Trails Committee - Regular Meeting

can't vote on approval of the minutes um but I would ask uh Rob if you could tell us what's going on in your world as far as the bike paths go yeah absolutely hello everyone um I'm just going to go through kind of the same list that I had put together um for you guys couple meetings ago and and giving an update starting with the the um terill um section of that was completed probably going to take just take that off the list after this meeting um right I I think um the the most recent correspondence on that was the as built the contractor submitted to Simsbury and then you know behind the scenes simsberry owed me a bill for um some of the construction inspection and some other you know small items all of which was within budget so there's no issues no issues with that um next on my list was the Town Center to high school um project um that's that's a lotet project through Prague and we had a proposal from VHB for $130,000 to do that design and um just before we issued a PO to VHB uh the vendor selection panel was created and they instructed us to hold off on issuing the PO um and they asked us to send out a new RFP um to all the new on call Engineers that we had chosen over this you know throughout the summer so so we're we're kind of back to square one again but the rfp's out and um you know maybe we'll get a better price who

knows um so but the RFP is out it's due January 31st I think um so you know we'll have a we'll have a a designer you know underway in February barring some catastrophe um and and then the same thing for Tyler Street to Rockwell Park um you know I've we've got to issue a very similar RFP to all the on calls that we'll be putting that out very shortly probably in the next next week I mean it's it's basically just taking the one we did for the town center and and modifying it to for Tyler to Rockwell any questions on those two before I continue just Tyler to Rockell it doesn't go beyond Tyler doesn't go beyond Tyler correct okay ends at Tyler um the next project which is kind of the larger project that that we just um you know received the funding for this year the the Hartford town line up the Griffin Corridor to the high school um so I I did a site walk with do on December 6 we walked the entire alignment um and and we I actually drafted an RFQ it's ready to go we're waiting for Do's contract Compliance Unit to set the minority goal before before they give me the green light it's been I don't know how it's been over a month that we're waiting for them to set the goal um but he expects it soon so um you know with any luck we'll have that RFQ advertised you know in in a couple weeks as well but you know it's it's out of my hands but that's where to where that's the that's the Harford Town Line to North to the high school through capaco up Tyler streets and then West on

you know West on Park we're we're exploring a couple options there whether we you know we might look at the trolley line or the the the you obviously we'd talk to you guys if there's any change from from what we submitted but what was submitted was you know up the Griffin line through capaco up Tyler past the middle you know into the into the 330 Park property past the middle school and then West on Park Avenue and then into the high school property out to um Crestview but does it uh does it go from uh uh on Cottage Grove um from from the railro tracks to kaco or yeah pretty pretty pretty much we is it Goodman Street I believe we were we were going to utilize the the Goodman Street right away that's our plan so okay and and come out by Dunkin Donuts there and then then run along Cottage Grove good okay okay so there something behind there there there is a little glitch with the the piece from Toby road to the Harford toown line the F the fed you know the the feds are funding this and they they don't like Trails ending without any Terminus if you will so like ending at the Town Line there's no way for anyone to get to it so what what they're probably going to have us do is ended at Toby Road and then the Harford project would construct their side to Toby Road or couldn't it I would suggest the University of Harford would be a great place to have an intersection it could be it could be um but our our project didn't cross the the

Town Line the City Line you know I'll talk to him about it and see if that's an option you know we're we're staying on the east side of the tracks with our project crossing the tracks is a big deal yes but Toby Road you could cross you could cross at Toby right that's true that's true yeah I'll I'll talk to him about it's gonna definitely I think the University of Harford ought to be included in this that would be that would be pretty awesome actually town bonefield because we'd love those guys to come biking out to their stores and things and they probably would like to have access that' be a real Plus for to let me um you know what because obviously that that still needs more ation so let me let me mention that to him who knows maybe I I if it got added to our project versus added to hartfords I'd have more confidence that it would get done you know right yeah okay good okay so Town Center to Day Hill Road pretty much no change on that um from what I talked to you guys about last meeting um you know just that the Rob Rob can I'm I'm sorry I was having a little troll with the microphone this Kevin yeah Hey Kevin I I just want one quick question on the um the section you were talking about the um you know Harford Town Line or Toby Road whatever to uh the high school yeah there was a lot of discussion I don't know a year a year and a half two years ago when this was being talked about the section from the high school over to 3:30 Park you know at that point that was the original Terminus or or you know alignment yeah met metac Comet whatever um there was a lot of talk at the time

about running the trail behind those buildings not in front down Park and you know I think part of what this committee I mean this committee didn't even exist at that time but part of part of what kept happening with some of this stuff is we'd see one map and then we'd see a different map and things would change um is there any have you looked at this and you know because I think there were a lot of people who thought running the trail behind the schools and behind all of this activity made a lot more sense than down Park Avenue um have you looked at that and could we have some way of having you know could we have a repository somewhere of maps of all of these things as they are currently in existence yeah I mean so what I used for the application is the alignment that was endorsed um you know when when the um kog folks came and talked to you guys I'm gonna pull it up I'm gonna oh okay okay no I I know where you're right okay yeah um so so when we were looking at that we weren't looking at that I mean we probably weren't looking at that level of detail we were looking more at um specifically how where whether it went to kapaco or or whether it went on over to the Windsor toown line um so yeah you're right I mean we probably we I'm not disputing that we endorsed that but I know there you know that that's more of a small change in that have have you looked at that do you have any opinion on that I I I'm gonna pull it up now it is behind the oh is it the only place it goes over Park Avenue is just across a bridge at one point I did not look at that I'm just looking at it can you guys see that no it's behind behind the buildings I'm looking at it

