Hudson Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee Meeting

Notice is hereby given that a majority of the City Council may be present at the aforementioned meeting of the Plan Commission to gather information about a subject over which they have decision making responsibility. This constitutes a meeting of the City Council pursuant to State ex rel. Badke v. Greendale Village Bd., 173 Wis. 2d 553, 494 N. W. 2d 408 (1993), and must be noticed as such, although the Council will not take any formal action at this meeting. HUDSON BICYCLE & PEDESTRIAN ADVISORY COMMITTEE CITY OF HUDSON, WISCONSIN M onday, January 27, 2020 5:30 p.m. Council Chambers, 505 Third Street AGENDA (Click on agenda items highlighted in blue to access documents related to that item) 1. Call to Order 2. D iscussion and possible action on September 23, 2019 Meeting Minutes 3. N ew Business A. Discussion on overarching plan goals from neighboring towns and regional entities. B. Discussion on the Master Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan pop-up stand. 4. C ommunications and Items for Future Agendas A. Set next meeting date 5. A djournment Posted in City Hall lobbies and emailed to Star Obs erver on 1/24/2020 REGULAR MEETING OF THE HUDSON BICYCLE & PEDESTRIAN ADVISORY COMMITTEE CITY OF HUDSON Monday, September 23, 2019 Page 1 The Hudson Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee meeting was called to order by Nancy Huntley at 5:33 p.m. PRESENT. Nancy Huntley, Dag Selander, Devon Piernot, and Marian Webber. ABSENT. Gerald Bauer, Jim Webber OTHERS PRESENT. Tiffany Weiss, Michael Johnson Discussion and possible action on August 27, 2019 meeting minutes. Motion by Selander, seconded by Marian Webber to approve the minutes of the August 27, 2019 Hudson Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee meeting. All ayes (4). Motion Carried. UNFINISHED BUSINESS. None. NEW BUSINESS. Discussion and possible action on the Sidewalk and Curb Ramp Assessment. Weiss noted that at the last meeting, Jim Webber had requested that the sidewalk and curb ramp assessment performed by SEH be discussed at this month’s bicycle and pedestrian advisory committee. Weiss explained that the assessment scored sidewalks, trails, and curb ramps all across the City of Hudson. The assessment also provided proposed methods of correcting sidewalk deficiencies, noting 94% of which are considered tripping hazards. The curb ramp assessment scored ADA accessibility and tripping hazards, noting that 57% of ramps in the City of Hudson have at least one deficiency where improvements should be made. SEH lastly summarized a few implementation strategies to assist with the correction of all noted deficiencies in the city-wide assessment. Weiss concluded that this assessment performed by SEH contains valuable data that should be included in the final Master Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan draft. Piernot inquired as to what the Advisory Committee’s role would be in the process of making these corrections. Community Development Director, Michael Johnson, noted that the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee would review the public works departments budget and then petition to the Public Works department a list of specific segments of sidewalk or curb ramps be improved over time based upon findings found in the Master Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan. Such process would continue to be revisited each year. Motion by Selander, seconded by Huntley to approve and add the sidewalk and curb ramp assessment results to the Master Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan. All ayes (4). Motion carried. REGULAR MEETING OF THE HUDSON BICYCLE & PEDESTRIAN ADVISORY COMMITTEE CITY OF HUDSON Monday, September 23, 2019 Page 2 Discussion on future bike path continuation concerns. Weiss reviewed the staff report and summarized the concerns that neighborhood residents have about a proposed trail through the Xcel Energy property on the north end of town off of St. Croix Street. Johnson noted that despite neighborhood concerns that were voiced, staff would still be recommending approval of the proposed trail in the future. Piernot noted that the only valid concern listed is the safety of the intersections (1st and River) and that parking is not a major concern. All committee members agreed. Discussion was held about future bike trails going up to North Hudson not along 2nd Street. Selander stated that a trail in this location would be an improvement over what is currently there. He mentioned that he too is a neighborhood resident