Town of AMenia
Enhancement Committee
Minutes
to: ENHANCEMENT Committee Members
subject: Minutes from Nov. 8, 2004 in note format
PRESENT: Bonnie Hundt, Mark Morrison, Vicki Doyle, Laura, DPW engineer, Mike Soyka, Stan Whitehead, Warren Gordon, Mike Murphy, Brad Barclay, Peter Riva, Andy Durbridge
Peter opened the meeting at 10 am. Andy chaired the rest of the meeting.
Emphasis was made that no plan was set in stone, were at the input stage to try and evolve a plan. Today we need to conduct a walk of the street.
Morrison walked us through the plan, link from Hlm. Vly Rail Trail to downtown, impacts on safety. Homes and current uses that need to be taken account. (Fire Dept., businesses, would like to make a plan to helps everyone and enhances Amenia.
Morrison: Started out with a thrust to improve Rte 343, then wanted improved pedestrian access with new extension, new traffic to Mechanic St. trailhead.
Initial thrust, economic driven, from grant funding, health, safety, economic, favored east side of Mechanic St., but not without conflicts.
The survey is something concrete, right of ways are delineated. Took survey, overlaid current concept, have run some numbers, less cost than east side. Grade changes makes it difficult on west side. West would require shifting of the road. If expand into road, we still have restricted areas for parking, substantial cost to relocate poles.
Fire dept. had issues on east side, bike trail would run in front of the firehouse, have emergency vehicles coming out of town hall parking lot.
Conklin garage, concerned about his access, storage, parking issues, Sears, has no problem sharing with parking with Cozy, Conklin, need to look at a couple of issues, and do striping across roadway entrances.
Andy: Funding, hoping to go to contract, do timeline as soon as possible. If any opportunity, help support us with funding. This is larger project than we currently have funding for. Rather do whole side of street, rather than half so can realize goal.
Cost estimate: Vicki discussed grant funding, NY Main St. Grant program $25,000 would be a match for Greenway.
Rapoli: What happened to 343?
Andy: Increased traffic. Junction of 343, turning radius, some of concepts on paper needed modification after speaking to Manning. Concern of lack of parking at trailhead, looked at it this am, could double load if better striped, organized.
Brad Barclay we are trying to work with municipalities, whatever we can do, will try to do so. If need local match, possibly us doing improvements in parking lot, could link to our project, in-kind is easier than cash. There is stuff on both sides, have to work out what works best for you.
Any observations that would help us move forward? Full width bike path to pedestrian only. Need to do revision on map.
Bridge is one of the issues, sewer is involved in decision making. Also like to move this forward.
Bonnie: One of the reasons was to bring people safely into town, economic. If easier to scale back to sidewalk on west side (either side will be an issue with bridge). Current bridge is needing repair. Is there a way to tie it all together?
Morrison/Riva: Having a long term vision of what want to achieve, want to find good solutions for those who have businesses with no parking. This needs to be considered. If blacktopped, visually defensible walkway, contain people to east side, on town property. Achieves some of safety, long term revitalization goals, meets grant requirements. Key players, Hlm. Vly Rail trail, DOT, continued study and advice is critical.
Andy, not all is funded, though tree planting is in place. Trees can certainly help, people flow will increase, certain areas with no delineation, large spaces undefined. People need direction.
Warren: when pull apparatus out of garage, dont want to have pedestrians in the way. Tree planting need to make sure visibility if not compromised.
Riva: At bare minimum on east side need delineation advise where the conflict with vehicles are is always safer. Striping will remind vehicles of pedestrians. Rail trail parking overflow is currently allowed in town hall parking lot. May not always be available according to fire company.
Bill McGhee: We should make use of existing sidewalk, down route 22, makes loop all the way around. Multiple use is not possible - sidewalks are not wide enough. Parking is a slightly different issue, but related. Manning has a nice grassland adjacent to rail trail that might be a provision for increased parking.
Stan will look at sidewalk what needs to be done for better drainage, clean up lumpy, bumpy parts, look at bridge see what is needed to widen to 5, improve structural stability. Trees can go forward, sewer, sidewalks, be careful when digging for sewer.
Mike Soyka: 5 feet strip of green is wide enough for sewer to be installed on east side of Mechanic St., railing is no problem. There needs to be a 10' separation between the water lines and sewer. That puts it down the center line or east side. Stan says road in on concrete base, so it will be laid on east side.
Rapoli: Minimum sidewalk is 5', multi-purpose walkway is 8'. Morrison: We've designed for 6'. 8' wide is desirable, if do-able. This should be an extension, continuation of rail trail, want visitors of all ages, families to be comfortable getting to restaurant, etc. Class A bicyclists are OK on the road, but not families.
What about doing landscaping on east side, sidewalk improvements on west side, knowing sewer is coming on east side?
Rapoli: I need to know cost estimates to help you with funding, need price of improving 343 intersection. Need to determine where pedestrians are going, Cumberland Farm, library. Need another crossing to slow traffic, can do bump outs later if necessary.
Mike Murphy: Seems sensible to dovetail this project with sewer. See where these projects overlap. If it takes 2 years to do the sewer, this project is about 1 month's worth of work.
Overflow of parking in lot - it has been overcrowded for a long time. New extension will increase traffic, but Metro North is also increasing parking. Rail trail not meant to be year-round.
West side - big problem with Auto Parts store and would eliminate parking of single family residences. 6-8 ft. is not possible on west side due to grade changes.
Morrison: east side would help Manning keep out rail trail cars, traffic. He could gate his entrance.
Brad Barclay - there is no funding now available for improving the parking lot. DPW funds cannot be used as the local match for Greenway grant.
Additional parking for trail might be developed on Old Route 22. Rapoli and Riva investigated afterwards Bill McGhee's idea of a sidewalk connected Old Route 22 to Immaculate Conception on Rte. 22.
Notes submitted by Vicki Doyle
The following are notes, emailed after this meeting.
From : ANDREW DURBRIDGE <andydurb@optonline.net>
I have used your words below, and added a few comments for thought.
I do think I would like Bonnie to write a letter to DPW's Mike Murphy asking him formally to improve the parking lot, extending the apron which may or may not be advantageous to include as part of the greenway grant scope. If it is to be included, we would have to get a firm timeline, commitment for this included in the contract, plus I suppose a landowner agreement that the project will happen on their land. This letter should also underline the fact that Mike Murphy said he would help us in whatever way they can.
I need to follow up with Jim Rapoli who said on the side that if we could get the project to extend to 343, he could perhaps find money to help us with that intersection. I need to clarify what he meant. This is a good point; and may assist with significant concerns of safety. It also makes a stronger representative link from one road to the other. If another crossing becomes necessary in the area of the fire dept, could that also be his area? We are waiting for Stan to look at existing sidewalk from Haverty store to Cozy and tell us what is needed to improve surface and drainage - modest improvements.
Andy needs to be looking for 40 trees. Doyle view on this: we need to tie down a closer plan for how many might be planted on Mechanic St., then I can look at this list of other possible locations. We need to have a regrouping in a week or so with Mark Morrison, and Town engineer?