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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - Steering Committee - 07/10/2023 STEERING COMMITTEE 10 JULY 2023 The South Burlington Steering Committee held a meeting on Monday, 10 July 2023, in the Auditorium, South Burlington City Hall, 180 Market Street, and via Gotomeeting remote technology. MEMBERS PRESENT: City Council: H. Riehle, City Council Chair; M. Emery,T. Barritt, T. Barnes, A. Chalnick; J. Baker, City Manager; School Board: A. McHenry, School Board Chair; C. Tillinghast, K. Bailey; B. Companion V. Nichols, Superintendent of Schools ALSO PRESENT: Chief S. Locke, Deputy City Manager; Chief S. Burke, Police Department;T. Jarvis, School District Director of Finance;T. DiPietro, Director of Public Works; M. Machar, City Director of Finance; M. Lyons, City Assessor; E. Quallen, Public Works Department; L. McDonald, Principal Marcotte School; R. Doyle 1. Welcome & Introductions: Members of the City Council and School Board introduced themselves. 2. Agenda Review: Additions, deletions or changes in order of agenda items: No changes were made to the Agenda. 3. Comments & Questions from the public not related to the Agenda: There were no comments or questions from the public. 4. Approve Minutes from the 6 March 2023 Steering Committee meeting: The spelling of Ms. Bailey's name was corrected. Mr. McHenry moved to approve the Minutes of 6 March 2023 as corrected. Mr. Barritt seconded. Motion passed with all present voting in favor. 5. Receive an update from City staff on engineering analysis for traffic and pedestrian travel around schools: Ms. Baker noted receipt of the June letter from the School Board. She stressed that the city is equally committed to safety of streets, especially for pedestrians and bikers. She also stressed that there are statutory rules which have to be adhered to. STEERING COMMITTEE 10 JULY 2023 PAGE 2 Mr. DiPietro then reviewed steps being taken to address the concerns in the June letter: With regard to traffic in and around Market Street and Marcotte School, Mr. DiPietro said the City has retained VHB as consultants in conjunction with the Chittenden Country Regional Planning Commission (CCRPC). They did an analysis while school was still in session, including traffic volumes, turning movements, etc. That information is now being analyzed, and a final recommendation is expected at the end of July or beginning of August. An evaluation will then be done regarding timing and budgeting. It is anticipated that some things can be done quickly. A traffic signal would take longer and would require budgeting. Ms. Bailey asked whether the study takes future growth into consideration. Mr. DiPietro said the whole area is considered in the traffic model including new development which is plugged in to see whether the warrants for a traffic light are being met. Ms. Baker added that this is the critical modeling for the downtown area for the future. The city had anticipated one new building every 10 years; in actuality, there had been one new building every three months. Mr. Companion asked whether the consultant looked at what happens when students are being dropped off. Mr. DiPietro said they have. One of the consultants actually has a child in the school. Mr. Companion said he counted 120 cars and questioned what that number will look like in September with the new buildings. He stressed that they are less than 8 weeks from the opening of school and asked how long they will have to wait before something is done. Ms. Baker said that will depend on the recommendation. If things can be done "in house," that will happen quickly. Mr. Barritt asked whether the study looked at Mary Street and the opening of all of Garden Street. Mr. DiPietro said it did. Supt. Nichols asked whether there has been any progress on the development of a School Zone. Mr. DiPietro said there were no school zones until October, and the one that was created then was based on traffic on White Street near Chamberlin School. The city has ordered the hardware needed to make that a School Zone and is still waiting for that shipment. Ms. Bailey felt there was a missed opportunity to have added the other City schools into the request for School Zones. She felt someone should have checked to see if this was more of a District need than just for the one school. STEERING COMMITTEE 10 JULY 2023 PAGE 3 Mr. McHenry said it appears to be a 2-year process to getting the hardware. Mr. DiPietro said that is not unusual. Speed concerns have to be backed up by an engineering/speed study. Ms.Tillinghast asked if there is any way to slow development which is happening so much faster than anticipated. Ms. Baker said City Center has a different situation from other development because it is all happening in one area. Ms.Tillinghast asked what was in place regarding school safety. Ms. Baker said the condition regarding City Center was the payment of impact fees, and developers have been paying that fee which