HomeMy WebLinkAboutBBACMinutes_2017_01_26Bicycle Advisory Committee
January 26, 2017 Minutes
A meeting of the Bicycle Advisory Committee was held on Thursday, January 26, 2017 at 3:00 pm at
Brookings City & County Government Center with the following members present: Chair Mike Lockrem,
Eric Rasmussen, Steve Paula, Jennifer McLaughlin, Caleb Evenson, Emily Braun, Brittany Kleinsasser,
Keith Schram and Liaison Steve Berseth. Absent: Joanie Holm. Guests included Shaun Lopez-Murphy
from Toole Design Group, Lawrence Novotny, City Manager Jeff Weldon, Police Chief Jeff Miller, City
Clerk Shari Thornes, Parks & Recreation Director Dan Brettschneider, City Engineer Jackie Lanning,
Assistant to the City Manager Kevin Catlin, Recreation Manager Darren Hoff and Communications
Specialist Laurie Carruthers.
McLaughlin called the meeting to order at 3:08 p.m.
A motion was made by Rasmussen, seconded by Evenson to approve the agenda. All present voted yes;
motion carried.
A motion was made by Paula, seconded by Braun to approve the November 3, 2016 minutes. All
present voted yes; motion carried.
Schedule next meeting. February 16 at 3pm. Lockrem will be absent. A poll for standardized date will
be sent before next meeting.
Bicycle Master Plan. Shaun Lopez-Murphy provided an overview of the Community Workshop where
citizens had an opportunity to respond to draft Bicycle Master Plan. Toole Design Group was impressed
with amount of people, which rivaled larger cities. In order to implement the Bicycle Master Plan,
education is key. Sunday, February 5 is the last day to comment.
Lockrem arrived at 3:17 pm.
Lopez-Murphy had a question for City Engineer on page 12 – is the University Boulevard sidewalk wider
than a normal sidewalk? If it is 8-10 feet, it could be considered a shared use path. Page 13 – the Bike
Rodeo is sponsored by the Library with assistance from service organizations. Page 28, Strategy 2 –
could a penalty for motorists or a diversionary citation be added? The organizations listed in the
strategies and actions needs to be verified. If 2,500 or more pocket guides are ordered, a logo may be
added. Currently, Brookings does not have a League Certified Instructor; the closest is Minneapolis. Chip
seal projects vary, and depend on the collector street. Toole is not recommending sharrows in
Brookings. During the September Community Workshop, the public identified connections are needed
to Walmart, HyVee, downtown and SDSU. As to the preferences on the policies and programs, that will
be updated after the survey closes. The results from the January 25 Community Workshop will be added
to Chapter 3 and Appendix A. It was asked if the schools had been involved in the listening sessions.
Michelle Adamson Middle School Wellness Instructor was present as well as staff from the Boys & Girls
Club. Both are interested in being liaisons to the committee.
Participants voiced concern over the 15th Street S bicycle boulevard and preferred 12th Street S.
Currently, the Boys & Girls Club instructs children to ride on the sidewalk for safety. Ideally, there would
be a shared use path from Camelot on 15th Street S, north on 17th Avenue S, east on 12th Avenue S. This
will connect Camelot Intermediate School to the Mickelson Middle School and the Boys & Girls Club. It
was advised that 15th Street S will not likely connect with 22nd Avenue. Another main issue is to connect
Hillcrest Elementary School to future railroad trail. There is a plan to widen the sidewalk over the
railroad at the 12th Avenue and 16th Avenue crossings.
Priorities on the map are identified as short term = black outline, medium = solid line, long term =
dashed. This is confusing and suggested separate maps to identify the priorities. The difference between
2025 and 2040 plan, is the 2025 plan completes the trail loop around the city, a tangible goal for
community. The 2040 plan completes the street infrastructure.
City staff were excited about the opportunity for the community, but wanted to be clear on the public’s
expectations. It needs to be noted in Appendix C that this plan is a fluid document and the CIP changes
every year. The city needs to annually check back to Appendix C. Toole reviewed the City and County
Transportation Master Plans before creating Appendix C. A domino effect needs to occur before some
projects can be completed. In Appendix C, cost ranges and a map will be added.
Toole will make recommendations on managing the public’s expectations and noted education
campaign and keeping public up-to-date is key. It was asked if sharrow education still needs to be
provided. Yes, but it is the least favorite bicycle design because it is too vague. Lopez Murphy
recommended education be focused on other design types.
It was noted the costs do not include right-of-way acquisitions, which will be required and the property
owners need to cooperate. If SDSU installs shared use path on University property, the city would need
authorization from the private property owner. The city is not always lead agency on projects – SDSU,
Brookings School District, homeowners and private companies are also partners.
A maintenance and operation costs narrative needs to be added. Toole noted in the cities they have
worked with, the municipality was responsible for clearing shared use paths. An ordinance was
established in which homeowners are not required to maintain sidewalks/shared use paths if the
sidewalk was wider than a certain amount.
If there is a snow emergency – are bicycle paths immediately plowed? Clearing bicycle paths near
schools are priority and most common. Some cities have a bicycle emergency network for trail
maintenance or have maps which identify which paths are cleared in the winter and which are not.
Depending on width of the shared use path, boulevard trees might be removed. Could there be an
estimate of how many trees would be affected? These detailed examinations need to be at the specific
project level.
The City Clerk’s Office will collect all comments and revise the plan by February 5.
Public Education & Encouragement. Brookings received a Bronze Bicycle Friendly Community
Designation in November. The committee identified locations for the street signs: 5 main entrances to
town – Main Avenue South, Medary Avenue North, 6th Street (east and west ends), 22nd Avenue South.
Kidoodle Way and trail heads are other options. The City Clerk’s office will work with this general plan
and finalize the locations.
Other events include – Earth Day event, May Bike Month, Kite & Bike Festival, Mayor’s Ride in August or
September, Downtown at Sundown. The Bicycle Education Subcommittee will work on the events and
promotions and report at another meeting.
Meeting adjourned at 5:06 pm.
Submitted by Laurie Carruthers