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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - City Council - 12/02/2002CITY COUNCIL 2 DECEMBER 2002 The South Burlington City Council held a regular meeting on Monday, 2 December 2002, at 7:30 p.m., in the Conference Room, City Hall, 575 Dorset St. Members Present: J. Condos, Chair; C. Smith, T. Sheahan, S. Magowan Also Present: C. Hafter, City Manager; D. Gravelin, Assistant City Manager; Rep. S. Audette, Rep. F. Mazur; Bruce O'Neill, Recreation Department; J. Dinklage, Development Review Board; A. Johnston, The Other Paper; the Sporzynski family; L. Bresee, L. Budd, J. Britt, M. Cloutier, B. Cimonetti, S. Casalis, C. Lee, L. Brown, P. Sumner 1. Adoption of Resolution Honoring the Life and Community Service of George Sporzynski: Mr. Condos reviewed his contact with George over the years and cited his efforts to bring community service to the city. Mr. Condos then read the Resolution which includes a provision for a community bike ride in the spring and the naming of a bridge in George's honor. Mrs. Sporzynski spoke of George's advocacy for bike paths and of how George cherished South Burlington's bike path. Other members of the Bike Path Committee, Silver Spokes Club, and the community also spoke of George's warm spirit, his advocacy, his commitment to making things better, his leadership, and his ever-present consideration for others. They noted his wide range of interests, from physics to model railroading, and his great joy in leading bike trips through Vermont, New York, and even into Canada. Mr. Condos said the date of the community bike ride and bridge dedication will be announced in the spring. 2. Comments and questions from the public not related to Agenda items: Laurie Brown, a resident of East Terrace, spoke of the problem of having guests cars towed because of the parking ban on the street during UVM games. She wondered if there could be a voucher system to address this. Mr. Hafter said he didn't want residents getting parking passes and then giving them to hockey game goers. He also noted the problem of getting emergency vehicles onto the street when there is parking there. Ms. Brown suggested a maximum of 2 passes. She noted they are at the end of the street and the problem affects them more than anyone. Christine Lee spoke of a problem with zoning regulations which don't allow storage of RV's in driveways. She noted that a number of people have received notices that they are being fined $100/day for violating this. Mr. Condos reviewed the history of the issue and noted the regulations were made in response to complaints from neighbors. Ms. Lee said the problem is with the word "storage" since they are not "storing" the vehicles during the summer months but parking them between uses. She also noted that they are allowed to park the RV's on the street which seems far more dangerous. Mr. Hafter noted you can't park RV's in the street if they impede traffic or block the street. Mr. Sheahan suggested asking the Planning Commission to be a little more "friendly" in the revision of the Zoning Regs which is now going on. Mr. Sumner asked about the possibility of opening Market Street all the way through. Mr. Hafter reviewed the history and noted that this year the owner of the street is not allowing the road to be opened even during the holiday season. 3. Announcements and City Manager's Report: Mr. Smith: A public forum on the proposed Regional Technical Academy will be held at the Middle School on Wednesday, 7 p.m. Mr. Magowan: CCTA meeting a week from Wednesday. Budget discussion needed tonight. Mr. Condos: Regional Planning Commission Housing Task Force meeting Tuesday, 4 p.m., and Regional Planning Transportation and Utilities Committee meeting on Thursday, 4 p.m. Mr. Hafter: Lake Champlain Housing Board meeting 12 December, Noon. Mayor Clavelle has asked for a meeting on Regional Dispatch, 12 December. The next agenda will include a Solid Waste District lease and discussion with the Natural Resources Committee. There will also be a report on the cost for building permits. Members agreed to postpone interviews for the 2 new Planning Commission seats until the second meeting in January. 