is for safety installations. Ms. Emery noted the original request from the School District was for a red light at Chamberlin School to replace the blinking yellow light. The City had no idea this would involve a School Zone. It was thanks to the study that was done that a School Safety Zone was created. Supt. Nichols asked what other supports can be put in place to keep up with the expedited development timeline to support the safe opening of school. Ms. Baker noted that the city is benefiting enormously from the expedited building. The debt will be paid much quicker, including money to the education fund. Ms. Bailey said she has nothing bad to say about development, but in response to the fast tracking of development, they would like to see fast tracking of safety around the schools. That is where the urgency lies. Mr. Chalnick asked if the City has discretion to lower speed limits on a temporary basis. Mr. DiPietro said the speed limit is now 25 mph. He added that there was a restriction of certain parking near the school. Other actions are awaiting the engineering study. Ms. Riehle noted that if a traffic light is recommended, that will take time. There could be a 4- way stop until the light goes in. Mr. McHenry said this is a situation of reacting to hazardous condition rather than anticipating them. There was a year when the risk was pretty high, and they ended up with a lag now that the situation is dangerous. STEERING COMMITTEE 10 JULY 2023 PAGE 4 Ms. Riehle noted that the walkway situation was remediated with the cooperation of the developer. The question is whether remediation is needed for a situation that you don't know will happen. Mr. McHenry said in another year, there will be 3 more buildings, and there will be a study done 4 years before. Ms. Baker said that is why the City is doing comprehensive traffic modeling for the entire City Center. Mr. Companion said he didn't think the construction is contributing to the traffic problem. He added that sometimes you don't get it right just out of the box. He wanted to see a solution that will work 5 years out. Ms. McDonald said this has been a big learning curve. She said that Snyder Homes worked with her immediately to address issues. Children on bikes have to cross the road 6 times because of the woodchip path. That is why the School District got involved. Because of parking on both sides of the street, traffic has had to be stopped so that buses out. Mr. DiPietro said one of the pieces of information they are looking for is involves the turning radius. Ms. McDonald noted there have been issues with Allard Square because traffic has been going through their parking lot to get out. She did note that things went more smoothly at the end of the school year, and she hoped some of those things can be in place to start the new year. With regard to the request for more School Zones, Ms. Riehle noted that this may be difficult around the Middle and High Schools because there are so many lanes involved. She stressed that things are moving toward School Zones, but the city can only act when there is data. Ms. Bailey asked if there can be a crossing guard, and what are the options before school starts. Ms. Baker said infrastructure changes will have to come from data. The baseline is what the City established at the end of last year. The Council was open to the request for a crossing guard and would support that. The Police Department is willing to train anyone to do that. It would be easier if that were a school employee. Supt. Nichols said the School District tried to hire one but got no reply from the community. They also tried to pay an employee, but that didn't work either. That is why she did it. Ms. Baker said she didn't think the City would have any better luck hiring someone. Ms. Tillinghast asked if there could be a Police Officer until someone is hired. Chief Burke said he couldn't commit to having someone at a specific place at any time during the day as they STEERING COMMITTEE 10 JULY 2023 PAGE 5 need to respond to 911 calls. Ms. Riehle asked about the possibility of volunteers. Mr. Doyle noted that Essex pays $25 in the morning and $25 in the afternoon. He also noted that the casualty rate for crossing guards is 3 times that for police officers. Mr. Companion asked if the District can get notification before school starts as to what the plan is. Ms. Baker said the City will share recommendations as soon as they are available. 