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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMN-BPW-1996-01-17BOARD OF PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE January 17, 1996 NOTES PRESENT: Commissioners Davidoff, Ehrhardt, Reeves, Seligmann, Smith, Mayor Cohen, Assistant Superintendent Ferrel. Commissioner Reeves chaired the meeting. Additions: Cass Park Bleachers There were no deletions from the agenda. 1a. Traffic Requests - Flashino Yellow Lights Court Street School Zone Comm. Reeves explained to the board that the Immaculate Conception School has requested the installation of a flashing yellow light on Court Street near Albany Street. Asst. Supt. Ferrel noted that the cost of the last flashers installed was approximately $6,000. Mr. Colon, Principal of the Immaculate Conception School, was present to address the board. He stated that there is a large volume of cars on Court Street that travel at a high rate of speed. He added that the lights would not be a continual flash, but for only a half hour during drop off and pick up of students. Discussion followed regarding the existing placement of speed zone and school zone signs. Comm. Ehrhardt questioned why students do not cross at the intersection of Court and Plain. Comm. Seligmann asked if there is data available to provide information on the effectiveness of flashing yellow lights. Traffic Systems Engineer Dan Cole noted that he has observed several situations where these lights are and did not see a difference. The consensus of the board was to obtain an estimate for the installation and move forward with the request to receive funding from B &A. A resolution will be voted on at the next meeting approving of the request. 1 b. Traffic Requests - East Falls -North Aurora Streets Request for All Way Stop Comm. Ehrhardt noted that a request for an all -way stop had been received and reviewed. He told the board that this intersection does not warrant an all -way stop according to the Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD). He added that if stop signs are installed, a motorist that receives a ticket could fight it and win. He explained to the board that although this street is three blocks from a school, there is no bus traffic associated with it. Comm. Ehrhardt told the board that he felt the all -way stop should not be installed. Paul Rubin, resident of 214 East Falls Street, stated that there were two reasons for his initial request. The first being that East Falls Street is a residential street, not a thoroughfare which motorists do not seem to understand. The second item was for the safety of the children who cross the street. He explained that the street is narrow and when cars are parked, children enter the street from between the cars where there is poor visibility. He noted that if stop signs are in place, cars would stop allowing the children to cross safely. Comm. Seligmann told Mr. Rubin that he knows of two stop signs which are not warranted and are constantly ignored. He further explained that this creates a sense of false security since many pedestrians BOARD OF PUBLIC WORKS Committee of the Whole Meeting January 17, 1996 think motorists will stop. Asst. Supt. Ferrel told the board that he had recently realized that the line of site from Aurora onto East Falls is very poor. He suggested that if a few parking spaces were removed, this would improve the visibility for traffic and pedestrians. Mr. Rubin stated that he felt this would improve the problem, but not solve the problem of speeding cars. It was noted that speed is an enforcement issue which needs to be dealt with through the Police Department. The board suggested that Mr. Rubin write to the Police Chief stating his concern with high speeds on East Falls Street. A resolution to remove parking on the north side of East Falls Street, adjacent to the existing cross walk, will be voted on at the next meeting. 2. Update on CDBG Grants. Paul Stevenson of the Planning Department was present to address the board. Discussion included descriptions of proposals for Cleveland Ave. Improvements and Southside Renovations. Mr. Stevenson noted that he has been asked for a progress report which may be difficult to give since neither of these projects have had much work done. He noted that the Conway and Wood Street Park projects are finished where DPW is concerned. Mr. Stevenson explained that the reason for discussion of this issue is to keep the board informed on the progress. He added that he would come r back to a future meeting to update the board. 3. Engineering Work Schedule for 1996. Asst. Supt. Ferrel reviewed a hand out from Supt. Gray which outlined the projects and available time of the engineering staff. Mayor Cohen questioned the rationale of including clerical support to the available staff hours. He also noted that 700 hours allotted for the Cold Storage seemed excessive. Discussion followed on several of the projects. Mayor Cohen asked that Supt. Gray provide a short description of each project including the projected time period. This issue will continue at the next COW meeting. 4. Cass Park Bleachers. Mayor Cohen noted that he received a request for the city to take over the responsibility of maintaining the bleachers which have been provided by the community. He questioned if this had previously been arranged. Asst. Supt. Ferrel noted that the issue had not been brought up during the initial discussion of the bleachers. The consensus was that it was not a problem for the city to accept the bleachers as a gift from the community. A resolution will be presented at the next regular meeting. The meeting adjourned at 6:00 p.m. Notes taken by: CW Donna L. Payne Administrative Secretary Page - 2