there, living right next to the Xcel property in question on St. Croix Street, so he is very familiar with the area and the history behind it. Johnson stated that overall, the priority of the site is to allow Xcel Energy enough time to perform an environmental cleanup effort to get remnants of the train tracks off the site. Discussion on the Hudson Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee’s role in the upcoming 2020 Comprehensive Plan Update. Weiss summarized that at the last meeting, member Piernot inquired about what the Bike/Ped committee’s role would be during the comprehensive plan update. Weiss explained that she’d met with Brea Grace, the comprehensive plan update project’s lead project manager from SEH. Grace said that the Bike/Ped committee has been tasked with completing the Master Bike/Ped plan prior to the transportation section of the comprehensive plan being drafted. Piernot inquired when that would be. Weiss stated that the Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee had just held a meeting earlier in the day and discussed the subject of the project timeline. The transportation section of the plan was scheduled to be drafted in February 2020. However, at the Steering Committee’s meeting, it was discussed that some chapters might be pushed around, meaning the transportation chapter may get bumped down to a later date in 2020 for drafting. Johnson said, for now, it would be best to assume that the Master Bike/Ped Plan should be drafted prior to February 2020. COMMUNICATIONS AND ITEMS FOR FUTURE AGENDAS. Johnson mentioned that he and Weiss would perform one last review of the web mapping application that Weiss created for the Bike/Ped Master Plan outreach efforts. Afterwards, staff would hold discussions about the Council presentation. Johnson told committee members that it would be best if all of them could be present at the time of the Council meeting during the presentation to show support for the Master Plan. The next meeting was scheduled for October 21, 2019 at 6:30pm in the 3 rd Floor Conference Room, just prior to the Common Council meeting at 7:00pm. ADJOURNMENT. Motion by Selander, seconded by Huntley to adjourn at 6:21 p.m. All ayes (4). Motion Carried. Respectfully submitted, Tiffany Weiss, Acting Secretary 505 Third Street Hudson, Wisconsin 54016 ph: (715)-386-4765 fx: (715)386-3385 www.ci.hudson.wi.us TO: Hudson Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee FROM: Community Development DATE: January 27, 2020 SUBJECT: Discussion on overarching plan goals from neighboring towns and regional entities. BACKGROUND: City staff reviewed the neighboring town and regional entity bicycle/pedestrian and parks and recreation plans for the following municipalities and regional bodies: - Wisconsin DOT (bike plan and ped plan) - St. Croix County (bike and ped plan) - St. Joseph Township (bike ped implementation study) - Village of North Hudson (outdoor rec/park plan) - Town of Troy (parks and rec plan) - City of Hudson (safe routes to school, comp plan, and parks and rec plan) The following are overarching goals that were shared between local and regional plans: - Train individuals to better understand bicycle safety. - Promote more walking and bicycling trips - Separate bicycle and motor vehicle traffic in hazardous locations (Carmichael Road and Crestview Drive) through alternate trail routes - Extra 4-5’ of width should be provided in road construction plans in locations where bicyclists are anticipated - Create pedestrian and non-motorized connections to parks and to existing and future neighborhoods - Connect neighborhoods to schools Some of the plans also discussed key bike trail routes to be considered for future projects. The following are listed as regional overarching route connections of the plans as they related to the City of Hudson: - Creating connections to the Loop Trail in St. Joseph Township to promote bike tourism between Minnesota and Wisconsin - Utilizing State Highway 35 to create connections along the St. Croix River - Use County Road A to connect to the rural countryside and Willow River State Park. 505 Third Street Hudson, Wisconsin 54016 ph: (715)-386-4765 fx: (715)386-3385 www.ci.hudson.wi.us - Use Tower Road to also connect to the rural countryside. - Create a connection between County Road F’s existing paved shoulder route and Mayer Road - Create a separated bike lane on Coulee Road between 2nd St and 11th St - Add a bike lane to Hanley Rd, O’Keefe Rd and part of Mayer Rd to connect to Carmichael Rd. - Install a bike lane along Buckeye St between 1st and 2nd - Install