correctly is that big enough for you guys to see me it is the which is it's the the lighter of the red not the maroon it's cor thank you correct the the maroon is the trolley line um but was not I mean we're looking at that also but it wasn't the preferred alignment the preferred alignment is what we applied for which is that brighter brighter red well it keeps going yeah the bright red all the way around all the way all the way along right that the bright red is the what was what was in the application whoops right I never seen that happen before not easy right that's impressive I can't tell well and and and David may may remember that too I mean there was a time when when there was a discussion of it going behind this stuff and then coming out and you know being able to go down I there there there was so if you go so frog still has it listed on their website and what it was is when we were making the final decision here for discussion that was presented behind I believe it went through it looks like it went along like the high school football soccer field area behind along Samuel wher Reed in that line right there was a couple areas that brought it in one in between the high school and AAS was was a proposed line and then coming off like behind metacom at school right down on the East far east side of the park school complex 330 Park Avenue but when you look at the weight of that the the when they did their the weighted

percentages of it that had an 89 rate in where the current proposed R route that we have right now I think is a 91.2 yeah and that's probably just because of the proximity to more houses I would ass the part where there are lots of houses they go behind it and where there fewer houses the problem is crossing driveways and U so it's better to go behind in the area where there are lots of driveways right which is what yeah it looks like that's that's that's probably why that the preferred alignment did that that would be okay yeah if that's true I don't think there are many houses along there right there's not a lot of houses between that apart apartment complex and the and the middle school just that I think just that one house maybe two maybe two so that probably is why it gets a better count yeah okay good um well well how locked in are we I mean on on things like that how locked in are we I mean we're not entirely locked in um you know but you know cost is certainly a factor so and and you know going through private property requires you know takings which are very expensive so [Music] um so you're happy you're happy with what we have right now is that well yeah except that we think the um the maroon alignment you know the one change that I've made from the application and that actually was prompted by dot was to go with this maroon alignment to the that's because that's where the Griffin line is right right rather than go through the rather than go around the right side of capaco we thought it made more sense to do the maroon um that's fine that's fine

yep and and then we're I mean we we are we did we did walk the trolley line um you know the the the the big drawback to that I mean we would still connect to the middle school and you know Social Services um but the trail if if it we did end up using the TR line there's there's there's a significant um water crossing there um whatever Brook it is be Brook probably yeah one of the something that you know part of the North Branch the Park River um tributaries it's and because the the old Crossing's been taken out and so of the the East abutment is actually missing as well so it'd be a tough Crossing so so so Dave do you have I mean in terms of this going be in front or behind the buildings did you have a preference um I think there's pros and cons both sides of it and I don't mean to want to be the person that's kind of on the fence with it you know I I when keeping it at the proposed route that it is right now it creates visibility to it you can see it along Park Avenue as you're going there and I think that that could potentially create uh increase usage of it but there's also something to be said about going behind it that's all private land that's back there or public land I should say um you're going along Samu well Reed and it's all kind of looped in that way um and so it's going to be more of a a nature more pis picturesque um route if you were to go behind it um you don't think there's safety there you don't think there are significant safety there there there not more significant safety problems going down the park that could be on the road it's GNA be well I know it's gonna be a bike path yeah I don't believe so um Rob I don't know what you have proposed if 's any type of fence in that's being

proposed to go up there um in there I don't I mean yeah it's I wouldn't think so if we were doing a side road Trail I don't think we'd be looking at a fence we would try to keep it off the road as far as we can five to 10 feet right but you know going behind those there's a there's a decent amount of wetlands and and flood plane back there so that that's a that's kind of a big deal too it's actually it's actually there's can you I don't know you can see the gis map that I pulled up is that showing up on your screen no we're just still seeing the uh um the same one you get to Sammy a wheel of re yeah yeah that's fine I I I don't want to belabor this any further I just was sort of wondering where this is but you know I think that I if we can we should do whatever makes sense and I think connecting the schools is the important thing um and I do agree with I do agree with Dave that the you know visibility is a good thing people you know people I just know out in our area where the trail is now just being able you know driving driving driving by and seeing people out on the trail it it you know it promotes it promotes it it does promote it yeah does from from like an economic development standpoint and from an overall Community standpoint people like to see people out recreating exactly whether they're doing it or not you know it's like you take Philly park into into consideration what most people won't put on Ice Gates but they still want to see somebody out there ice skating when when it's um present driving by is important it is one one interesting um item that we picked up on the walk the the preferred route had the trail going down the east side of Tyler Street and when we were out walking it

