HomeMy WebLinkAbout2020-8-18 Town and County of Nantucket 2020 SEP 16 PM 2' 2
ROADS AND RIGHT OF WAY COMMITTEE
Posted Meeting of 18 August 2020
Held by Zoom Videoconferencing
FINAL AND APPROVED MINUTES
1. Call to Order,Approval of the Agenda,Approval of Minutes, and Public Comments.
A. Chair Allen Reinhard called the meeting to order at 4:00 pm. In attendance were Rick
Atherton, , Bill Grieder,Nat Lowell, Allen Reinhard; and Lee Saperstein; there was a quorum at
all votes. All responded to an attendance roll call. . The meeting was recorded and can be
viewed on You Tube.
Absent: Nelson(Snookie) Eldridge. Ed Gillum, and Leslie Forbes
Guests: Ken Beaugrand, Real Estate Specialist,.
B. Approval of the Agenda. The agenda was approved unanimously by acclamation.
C. Public Comments; Officers' Comments.
There was no public comment.
D. Minutes. Approval of the minutes from July 21, 2020, was moved by Nat Lowell and
seconded by Rick Atherton. Unanimous approval was given by roll-call vote.
2. Projects List Review, Priority Projects.
Allen Reinhard introduced this item by saying that he had reviewed the Projects List and
identified those that he believed to be most critical. He felt that a discussion and review of status
would help to move them from a planning stage to implementation. The issues are traffic safety
and public access and need solutions. How can our Committee best further these projects?
In his mind, the missing sidewalks at Prospect St., Pleasant St., Cliff Rd. and Quaker Road are
the highest priority. He recalls that plans were developed for each of these segments but does
not recall if they were funded. Rick Atherton suggested that we look at the Capital Program
Committee reports to see if any of these sidewalks or paths are on it. He asked if any priority
had been assigned to these projects. Each of these ways badly needs a sidewalk and Allen will
discuss with Andrew Vorce, Planning Director, and Rob McNeil, DPW Director, their status.
[Action: Allen to discuss status of these projects with Ken Beaugrand,Rob McNeil and Andrew
Vorce.]
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Discussion about Prospect Street noted that the path that follows North Mill Street through Mill
Hill Park to Old Farm Road may have been planned and even funded. It was noted that, if built,
bicycles will be able to access both the Hummock and Madaket Road bicycle paths without
having to go on Quaker Road. He recalled that the planners and several committee members
walked Prospect Street in conjunction with planned reconstruction alongside the hospital. This
path adds substance to the recommendation for taking and reconstructing Winn Street. Allen
Reinhard will follow up on this one particularly. The benefit of sidewalks along Pleasant and
Prospect Streets was also discussed.
Allen Reinhard then asked for opinions on sidewalk construction along Cliff Road to which Nat
Lowell replied that we needed to keep alive discussions about this way. He talked about
engaging home owners in landscaping that created sidewalks. He noted also that he had seen
large vehicle passing bicycles on narrow roads around Cliff Road and thought that these ways
should be candidates for"share the road" signage that is painted on the road surface.
Allen Reinhard then said that we will get more movement on these ways if we collaborate with
other committees that are interested in road safety: Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Advisory
Committee, Jason Bridges, Chair, and The Traffic Safety Work Group, Art Gasbarro. Chair. Bill
Grieder asked about the Street and Sidewalk Advisory Committee and Lee Saperstein replied
that this was an ad hoc committee that no longer exists. As noted here and in Agenda Item 4.,
Allen Reinhard will contact these committees and suggest that we exchange liaison members.
The next set of priorities is to follow up on the taking and re-construction of Lovers Lane,
Okorwaw Ave. and Monohansett Rd. road and accompanying bike path plans. He noted that
these projects were slated for approval at the next Annual Town Meeting and may require an
over-ride approval.
The third area of concern, noted Allen Reinhard, are the downtown business district sidewalk
improvements. There is a recurring budget item of one million dollars per year in the capital
budget for rebuilding the downtown sidewalks in a phased fashion. He noted that this work was
sparked by the sidewalk survey done by the committee several years ago. Nat Lowell added that
he hoped that streetscape improvements, such as crosswalks, would be included in these projects.
Allen Reinhard added that we had worked hard to get the Town to fix the downtown sidewalks
and he is pleased that they are moving forward to do so.
Ken Beaugrand suggested that we create a written plan for each of our priorities that shows the
steps needed to reach our objectives. If cost information is available, it should be added to the
plan. Allen Reinhard thought that this was an excellent idea. Nat Lowell recalled that the DPW
had a detailed plan of needed repairs but he was uncertain as to where it was. Allen Reinhard
said that he would ask Rob McNeil about it. [Action: Allen Reinhard to organize writing of
plans for priority projects.]
