HomeMy WebLinkAbout2015-5-12Nantucket Commission on Disability
Minutes
Open Session
Tuesday May 12, 2015
Murray Room at the Founder's Building
Present: Mickey Rowland, Jeanette Topham, Georgia Snell, Phil Hubbard, Alex Rosenberg, Karenlynn
Williams, and Brenda McDonough
Absent: Penny Snow
Guests: Mike Burns, Lee Saperstein, and Maribeth Maloney
Call to Order: 3:30 p.m.
Agenda: Mr. Rowland stated, by unanimous consent we are adopting the agenda.
Note:
Minutes: We will approve the minutes for both February and March at our next meeting
because we did not have a quorum of members who were able to vote on those
minutes. We will also approve the minutes from May's meeting.
Topics: 3:31 p.m.
Parking on Sidewalks:
Mike Burns, Transportation Planner, discussed the Traffic Safety Advisory Committee
memorandum dated June 2003. The purpose of this memorandum was to develop
recommendations regarding vehicles parking on sidewalks. Any street nineteen feet
wide or greater, the group does not recommend vehicles to park on those sidewalks.
• Ms. Williams mentioned that when vehicles park on sidewalks it blocks
pedestrian access to that sidewalk.
• Mr. Rowland inquired about installing bollards on sidewalks to prevent
vehicles from parking on the sidewalks. Lee Saperstein responded that bollards
are inappropriate because large vehicles will drive on the opposite curb and
this creates a ridge in the sidewalk because of the weight of the vehicle.
3:40 p.m. Ms. Rosenberg arrived
• Mr. Burns suggested to put this memorandum, which lists the streets where
vehicle parking on the sidewalks could be eliminated, on the Traffic Safety
agenda. Mr. Burns wondered if there is a more critical issue of sidewalk
parking that is not listed on the memorandum. Ms. McDonough requested that
sidewalk parking be eliminated on Fair Street from Darling Street to the
accessible entrance of the park at the end of Fair Street.
• Ms. Williams wondered if the curbs could be colored coded to identify no
parking on the sidewalk. Mr. Saperstein replied that they could install signage
stating "No parking on sidewalk except where it is authorized to do so."
3:45 p.m. Ms. Snell arrived.
• Mr. Saperstein talked about the sidewalk survey that the Roads and Right of
Way Committee assembled. The committee surveyed sidewalks connecting
downtown to midtown. There are sections of sidewalks that the committee is
suggesting to completely replace. Mr. Burns mentioned that he might need our
support for the new sidewalks.
3:47 p.m. Mr. Saperstein and Mr. Burns left our meeting.
Maribeth Maloney:
Ms. Maloney attended our meeting because she is very interested in joining our
Commission. She feels that she has a lot to contribute since she has an eighteen -year-
old son with MD. She would love to be involved with making Nantucket a more
accessible place to live and visit. The Commission members believed that she would
be a great asset to our Commission and that we should advocate for her appointment.
3:55 p.m. Mr. Rowland left the meeting.
Update: 3:55 p.m.
Accessible Parking spaces in Private Lots:
Ms. McDonough informed the Commission that she has e- mailed Chief Pitman
requesting that his department patrol the private parking lots for accessible parking
space abuse. Ms. McDonough requested that they pay special attention to the
following parking lots: Stop &Shop, Post Office on Pleasant Street, Cumberland Farms
on Sparks Avenue, the Elementary and High School, and Cisco Brewers. Chief
Pittman said that he would have his officers patrol these lots. Ms. McDonough
mentioned that someone called the Mass Office on Disability about the abuse of the
accessible parking spaces and the lack of enforcement.
Ms. Maloney left the meeting.
Executive Session: 4:00
Ms. Topham motioned to go into Executive Session to discuss the parking permit
applications, and not to return to the Open Meeting once the Executive Session is
adjourned, which Ms. Snell seconded, and Ms. Topham, Ms. Snell, Ms. Rosenberg,
Ms. Williams, and Mr. Hubbard voted in favor of this motion.
Submitted by:
Brenda McDonough, Facilitator