um we noticed there's a lot more room to get over a stream Crossing on the west side can you see where there's already a sidewalk there yeah and on the east side the East Side would require a pretty significant Culvert extension um whoops there um so that I think I think when we when we go up Tyler Street we're gonna and and the other benefit is you know we would cross we would cross Cottage Grove in front of kaco with only one Crossing we wouldn't have to cross the capaco driveway we'd only have to cross Cottage Grove and then just yes yeah and and the same and the same thing when you get up to park so we run all the way up Tyler Street and we'd only have to cross Park we wouldn't have to cross Tyler or or the or the driveway we would just cross Park and we'd be on that you know basically what's a multi-use trail right along the west side of the the entrance Drive yep and you don't need to cross Rockwell or Dale either right right that side of it yeah but you also have to cross a Tyler to get to uh the you would have to cross yep you'd have to cross Tyler to get to the Rockwell path that's right but even so there's sidewalk on both sides of the street on Tyler there is already right um okay I I don't know if I even want to bring it up but there were we for some reason like five or 10 years ago when we talked about Tyler we had some um we had a member on the Town Council that was Liv near on the intersection of Tower and she she objected to having a bike path there oh well wasan interesting I don't know why you

but Rob I have I have a question for you since we're on the topic over here if you can pull the map up a little bit let go to The Cottage Grove if you don't mind intersection on the on the image Google Map yeah okay so my only app are do any type of traffic control measures would be part of the plan so so the dot has a project in final design right now to replace six traffic signals on Cottage Grove including this one so all The Pedestrian upgrades to the intersection are going to be done by the department probably you know before project starts perfect so I have to assume that they're going to upgrade that because there's no true uh there's no exclusive there's no exclusive Crossing there it's a concurrent Crossing it's it is you're still fighting through dangerous taking a left in other areas it's just a poor design right now yep but they aren't talking about roundabouts anywhere there are they not no just a new just a a traffic signal replacement and you wonder if they really need that many traffic signals within you know for capaco there's like three or four of them there yeah yeah okay well that's not a problem that's yeah that's a that's a whole another issue you want them there you want them at that location um I say when we used to have the youth center back at the old building when we opened it there were there were several car car bike incidents um with our children over the first part of my career at that location wow so any anything else on on that I wonder if school system is thinking of this as potentially helping walking to work walking to school instead of taking that's I guess something we don't need to worry about um I think we get we encourage yeah okay councilman Meritt that's

actually a good point though that is something that we should probably get them involved with in the discussion um somehow present something get into somebody's ear at the school system because I know we're going to move into um one of the other projects over here um shortly and school interaction on these things are are key and we haven't had anything to this point so I I I did I did talk to the superintendent about this project because it touches the high school obviously and the middle school so she's aware of it okay maybe hasn't has some thought about the walking to school aspect of it oh yeah oh her her Wheels were spinning when I told her about this she was yeah y new leadership it's it's important so hopefully now's that now is a good time to have that discussion we also need to talk to them about bike safety because I know in Simsbury the the bike committee spend a lot of time with the schools the police department does too teaching bike safety to the kids anyway but that's neither here or there okay sorry about that all right you had how about the other stretches so yeah no no nothing new to report on the Town Center to Day Hill Road say you know same thing that I mentioned last time the Departments that you know dot is prioritizing the East Coast Greenway and you know is committed to funding those projects um you know whether they do it themselves or or if an opportunity for us comes up to apply for funding you know they're willing to provide the match like they're doing on on this project the high school to to Hartford town line my main worry is going through the center and how we do that um it's desirable to the bike path go through the center as much as possible but U it's also a problem we don't know what kind of intersections we're going to have and if what they're going to do with the highway or they put

roundabouts in there which I hope they do but that's a lot safer for a bike path to have a roundabout and uh but we it's hard to pick a route until you know what what we're going to do the highway right and and yeah with the with the economic development study going on I think that was a good point to you know make sure they consider the the bike alignment um you know identified by the East Coast Greenway and and you know how how whatever they layout they come up with can accommodate a bike path y yep I'll mention that to John Coleman by the way if you haven't already good um um was that it um that that's it for Trails I mean I had um if you want an update on Blue Hills complete streets I mean which has a bike lane in it I can I can give you an update on that where we stand yeah that would be interesting um so um I don't know if last time we had um the contractor a low bid contractor approved um I'm I'm ready to award it to this contractor but de as Dave can attest to De I've actually do deposit actually deposited the money I've got $1.2 million from dot that's going to get deposited into the town's account this week I haven't gotten decd to say yeah go ahead and award the project and they're not even giving me the money upfront we have to ask for reimbursement so that that's what we're waiting for but it's not I mean realistically the contractor is not going to start till April 1st you know whether whether we sign a contract you know in January or February it's it's it's irrelevant um you know the winter shutdown um goes until April 1st either way so that's that's where we stand

