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HomeMy WebLinkAbout04/04/2016 - Regular Agenda Packet - Bicycle, Pedestrian, and Greenways Advisory Board BICYCLE, PEDESTRIAN, AND GREENWAYS ADVISORY BOARD April 4, 2016 3:00 P.M. City Hall Council Chambers 1101 Texas Avenue College Station, Texas AGENDA BICYCLE, PEDESTRIAN, AND GREENWAYS ADVISORY BOARD Monday April 4, 2016, 3:00 PM City Hall Council Chambers 1101 Texas Avenue College Station, Texas, 77840 1. Call to Order 2. Hear Visitors - At this time, the Chairman will open the floor to citizens wishing to address the Board on issues not already scheduled on today's agenda. The citizen presentations will be limited to three minutes in order to accommodate everyone who wishes to address the Board and to allow adequate time for completion of the agenda items. The Board will receive the information, ask city staff to look into the matter, or will place the matter on a future agenda for discussion. (A recording is made of the meeting; please give your name and address for the record.) 3. Consideration, possible action, and discussion to approve meeting Minutes. • March 7, 2016 4. Presentation and discussion regarding Bicycle and Pedestrian Crashes. 5. Presentation and discussion regarding the Texas Trails & Active Transportation Conference. 6. Presentation and discussion regarding education and encouragement opportunities such as Brazos Valley Earth Day and May is National Bike Month. 7. Presentation and discussion regarding BPG Subcommittee Updates. 8. Presentation and discussion regarding the Bicycle, Pedestrian, and Greenways Advisory Board calendar of upcoming meetings. • April 7, 2016 ~ Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting ~ City Hall, Council Chambers ~ 6:00 p.m. • April 21, 2016 ~ Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting ~ City Hall, Council Chambers ~ 6:00 p.m. • April 23, 2016 ~ Earth Day~ Wolf Pen Creek Amphitheater and Festival Grounds ~ 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. • May 2, 2016 ~ Bicycle, Pedestrian, and Greenways Advisory Board ~ City Hall, Council Chambers ~ 3:00 p.m. • May 16, 2016 ~ National Bike Month Proclamation ~ City Council Meeting ~ City Hall, Council Chambers ~ 7:00 p.m. 9. Possible action and discussion on future agenda items – A Bicycle, Pedestrian, and Greenways Advisory Board Member may inquire about a subject for which notice has not been given. A statement of specific factual information or the recitation of existing policy may be given. Any deliberation shall be limited to a proposal to place the subject on an agenda for a subsequent meeting. 10. Adjourn. Notice is hereby given that a Regular Meeting of the Bicycle, Pedestrian, and Greenways Advisory Board of the City of College Station, Texas will be held on Monday, March 7, 2016 at 3:00 p.m. in the City Hall Council Chambers, 1101 Texas Avenue, College Station, Texas. The following subjects will be discussed, to wit: See Agenda. Agendas may be viewed on www.cstx.gov. This building is wheelchair accessible. Persons with disabilities who plan to attend this meeting and who may need accommodations, auxiliary aids, or services such as interpreters, readers, or large print are asked to contact the City Secretary’s Office at (979) 764-3541, TDD at 1-800-735-2989, or email adaassistance@cstx.gov at least two business days prior to the meeting so that appropriate arrangements can be made. If the City does not receive notification at least two business days prior to the meeting, the City will make a reasonable attempt to provide the necessary accommodations. Penal Code § 30.07. Trespass by License Holder With an Openly Carried Handgun. “Pursuant to Section 30.07, Penal Code (trespass by license holder with an openly carried handgun), a person licensed under Subchapter H, Chapter 411, Government Code (handgun licensing law), may not enter this property with a handgun that is carried openly” Codigo Penal §30.07. Trespasar Portando Armas de Mano al Aire Libre con Licencia. “Conforme a la Seccion 30.07 del codigo penal (traspasar portando armas de mano al aire libre con licencia), personas con licencia bajo del Sub-Capitulo H, Capitulo 411, Codigo de Gobierno (Ley de licencias de arma de mano), no deben entrar a esta propiedad portando arma de mano al aire libre” MINUTES BICYCLE, PEDESTRIAN, AND GREENWAYS ADVISORY BOARD Monday, March 7, 2016 3:00 PM College Station City Hall Council Chambers 1101 Texas Avenue College Station, Texas, 77840 MEMBERS PRESENT: