page 4 Ward #1 —5,463 linearfeet I Ward #2 — 5,796 linear feet • Ward 43 — 5,340 linear feet • Ward #4 — 5,020 linear feet These projects bring the proposed total sidewalk construction to 21,619 linear feet in 2004. Although this goal is large, Terry feels that it is realistic and achievable utilizing a well-trained, efficient crew along with the continued assistance and cooperation of the other crews within the Transportation Division. Steve Hatfield gave an update on current trail projects. The grant award decision was announced pertaining to the application submitted for the Lake Fayetteville Spillway Bridge funding. Unfortunately, the City of Fayetteville was not selected to receive any funding. The reason is believed to be related to the committee's decision to prioritize funding for projects providing basic recreation facilities. The Lake FayettevIDe Spillway Bridge project was considered to be beyond the scope of meeting basic recreational needs. The Parks and Recreation Division still Hopes to complete the project and is currently working on identifying alternate funds available for this project. West Mud Creek Trail is currently under construction. The Senior Center and Walker Park Trails have been put on hold until March, awaiting favorable weather conditions. The Center Prairie Trail bid opening is scheduled for February 26, 2004. This project will consist of about 2,100 linear feet of trail. It will include a connection to the new Fayetteville Public Library site, as well as fighting, benches, and signage. The trail surface will consist of asphalt.:'- , : Steve Hatfield gave an update on current events. He gave Task Force members a handout relming.to shared -use trails located adjacent to railroads. Studies have been done to identify potential hazards and possible solutions. This idea is gaming acceptance by trail planners and the railroad industry. Steve Hatfield passed out an article that Governor Huckabee did for City and Town. It highlights the importance of physical activity, recreation, and staying fit. The Governor has made a personal goal of achieving these things for himself in order to set a positive goal for Arkansans. Steve Hatfield handed out an article regarding the economic impact of trails. Research has shown that the value of property is often higher if it is located new a trail. The existence of trails can increase the overall quality of life for citizens who choose to utilize them. Steve Hatfield distributed a brochure from the National Center for Bicycling and Walking, which discussed increasing physical activity through community design. Sidewalk and Trails Ts.3kFmce Mating Mins Page 3 Steve Hatfield briefly discussed recent news about Federal funding. There is still the possibility of another delay. If this does occur, the State of Arkansas will face the decision of whether to go ahead with another cycle of funding using the current budget amount or to wait for the final decision to be made so that they know for certain that the bill has been passed. Now is an important time for the public to speak out and contact their Congressmen and State Representatives in support of the funding. Cindy Kalke proposed an idea of asking Steve Hatfield to construct the body of an e- mail, which Task Force members could customize and send to their Representatives. This would help to ensure that the most crucial and effective points are included and allow for several voices to be heard. The Task Force supported this idea and Steve will begin working on this in the near forme. - - Other Business: Scott Mashburn made a request to see if Task Force members could be provided with a simple map showing the locations of our City's existing trails. This would help new members to catch up on what has been accomplished so far. Steve will prepare a map to be distributed at next month's meeting. ,. Laura Kelly suggested the need for a pedestrian crossing at the intersection of Sixth Street and S. School Avenue. This is an important connection between Walker Park and the Center Prairie Trail. There is currently no pedestriancrossing button at this location } and heavy traffic makes this a very difficult crossing for pedestrians. Steve Hatfield recently had the opportunity to tike consultants to the Center Prairie Trail location and to show themthe Center: Street crossing. He is awaiting their comments and ideas, some of which we hope.to incorporate into our plan. Steve is currently looking -into microwave activated flashers for the Center Street crossing. This type of flasher would not operate continuously, but rather be activated each time a pedestrian approached the crossing. Meeting adjourned.