4. Traffic Safety Workgroup, Bicycle Route Committee and other Commissions, and
Boards Assist Us with Our Priority Projects: Someone to Co-ordinate Communication?
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This agenda item was integrated into the discussion generated in the previous agenda item. Allen
Reinhard will reach out to the Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Advisory Committee and the Traffic
Safety Advisory Working Group with the hope of sharing agendas and, even, exchanging liaison
members. [Action: Allen Reinhard to contact Jason Bridges and Art Gasbarro.]
5. Chapter 91 License Monitoring System. Current List Available? Procedure to Add New
Applications,
This agenda item was hampered by the unavailability of Jeff Carlson,Natural Resources
Director,nonetheless some useful discussion ensued. Rick Atherton repeated his concern for
good record keeping and coordination of these licenses with our committee. Allen Reinhard said
that the Town should have an addressable, digitized file of these licenses. Lee Saperstein noted
that,while the State was unlikely to cede authority, such a delegation would solve a lot of
record-keeping problems. Andrew Vorce said that we need a detailed map of Chapter 91
licenses, similar to the one created for the One Big Beach Program. He will ask Nathan Porter,
GIS Coordinator, to consider creating one. [Action: Andrew Vorce to ask Nathan Porter about
creating a Chapter 91 License map; Allen Reinhard to ask Jeff Carlson to share his files for this
effort.]
6. Road Encroachments and Public Road Maintenance.
Allen Reinhard began this agenda item by noting that, as a regular user of the Polpis Road, he
had counted at least six substantial potholes that needed to be repaired. Andrew Vorce pointed
out that a short section of a bike path had been installed at the intersection of the Monomoy and
Polpis Roads but that it revealed that one of the buildings in Monomoy Village was within one
foot of the road layout.
At this point, Bill Grieder made a strong plea for fixing parking along the Madaket Road and
Washington Avenue. He noted that the COVID-19 outdoor serving arrangements at Millie's,
which are in the normal parking lot, forced patrons to park on the road. He shared photographs
of crowded and jammed roads adjacent to the restaurant. Because Washington Avenue is not
marked with"No Parking" signs,the police, who are short-handed, cannot issue tickets. He
asked that we work with the Traffic Safety Working Group and provide him feedback that he can
share with residents of Madaket.
Ken Beaugrand thought that some of the land on which cars were parked was Town-owned
property and he would look into that. Nat Lowell had a strong suggestion. If Washington
Avenue had a 27-foot paved width, it could stand a no-parking ban on one side, presumably the
east side. He recommended that our committee ask the Traffic Safety Working Group to assign
a no-parking zone to the east side of Washington Avenue and the committee assented. [Action:
Allen Reinhard to forward this recommendation to Art Gasbarro.]
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5. Member Comments, Old, New and Other Business: Outstanding Projects List; Historic
Coloured Cemetery Access.
As Allen Reinhard introduced this agenda item, his Zoom connection failed. Without a quorum,
the remaining committee members agreed that the meeting should be adjourned.
7. Adjourn,
Adjourn: The meeting was adjourned at 5:16 pm with the loss of a quorum. Our next meeting
will be held on September 15,2020.
Lee W. Saperstein, Secretary Date
Roads and Right of Way Outstanding Projects List:
Public Way Monument Project: (Lee& Allen & Snookie)
• Install remaining monuments at Sconset Footpath, Hulbert Ave.
• Update file of existing monuments
• Move monuments at Westchester St. Ext. & Crooked Lane
Sidewalk Projects: (Allen)
• Prospect St. (bike path to Upper Vestal St.) and on to Madaket bike path
• Cliff Rd. Coffin Park to bike path at Sherburne Tpk.
• Pleasant St. Gardner Perry Lane to Williams St.
• Follow implementation of downtown sidewalk improvements
• Bike/Pedestrian connection from Surfside to Hummock Pond to Madaket paths
Harbor Walk Project: (Rick)
• Identify route and identify sections needing constructed walkway
• Concept drawings of construction required
• List permits and approvals needed and process to obtain
• Funding
Chapter 91 Monitor Project: (Leslie& Lee)
• Define goals for project
• Make local license information available on line
• Chapter 91 licenses along route for the Harbor Walk
• Locate other locations on Nantucket and Madaket Harbors requiring licenses
Nantucket Greenway and Trail System Project: (Allen and Lee)
• Nantucket Central Rail Road trail
• Map existing island trail and footpath systems and identify missing links
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• How should maps and information be shared?
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