Chairman Blanche Brick, James Batenhorst, Brandon Boatcallie, Jon Denton, Phillip Lasley, Scott Shafer STAFF PRESENT: Greenways Program Manager Venessa Garza, Assistant Director of Planning and Development Molly Hitchcock, Council Member John Nichols, Director of Parks and Recreation David Schmitz, Board Member Tina Evans, Board Secretary Amber Johnson AGENDA ITEM NO. 1: Call to Order. Chairman Brick called the meeting to order at 3:05 p.m. AGENDA ITEM NO. 2: Hear Visitors There were no visitors present to address the Board. AGENDA ITEM NO. 3: Consideration, discussion, and possible action to approve meeting Absences. Board Member Batenhorst motioned to approve the meeting absences from February 1, 2016. The motion was seconded by Board Member Denton and was approved (4-0). AGENDA ITEM NO. 4: Consideration, discussion, and possible action to approve meeting Minutes. Board Member Denton motioned to approve the meeting minutes from February 1, 2016. The motion was seconded by Board Member Lasley and was approved (4-0). AGENDA ITEM NO. 5: Presentation and discussion regarding the Chesapeake Unpaved/Natural Trail Project. Director of Parks and Recreation David Schmitz presented this item to the board. Mr. Schmitz advised the board that due to flooding issues in the proposed location of the Chesapeake Natural Trail they have been unable to make any progress with the project. Mr. Schmitz advised that they are proposing an alternate location for the unpaved/natural trail. The proposed location is 30 acres located off of Lakeway Drive. Manager Garza stated that a trail is proposed in this location in the Bicycle, Pedestrian, and Greenways Master Plan and in the future this proposed unpaved trail may be transitioned into a paved trail. Chairman Brick asked if this new trail would connect to the Lick Creek Trail. Director Schmitz stated that it does not. Board Member Shafer joined the meeting at 3:13 p.m. Chairman Brick asked what kind type of surface is being proposed for the trail. Mr. Schmitz stated that they would be using a surface that is similar to what is currently being used in Lick Creek Park and has been working well. Chairman Brick asked if the proposed property location is owned by the City of College Station. Mr. Schmitz stated that the property is owned by the City. Board Member Shafer asked if there are any homes that back up to the proposed trail. Mr. Schmitz stated that due to the large size of the land it could be located a further distance from the homes. Chairman Brick asked if the property could be sold. Mr. Schmitz stated that it could not as it is designated as parkland. Board Member Lasley asked if there is room in the greenway along the creek to make the additional connection into Lick Creek Park. Ms. Garza stated that the City does not own the property that would allow that type of connection. Mr. Schmitz added that there is a street that dead-ends in Pebble Creek that is close to the trail. Board Member Batenhorst asked if that is the street that will be extended on to the frontage road. Ms. Garza stated that she believed so but would have to check into that. Chairman Brick asked if this project has been discussed with the two companies who own the adjacent properties. Mr. Schmitz stated that the companies’ original intent when the properties were purchased would be that a natural trail area would be integrated. Chairman Brick asked if Mr. Schmitz believed there would be any issues going forward with the project. Mr. Schmitz stated that he did not believe there would be any issues. Chairman Brick asked if the parkland was designated when the Business Park was developed. Mr. Schmitz stated that when StataCorp purchased the property it was agreed that it would be parkland. Chairman Brick asked when the project would start. Mr. Schmitz stated that he would like to start the project this spring and summer. Board Member Shafer asked if the funding was available for this project. Mr. Schmitz stated that the funds and equipment are already in place. Chairman Brick asked what the length of the trail would be. Mr. Schmitz stated that it depends on how far they decide to go. If extended to the length of the property it would be approximately one-third mile to a half-mile. Board Member Batenhorst asked how wide the trail would be. Mr. Schmitz stated that it would be a 5-6 foot wide path. Chairman Brick asked if there would be benches. Mr. Schmitz stated that benches would be something that could potentially be added in the future. Board