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Minutes 03-01-06Richfield Transportation Commission Wednesday, March 1, 2006 7:00 p.m. Richfield City Hall, Council Chambers DRAFT Minutes Commission members in attendance: Barbara Kritzman (Vice-Chair); Council Member Suzanne Sandahl; Bob Elliott; Bob Shotwell; Maureen Scaglia; Steve Lindgren (Chair), and, Sara Nutter. Others in attendance: Larry Wozniczka; Jim Sorenson of Two Wheels To Town; John Griffith of Mn/DOT; and City Staff: Tom Foley and Kristin Asher. Randy Matheus, Pat Sorensen and Gary Ness were excused from the March 1, 2006 meeting. B. Kritzman called the meeting to order at 7:09 p.m. Motion to approve the agenda made by M. Scaglia, seconded by B. Elliott. Motion passed unanimously. Motion to approve minutes of February 1, 2006 meetings made by B. Elliott, seconded by B. Shotwell. Motion passed unanimously. 35W/62 Crosstown Reconstruction Staging John Griffith of Mn/DOT spoke on the construction staging of the Crosstown Commons Section of 35W through Richfield. He provided a table showing ramps closure and maps showing detour routes for traffic that normally would use those ramps. The 66th St. northbound entrance would be closed for 33 months, the longest of any ramp. Other ramps would be closed for up to 15 months. The contractor may deviate from this staging plan if he thinks he has a better way to build the project. He mentioned that a special public information person would be available to answer questions from the public during construction. None of the staging information is being made public at this time, once a contractor is on board they will determine the actual staging. Two Wheels To Town Jim Sorensen of Penn Cycle first thanked the Richfield City Council for passing a resolution in support of biking. Jim Sorenson explained the origins of the Two Wheels to Town group and its purpose to promote commuter biking as an alternative to single-occupant automobiles. He wants the cities of Minneapolis and its suburbs to work together to improve biking routes. The City of Munster, Germany served as an inspiration to Mr. Sorenson on the potential of bikes to make cities a better place to live. Commission members are invited to attend a bike conference at the U. of Minnesota that will be held on April 10 from 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Reservations are necessary, reservations can be made on-line at www.cts.edu/oberstarforum. Lyndale Avenue Bridge T. Foley reported that the City had a meeting set for this coming Monday, March 6 with Mn/DOT and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to discuss getting layout approval and access to 35W from Lyndale Avenue. 66th Street and Portland Avenue Intersection K. Asher reported that the City hired a right of way consultant, SRF Consulting Group, to assist in purchasing land for the project. The Commission chose Wednesday, March 29, 2006 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. to hold a public information meeting at city hall to show the residents and businesses the final layout for the intersection. K. Asher will send a letter to affected property owners giving them a project update and alerting them to the public information meeting on March 29. Stop Sign Policy B. Kritzman and B. Elliott reported on the Council’s February 14 work session where the Council discussed the Commission’s Stop Sign Study. The Council directed City staff to install two-way stop signs in an eastside neighborhood in the sub-collector pattern as a trial similar to the basketweave experiment in place north of the Best Buy Headquarters. Updates S. Sandahl reported that the 494 Corridor Commission and the 35W Solutions Alliance are focusing on supporting the proposed constitutional amendment to increase the state gas tax by 5 cents per gallon for transportation improvements. Bicycle Plan S. Sandahl asked for a report on bikeway planning. T. Foley has sent surrounding cities a draft of possible bike routes for inter-city travel for their review and comment. Discussion of possible bike routes could be covered at the Community Services Commission for additional public input. Future Agenda Items The following items will be considered at future Commission meeting: April 2006 agenda: Election of new officers according to the Bylaws. May 2006 agenda: Pedestrian Slide Show and Crosswalk Policy Adjournment Motion to adjourn by B. Elliott, seconded by M. Scaglia and passed unanimously. Meeting was adjourned at 8:12 p.m.