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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2015-8-18C", L) Town and County of Nantucket ROADS AND RIGHT OF WAY COMMITTEE Meeting of 18 August 2015 Conference Room of 2 Fairgrounds Road 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 4:06 pm. In attendance were D. Anne Atherton, Kara Buzanoski, Dave Fredericks (arrived at 4:21 pm), Nat Lowell (arrived at 4:13 pm), Joe Marcklinger, Allen Reinhard, Lee Saperstein, and John Stackpole (left at 5:21 pm); there was a quorum at all times. Absent were Leslie Forbes and Bert Ryder Guests: Tom Barada and Craig Spery The agenda as distributed was accepted. B. Public Comment. Joe Marcklinger commented that the right of way at the end of South Share Road where it becomes Hillside Avenue was blocked without public hearing denying access to the beach. If we close a road, he asked, why not have a hearing before closure? Kara Buzanoski answered that it was one of many beach access points that were closed for nesting bird protection. Our Natural Resources Department responds to a federal mandate. Once the birds leave, it will be reopened. Tom Barada had a question on the length of yellow, no- parking lines at intersections. He was particularly concerned about the reduction of parking due to a yellow line on Nonantum Avenue where it meets Surfside Road. Kara Buzanoski reported that the State mandate was for 20 feet. Tom Barada said that he thought that it was longer than that at this intersection. Nat Lowell and Allen Reinhard both reported that they recalled that there was a land swap that led to 15 more spaces in the public lot in return for an increase on the no- parking zone on Nonantum. D. Anne Atherton asked where would this be recorded and Kara Buzanoski said, "on the deed." Tom Barada then asked about Center Street in `Sconset, just off the Town Square, where there appears to be a loss of parking at a newly constructed house due to encroachments into the road. Kara Buzanoski said that her department is aware of the issue and she is looking into getting a land survey of that stretch of road so that she can accurately determine the degree of encroachment. Craig Spery told the committee that he had sent an e -mail to Allen Reinhard on July 291' about encroachments into Cathcart Road at number 15; he was at the meeting to present his concerns to the entire committee. It is apparent that landscaping at this property has encroached into the road. John Stackpole agreed with the concern, saying that there had been a loss of access along the harbor some years ago. Allen Reinhard related that the Nantucket Island Land Bank, which owns property west of the road, has discussed this problem frequently and does allow parking on its part of the beach. It is understood by all that there are only limited access points to the harbor and those that exist should be kept open. D. Anne Atherton asked if we should create a dedicated sub -group to look at this issue? In response to a comment that private deals have limited this access, John Stackpole said that there was no private negotiation; everything done by the Land Bank was done openly. In response to a question about the DPW removing encroachments, Kara Buzanoski said that they are able to clear them up to the point where they reach a wetland resource area. Craig Spery then said that there was a second part of his memorandum where he asked about the status of the lateral ways from Hulbert Avenue to the Harbor. Allen Reinhard said that he had recently walked the five ways and found them to be open and accessible. For the record, these are Dix, Henry, James, Johnson, and Willard Streets. The legal processes of taking the ways are underway; the Town has proceeded serially so that some takings are complete and others are still in process. After a way is taken, it is sold back to the abutters with the Town retaining an easement for a five -ft. wide footpath to the Harbor. The landowners have agreed, as part of these negotiations, to provide an One -Big Beach Easement on the Harbor. Dave Fredericks asked how we mark those ways. Lee Saperstein responded that we need to put "Public Way" monuments in the ground similar to those done several years ago. Allen Reinhard reported that we have three more markers that we can emplace; we will need to identify the remaining sites and order additional posts. [Action: Identify ways that need markers and arrange for their installation. These include those mentioned above, the remaining unmarked lateral ways at Baxter Road, and the newly taken way at Madequecham.] C. Minutes. It was moved by John Stackpole and seconded by D. Anne Atherton to approve the minutes of June 16, 2015; approval was