4. Discussion with Rec Path Committee on Interests and Projects: Lou Bresee reviewed recent work done by the committee including: Phase 3 opening Expanding of scope to include walking trails (with help from Barry Carris and the Youth Conservation Corps) Mapping of the whole system Data for all sidewalks Significant improvement at Swift/Dorset intersection Improvements at Farrell St. Tree plan being done by UVM students at Phase III Planning Studies with Country Club Estates Potential for taking bike path all the way to Dorset Farms Mr. Bresee noted receiving comments regarding behavior on the Rec Paths. Ordinance changes will be presented regarding skate boards, center lines, etc. With regard to funding requirements, Mr. Bresee said they want to get sidewalk data into the computer system so it can become part of the map. He estimated a cost of $2-3,000. Ms. Budd said they are thinking of going for a grant to plant trees at Phase 3. The grant would be for up to $4000 and would require a local match. There are still issues of autos vs. bikes at Swift St., Dorset St. under 1-189, and on Spear south of Swift. Mr. Condos expressed concern with a lifting of concrete near Grandview/Kennedy Drive. Mr. Bresee said it was his understanding that was all to be asphalt. Mr. Bresee noted they now have an open seat on the committee. Ms. Johnston expressed concern with people taking over public property in the Garvey Avenue Rec Path area. Mr. O'Neil said no structures should be put in there. A similar problem exists at Red Rocks Park. Mr. Sheahan expressed concern with roads in the area of the new development near Hadley Road. Mr. Magowan also noted continuing concern with going from the east to west side of Shelburne Road, especially for people with young children. Mr. Bresee said there has been discussion of using Home Ave. for a crossing. There is supposed to be a feasibility study at the MPO regarding this issue. Mr. O'Neill noted that Ms. Hoover helped them get a grant from "Livable Communities" and is helping them with another grant proposal. He cited excellent relationships with the Planning Department. Mr. Condos spoke of the possibility of getting 10 ft. paths instead of 8 ft. Mr. O'Neill cited the dedication and vision of the Rec Path Committee and his pleasure in working with them. 5. CCTA Budget and Service Discussion: Mr. Hafter explained the Sunday service situation. Based upon data supplied by CCTA, if this service were eliminated, the city would save $7866, he said. If it ran just to UMall from downtown, the city would save $6783. The service is getting about 138 passenger trips on a Sunday, 82 in South Burlington and 52 from downtown to the Mall. With 11 trips a day, this averages about 2+ people per trip. Mr. Hafter also reviewed the low ridership rates on certain services in South Burlington. He noted that the early and late services, people using the bus are going to and from work and need the bus to do this. Mr. Sheahan noted that when he first joined the Council, the CCTA budget was $200,000. With not much additional service, the cost has gone way up. Mr. Sheahan felt the message has to get through that the tax payers can't continue to have these increases. One way to do this is to cut back on service, but Mr. Sheahan wasn't sure this was the right thing to do. Mr. Smith felt it might send a message to the Legislature. Mr. Condos said he thought the Legislature heard the message. Mr. Magowan noted that CCTA doesn't have to get a town's approval of their budget. He said public transportation is to help people get around and to get people out of their cars. He was hesitant to get involved with managing CCTA's routes. He felt the city should say "reduce the assessment by a certain amount," and let CCTA figure out how to do it. Mr. Smith felt public transportation is going nowhere unless the funding mechanism is changed. Mr. Sheahan said he thought the city drew a line last year. He understood that what South Burlington does creates ripples, but said at some point the city has to take a stand. Mr. Hafter suggested a compromise of running the Sunday service only to UMall. Mr. Condos was concerned that this service was added with no notice to the city. Mr. Magowan moved to inform CCTA that South Burlington will not accept an Assessment higher than $265,000. Mr. Sheahan seconded. The motion passed 3-1 with Mr. Smith opposing. Rep. Audette suggested a mini conference on this in Chittenden County. Mr. Magowan said he would suggest it. 6. Review Agenda for DRB meeting, December 3, 2002: No issues were raised. 7. Sign Disbursement Orders: Disbursement Orders were signed. Executive Session: Mr. Sheahan moved that the Council meet in executive session to discuss litigation and to resume regular session only for the purpose of adjournment. Mr. Smith seconded. Motion passed unanimously. Regular Session: Mr. Magowan moved adjournment. Mr. O'Rourke seconded. The motion passed unanimously and the meeting adjourned at 10:00 p.m. Clerk Published by ClerkBase ©2019 by Clerkbase. No Claim to Original Government Works.