HomeMy WebLinkAboutMN-BPAC-2008-10-23Minutes from BPAC October 23, 2008 meeting
BPAC members in attendance: Dave Nutter, David McElrath, Jennifer Dotson, Kent
Johnson, Tim Logue, David Kay, Renee Brutvan
Visitors: Josh Carlsen, Officer Ryan Mayo, Officer Justin Williams
Agenda:
- IPD officers to discuss ideas for improving bicycle safety and other bike - related
issues
- Wal -Mart expansion — discussion of site plan
Meeting summary:
At this BPAC meeting, the input from the two IPD officers (Commons Unit) in
attendance was valuable and welcomed. It was clear that the IPD officers are motivated
to improve bicycling conditions and are eager to collaborate with BPAC members to
develop solutions.
At the end of the meeting there was a very short discussion on the proposed Wal -Mart
expansion.
Conversation with IPD officers:
The genesis of Officer Mayo's and Officer William's interest in bicycling issues related
to complaints they received from merchants on The Commons about bikes locked to trees
and lamp posts. Instead of impounding the improperly parked bikes, the officers began to
look for a way to get more bike racks installed where needed. As they thought more
about bicycling issues, other concerns came up as well, such as, bicycle riding on The
Commons, sidewalk cycling, cycling at night without proper lights, the need for bicycle
registration, and other topics.
This conversation among IPD officers and BPAC members was productive in revealing
numerous topics that warrant additional consideration and helped to identify the level of
time commitment that IPD officers could allocate given their other duties.
Proposed initial steps:
- Revamp the bike registration program. BPAC members should review the
proposed amendments to the City Code and provide recommendations.
- Install additional bike racks on The Commons. Kent is working with the
Commons Advisory Board to identify suitable locations.
Future steps:
- Future efforts are somewhat dependant on what issues are of greatest interest to
BPAC members; since the IPD officers can only allocate a small portion of their
time to addressing these issues. Issues like promoting headlight use and not riding
on sidewalks may be the most appropriate issues to tackle next.
Wal -Mart Expansion:
Wal -Mart is seeking site plan approval to expand their store on Rt. 13. In addition to
expanding the size of the store, they are also adding new uses such as: drive thru
pharmacy and grocery store (and park ?).
Two primary issues should be considered by BPAC:
- Are there site plan revisions that should be made to improve the pedestrian and
bicycling conditions (including accommodations for persons with disabilities)?
- Are there areas on the existing site where previously required items were not
installed, or were installed incorrectly? Every time a project goes through site
plan review there is the opportunity to correct existing conditions.
At the end of the BPAC meeting there was a very brief discussion of Wal- Mart's
proposed site plan, but there was not enough time to discuss it in detail. BPAC members
interested in commenting on this project should contact the Engineering Office.
Adjourned at 9:15pm
Minutes submitted by Kent Johnson