there but but it's it's you know it's ready to go um and School Street the School Street complete streets project which is you know sidewalk and some traffic calming um from Cottage Grove all the way up to winberry um we just I just author I just um signed the PO for VHB to get started on that so you'll you'll be seeing surveyors out there shortly they're you know they're starting to collect their mapping utility information getting the survey done so that that project's um you know the design has started on that can I ask it's you're talking sidewalk on School Street how how wide a sidewalk just a five foot a five foot sidewalk okay I think it's white wi enough for my three-wheel recumbent okay perfect yeah four four doesn't do it I I do not like four foot wide sidewalk I it's not wide enough why you're on the topic why why make why not make I assume you're going to have concrete sidewalk it's concrete sidewalk why why is that better than a bike path asphalt why isn't that cheaper and more practical and and while you're at it why not make it you know six feet the town the town standard is five feet concrete sidewalk I've I've been told even that eight or 10 foot is about the same price as five foot of concrete that no that's that's not true you pay you pay a square foot price you know so no the a square foot of black top versus square foot of concrete I see what you're saying yeah obviously binus is a is a lot cheaper right but but it doesn't last nearly as long as concrete sidewalk yeah you you you sidewalks on there for 30 years compared to Asphalt where even

in couple years yeah no I mean that's that's the standard that's the town standard that that's that's what we put in everywhere so that's so as as we talk about the bike the bike path over here the East Coast Greenway that is one of my concerns with it is you know when you go on now and you start to see them after 10 years or so you start to see those asphalt and where's that money going to come from to replace them I have to say ours was built much better and it's not deteriorated at all and doesn't have a bunch of trees next to it they are going to have Roots causing things to hump up I think but how long's our our our old SP been there several years now and there's no blemishes on it at all which is amazing yeah it was designed it it was designed not having the tree roots inter is important there example in South Windsor that I was aware of by the middle school they had R run uh I know Pro probably 8 foot black top uh from a neighboring Street to the school and then they and then they went to concrete to go around the school they replaced the concrete and did and only patched the black top in small areas of course I think a lot it a lot has to do with how how good a base they put in for sure for the long term to keep for black top to last we certainly need to talk about budgets for this year for sidewalks because bonefield is desperately short of sidewalks and that should be something that's there there under the EG our Trails committee and I'm wondering if uh is that in your budget uh sidebox it's in the public

works budget yeah I I wonder if we need to push on that to get something done and our sidewalks like the desperately needed one along Blue Hills Avenue is that a state responsibility or is that ours yeah the state the state will only replace sidewalks when they're doing a project they they don't proactively replace sidewalk they they're required to replace pedestrian ramps when they pave but that's just the ramp no nothing Beyond it so if we wanted well they probably are going to redo that stretch of BU Avenue anyway because that the intersection with Cottage Grove which stretch do you mean going north from there yeah because it turns into a highway further down and uh I I would think that that road probably is going to need attention anyway so but anyway I I just think we ought to be budgeting more for sidewalks yeah there's a I mean not a lot of sidewalk work has gotten done recently so there's a there's a pretty decent budget for sidewalk work and I know I know the vendor selection panel is going to make us read vertise for our on call sidewalk contractor um so we're expecting to do that I'm not talking about repairs so much as I'm talking about sidewalks okay yeah like we have a we were talking about one uh on not bfield Avenue but uh tungus tungas yeah is is there one plan there so um yeah that that project actually isn't on my list it probably should be um the the um we have a project to extend the sidewalk from Philly Park to gisler's Plaza

and it includes some upgrades to the signal pedestrian upgrades to the signal um you know that that's a project that's been around for a long time and I finished that was one of the first things I did when I got here I finished the design submitted it to Dot and um just need them to give me the green light to advertise it's in final review with DOT traffic and I'm expecting them to give me the authorization adverti so that that's another project that's going to start in in the spring except I assume at this point uh that that has been extended to Alex the Alexandria Manor the new apartment the the N the nursing home that was turned into an apartment complex that's across from gers our project ends at geisers this there's an existing sidewalk that continues North for a little distance not that big a distance well needs to connect up with with Alexandria Manor and I mean maybe there's a little bit there that was there that was let's see yeah that that project it's a community connectivity project that was applied for like five years ago okay where so where is the little section you're seeing so can you see can you see my screen I can yeah okay um so here you see the old parking lot at Philly Park in in the end of that recently installed sidewalk so we're extending it from there right if you can see my follow my cursor all the way up in front of Midas and then we we install a crosswalk at the traffic signal and basically connect it to the existing sidewalk will up will upgrade the ramps The Pedestrian and that's on the other side okay yep and then the sidewalk continues I think the Sidewalk Ends right here okay well that might work but

you know to your where where where your cursor is now y to the other side that's that that's now an that has just been converted the nursing home yep I mean to the um you know right right yeah right right there yeah that that's been converted that that's old nursing home and that's been converted to um market rate Apartments yep and we have I think it's being populated so if we're going to build sidewalks you know it has to connect to looks like it will doesn't it I mean the side it's on the other side it's on the other side right right people so people so you're talking about bringing that up which is fine but we also need you know you're going to build the sidewalk long Philly Park and the other problem is if you go back to the town center to the Congregational Church where that sidewalk when we moved to town 32 years ago the plan was that the sidewalk from the Congregational Church would go all it needs is to go across the cemetery yeah to connect up with what was at that time Frank's Plaza because that was a Frank store in there not guys wow yeah yeah so so that also needs to be included in that because we need to be able to go people people shouldn't have to be Crossing back and forth these roads if they're on one particular side or the other we do need them on both sides but the other point is we may put the East Coast Greenway on the other we may we may that that that gets to that other point yeah that it might be uh we do that the other side of the road needs I mean we need sidewalks on both sides anyways yeah and we need planning for this I mean this this you know we're going here and stopping here and there's there's this there's this new apartment complex I mean this is crazy you know I mean I mean I'm not blaming you Ry yeah I'm not blaming you I'm just I'm

