2023.11.20 CC Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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Council Meeting Minutes for November 20, 2023 Page 5 of 8 assess only four. She invited Jody to meet with staff to go over the map of her parcel. Jody said she would like to meet, and she said she appreciated that the Council was looking at the speed issue. Eric Johnson, 12115 Heather Avenue North questioned the increase of $70,000 to maintain the entire width of the Heather as is. He asked if that was a low percentage of the project cost and if there would be discussions about keeping the current width. Erichson replied that the current width was unusually wide in a rural setting. He said wider roadways promote faster speeds, and Public Works had interest in it being the standard 28 feet wide due to snow drifting and issues with removing snow and storage of snow. The two feet on each side would be restored to grass. Erichson said if there was concern, more conversations could be had with residents. Eric asked if they could look at another urban roadway to compare the width, and Erichson replied he could meet with him and show him. John Hartman, 12215 Upper Heather Avenue North, said he seconded the concern about the narrowing of the road. He said a lot of people walk on that road since there is no other place to walk without the speeding traffic. He had concerns on drainage and was worried that it would drain into to his driveway. He also commented on the width of the road saying kids are at play, and he wondered how it was determined a narrower road reduced speed. Erichson replied that there would be additional storm sewer inlets identified on the preliminary design to correct drainage. He talked about studies that were done with traffic calming techniques and said he could provide documentation. Paul Donna, 12350 Upper Heather Avenue North, said he was in favor of the project and it was long overdue. He said he had concerns and questions regarding the narrowing of the road and hoped the decision could be postponed until that was figured out. Aaron Zellmer, 12465 Upper Heather Avenue North, also had concerns about narrowing the road saying they were in more of a rural residential setting, and cars parked on the side of the road that create blind spots for the kids to be. Tractors also go through the neighborhood when they are baling hay. He asked if it was going to be a rolling curb or at a 90-degree angle. Erichson replied they typically put in more of a vertical curb rather than a rolling curb if they know where the driveways are, and he asked Aaron if he had a concern or preference. Aaron replied that with the larger lots, people have lawn tractors and four wheelers they use to maintain their property, and a 90-degree curb would be harder to get over. Erichson said he would review it with the Public Works staff, and if Council was inclined to have another neighborhood meeting to discuss road widths, the curb could be discussed as well. Brett Buelke, 12460 Heather Avenue North, said he had phone conversations with Erichson, and he appreciated that. He asked what the current width of the road was. Erichson replied it was 32 feet, and the plan was to take it two feet in on both sides. Brett said it was nice to have that extra width to walk. He said they get a lot of walkers from 125th Street, and was nice to have a few extra feet for walking, biking, and at dark. He would like to see the width stay the same as it was currently. There were no other comments, and the Mayor closed the public hearing. Miron noted that most comments were about road widths. He said road projects in other sections of the City were looked at with a sidewalk or pedestrian walkway, and he wondered if that was