02-02-2012 Park Commission Minutes

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MINUTES PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION FEBRUARY 2, 2012 drainage /ponding areas. Some site issues adjacent to mobilehome park entrance north past industrial /recycling operations. Heavy truck traffic will require special precautions at crosswalks. Segment 4 — RR tracks north to Spruce Street. Entire area has minimal right - of-way for the addition of a sidewalk. Dock 86 property has a large parking area and trees planted near the right - of -way with a sloping grade down to the street. Segment 5 — Spruce Street to Rice Street. At Spruce Street, there is a crosswalk for the existing Waterworks Trail. Additional signage may be needed in this area. There is a major issue with the close proximity to Blacktern Pond to Country Drive. A boardwalk or other fill and mitigation process will be needed to accommodate a walk. At Rice Street a crosswalk to cross Country Drive and connect to the existing trail will be needed. Design standards were reviewed next, with Sanders recommending a five foot wide concrete sidewalk. A cross section showed 12 foot traffic lanes, 6 foot shoulder, 4 foot boulevard, and 5 foot sidewalk. The sidewalk and boulevard area would have a 2% slope back to the street surface. Right -of -way issues were reviewed by project segment, with Sanders noting that the primary area of concern is in Segment 4. Sanders then reviewed cost estimates for the sidewalk which was broken down by Segment. He indicated that these estimates may be on the high side and pointed out that he included a 10% Contingency as well as 10% for Design and Engineering. Sanders indicated that the next step would be to present this study to the City Engineer and City staff. Once any resulting modifications are made, the study would be ready to present to the City Council. Maida asked about the project design standards, clarifying that the 5 -foot sidewalk would be for pedestrians and the 6 -foot shoulder for hikes. Sanders replied that that was correct, and indicated that a 5 -foot sidewalk would not serve commuter bikers' needs. Maida pointed out that the Commission prioritized trail needs last year, and his recollection was that the Country Drive trail had a low priority at that time given low pedestrian usage. Maida asked if there was any way to determine this level of usage. Sanders replied that other than actual counts, an estimate of the population in the area could be made — both residential and business — and a percentage used as a usage estimate. Sanders stated that he sees the Country Drive trail as a lightly used connection, and noted that there is the alternate of the Water Works Trail. Slain asked if pedestrian traffic could be channeled to the Water Works Trail, negating the need for a sidewalk along the full length of Country Drive. Sanders suggested that there could be an improved connection from the mobilehome park to the 3