listening I'm listen I'm I'm saying this is why we have a planning department and so we shouldn't be you know these designs should be going and I understand it's not going to go all the way up to you know the intersection with Terry planes whatever but we have an apartment complex there that's the whole point of walkability that's the whole point of complete streets you knowes John Coleman's Department deal with sidewalks well he should be dealing with us in the plan I mean when they the town plan right it should be something that's discussed at the approval stage for these developments right but but but at the same time if the if the approval stage for and we do have that now thanks to Bob Bob uh Dickinson uh we we we changed the tpz um uh you know one some of the regulations the plan zoning regulations so that new developments have to look at new sidewalks so far we've waved everything that's come in yeah pretty much I would say so but but you know and I understand you know I understand it's like they want you know here's a new new development there's a sidewalk in front of it it doesn't connect anything but if there's never a sidewalk in front of it it's never gonna connect I trust me I'm with you I'm with you on that one yeah yeah so anyway I this is this is this is a minor one I would take whatever you're doing and go back and make sure that the sidewalk you're building on the west side of tungus connects to Alexandria Manor and then you know to to councilor Mer's point the east side of of tungus still needs to be dealt with but maybe that's part the town plan maybe that's part of the plan for how the East Coast Greenway because it's going to come off of the Griffin line back there somewhere and then down right of course just just the project the project I talked about it's it's you know it it the funding is capped you know the the project is designed and it's ready to advertise so

I mean there's no way to add more sidewalk to that project um it' have to be another project yeah yeah I think in in these cases where you're putting in the sidewalk you good on a road like that it's going to be preferential if somebody wants to ride from that apartment complex to Town Center uh uh they're going to they're going to ride that sidewalk and if we ever get enough people on bikes with enough connectivity there's going to be conflicts between pedestrians and bicycles on on an only 5 foot sidewalk yep so anyway that's great thank you for dealing with that but I'm wondering who puts sidewalks in the town budget is that comes out of your Public Works Public Works does how do I get can we get a message that we'd like to see another half million dollars talk to Dan talk do do you mind giving Dan a call he'd be the I don't at all because I I really think we just it's shameful our our sidewalk situation is embarrassing and I somebody get going to get run over because we don't we had the we had the Pressel one going on the let's see one we just built finally after 10 years we had in the budget coming out of the center yeah of Mountain Avenue oh yeah yeah right right that finally got built me you got to remember you know we have a lot of projects and there's only there's only two of us in engineering running projects so you know the Capac is somewhat you know that's always been the hold up it wasn't the money yeah right no that is Department the money's there okay gotta spend it though Can Can you hire outside help that's right I mean we can do that right that I mean to a point you can

right um just one other thing because you were talking about the traffic calming on School Street yeah and going out for bid what's the status of the Maple Avenue project so that's in that's East West engineering one of that that went to the vendor selection panel um we we sent out an RFP to all the on calls we got quotes back and um the vendor selection panel authorized us to issue a PO to East West engineering from from West Harford and and they're um engaged in that design right now excellent okay thank you I I I while we have you I like to bring up another subject uh on the same issue that is I had it on the agenda as U somebody's rant which [Music] one didn't I put something in about a ramp Steve's Steve's rant I thought I had anyway um what did I thought I put something in added something about Steve's rant um ride the state yeah yeah that's the boat house stay house bike ride under new business that was different anyway let me bring it up now we have a big crisis uh on the bike path um because the Griffin line uh it's got to be the way it is now rails with Trails not just uh not just uh one replacing the trails with a bike path mhm this is going to cost tens of millions of dollars extra because there is no use for that railroad being there absolutely

no use and yet the person that the heads that railroad company has Trump is has a contract and yeah and the federal a brand a brand new contract by the way that was just literally just renewed by dot like in December November December last year and I stupid and I begged him like why are you guys doing this stop don't don't but you know the do the dot owns it that's what they want to do and nobody was talking them out of it oh we we actually were but they just didn't convince anybody Yeah well yeah I mean so they're it's going to be so expensive with that um fortunately we had plans for um going off the track for much of the our distance and it wouldn't be that much of a hardship to do it uh replace the Griffin line down on on the way to Hartford um but it would be a real pain to have railro Trails going north from the center and that could be very expensive we we may have to go with our alternate route because of that extraordinary cost of widening that right away actually Joe can I can I just comment on that because I think when they looked at those roots the the study the East Coast Greenway study I think they did look at the cost of this as a rails with Trails project yes so so I I mean I'm just I'm I'm surprised that you think the cost has escalated that much oh it did you see what Harford had for mine huge well yeah but that's there's other yeah the 62 million yes I there's a very different cost per mileage talking and and there's also some connector there are other

