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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES TAB Task Force 2021-12-21 Town of Estes Park, Larimer County, Colorado, December 21, 2020 Minutes of a scheduled meeting of the Safe Routes to School Task Force of the Transportation Advisory Board of the Town of Estes Park, Larimer County, Colorado. Meeting held virtually on the 21st day of December, 2020 Task Force: Belle Morris, Ann Finley, Larry Gamble, Linda Hanick, Scott Moulton Attending: Belle Morris, Ann Finley, Larry Gamble, Scott Moulton, Public Works Director Greg Muhonen, Blake Robertson, and Christy DeLorme Absent: Linda Hanick Chair Morris called the meeting to order at 12:03 p.m. PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT The Task Force Meeting was advertised and a link to the virtual meeting was provided. Members of the public participating in the meeting included Blake Robertson and Christy DeLorme. APPROVAL OF MINUTES This was the inaugural meeting of the Safe Routes to School (SRTS) Task Force, so there were no minutes to be reviewed or approved. Gamble agreed to take notes and to prepare minutes of the meeting. Because this was the first meeting of the SRTS Task Force, those present introduced themselves to the group. During his introduction, Gamble informed the group that there is a shared Google Drive folder that contains resources for the SRTS Task Force to use. The web address is: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1BLnzgUqMd52cTbt0meiAslMRgt_Fyh0b At the start of the meeting, several members of the Task Force did not have access to the shared Google Drive folder. This issue was resolved during the meeting. Chair Morris explained that the task before the group is to conduct an audit following SRTS engineering guidelines within a 1-mile radius of the school campus. A checklist would be used when conducting the audit. The SRTS Task Force needs to develop a checklist that would determine what is to be recorded. The group also needs to decide if there should be a photographic record, where the information should reside, and who will manage the data. Ultimately, the information would be provided to the Public Works Department. This initial effort can be used as a template to expand the program to other areas of the Estes Valley. Gamble provided a brief overview of SRTS program and mentioned that there are many resources available online that can help with the process. DeLorme asked if the SRTS Task Force would be providing a spreadsheet that identifies where there are sidewalk issues or lack of sidewalks? Gamble responded that is something that this Task Force will be working on - essentially an audit of existing conditions and what will be needed to improve access to and from the school campus and other nearby destinations. Chair Morris informed the group that the SRTS program includes 6 Es: • Education • Encouragement • Equity • Enforcement • Engineering • Evaluation Public Works Director Muhonen stated that the Stanley Park Master Plan identified engineering deficiencies for pedestrian routes in the area of Stanley Park. He went on to recommend a central repository for identified needs. That information would go to the full Transportation Advisory Board (TAB) at some point to prioritize needs. From there the prioritized needs would be submitted to Public Works. He also shared on screen the SRTS sidewalk inventory form. The Task Force does not have to create an inventory form from scratch, but could tweak the existing form to suit the needs of the Task Force. Because speeding and other behaviors help to create an unsafe walking or biking environment, understanding traffic speed on walking or biking routes could be important. Roberson has a handheld stand-alone radar unit that could possibly be used to determine if vehicles are following the speed limit. He also developed a street map and a satellite image map that cover the 1-mile radius around the school campus. The maps were emailed to all of the meeting participants and will be uploaded to the shared Google Drive folder. To keep things simple, Finley suggested that we use the SRTS street inventory form. DeLorme stated that it is very like that there will be streets that the group inventories that will not need any improvements. Gamble suggested that the SRTS street inventory form be tweaked so that each segment of street is identified on the form. He also would like to know where students are currently walking so the group’s efforts can be focused in those areas. DeLorme recommended that the inventory form or a survey should go out to the broader school community. Morris stated that knowing how routes are used can help the TAB to prioritize needed improvements. Parent and student communication moves into the education piece of SRTS, while at this point the SRTS Task Force is focused on the engineering piece. Public Works Director Muhonen stated that knowing what routes kids are taking to and from school is critical. Information and a survey could be sent home for parents and students to complete. DeLorme mentioned that good communication with Hispanic families is essential. To encourage a good return rate on a survey, there should be just a few simple questions. The survey could potentially be administered via Survey Monkey. Gamble pointed out that there are sample Spanish language questionnaires in the shared Google Drive folder. Public Works Director Muhonen encouraged the Task Force to think strategically about gathering data. Surveys online and via mail do not typically have a good return rate. He believes it is critical for this effort to engage with students, parents, teachers, and the school administration. Finley agreed with the need for a multi-prong approach to gathering data. Chair Morris identified the need for a good map that could be used to engage all stakeholders. Moulton mentioned that data on how people move is out there (Apple, Google, etc.). The issue is that we may not have access to that information. Robertson suggested that at this particular time “remote learning” could be used to distribute information and collect data from students and parents. He also suggested that there should be a school liaison as part of the SRTS Task Force. DeLorme indicated that she has ties with the school administration, and at least for now she could be our liaison with the school district. Chair Morris suggested that the app “Map My Run” could be a tool to be used for identifying sidewalk and bike route issues. Identified next steps: 1. Ensure that everyone has access to the shared folder 2. Craft a survey and a map 3. Determine distribution strategy Prior to the next meeting on January 4, 2021 each Task Force Member is to identify 3 - 4 survey questions. If desired, these can be copied from the existing surveys that are in the shared Google Drive folder.