unanimous. There was no meeting in July. 2. Annual Reorganization; Election of Officers for FY16; Project prioritization. With respect to our annual reorganization, Allen Reinhard read out committee members' names along with their year of term end. He welcomed Dave Fredericks, our newest member. Reflecting on the small, cluttered nature of our meeting room, D. Anne Atherton asked if we could consider meeting somewhere else, particularly a conference room equipped to capture our discussions. Nat Lowell, expressing support for the way we are, said that basically we are informal and a televised meeting could cause restraint to our conversations and also require the regular presence of our ex officio members. Allen Reinhard then moved to the election of officers. John Stackpole moved re- election of existing officers and Nat Lowell seconded his motion. The favorable vote was unanimous; thus the officers for 2015 -2016 are Allen Reinhard, Chair, D. Anne Atherton, Vice Chair, and Lee Saperstein, Secretary. [Action: Update the web site] 3. Sidewalk Survey Project: Workshop with BOS/Town Manager. 2 Allen Reinhard met with the Town Manager, among others, about how we should present our Sidewalk Survey report to the Board of Selectmen. It was concluded that it would be best to schedule a Workshop with Board. He agreed with the idea of an extended workshop and hopes that it will be scheduled in early Fall. Dave Fredericks, who has a strong interest in the state of the Town's sidewalks, thinks that this is an opportunity; we need to run a practice session. He suggested that we should be able to discuss questions of priority. Allen Reinhard said that we have developed a tentative list of priorities. Dave Fredericks asked about the budgetary priorities for sidewalks. Lee Saperstein reminded the group that we had written to the Board of Selectmen in support of recommendations for sidewalks and bikepaths in the proposed revised Regional Transportation Plan and included in our letter a list of priorities that had been developed in concert with the Town's Transportation Planner. The letter is attached to the June 2015 Minutes. Kara Buzanoski shared a copy of the Department of Public Works ten -year capital request plan (attached); it includes year -by -year priorities. This was part of a report prepared for our committee but it also served to answer Dave Fredericks question on budget priorities. Sidewalk reconstruction and repair is requested to begin in FY 2017 and continue for a number of years thereafter. She reminded us that this is a capital request; the DPW has several expert brick workers on staff but their support is integrated into her operating budget. She also reviewed the other major requests for 2017 and years beyond. For example, reconstruction of the Boulevarde and connecting streets is listed for the next three years at $1,000,000 per year. First Way is also scheduled as are the construction and reconstruction of rotaries on the Island. The requests also include money for major maintenance projects on roads and bikepaths. D. Anne Atherton asked if the DPW capital plan is coordinated with the Regional Transportation Plan. Kara Buzanoski said that we are working together to ensure that future versions will be parallel. Nat Lowell reminded the group that the Regional Transportation Plan is required by the State and has a 25 -year planning span, which means that it is very speculative. Recently, he has seen a lot more coordination among the various capital planning groups in the Town. Lee Saperstein said that his next question is only indirectly related to capital planning for sidewalks. He asked if we should undertake a review of homeowner responsibility for sidewalk clearing of snow and other obstructions. Dave Fredericks said that we need to create a process for sidewalks. Nat Lowell related that, in times past, the voters in the Town would not accept road improvements that reduced our special appearance but that there appears to be now an attitude that accepts construction that enhances traffic safety. 4. Potential Takings List Review and Update. As part of her discussion of the DPW Capital Funds Request, Kara Buzanoski listed several priorities for road takings. They are the combined Friendship Lane /Somerset Road route and Winn Street. The latter taking and reconstruction is to reduce traffic on Prospect Street. She also wants the Town to approve a new road that would become the Fairgrounds Road to Milestone Road connector. This road will reduce the traffic stress on the Milestone Rotary; While on the list, Amelia Drive is not as high a priority as the first two. MillBrook Road is a candidate for 3 taking but is not yet included in the capital lists. The evaluation for taking MillBrook Road will be done as part of a sewer - planning exercise. Lee Saperstein reminded the Committee that we have an Excel spreadsheet of potential road takings and urged the members to mark it up in terms of omissions as well as roads that should be removed; he also wanted their ideas on priorities. Please mark up the Excel spread sheet in anticipation of creating an updated version. [Action: include a revision of the takings list for the agenda of our next meeting.] 