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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - City Council - 04/02/2014 CITY COUNCIL 2 APRIL 2014 The South Burlington City Council held a special meeting on Wednesday, 2 April 2014, at 6:00 p.m., at Orchard School, Baldwin Avenue, and in the Laurel Hill neighborhood. MEMBERS PRESENT: P. Nowak} Acting Chair; H. Riehle} C. Shaw} M. Emery ALSO PRESENT: K.Dorn} City Manager; J. Rabidoux} Public Works Director; M. Henderer} Mr. Looby} S. Bradeen} B. Wilkie} K. Epstein} K. Doherty} C. Richman} L. Pelletier} N. & A. Carpenter} K. Morganstein} D. Jacobowitz} L. Price} J. Selfridge} P. & A. Miller} G. Caglione} M. Gleason} other community members 1. Meet one block east of intersection of Laurel Hill Drive and Shelburne Road: Members toured the Laurel Hill area with community members to review conditions of paving. The meeting then resumed at Orchard School. 2. Agenda Review: No changes were made to the agenda. 3. Comments & Questions from the Public not related to the Agenda: No non-Agenda issues were raised. 4. Input from the Public and Discussion of Area Road Conditions and Planned Paving Projects: Ms. Nowak asked for audience input. The following responses were made: Mr. Looby: Recommended a 3-way stop at Tanglewood and Laurel Hill. Ms. Henderer: Much of the traffic for all of Laurel Hill comes up their block because of the timing of lights on Shelburne Rd. Suggested better sequencing or a blinking light turn signal so you don't have to sit and wait for the light when there is no traffic. Mr. Bradeen: Has called the state about that light. They will double-check it. Mr. Wilkie: There are lights at all entrances to Laurel Hill except at Imperial. People take all the streets where there are no lights. Resident: Moved to Laurel Hill Drive in 1964, and they were talking about speeders then. Only a little something has been done. Ms. Nowak asked for a show of hands of those favoring a 3-way stop. Numerous hands were raised. Mr. Epstein: Suggested speed bumps instead of a 3-way stop. Ms. Doherty: The "straightaway" is used as a thruway between Black Lantern and Andrews Ave. Mr. Richman: Going south on Shelburne Road, he likes to exit Laurel Hill at a light, but at certain hours you can't go anywhere from Imperial Dr. Resident: Favors speed bumps. Also noted problems with sight lines which makes it bad for walkers and drivers trying to pull out of driveways. L. Pelletier: Likes the 3-way stop idea. Mr. Carpenter: Thinks there are options for slowing people down (e.g., rumble strips). Doesn't like speed bumps as a first option. A light is needed at Imperial Drive. Mr. Morganstern: Concerned with safety. Asked that the road be refurbished with any traffic calming that is effective. Mr. Jacobowitz: Likes traffic calming ideas. Suggested a possible bike lane. Mr. Price: Would like options other than speed bumps. Ms. Nowak suggested having Public Works come up with a plan and bring it to the Council to "balance it out." She stressed that the city doesn't want to repair a road and then have people drive faster on it. A show of hands showed a 50-50 split between a 3-way stop and speed bumps. Mr. Looby -Cars go so fast they end up on his lawn. Resident: Favor whatever works. Was concerned with the spacing of speed bumps with a long "runway" followed by 3 speed bumps. Was also concerned with the pooling of water at the upper part of the street. Ms. Selfridge -A big pond in front of her house causes the road to deteriorate. Mr. Miller -Favored a 3-way stop and reducing the speed limit. Mr. Rabidoux explained that State Statute doesn't allow speed limits below 25 mph. Mrs. Miller -Concerned with people coming down the hill. They have had a tree taken out on their lawn. Would like to see sidewalks. Ms. Gleason -Favored the 3-way stop sign. Mr. Rabidoux explained the problems that happened with the July storms. The plan is to rebuild the road at the top, restoring the sub-base to a proper level and adding 2 courses of pavement on top. The road would be properly crowned and graded. Mr. Rabidoux noted that when the road is done, there will still be times when the snow melt from yards gets on to the road. He also noted that