6. Discuss the shared planning for the future of 575 Dorset Street: Ms. Baker noted that she and Supt. Nichols met last week. There is a 6-week plan between now and 16 August to consolidate the materials the City has at 575 Dorset Street. They also began a discussion regarding School District ownership of the building. This will include having the property surveyed, discussing what kind of transfer it would be, and how to get separate systems. Supt. Nichols said that from a school perspective, there are enrollment crises at 2 schools, and they are trying to get non-teaching people into 575. There are also waiting lists for students for alternate programming. She asked what potential there could be for alternate programming if the School District owned the building. She would be happy to enter into that conversation and discuss how to move forward. In a walkthrough of the building, there was discussion of how the city could consolidate its use of the building so the School District can have additional office space and free up teaching space in the schools. Ms. Baker noted that storing the equipment that is in the building would be an additional expense to the City. The City would also have to figure out how to move it and where. 7. Discuss the shared goal of partnering on capital planning: Ms. Baker said the City understands that there are capital needs on the school side, and the City wants to be the School District's champion. There need to be discussion re: taxpayer capacity. Supt. Nichols said people move to South Burlington because there are the best schools in the State. Facilities are one of the main issues, especially at the elementary level. A committee is looking into whether to transition 5th graders into the Middle School building. There are also plans to renovate that building which would involve building a new high school and using the old high school to house the middle school while it is being renovated. This would take a significant political effort. STEERING COMMITTEE 10 JULY 2023 PAGE 6 Supt. Nichols said the School District's top priorities are safety, education and finances in that order. She also said they have to be sure the City and School District are not double bonding. She felt the schools must come before a Recreation Center for the City. There is a possibility that the some school facilities could be used city-wide for recreation outside of school hours. Ms. Bailey also noted the potential to collaborate with the City on the Climate Action Plan. She said the School Board would welcome City people joining some of their committees. Ms. Baker noted a part of the City's plan speaks to collaboration with the schools. Ms. Bailey said South Burlington's High School is a top priority for the State. She cited the energy efficiencies that could be attained with new schools. She also noted that Massachusetts is not allowing renovations because of energy concerns. Mr. Chalnick said there needs to be a process by which City and School District are on the same page regarding a new school. He said he would like to tour the High School building. He added that it feels odd to have the 5th grade driving the High School. Supt. Nichols said they are not there yet either. There was significant community engagement in the past, and those conversations are being re-opened. Mr. Companion said it is not a building decision but where the best place is for 5th grade students. They are looking at configurations throughout the state. Mr. Barritt said he is thankful that the School District is taking the bold move to look at the fifth grade and at redistricting. He was prepared to work with the School District. Mr. Barnes said he agreed the schools are a key driver for the community and felt it is imperative to enhance the ability to provide the best schools in the state. He was also proud of the work that has been done regarding the modular units. Supt. Nichols explained the timeframe for the ZEMs and the use of impact fees to help fund them. She noted the greatest increase in schools last year was at the Middle school, and they will quickly need a Middle School solution (they are now serving lunch earlier,juggling how Phys Ed happens, etc.). The High School is the most deteriorated physical plant. She cited to need for better communication and community support. Ms. Emery said she had full confidence that students will have a full educational experience with the ZEMs. She also noted that residents in Burlington are being "outpriced" because of things such as building a new high school. The ZEMS are also addressing how much people are paying for taxes. STEERING COMMITTEE 10 JULY 2023 PAGE 7 8. Other Business: Mr. Chalnick asked whether there could be a K-6, 7-9, 10-12 pattern in the schools and build one new elementary school. Supt. Nichols said nothing is off the table. She noted there was an issue in the community with the elementary schools being "community based." Ms. Bailey said there is also an issue of whether to continue to fix what now exists (deferred maintenance) or whether it is cheaper to build new. Ms. Riehle noted that she taught in a 5-8 school which she thought was excellent. She stressed that the City is ready to work with the School District as it has always been...including working on a joint dinner. As there was no further business the come before the Committee, Mr. Barritt moved to adjourn. Mr. McHenry seconded. The motion passed with all present voting in favor. The meeting was adjourned at 8:25 p.m. 7_ F Clerk Octikaot_ .,eatit4 School Board Clerk