Project #: Re: Steering Committee Meeting #1 Farmington Canal Heritage Trail Gap Closure Study and CTfastrak Connection Study

Transcription

1 Place: Plainville Twn Library Auditrium 56 East Main Street Plainville, CT Date: Ntes Taken by: Andrea Drabicki Prject #: Re: Steering Cmmittee Meeting #1 Farmingtn Canal Heritage Trail Gap Clsure Study and CTfastrak Cnnectin Study ATTENDEES Steering Cmmittee Tim Malne, Capitl Regin Cuncil f Gvernments Matt Blume, Twn f Farmingtn Bruce Dnald, East Cast Greenway / Farmingtn Valley Trails Cuncil / CT Greenways Cuncil Rbert Lee, Twn f Plainville Mark DeVe, Twn f Plainville Pete Salmne, Plainville Greenway Alliance Jim Grappne, Twn f Suthingtn Jill Scheibenpflug, CT Department f Energy and Envirnmental Prtectin Graysn Wright, CT Department f Transprtatin Sue Jaczzi, Plainville-Suthingtn Health District Mark Mriarity, City f New Britain Carl Gandza, City f New Britain Cnsultant Team Dave Head, VHB Andrea Drabicki, VHB Mark Jewell, VHB Mr. Dave Head began the meeting by intrducing the VHB team present at the meeting, Andrea Drabicki and Mark Jewell. He then laid ut the reasn fr the meeting and led intrductins by the members f the Steering Cmmittee (SC) present. As part f the SC intrductins each member was asked t define what they felt the biggest hurdle fr the study was. The fllwing were hurdles that were nted by the SC: Identify a rute that s agreeable Identifying funding surces The Spur t CTfastrak Safety Implementatin Prcess Apprval Prcess (i.e., permitting) Right f Way Nn-existent 100 Great Meadw Rad Suite 200 Wethersfield, CT P

2 Page 2 Entice the End Users Traffic Calming Mr. Head then discussed the rle f the SC t ensure the members knew what wuld be expected f them and the number f meetings that are scheduled fr the duratin f the study. The SC was infrmed that they are scheduled t meet eight (8) mre times during the study and that the meetings wuld take place at the Plainville Public Library. Afternn sessins were agreed upn fr the meeting times. The main rle f the SC entails: Help the Study Team Guide the study prcess Assist in evaluating the feasibility f alternative Act as Study Team Liaisn Share Lcal knwledge Assist with the Public Outreach An verview f the scpe f wrk was discussed with the SC with a mre detailed discussin f the Public Engagement Plan (PEP) fllwing. The items frm the scpe f wrk discussed are as fllws: Prject Management Public Engagement Prgram Data Cllectin/Base Map Creatin Assessment f Existing Cnditins Identificatin f Alternatives Implementatin Plan Final Reprt The items frm the PEP were discussed as fllws. Meetings: Steering Cmmittee (9) Technical Team (5) Discvery Phase (Fcus Grup Meetings, 8), (Stakehlder Interviews, 10), (Mbile Study Turs, 2) Charrettes (2) Public Infrmatinal Meetings (4) Surveys (3) Twn Meetings (10) Website Newsletters (6) Translatin Services Schedule \\vhb\prj\wethersfield\ Plainville Trail Study\dcs\ntes\Steering Cmmittee Meetings\supersede\FINAL 04_28_2016 Meeting #1 Steering Cmmittee.dcx

3 Page 3 Bruce Dnald, East Cast Greenway, FVTC, and the PGA, indicated that Plainville advcacy bike grups can assist in utreach and ntifying the public f upcming events and ptentially lcating a facility that the Study Team may be able t use during Discvery Week as a lcatin fr public infrmatinal sessins and fcus grup meetings. The next tpic discussed was the Visin fr the study. Mr. Head began with a sample visin fr the study and asked the SC fr cmments and thughts n what they felt the visin shuld entail. A gd cnversatin ensued n what the SC felt a visin shuld cver, sme f the key wrds nted frm the SC are listed: Safe Limit Barriers t Entry Friendly All end user types have access Cnnectivity t Cmmunities Cnsistent Functinality Unity Branding Design Ecnmic Develpment Opprtunity Define Imperatives Leadership f Standards Internatinal Influence Standardizatin Redefine Culture Wrld Class Define Opprtunity Ms. Drabicki then psed the questin t the SC if there were any existing cultural perceptin issues, i.e. institutinal culture, and if s what, in the pinin SC, culd the Study Team d t assist in redefining the culture? What culd the Study Team d t assist the SC in achieving greater buy-in f the public and ther stakehlders? The SC had a brief discussin cnfirming that there had been past institutinal challenges t get buy-in frm the CT Department f Transprtatin (CTDOT) t supprt and fund trail feasibility studies and imprvement prjects invlving state infrastructure. Members f the SC cncurred that recently there had been a cultural shift within the last five (5) years at the CTDOT. Graysn Wright, CTDOT, cnfirmed that the Department is vested in the cmpletin f the last trail gap f the Farmingtn Canal Heritage Trail (FCHT). The Department fully supprts the effrts f the alignment study. It was agreed by all parties the last trail gap, in Plainville, was indeed the mst difficult t determine an alignment; that if it was easy the gap wuld nt exist and a trail wuld exist, thus the FCHT wuld be cntiguus. \\vhb\prj\wethersfield\ Plainville Trail Study\dcs\ntes\Steering Cmmittee Meetings\supersede\FINAL 04_28_2016 Meeting #1 Steering Cmmittee.dcx

