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HomeMy WebLinkAbout08-22-16 Public Works and Property VacationOFFICE OF THE CITY CLERK KAREEMAH FOWLER, CITY CLERK PUBLIC WORKS & PROPERTY VACATION AUGUST 22, 2016 4:45 P.M. Committee Members Present: Jo M. Broden, John Voorde, Randy Kelly, Gavin Ferlic Other Council Present: Tim Scott, Oliver Davis, Dr. David Varner, Regina Williams - Preston, Karen White Others Present: Kareemah Fowler, Joseph Molnar, Kathleen Cekanski- Farrand, Adriana Rodriguez Agenda: Smart Streets Update, Jitin Cain Committee Chair Jo M. Broden called the meeting to order with one (1) item on the agenda. Smart Streets Update, Jitin Cain 1 Jitin Kain, Department of Public Works with offices on the 13th Floor of the County -City Building, gave an update on the Smart Streets Program. He used a slideshow which is on file in the City - Clerk's Office. There has been a lot of work done this year downtown starting in May when the construction began. The Bartlett St. roundabout is taking shape and nearing completion. The concrete pavement is finished and the sidewalks have been poured as well. The work left to do is primarily on the island of the roundabout. The roundabouts are to serve as entrance features into the City. There will be a nice "Welcome to South Bend" sign and landscaping as well. The center of the roundabout will be an opportunity for public art in the future. There will be a truck apron built which is a curb that only trucks can drive on. We often get questions asking if semi - trucks can use roundabouts and yes they absolutely can. The Marion Street roundabout is in a similar situation and the center of the island is being completed. On Main Street, we have done a lot of sidewalk work. Throughout downtown we will have more defined parking lanes. There has also been a considerable amount of storm and sewer work being finished on Main Street. The entire pavement in downtown of both asphalt and concrete that are in bad shape will be replaced. The Chippewa Street roundabout is also nearing completion and has been opened to traffic moving north as of August 5th. The center island around Chippewa is still under construction. The design for all three (3) roundabouts is similar with slight changes. These are very urban roundabouts and different than other roundabouts seen throughout the rest of the 455 County-City Building • 227 W. Jefferson Boulevard • South Bend, Indiana 46601 Phone 574- 235 -9221 • Fax 574- 235 -9173 • TDD 574- 235 -5567 • www.SouthBendIN.gov JENNIFER M. COFFMAN ALKEYNA M. ALDRIDGE EMILY SEXTON CHIEF DEPUTY/ CHIEF OF STAFF DEPUTY/ DIRECTOR OF POLICY ORDINANCE VIOLATION CLERK community. The geometry of the roundabout controls the speed of cars and these are designed so that the speed of entrance into the roundabout should not be more than fifteen (15) miles per hour. The center island also is designed specifically so that you shouldn't be able to look across and forces the driver to look to the left. These are aesthetic features but also serve a purpose in how a roundabout is navigated. There have been new signals and signal improvements on Main and Michigan to prepare for the two -way traffic. Mr. Kain provided an overall schedule of the project to the Council. We are on schedule to open the two (2) north roundabouts on September 7th which is the Thursday before the first Notre Dame home football game. There is a lot of other work from utilities, signal work, striping and streetscape work which has all been happening in conjunction with the roundabouts. Two -way traffic will be restored on September 7th from Sample Street to Chippewa Avenue on Main and Michigan. North of downtown will also open to two -way traffic on September 7th. In the core of downtown, where we have a lot of streetscape work, we will maintain one -way traffic until October 15th when we transition Main Street into two -way. By November 15th we will have St. Joseph converted into two -way and then the entire system will be transferred to two -way. Beyond that, we expect some minor landscaping work such as trees being installed and brick paver work. That minor work will not cause any disruptions to traffic. With all of this work happening, our biggest priority is to make sure downtown is always open for business. As football season begins, we will make sure we ramp down new construction activity during those home football game weekends. The best source for information on Smart Streets and the construction is the new website set up for public information. We send newsletters every two (2) weeks detailing every closure and opening taking place. Councilmember Dr. David Varner stated traditionally for home football games when fans come from the South up U.S. 31 they are going very fast heading north to the stadium. They are by themselves going to be confronted with this new roundabout. He suggested there are some warning and slow down signs posted throughout the season. Mr. Kain stated that this is a new condition and there will be display signs giving information for those fans who come only for football games. Committeemember Jo M. Broden asked if there has been any communication with Notre Dame on behalf of informing ticket holders of the changes. Mr. Kain responded that they have been working with Notre Dame regularly and are aware of the construction schedule. The City made small handouts detailing the construction for them to hand out as well. They also have links to our website. Committee Chair Broden asked if that will get down to individual ticket holders and their ability to get information. Mr. Kain stated they will rely on Notre Dame to get that information out to the interested parties but we have certainly given the relevant information to Notre Dame. They know the best methods to get information to their ticket holders. 01 Committee Chair Broden responded that's great. Councilmember Karen White thanked Mr. Cain for his presentation and stated it was very informative. The South Bend Tribune had a recent article about the downtown public library and the impact of Smart Streets. She asked Mr. Cain to outline how the City plans to work with the library as they move forward with their overall planning. Mr. Kain responded that he can give a little bit of information that he knows but it is not something he is fully versed in. It is his understanding that the library had a large master plan to construct a new library and utilize some open lots facing Michigan Street. The City entered into a first right of refusal with the library so that they could use those lots to complete their plan. It is his understanding from recent events that they have changed their mind regarding the new building and are looking to change the entrance of the existing building from Main to Michigan, utilizing the parking lots as their entrance. Certainly the City's goal in Smart Streets is to create more urban environments and people will have a greater ability to walk and bike to their destinations. The library will have a much grander entrance with the new Main Street narrowed down with wider sidewalks, bike lanes and landscaping. Certainly Community Investment is working with them to convince them to keep their Main Street entrance. An entrance through a parking lot is never an urban idea it is a suburban way of planning. You will not find many buildings downtown with entrances through a parking lot because downtown zoning ordinance does not allow parking lots in front of buildings. That is to have buildings right on the street so it is easy to walk. Councilmember White thanked Mr. Kain for his answer. Councilmember Scott stated the City still has to work on timing the lights on Lafayette because traffic gets backed up pretty heavily. Mr. Kain responded we are looking at the timing of the lights on Lafayette and other streets as well with this program. Committee Chair Broden asked how we are tracking the businesses downtown and the impact on them from the construction. Mr. Kain responded they have monthly meetings with the entire downtown business community and every business is invited. We also make special note to update businesses near construction so they have full knowledge of when closures are happening. Certainly when construction happens directly in front of a business there will be some sort of impact but we have tried very hard to make sure access is always maintained to a business. The bulk of our retail activity still exists on Michigan Street and based on what we have heard from those businesses they seem to be doing well. Art Beat was a great example of how despite the construction activity downtown they were able to have the largest crowd in the history of the event this year. People are not afraid to brave the construction activity because all the construction and projects signal great progress in downtown and have generated excitement. Anyone who has been in contact who have been negatively affected we certainly work with them to try to mitigate their issues. There being no further business before the Committee, Committee Chair Jo M. Broden adjourned the meeting at 5:03 p.m. Respectfully Submitted, J . Broden, Committee Chair 11