HomeMy WebLinkAbout3.14.23 TPAB Meeting Minutes (pending approval)JC
TRAFFIC & PARKING ADVISORY BOARD
MEETING MINUTES
Mar. 14, 2023
Attendees:
Al Hartman, Chairperson Dan Sciezinski Jim Collins, Transportation Director
Bill Christianson
Ross Wandschneider
Barry Perlman Jane Weber, Secretary
Courtney Hansen
Absent: Jim Stapel
PUBLIC COMMENT
Chairman Hartman called the meeting to order at 4:00 pm and he explained protocol
for public comment. Roll call was requested and the Pledge of Allegiance was recited.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Chairman Hartman stated the first order of business was to approve the minutes from
the February monthly meeting. Dan Sciezinski made a motion to approve minutes as
written, seconded by Barry Perlman.
Motion carried after roll-call vote.
OLD BUSINESS: n/a
NEW BUSINESS:
Jim Collins requested to address agenda item 2 first because the guest speaker was
running late.
2. No Parking request (W. Ripple Avenue) - Chairman Hartman announced item 2
no parking request on W. Ripple Avenue and confirmed that several members from
the public were present to make comment. Before instructing them to podium to
speak, Jim gave a quick overview of the background of the request. He stated that
Generac employees are currently parking on both sides of the street. The Planning
Department has also made the same observation. Most industrial parks have
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restricted parking to allow for semi-truck traffic. There is currently no crash history
due to this being a fairly low traffic area. Since putting this item on the agenda, it
was discovered that part of the area in question is City and the other part is in the
Town therefore; he is requesting that the item be discussed, but held over until next
meeting so he has the opportunity to speak with a Town representative to see if this
will be a joint decision or if the board will just being dealing with the roadway that
is within City limits.
Public Comment:
Neil Andrasko (3836 Red Oak Court). Neil stated that he feels this area has very heavy
traffic, especially large trucks continuously all day long. He said often there are 16 cars
parked on the north and another 5-6 parked on the south side making it very dangerous
for trucks. He said daily he sees near-miss accidents therefore his request is a ban on
both sides of the street like all the other industrial area in the city. There is no reason to
provide Generac employees street parking, they should be providing enough parking
within their lot.
David Brunover (3860 Red Oak Court). David said he agrees with everything Neil
already stated and wanted to add that the trucks have a lot of trouble in the area. Often
they do not read the sign and end up having to back all the way out. He thinks
emergency vehicles will also have trouble. Often there is plenty of room in the lot but
the employee entrance is closer to the road parking so they tend to park on the road
instead for convenience.
Wayne Daniels (3778 Red Oak Court). Wayne said the snow also becomes an issue
making it a very narrow lane. He also wanted to note that cars often park in front of the
fire hydrant in front.
Larry Last (3827 Red Oak Court). Larry said he agrees with everything mentioned so
far and said he even saw a semi get wedged and traffic was stopped while they waited
for the person to come out and move their car. He would like to see NO PARKING due
to it being a huge safety concern.
Jim Drummond (3811 Red Oak Court). Jim said zoning is the real issue. This is a heavy
industrial area so zoning should be enforced and the parking wouldn’t be an issue.
Jim Collins recommended to the citizens present to reach out to the town board and
express these concerns. He will speak with planning and zoning and hopefully get in
touch with the town representative before next meeting.
Dan Sciezinski asked if this plant works 24/7 and if there are any plans to widen the road. Jim
Collins said they operate 24/7, and there are no plans to widen the roadway. Al Hartman said
the road is concrete and in very good condition as he travels in that area.
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Dan Sciezinski made a motion to lay over until next meeting, seconded by Barry Perlman.
Motion carried after roll-call vote.
3. Remove 10-minute parking on Algoma Blvd. Jim said the staff noticed that this
10 minute temporary parking was still posted by the old AT&T building which has
since moved. He is requesting to have it removed since it is no longer being utilized.
Barry Perlman made a motion to approve, seconded by Ross Wandschneider.
Motion carried after a roll-call vote.
1. 4-Way Stop request (Eagle & Bismarck intersection). Jim stated he received a
request from the principal at Perry Tipler who stated they continue to observe
near-miss accidents every week at this intersection. Jim contacted East Wisconsin
Regional Planning Commission and requested a Safe Route audit be conducted
by Jenny. Jenny prepared and distributed a handout with the results to board
members. She said the Safe Route program is a National Movement and this type
of request is exactly what they are used for. She said at this particular school, the
students are dismissed at 3:37 pm and already by 4:00 pm, they observed that the
volume of students is already gone. They counted 122 vehicles and observed 3
staff members helping direct students. Within 10 minutes, they observed 68
students and another 80 students by Eagle & 4th Avenue which is down the
street.
She said they found some crash data from 2018-2022 and a total of 12 crashes
were reported (8 of them occurring Monday-Friday during the AM or PM school
rush). Upon completion of the study, they are recommending a 4-way stop to
help with all the confusion at this intersection that they observed. By adding a 4-
way stop, everyone will know exactly whose turn it is.
Jim stated the painting recommendations would be done after weather
permits the street painting to be conducted. The cross-walk will get painted with
the yearly paint jobs and possibly painting yellow on the curb. He did mention
that even though the majority of the day the current condition is probably just
fine, the 4-way stop would help during the school rush and improve the safety
for the students that bike or walk. Dan Sciezinski asked if flashers would also
be added; Jim stated he would suggest just starting with the stop signs and add
flags initially to increase awareness.
A motion was made by Barry Perlman to approve the 4-way stop sign request,
seconded by Bill Christianson.
Motion Carried after roll call vote.
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STAFF STATEMENTS
Jim stated that the results of the council’s Board & Commission study should be
presented to Council in April. The main issue is the challenge to complete the boards so
they are looking at things such as the number of members, term length and frequency
of meetings.
Dan said the wheelchair ramps at 9th & Knapp may need to be looked at if there are any
projects in the near future. He suggests obtaining a small portion of property from the
vacant restaurant to have the ability to make the ramp area larger. Jim said all of the
new streets are ADA compliant but the older existing streets have limited Right of Way
which makes complying with current ADA difficult. He said he will mention the
suggestion to Public Works.
Ross Wandschneider asked if the width on Wisconsin will match or be wider; Dan said
he asked that question and found out it will be reconstructed at the current width. Jim
said generally local streets are 32’ wide.
Barry asked if there has been any updated on the angled parking by the Marina; Jim
said Council will be voting this week so he will give an update at the next meeting. He
also said the traffic flow may need to be studied where the Boys & Girls club will be
moving. Jim stated that was already evaluated before the site plan was approved. Barry
also suggested speed bumps on Monroe but Jim stated speed bumps are only
considered with new street construction projects because they are very expensive and if
they fulfilled every request, almost every street would have one throughout the city.
FUTURE AGENDA REQUESTS:
ADJOURNMENT:
A motion was made by Dan Sciezinski to adjourn, seconded by Barry Perlman.
Motion Carried. Meeting adjourned at 4:46 pm.
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