McHenry Times

City of Harvard Transportation Committee met Sept. 12.

Here are the minutes provided by the committee:

Chairman Gorman called the Transportation Committee Meeting to order at 6:30 pm. Committee members present: Chairman Charlie Gorman, Alderwoman Lisa Haderlein, Alderman John Lavallee and Alderman Matt Perkins. Also present were Mayor Kelly, Alderman Jay Schulz, City Administrator Lou Leone, Public Works Supt. Rob Lamz and Gary Rozwadowski, Christopher Burke Engineering.

Citizen Comments Regarding Items Not on the Agenda

None

Diggins St. School Crossing

Supt. Lamz reviewed options to put in a crossing on Diggins St. at Park Pointe:

• If the City decides to do a sidewalk to the north, the City would need to address the south crossing and landscape areas and deal with IDOT for the study and the rights to do it.

• The nearest crossing on Rte 173 is on Garfield St. There are two ADA panels that face each other across Rte 173. You could make a sidewalk that goes along Rte 173 to get to that crossing, but then again, you’re dealing with right of way and permitting, similar to what the City is dealing with on Rte 14.

Alderman Gorman related that he took the original citizen’s complaint and the area of concern was kids having difficulty crossing Diggins St. on Jefferson St. on their way to school.

Gary advised that a standard crosswalk can be put in across a state route in an urban area; with the existing speed limit and width of street, it would literally be painting the crosswalk lines and putting two signs right at the crosswalk and two signs in advance of the crosswalk, similar to Front St. He related that crosswalks with signs could create a false sense of security to the pedestrian. Another option would be pedestrian actuated signals which require data submission/approval by IDOT; cost per crossing would be $6,800, including installation. Rob reported that IDOT is also doing improvements on Route 173 from five-points ending just short of Grant St. At Gary’s recommendation, staff was directed write a letter to IDOT asking them to put in crosswalks at Jefferson and Garfield St. as part of their milling and resurfacing project.

EV Charging Station Proposal (Environmental Defenders Grant)

The Environmental Defenders received a grant of $5,500 to put in an EV charging station and has asked the City for a location to put in a dual charging station. The grant pays for the unit itself and the City would be responsible for installation and electricity. The Mayor suggested a location somewhere close to the business district such as the City lot across from the Post Office. Alderman Gorman and City staff will do further research into the actual cost that would be incurred by the City.

2023/2024 Sidewalk Programs

Proposal to cancel approved Division St. Sidewalks Project (2023)

City Administrator Leone reviewed the Route 14 Sidewalk project and IDOT planned improvements and recommended that the sidewalk project be cancelled until after IDOT has completed their improvements. The City can then replace the sidewalk according to ADA requirements. Alderman Gorman suggested that the overall sidewalk program be revisited to look at other ways to do the sidewalks, perhaps similar to the revolving loan fund for downtown façade improvements. Alderwoman Haderlein commented that there are areas in the older part of town that do not have sidewalks as they were initially given the option of putting a sidewalk in which compounds the issue. A motion was made by Alderman Perkins, seconded by Alderwoman Haderlein to cancel the 2023 Division Street Sidewalk Project. All ayes. Motion carried.

Alternate Options

The Committee reviewed Supt. Lamz memo outlining options for the reallocation of the 2023 Sidewalk Program Funding in the amount of $100,000: post office stair/sidewalk issues, complete 700 linear feet of sidewalk in a different area or leave the funds unspent for the remainder of the budget year.

The Committee discussed using the funds to do the final engineering for the post office stairs/sidewalk. The City already budgeted $7,000 for preliminary engineering. Gary related that he previously presented three hand sketched alternates to the Committee and a field survey was completed but he did not receive any further direction. Committee members noted their recollection was that the Committee selected the option with angle parking and saving the trees and to add parallel parking on the east side if it can be done without impacting the parkway. Gary said now that we have field data, he didn’t think parallel parking would fit without impacting the parkway. Eliminating the parking on east area saves the green area and trees. The Committee discussed the scope of the design and moving forward with angled parking the length of the property to the north end of the post office. Alderman Lavallee recommended to overlay the rest of the block to make it uniform. The additional allocation will provide for full engineering and cost estimate to plan future project budgeting of. A motion was made by Alderman Perkins to allocate $100,000 of the sidewalk improvement funds towards engineering of the project; whatever isn’t utilized can be reallocated once the engineering is complete. Alderman Lavallee seconded the motion. All ayes. Motion carried.

Safe Routes to School Grant

City Administrator Leone reported that the City was not able to apply for the 2023 Safe Routes to School Grant due to conflicts in attending the required seminars. The grant would provide up to $250,000 towards sidewalks that are within 2 miles of the school. Staff met with representatives of the school district to better coordinate applying for the next grant. Supt. Lamz advised that the grant cycle only happens every other year; the $250,000 is strictly for construction costs and does not include any Phase 1 or Phase 2 engineering. Gary reviewed the engineering requirements which need to be done to federal standards which can be more complex/costly if there are environmental concerns. The grant can be discussed by the Committee in 2024 to decide whether or not to proceed in 2025 when the grant becomes available.

Ayer Street – 5 points to new construction

Alderman Lavallee noted the Ayer St. Streetscape project and commented that the surface of the rest of Ayer Street is in rough shape. He thought the asphalt was most likely in pretty good shape under the surface. He suggested the Committee consider milling 1½” of just the through lanes going down as far as the new construction; the parking areas are in decent shape and could be sealed with some patching. This would tie in with the new construction and would look like one new road and showcase Ayer St. during Milk Days. He talked to a friend who provided an approximate estimate of $156,000 from 5-points down to the new construction; skipping over the brick crosswalks would add to the cost. Chairman Gorman will add Ayer St. to the list for consideration when the road program is discussed.

Supt. Lamz provided an update on the current road program and skip patching locations which have bee reduced to meet the budget. The Mayor related that the next step for 24/25 budget is for the Committee to look at locations for skip patching and rejuvenation based on staff recommendations. Collection of the 1% sales tax starts in January with a first distribution in February/March. The Mayor recommended that the Committee wait until we have received a full year of collections and not consider the sales tax revenue for next year’s budget cycle. Chairman Gorman confirmed that funds from the next MFT cycle will not include any resurfacing. Public Works will also be able to utilize the asphalt cart for maintenance patches.

City Hall Parking Lot

Alderman Lavallee suggested sealing the City Hall Parking lot which already shows some cracking.

Items for Future Meetings

Diggins St. from the tracks to Lawrence Rd. is scheduled for a March, 24 letting. The project cost is about $700,000 with an 80/20 split.

A motion was made by Alderman Perkins, seconded by Alderwoman Haderlein to adjourn the meeting. All ayes. Motion carried. Meeting adjourned 7:58 pm.

https://www.cityofharvard.org/sites/default/files/fileattachments/transportation_committee/meeting/14815/minutestransportation2023-09-12.pdf