Member Shafer stated that the intended use of the trail would be the factor in determining what amenities are present. AGENDA ITEM NO. 6: Presentation and discussion regarding education and encouragement opportunities such as Brazos Valley Earth Day. Greenways Program Manager Garza presented this item to the board. Brazos Valley Earth Day will be held on April 23, 2016 at the Wolf Pen Creek Amphitheater and Festival Grounds from 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. There will be a sign-up sheet for anyone interested in volunteering at the event. AGENDA ITEM NO. 7: Presentation and discussion regarding BPG Subcommittee Updates. Greenways Program Manager Garza presented this item to the board. Ms. Garza stated that there are board members leaving both of the subcommittees. The Performance Measures Subcommittee tasks are closer to completion than the Bike Audits Subcommittee. The Performance Measures Subcommittee’s data for walking, biking, and greenways is based on measures connected to goals in the Master Plan. The criteria include the goal achieved, output or performance measure, desired outcome, and data collection frequency. Board Member Denton asked what is being used as the statistic for bicycle crashes and how it is determined how often bicycles are being used for transportation. Ms. Garza stated that they are calculated by the accident reports provided by the police department and number of users biking on the roadways. If the accidents are not reported we will not be able to factor them into the official count. The bicycle transportation count is based on users and is tied to knowing how many individuals are actually biking on the roadways. Board Member Lasley added that the Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) is developing a count plan with the City to measure bicycle usage. Board Member Denton mentioned the debris field that is hazardous on George Bush Drive near Texas Ave. Mr. Denton also noted that the debris is near the construction site that is on-going near the roadway. Ms. Garza stated that a building inspector could be sent by the project to see if the debris field could be addressed with the contractor. Board Member Shafer asked how Public Works determines and prioritizes street clean-up areas. Ms. Garza stated that when budgeting resources were limited it was proposed that there would be less street-sweeping but that she would have to look into it. Assistant Director Hitchcock stated that if the debris is being caused by a construction site, the contractor is responsible for the maintenance and clean-up of the area. Ms. Garza stated that she will check into what can be done regarding the heavy debris field in the area. Board Member Lasley asked what the mechanism is for collecting the number of bike racks. Ms. Garza stated that data is collected with the site plan. Board Member Boatcallie joined the meeting at 3:44 p.m. The Bike Audit Subcommittee based its assessment on a variety of factors such as comfort, surface quality, intersection wait time, signal accuracy for bicycles, etc. Ms. Garza mentioned that Board Member Denton has completed a large portion of the routes but that there are still many left to be evaluated. AGENDA ITEM NO. 8: Presentation and discussion regarding the Bicycle, Pedestrian, and Greenways Advisory Board calendar of upcoming meetings. • April 4, 2016 ~ Bicycle, Pedestrian, and Greenways Advisory Board ~ City Hall, Council Chambers ~ 3:00 p.m. • April 23, 2016 ~ Earth Day ~ Wolf Pen Creek Amphitheater and Festival Grounds ~ 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. AGENDA ITEM NO. 9: Possible action and discussion on future agenda items – A Bicycle, Pedestrian, and Greenways Advisory Board Member may inquire about a subject for which notice has not been given. A statement of specific factual information or the recitation of existing policy may be given. Any deliberation shall be limited to a proposal to place the subject on an agenda for a subsequent meeting. Board Member Lasley stated that he would like more information regarding the bike lane maintenance schedule. Chairman Brick stated she would like to see if the Board could be made aware of or have some input regarding any potential land uses changes that are near bicycle, pedestrian, or greenway areas. AGENDA ITEM NO. 10: Adjourn. The meeting adjourned at 3:49 p.m. APPROVED: ATTEST: ____________________________ ____________________________ Blanche Brick, Chairman Amber Johnson, Board Secretary