HomeMy WebLinkAboutMN-MATC-2018-05-31
MOBILITY, ACCESSIBILITY
AND TRANSPORTATION
COMMISSION MINUTES
PRESENT:
Chair Lerner
Commissioners (8) Barden, Reed, Brylinsky, Lyczko, Roberts, Chang, Powers
OTHERS PRESENT:
Information Management Specialist - Myers
Chief of Staff - Cogan
CC Liaison – Nguyen
Supt. of Public Works – Thorne
Director of Engineer - Logue
EXCUSED:
Commissioner Parkes
CC Liaison McGonigal
Call to Order: The meeting was called to order at 6:02 p.m.
1.1 Agenda Review: No changes
1.2 Review and Approval of Minutes
Approval of the April 23, 2018 Mobility, Accessibility, and Transportation
Commission Meeting Minutes – Resolution
By Commissioner Brylinsky: Seconded by Commissioner Powers
RESOLVED, That the minutes of the April 23, 2018 Mobility, Accessibility, and
Transportation Commission meeting be approved as published.
Carried Unanimously
1.3 Meeting Protocol and Etiquette: No discussion
1.4 Statements from the Public:
Dave Nutter, City of Ithaca addressed the commission related to bikes and bike
boulevards. He encouraged the commission to consider improvements that could be
made to extend the bike boulevard on East/West Court Street east to the Cascadilla
Trail and west to the Cayuga Waterfront Trail; Spencer Road would be another good
location for a bike boulevard. He also voiced concerns about bikes on sidewalks and
the dangers they pose to pedestrians and wheelchair users, and the need to
repaint/restripe all bike lanes around the city.
1.5 Commission Response:
Chair Lerner asked Mr. Nutter to share a written summary of the major points presented
with commission members for potential follow-up.
Date: May 31, 2018
Time: 6:00 PM
Location: Common Council Chambers,
3rd Floor, City Hall
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Commissioner Powers expressed her support for extending the bike boulevards
throughout the City.
Introductions Part 2:
Chair Lerner asked commissioners to introduce themselves since a couple of members
were absent from the first meeting.
Communications:
Chair Lerner stated that the discussion with Alderperson Mohlenhoff on communication
between the four commissions, city staff and open meetings law will be deferred to a
future meeting.
Chair Lerner reminded everyone that the commission is a public body and as such
governed by New York State Open Meetings Law. He stated that he wanted an
organized and efficient way to store input from the public and from commission
members on topics of potential interest to the commission. Information Management
Specialist Myers has a filter set up with her e-mail that will sort messages with the word
“keeper” or “keepers” in the subject line; use the email mat@cityofithaca.org.
Public Works Overview:
Supt. Thorne provided the following information on the Department of Public Works:
Water and Sewer Division:
The city’s water and sewer system was designed to last 100 years; that time span has
passed and then some so a lot of repairs need to take place. One of those systems is
on East State/Martin Luther King, Jr. Street and this summer work is underway to
replace all the underground infrastructure causing traffic delays and frustration for
motorists.
Engineering Division:
Director of Engineering Logue explained that there are 7 other engineers in the
Engineering Division that includes a Civil Engineer, two Assistant Civil Engineers, one
Bridge Engineer, one Sidewalk Program Manager, one Transportation Engineer, and
one Assistant Transportation Engineer.
He explained that about 60% of the department’s work relates to capital project
management. That includes seeking funding, design, and construction of streets,
bridges, trails, and city buildings etc. Other work of the department includes:
Right-of way management and permitting
Records management for the city’s infrastructure
Oversight of the various modes of transportation (bikes, buses, cars, sidewalks,
train, and some assistance to TCAT although they run, for the most part, without
a lot of assistance from the city.
Pedestrian infrastructure
The Sidewalk Program including strategic review of the sidewalk system - where
sidewalk is missing, long-range planning, inventory and prioritization of work
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Not a lot of work is done with trucks and freight other than creating/maintain
loading zones which are a key part of the economy of the community
Bike infrastructure in conjunction with the Planning Department i.e. where, what,
design, and paths
Vehicular traffic in general - traffic control, signals, design; a lot of the work is
regulated by state laws
Coordination with the Planning Department related to land use development (for
example, currently in the waterfront district there is a lack of infrastructure for
transportation there so how can that be improved)
Improvements to bike and pedestrian facilities for new development (the Board of
Public Works oversees those on city property; whereas the Planning and
Development Board oversees the infrastructure on private property)
Coordination with New York State Department of Transportation - Routes 13 and
79; their offices are remote so they rely on the city to be their eyes and ears as
far as work needed
Traffic calming program - there is process to receive requests which are then
studied and prioritized for construction
A brief question and answer time followed.
Parking Division – the Department of Public Works is responsible for all on street-
parking enforcement as well as recommending parking rates for garages and on street
parking that goes to the Board of Public Works for approval. The staff of the Parking
Division work closely with the city’s engineers related to the creation of loading zones in
new areas and maintenance of the old garage structures. The Parking Division also
oversees the management of the Commons.