issues in the Hartford area that are much more difficult than ours are and there's also some other connector stuff because they're talking about building the pedestrian bridge that connects to the riverfront park and uh when that study first came when that announcement first came out it was unclear what was in that one way or the other and that's Harford that's not us but this a it's a much it's much more dramatic cost per mile I hope I hope you're right it wouldn't affect both we're not paying for it anyways it's but uh it certainly is a concern that we have to deal with and uh but I I would like to I I we have a uh on Facebook a a group called the east east coast Greenway in Bloomfield Connecticut it's a Bloomfield Connecticut East Coast Greenway right and it's being used as the for the whole region as on the bike path um because nobody else has a similar site and we're going to be putting all this stuff on there and if you go to it now you listen to an interesting description by the people in charge of East Coast Greenway um sub verbal it was on Simsbury radio station or television ation and it it tells everything that's going on in New England but also mentions uh our bike path Simsbury connection when things are going to happen what their priorities are and so it's just too long for me to add it to our agenda here so but if you go go to that site and maybe we'll be successful and sending it out to everybody she she's going to send it out to everybody so I urge you all to listen to that because it it tells a lot of stuff I

didn't know and how they're talking about a second route going through U Keeny Park and so that's well that was our K that was yeah yeah yeah the other connection but no they're talking about doing that simultaneously so but it's a lot of interesting stuff there that's that's one of the alignment I just pulled up the alignment map from the study and that that is one of the alignment going to Keeny Park yeah and no right it goes from Keeny Park you I don't I don't yeah I think it it goes to the river I think yeah you hit the riverfront recapture yeah all that stuff yeah there yeah okay yeah there's there's there's no such thing as a wrong route it'll get used I think regard to the increased cost of rails with Trails versus putting the trail on the top of the rail uh if there's a cost comparison done of of uh of um how much additional it would cost to put it beside the the the railroad then may maybe just say if it's $20 million more to do it that way maybe we can buy out the railroad contract for five or six million I that's still save money I don't think dot is going to sell it to you people R are religion I'm afraid yeah um okay while we have you um you want to skip over to the oh bicycle friendly Community status update who's David David has said but let's go to Adams hosin Road Simsbury connector which involves you rob yep yep and Kevin I was going to ask you tonight if you had time to walk it tomorrow but but Dan wasn't available okay

how about yeah I was I I I actually mentioned to Paula the other day that I need to BU drive by there I figured the snow would be gone and I should get in touch with you guys yeah yeah I was thinking tomorrow it's supp a little bit warmer too um so that's I wait till our next meeting yeah well we'll walk it I mean if next week you know works for you um let's connect let's connect next week I mean that you know looks doesn't look like we're going to get any weather you know maybe a little bit Saturday but um I think we'll be yeah okay yeah that's what I I thought let's keep that on the on the agenda but hopefully we by the next meeting we can walk that and you guys have an idea and yep yeah all the next week looks pretty good weatherwise so um yeah we'll we'll connect yeah well actually if that if next week looks good why can you check tomorrow with Dan and just see what what when what day what days are good what days are good for him and send me an email and we'll yeah I think next I think next Friday we were talking about next Friday if does that work for you guys I think so I think so okay all right say that on on the ride the State issue I urge everybody to listen to that uh what I mentioned that uh I guess you're going to get it sent to you so you'll be able to that covers that plan to uh the ride the state which is a couple months they go from from New Haven uh up to it's going to come through Bloomfield for the first time uh because our Bloomfield is now our our present bike path that we have is part of the East Coast Greenway officially now which it wasn't until we went through teril and so people don't have to go over the mountain they can go through the gorge

and uh so this group every year uh bicycles and they're going the bicycle uh through Longfield to the railroad station and and they're not going to let them bring their bikes back on by railroad but they they're going to be be able to take the train back to New Haven so that's that's a new front I don't I don't know how long what's it's going to take because I always had the idea you'd be able to bike on the East Coast Greenway right up to the railro station and stick your bike in the train but I guess they not ready for that yet so that covers the right unless somebody else has something on the ride the State issue um we talked about the sener already um Philly Park um that's new business uh rob you is yep we're we're waiting we're waiting for a CO from the building department um the the contractor has one more document to submit um to Dwight and we should be able to pull down that fence and open up the parking lot hopefully you know next week um but yeah all the sign offs I've signed off on it Planning and Zoning is signed off the Fire Marshall signed off it's the building department um has one last piece they're looking for it's hard to believe you need a CO on a pavilion but you do I'm talking about the uh Trail maintenance oh oh oh sorry that's right I I I'm fixated on the project um so the Public Works Crews were actually in there this week believe it or not um taking down some trees and and doing some maintenance on the Park