bike lane along 9th St between Orange St and Fox St - Install path along Vine St between 10th St and Wisconsin St Staff will present a digital map of all combined proposed and existing trail routes to Advisory Committee members at the meeting. ATTACHMENTS: Existing Bikeways of St Croix County Map Proposed Trail Network Recommendations and Full-Build of St Croix County Map Proposed Bicycle Routes in Town of Troy Map Proposed Bicycle Trails in St Joseph Township Map City of Hudson Safe Routes to School Maps Prepared by: Tiffany Weiss, Associate City Planner Through: Mike Johnson, AICP, Community Development Director 505 Third Street Hudson, Wisconsin 54016 ph: (715)-386-4765 fx: (715)386-3385 www.ci.hudson.wi.us TO: Hudson Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee FROM: Community Development DATE: January 27, 2020 SUBJECT: Discussion on the Master Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan pop-up stand. BACKGROUND: Community Development staff set up a pop-up informational and community feedback stand at the YMCA from December 16 th-19th. The booth was set up between the hours of 2pm-6pm to gather opinions from the after-work crowd and parents picking up their children from daycare. Feedback was gathered in a completely self-volunteered setting, requesting residents to provide feedback [using colored stickers] on the bike trails and sidewalks throughout the city and if they could think of any areas that could use specific improvements. This effort is in combination with the online GIS web map application that was created and published by staff a month prior. SUMMARY REPORT: Creating Connections A variety of opinions were gathered, most of which consisted of ‘New Trail/Sidewalk Request’s. The main three conglomerations of this were: - Highway 35/2 nd Street northbound roadway heading into North Hudson - Canadian Pacific Railway train tracks heading northbound into North Hudson - Along Carmichael Road connecting the new Bella Rose development on the corner of Carmichael and Vine with the stores to the south. Creating bike trail connections was a big discussion point for many who participated in the exercise. In total, 110 comments were related to this issue (56 were provided on the online web map application, 54 were provided on the physical map). Intergovernmental Collaboration Some individuals that put dots on the map are neighboring town residents that want to see more connections extended out to the towns or extensions of paths that would otherwise run through town property but still connect part of the City to another. Examples of this were: - Stageline Road beyond the Hospital - County Road A - County Road UU/Vine Street 505 Third Street Hudson, Wisconsin 54016 ph: (715)-386-4765 fx: (715)386-3385 www.ci.hudson.wi.us - Carmichael Road (between Vine Street and Hillcrest Drive) - Coulee Trail on the south end of the City, next to River Crest Elementary School - Highway 35/2nd Street connection to North Hudson - Railroad bed water connection to North Hudson Safer Intersections Intersection safety was also a recurring theme for participants. Stop light/signage requests were placed in the following intersections: - Diamond Drive and Vine Street - Vine Street and Carmichael Road - Vine Street and 2nd Street - Buckeye Street and 2nd Street - O’Keefe Road and Hanley Road Other Requests Many of the ‘Other Request’s involved prompter shoveling of paths, road improvements for better traffic flow, removing utility poles out of sidewalks, and the expansion of yellow ‘no-parking’ zones in downtown. Final Counts The following are the total number of all types of improvements requested during the outreach period: - New Trails = 110 comments (65%) - Stoplight/Signage Request = 22 comments (13%) - Other = 21 comments (12%) - Crosswalk Installation = 5 comments (3%) - Installation of Street Lights for Visibility = 4 comments (2%) - Handicap Accessibility Improvements = 4 comments (2%) - Resurface Existing Trails = 3 comments (2%) - Pedestrian Amenities = 1 comments (1%) In total, 170 comments were received by community members both living in and outside of the City of Hudson. CONCLUSION: If the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory deems it necessary to continue outreach and would like to continue this approach, they will need to select two participants for the next pop-up stand and where they would like it to take place. The full map with stickers will be presented to the Advisory Committee at the meeting. Prepared by: Tiffany Weiss, Associate City Planner Through: Mike Johnson, AICP, Community Development Director