Streets and Facilities – this division is the construction arm of the Department of Public
Works. Staff are responsible for repairs to buildings, parks, streets, routine repairs, and
maintenance; with the largest amount of work related to the maintenance of all city
streets, snow plowing, sidewalk repairs outside of the city’s sidewalk program, and
bridge repairs (city crews can only make minor repairs to the bridges; they’re not
permanent but in the long term will help maintain them for continued use a little longer).
The Department of Public Works is responsible for the oversight of the department’s
operating budget and capital project budgets. Both of these budgets drive and limit the
work of the department. The money for the operating budget is raised from property
taxes and parking revenues; it pays for salaries and routine maintenance.
Annual Work Plan/Chair’s Comments:
Chair Lerner explained that commissioners were paired off to begin to research various
topics. When the commissions were originally created, the plan was that there would
be a discussion at the May meeting about the commission’s annual work plan. Over the
last month it's become clear that’s not an option because each of the 4 pairs found that
things took longer and the process moved slower than anticipated. He suggested that
the pairs keep going with their research topics and to determine what the next steps and
topics for agendas should be at next month’s meeting.
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Each pair of commissioners presented a brief 10 minute overview of the results of their
research on the following topics:
Bicycles: Commissioners Sarah Barden and Megan Powers
Commissioner Barden stated that they were tasked with finding out what the legacy
items were from the former Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Council (BPAC) so they met
with the former chair, David W est. They found out that the City has a bike plan which
was drafted in 1997 and is used to guide engineers in decisions. In addition, the
funding was not there to implement components of the plan as comprehensively as
recommended. They also met with Hector Chang (current MATC commissioner) who
works for Bike/W alk Tompkins - Ithaca Car Share who is creating a bicycle plan
blueprint through a grassroots approach to be used as a guiding document for future
decisions. They have plans to meet with Fernando d’Aragon, Tompkins County
Transportation Council. They suggested that the commission investigate what projects
are currently underway in the City and whether there is work that the commission might
assist with or whether the time might be better spent on strategic planning for the future.
Parking - Commissioners Peter Parkes and Theresa Lyczko
Commissioner Lyczko reported that they met with Superintendent of Public Works
Thorne, Chief of Staff Cogan, and Director of Parking Messmer. They found that
maintenance of the city’s parking garages is a big concern, and that it is important to
know all the multiple stakeholders that would be affected (i.e. residents, businesses,
hotels, and commuters) by any changes so as to have an understanding garage use in
an effort to find possible solutions for their future. She explained that staff would like
help from this commission to find the best practices from other cities that might work
here, and what role it could play in terms of a long term and more strategic parking plan.
Chair Lerner stated that Supt. Thorne plans to develop a large scale comprehensive
parking plan for the City of Ithaca that will be used as a guide over the next decade.
This commission needs to think about what questions the study should try to answer.
ADA Issues - Larry Roberts and Sarah Brylinsky:
Commissioner Roberts reviewed the history of the Disability Advisory Council and how
their recommendations were developed to be used as a tool for the new commissions.
The most important one concerns the need for the City to hire an ADA Coordinator
whose primary job would be to ensure that ADA law requirements are met by the City of
Ithaca, and be a resource for city staff and the public. He further explained that when
the ADA law was passed in 1990 it required the City of Ithaca to develop an ADA self-
assessment (this was a requirement for all municipalities). That self-assessment has
not been updated since 1992; Chief of Staff Cogan has a copy. The DAC
recommended it as a place to start in order to have clear data of where the City is now
versus where it should be or was in 1992. It will be important for this commission to
push the City to complete a current self-assessment. Other topics that should be
reviewed and discussed include emergency preparedness, a downtown accessibility
map, universal design, wayfaring, accessibility and technology.
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Chair Lerner suggested that it might make sense to have a longer and more
comprehensive discussion of ADA Law, Universal Design, the City’s self-assessment,
the ADA Coordinator position, and the other recommendations from the Disability
Advisory Council in a more systematic way.
Snow Removal - Bill Reed and Hector Chang
Commissioner Reed recommended that this issue be dealt with before the coming
winter season. He explained that the original city law on snow removal has not been
updated since 1992. The issue that comes up the most is that it has been subjective as
to how it is applied, and could the current law be clarified to make enforcement clearer
and less subjective. It would be good for our commission to look at other communities’
sidewalk snow removal processes and make an assessment as to whether or not there
are other and better ways that it could be done in the City of Ithaca.
Meeting Wrap-Up:
Chair Lerner stated it is clear that each pair of commissioners has more they can work
on related to the topic they were assigned. He is content to leave the topic pairing
assignments as they are; unless someone wants to make any changes.
Next meeting - similar plan as this meeting with the second half of the meeting providing
time for reports on assigned research topics, and another large presentation during the
first half of the meeting. He will reach out to the Director of Planning and Development
to see if they might be available for the June 25 th meeting.
Feedback on today’s meeting and process:
Overall, everyone felt the meeting went well; they liked the fast pace and the
timekeeping. Timekeeping helps to control the length of time each item is discussed
and aids in keeping the discussion focused. Microphones will be used at the next
meeting.
Next Meeting
Monday, June 25, 2018 – 6:00 p.m.
Adjournment:
On a motion the meeting adjourned 8:10 p.m.
Respectfully submitted by
Sarah Myers, Information Management Specialist