trails can't give you really much more detail we put a new fence up on the back entrance um from is it what's the the joblot plaza is that right yeah that fence that fence was pretty beat up um so we put a fence there and unfortunately technically we the the rights the easement we have to access Philly Park from the plaza side is exclusively for Town employees not the public really yeah so we we I wanted to leave like a manate or an open opening so people could easily get in and out but they've been managing they just go around the fence and it it hasn't been an issue it seems like people use it anyway but yeah um they they were out there this week doing some maintenance so um hopefully that's that's what you wanted to hear well the the other thing with this though is um this is um well says connection L Trail the other thing with this is back when the library when the re renovation of um prer library was discussed the you know they wanted there should be a trail connecting the library to Philly Park and there's been a question as to whether it would be on one side or both sides because we own the Riley Lum you know we we the town purchased the old Riley lumber yard and that's where the parking's going to be um this was brought up I don't know two years ago or probably more recently than that to some degree but um both the Philly Park committee and the library library building committee thought it was a great idea uh as did NCC you know the conservation energy environment committee we didn't have a Trails committee at that point um everyone

agreed with it as far as I know no one you know when when when I've talked to the people um it's always a oh yeah you know we're waiting you know X is waiting for y y is waiting for x uh so has anything been done to well you know now that we're in the getting close to opening the library at some point getting close to opening Philly park has some you know is that trail been has that trail been mapped has it been put in place not this is the first I'm hearing about it yeah that's what I was afraid of if I may point something out uh the ri Lumber of property does not go all the way correct that's yeah and there's a lot there's a lot of flood yep a flood out which is very bad it really should be a flood control thing there uh coming down from the all the asphalt on the Plaza up above there and uh it and I think that's one of the real problems with the center flooding or the library flooding was caused by that all that water running off it should be damned up in some kind of a retention Pond and uh that might all go together and give us a a way to all road to the park so I think we ought to be looking into that that's that's that's a problem it's it's yeah you mean making a trail from the procer library parking lot into the backside of Philly Park is that what you're talking about I'm talking about the Riley Lumber side of yeah yep y okay let's also talk about the other side too I think there's there is an easement I think there is an easement behind all of those buildings because when they did some construction

a couple of years ago you could you know when they refurbish behind the hardware old hardware store which is now the you know waiting to be occupied yes I think there's storm and sanitary easements I I don't believe there's an like a public access easement yeah we we did talk we did talk about putting a pathway back there or or even a road but um I think there's it may be not something that's very yeah that's a tough one because it it's all flood plane back there and wetlands and there's private property in the way and and you got to cross can you see my screen I'm showing the par I see the property there yeah yeah that goes with the Ocean State Job Lot yep that's right you do have sidewalk all along tonus there as well yep but we did complete that missing piece finally this one right there call call me when you bury the utility lines yeah I I tried I tried to get rid of that okay thank you I think enough on that for now we have plenty of work in the future so can we moved to uh thank thank you rob that was great um great bicycle friendly Community status update Dave I don't have much of an update I did talk to Steve Mitchell back in November um continues to tell me that we are a shoe in for the [Laughter] project I don't know if I agree um but you know you know I still go stand by the Same by the same stance that I've taken on this since you know since we started I I don't believe that we're there there's a lot of work that goes into it

um I can add to that Dave I mean being I was pretty involved in in new Britain's bike um friendly application um back in like 2014 and and the city had put a ton of effort into bike infrastructure bike programs you know education with the school system um you know community events with the police department um bike racks I mean you wouldn't believe it and and I think we just barely squeaked by the city just barely squeaked by with bronze status and then tried to apply for silver status got shot down and I think wanted to try again recently and the application was just so over the top they said we're just we're we're not doing it just just my two cents on that thank you Rob and so so I'm gonna do with what the committee would like would would like me to do um you know I can't with all the other projects and activities that I have going on you know I can't give it all the attention that it needs um but I can give it enough in order to submit an application if that's if that's what the committee desires if you can do that I think that's a good idea my my recommendation is is let's get the East Co let's get the bike path that Rob's working on right now let's get that going and under construction and then we can show that there's additional activity that we have and I do believe that would give us a much stronger um much stronger case and possibility of receiving it um you know and I understand why I understand why why people would like it so I still don't and I've asked this to Steve and and he's he cannot provide a response to me what is the benefit to

the town right now of receiving even the bronze do we get additional grant funding that we might be able to go for um is there anything other than just to show completed the application you get a sign you get a sign to put up on the on the timeline also you get feedback of of a believe of of what you can do to advance to the next level sure sure sure it's a good effort definitely a good effort to go through to see where you fall short right it it it is but you know it's it's so I think what it does is we need to you know I said this before and I will continue to say we need to prioritize the projects that we have and if this is a top prior top project that the town would like us to move certainly isn't my top project but it' be nice to do but I if you know you have other things to do so I does anybody else so Council Meritt if I could just piggy back what you said I I promise you I'm not trying to skirt any type of additional work that goes through I'm more than happy I am I totally sympathetic no I and I thank you for that I just want I just feel the need to say that on my Steve has been leaning on us he has he's hard to say no to but he is I I think I think Dave and I were just volunteered to spend a decent amount of time on this All-American CYO application too which is good which is a very similar process yeah so maybe you can work on both together and make you know councilman Merit that would actually be because it's a lot of the same party initiatives that you're going to have that they could piggyback off of one another but yeah it's an initiative that would give us points on there he goes Dave with with the um with the bicycle friendly Community thing I know that