now the road drains toward the middle. They look to pave the road as early in July as possible. Work should take 2-3 weeks, weather dependent. With regard to speeding, Mr. Rabidoux suggested that some landscaping and/or a sidewalk could have an impact on speeds. Mr. Shaw said there should be a decision soon as to a stop sign or speed bumps. Mr. Rabidoux stressed the importance of getting neighborhood consensus. Ms. Riehle asked the latest time to rebuild/resurface the road. Mr. Rabidoux said that with state and federal money a special permit would be needed after the end of October. Ms. Riehle asked if starting in September would provide enough time to reach a consensus. Mr. Rabidoux cited the need to have the right kind of information. Ms. Emery asked what the budget would allow. Mr. Rabidoux said they have a paving budget. There is no other money for consideration. Ms. Emery asked about a possible median. Mr. Rabidoux said it depends on the length. They could do one of nominal size, but that would take away some parking. He cited the need to induce "behavioral changesJl as soon as people enter the neighborhood and noted the success of the small islands at the entrance to Mayfair Park. The Council asked Mr. Rabidoux to come back with details on a 3-way stop and speed bumps in appropriate places (possible a 4th speed bump with a visual deterrent at the end). Mr. Dorn suggested that he and Mr. Rabidoux work on this. 5 Review of Planned Stormwater Treatment Projects in Greater Orchard School" Neighborhood and Discussion: Mr. Rabidoux noted that Bartlett Brook between IDX and Spear Street is one of 5 impaired watersheds. The city has to put together a restoration plan and has just signed a contract with a consultant to do upgrades. This may involve a unique opportunity with the UVM Hort Farm. Mr. Rabidoux noted that the delay in doing the stormwater project has nothing to do with money. The key is the involvement of the Army Corps of Engineers in the project out of their New York office. A lot of their people were re-assigned because of Hurricane Sandy, and the city's plans sat on a shelf for a long time. There are now approved plans for 90% of the project, and they are trying to resolve the last right-of-way issues. Mr. Rabidoux felt it may be possible to be under contract by summer. Plans for the project are on the city's website. Mr. Rabidoux said that during the project, streets will be under very heavy construction. A resident expressed concern with how the project is being handled. She noted they will be losing a lot of trees. Mr. DiPietro had said he would come and mark out what will be disturbed. She then got mail that said the city wants her to sign a right-of-way with an additional 10 feet before Mr. DiPietro comes. An addendum said the city can take this by eminent domain. This makes her uncomfortable. She wants to be sure her patio isn't disturbed. Mr. Rabidoux acknowledged the documents are not "warm and friendly, but the city doesn't have much leeway on the language. A resident asked if there are plans to deal with stormwater in the Orchard area. Mr. Rabidoux said it is not one of the ongoing projects citywide at the present time. It could become a project with appropriate seoping, etc. He encouraged residents to let him know about issues. Mr. Therien showed pictures of his yard with flooding conditions on 4 July caused by water rushing out of Szymanski Park. He sent a letter to the Council but got no reply. Mr. Dorn said the hope is to address some of that problem with the current project. Mr. Rabidoux said there was just so much the city could do in that situation. He noted that from Memorial Day through August, most of what they did was to insure that pipes were flowing for the next day's rain. He reminded people that there were 2 FEMA disasters in 6 weeks. 6. Other Neighborhood Issues: No issues were raised. Ms. Nowak said the city will keep residents informed as things move forward. As there was no further business to come before the Council} Mr. Shaw moved to adjourn. Ms. Riehle seconded. Motion passed unanimously. The meeting was adjourned at 8:25 p.m. , Clerk Published by ClerkBase ©2019 by Clerkbase. No Claim to Original Government Works.