5. Old, New or Other Business: Town Policy Statements and Statement of Commitment Yearly Update. Allen Reinhard reminded the membership that the Town requires a signed Statement of Commitment from each Committee Member; he had blank copies for those who had not yet sent theirs into the Town. D. Anne Atherton suggested that our future efforts should emphasize access to the water. She asked if it is still appropriate to dwell on the Takings list? Lee Saperstein said that our advice on road takings is valuable and should be continued. With reference to our projects list, D. Anne Atherton suggested that we ask the Board of Selectmen for their suggestions of projects that we undertake in the coming year. 6. Adjournment. Adjournment came at 5:37 pm. The next meeting will be on September 22, 2015, at 4:00 p.m. in 2 Fairgrounds Road. R &ROW Committee Outstanding Projects List: Projects Under Way: • Downtown Sidewalk Survey Project • Nantucket Central Railroad Trail Project • In Town Bike Path from Washington St. Ext. to Rotary • Boulevarde to Airport road takings, and reconstruction as Public Ways • Installation of sidewalk from Prospect St. multi -use path to Upper Vestal Street • Bike path linking Surfside, Hummock Pond & Madaket Bike paths via Mill Hill • Surfside paper road/abutters way takings • Access to Sconset Footpath, maintenance and signage Projects in need of advancement: • First Way Pedestrian/Bike Access and Road Improvement Safety Project • Nantucket Open Space Plan Update • Nantucket Greenway and Footpath System 4 • East Creek Road viewing platform and CPC grant • Harbor walk • Update Potential Takings List and process used to evaluate priority for takings • Work with DPW on maintenance plan for public way monuments and trails • Oversight of maintenance West Chester St. Ext., Crooked Lane and Cathcart Road Completed projects needing implementation and follow up: • Chapter 91 Public Access License Enforcement: Harbors Plan Implementation 5 Town and County of Nantucket Roads and Right of Way Committee 16 Broad Street Nantucket, MA 02554 Re: Proposed Revisions to the 2016 Regional Transportation Plan Nantucket Planning and Economic Development Commission; Board of Selectmen of the Town of Nantucket 16 Broad Street Nantucket, MA 02554 Dear Commissioners and Selectmen: The Roads and Right of Way Committee, at its meeting of June 16, 2015, voted unanimously to support the bicycle and pedestrian safety elements of the proposed revisions to the Nantucket Regional Transportation Plan, RTP. Specifically, these are Sections 6.6. and 6.7. of the Plan. Over the past year, our committee has been surveying the condition of Nantucket's sidewalks and has prepared a draft report of our findings. There is no doubt that many of our sidewalks need to be replaced and in several key places provided for the first time. We are pleased to report the collaborative efforts of Nantucket's Transportation Planner, Mike Burns, who has incorporated many of our findings into the RTP. Section 6.7. on Pedestrian Safety lists many of the streets in Nantucket's core that should have their sidewalks rebuilt. You may be interested in this quotation from our Committee's draft report: "Priority 1. We recommend that the following high - priority streets have their sidewalks rebuilt either in their entirety or with sufficient coverage to improve their rating to one (1). The following streets should be dealt with first. • Main Street, both sides but excluding the recently re -built portion on the north side between Center and Federal Streets. • Federal Street on the west side between Main and Chestnut Streets. • Center Street, both sides between Broad and Chestnut. • India Street, the lower portion (ex -Pearl Street) of the north side adjacent to the Atheneum. • Broad Street, the south side between Center and Federal." "The following streets, listed alphabetically, should be fixed as soon as funds become available. Candle Street, Chester Street, Cliff Road (downtown portion only), Commercial Street, East Chestnut Street, Easton Street, Gardner Street, Jefferson Avenue, New Whale Street, Oak Street, Salem Street, Union Street, Walnut Street, Washington Street, and Whaler Lane." On behalf of the Committ ee Allen B. Reinhard, Chair T