when he's when Steve Mitchell has come in a couple times one of the things he's mentioned is the training part for you know they they do at the fourth grade level I mean when does that when does that have to be instituted so what and what do you mean at the fourth grade level so well well he he he mentioned that part I think part part of the thing with this with that application is training your youth to be able to ride bicycles and so forth which is which is great it's a great thing and he talks about you know you rent these bicycle Vans they come in for a month and you can use them and all that stuff but that does that have to be instituted I mean does that how critical piece of that is is these are my takeaways from this here and and this is going to go into what with what you're saying here so for encouragement you need to have community community programs up-to-date mapping Roots encouragement bike clubs youth clubs access to bike equipment and bike advisory committee so and that includes and that education is bicycle education at I don't believe it specifically says that it has to be at the grammar school but I believe that that would be a a feather cap you'd want to Institute it at that level there safe cycling programs adult education and education resources so these are just were a bunch of the takeaways that I had and to this point we don't have any of that that's we have some you know some bicycle we have octagon which would be a feather in the cap we could get them on board yes the fourth grade program that we had had in South Windsor where all fourth graders go through the program I don't know like three different days four three hours a shot or so but any I believe that's what

really got our bronze in the first place because we didn't have a whole lot else going for us certainly when we have first in the state on that when we have a bike path connecting the schools it would make sense to yes have this program so I would I would ask you to continue working on that project without a deadline alongside the All American City project and so there's certain efficiency do both at the same time to the degree that makes sense and and that way I think would go a long way coun councilman Merritt is if and I would be more than happy to to to be on your side with this here to reach out through the manager to see if you could have it organize get into discussion with the superintendent and I think that you as the chair of this committee and as a council member would have a lot of weight going into that conversation and talk about some of the in initiatives that we want to have and then once you introduce the conversation then it makes it much easier for me to do my job on something like this I I I can certainly do that so I maybe I need to talk with you a little more about what exactly you want me to do I think that would be wise I'm having I'm having a lot of luck dealing with the town manager and I also wouldn't mind dealing with the board of edge so it's a and that goes back to the earlier comment about getting when we put in the section from the high school Etc to to to well to go by the schools but to also start thinking about Transportation Alternatives which goes along with bike safety I mean it's all tied together and I think that's a great idea how many fourth grades do we have in Bloomfield coule kids pardon kids I don't know how many fourth grade classrooms that they have what they're

all located at metacomet school yeah Windsor they bought their own trailer and bikes because it's when you got a schedule for that many classes you're going to have I think Steve has a the renting the rental is pretty expensive and then scheduling it for the time you want would be even bigger problem yeah so you know we'd have to get it that's why the the superintendent to get the the superintendent and you know superintendent start there and then hopefully bring the principal involved into that conversation because that's really where it needs to be kind of stemmed it to and I believe that it should be an overall presentation like some of the stuff that we talked about this evening with the with the greenway connecting here to 330 Park Avenue that's on the same campus it benefits our our our school our school age children and the effort should in by the superintendent would be to get some some of the fizzed teachers qualified as uh bike trainers there's a sort of a weekend program that they get certified correct and now would be a good time to have that conversation you got to think that there's going to be budgetary impacts if they're going to put something like this in there my guess is board of education is already well in their way to the to on uh the budget at this point so it may be a little too late for going into next calendar year um for next school year um because I I believe that they need to have it to the town manager's office by by either the end of this month or the beginning part of next month by Charter I believe well let's talk about just without a deadline for this year or even next year just it should be an Initiative for us to something for us to strive to and then we're ready to go for it let's go for it and I and I strongly believe that it would be great to have I

just we need to be ready for it okay so let's do the groundwork now and so and move efficiently towards it without any deadline it's more important to have what it would take to get that certification than it is to get the certification correct absolutely that's true you so um so councilman Merritt you know uh this week going into next week is probably not the best for me but maybe near the latter part of the month um would be a good time for us to sit down I'd like to yes good okay uh uh we're doing very nicely we have a public person here they didn't show yeah they left oh oh Paula PA any comments no good good good meeting and it's nice to get um it's nice to get caught up on the initiatives because there's there's I hear bits and pieces of this especially in the Parks and Recreation committee meetings um because I'm on that committee and Dave brings some of these things up so thank you okay [Music] and councelor Meritt did you want to see about meeting at 6 yes thank you for bringing that up um be convenient for everybody here to meet at 6 instead of 6:30 one okay so I mean St number of you are sitting here already at 6 o' from another meeting so is any is that okay with you and David Rob yeah no issue with me okay from now on we'll be at 6 o' instead of 6:30 and I guess we'll have to put something through to our program thing be flexible if CC goes over five minutes we're five minutes

late oh we just kick them out that's okay good incentive good luck with that they need public comment will just have to be a little we have to be efficient and be done by six it's a good thing but uh so that's okay uh I have to get some more counselors obviously involved here because we can't even vote on the minutes I had two of them promised to show up and they didn't so I I so I'm I'm G to try to get another councilman uh person sign because we should have three and although it's been point out anyway we don't we don't Rec call anyway so so do I have a most to adjourn I move we adjourn all in favor I under Robert's Rules the chair has the right I can leave all right thank you everybody good night everyone good night everyone