4 Page 4 In Summary the SC felt the visin shuld nt be limited t a specific design standard r facility type but be a larger visin fr the study. The VHB team will refine the visin statement and send it back t the SC fr their review. Ms. Drabicki gave an verview f the data cllectin that is ging n and the behind the scenes wrk that has been started since the ntice t prceed was given by the Regin. Behind the scenes Mbilized an internal prject supprt team f +10 peple Seven (7) specialized departments invlved Data cllected t date Traffic data Reprts & Plicies Gegraphic Infrmatin Systems (GIS) Ms. Drabicki then discussed the prject branding, relaying why this was imprtant the areas that the prject brand wuld be used and shwed a cuple f ptential ptins fr a lg design. She requested feedback frm the SC n the lg design and the VHB team received feedback n the design, and is summarized belw: Arrws instead f filled in circles (ndes) (might they represent: Nrthamptn, New Haven, Hartfrd) Add a Center line stripe in Optin #1, t shw a trail sectin in the A See a hle prvide a visual gap in the lg t represent the hle in the trail system Use radway / walkway Use state f CT utline as a backgrund fr the lg Clr ptins green it [lg] lks better smaller Mr. Jewell was then asked t lead the SC in an activity t gather their input n several questins that were psed t them. Mr. Jewell began by discussing the sectin directly nrth f the Trail in Farmingtn and Suthingtn nting the nging prjects and discussing their beginning and ending pints. These include: The Slvents Recvery Service f New England (SRSNE) Superfund site remediatin prject is designing and cnstructing (2016) the trail and assciated amenities frm Curtis Street nrth t Lazy Lane. State Prject in Suthingtn invlves the design f an ff-rad multi-use trail frm Lazy Lane nrth t apprximately 1,500 nrth f Twn Line Rd. Suthingtn (Mr. Grappne) nted that the Twn may cnsider utilizing the State ROW alng Birch St (SR 532) t extend the trail nrtherly t Twn Line Rad. State Prject in Farmingtn is a 2 mile lng, $5.1 M prject frm Nrthwest Drive in Plainville nrtherly t Red Oak Hill Rd, scheduled t be under cnstructin in June This cmpletes the FCHT in Farmingtn. The SC was asked t gather arund large scale maps and discuss several questins nted in the presentatin. These questins were: \\vhb\prj\wethersfield\ Plainville Trail Study\dcs\ntes\Steering Cmmittee Meetings\supersede\FINAL 04_28_2016 Meeting #1 Steering Cmmittee.dcx

5 Page 5 1.) Where d yu think the crridr shuld be? 2.) What is imprtant t yu? 3.) Where are the prblem areas? 4.) What wrks well? 5.) Other Items?? The SC was encuraged t discuss these questins and mark up the maps with markers and pst it ntes t capture their thughts. The SC theme thrughut the exercise seemed t be that a multi-use trail is preferred if an apprpriate crridr culd be fund. Tim Malne went ver a memrandum regarding utreach t envirnmental justice cmmunities and limited English-prficiency ppulatins. Mr. Malne nted that such a mem is required fr every study that CRCOG undertakes. Mr. Malne utlined the steps that CRCOG wuld take, which included: crdinating with municipal fficials t identify apprpriate utreach methds fr envirnmental justice cmmunities; putting a ntice f translatin availability n all meeting annuncements; translating newsletters fr the prject; translating a twpage summary f the final reprt; and crdinating with municipal fficials t identify media utlets and rganizatins thrugh which t engage Spanish and Plish speaking ppulatins. Thse in attendance agreed with the apprach. Mr. Malne asked the SC members t send him any cmments they have. Next Steps Steering Cmmittee t review the list f plans and reprts identified by VHB and prvide input if the resurces are the mst current and make recmmendatins fr additinal infrmatin that shuld be cnsidered fr the Study. Steering Cmmittee members are t identify any pertinent upcming events that Study Team might cnsider attending r cnducting utreach Bruce Dnald, East Cast Greenway, FVTC, and the PGA, indicated that Plainville advcacy bike grups can assist in utreach and ntifying the public f upcming events The City f New Britain will identify the prper persn(s) t cntact regarding LEP/EJ cmmunity leaders that the City may already be wrking with. VHB will revise the visin statement and send it t the SC. VHB will revise the lg and send it t the SC. \\vhb\prj\wethersfield\ Plainville Trail Study\dcs\ntes\Steering Cmmittee Meetings\supersede\FINAL 04_28_2016 Meeting #1 Steering Cmmittee.dcx

6 Page 6 Statement f Accuracy: We believe these minutes accurately describe the discussin and determinatins f this meeting. Unless ntified t the cntrary within 5 business days, we will assume all in attendance cncur with the accuracy f these ntes. Ntes Submitted by: David Head Ntes Apprved by: Tim Malne Distributin: Attendees Prject File \\vhb\prj\wethersfield\ Plainville Trail Study\dcs\ntes\Steering Cmmittee Meetings\supersede\FINAL 04_28_2016 Meeting #1 Steering Cmmittee.dcx