07-25-11 Common Council Meeting Minutes

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REGULAR MEETING JULY 25, 2011 distribution of paving over the last decade, showing a rather uniform coverage north to south; east to west of the City of South Bend and over that decade they have paved nearly half of the streets in the city. This year the Common Council has already appropriated $2.1 million dollars for paving on the 500 miles plus of city streets. He stated that is a level that is sufficient to break even. The amount of investment in the streets offsets the amount of annual decay and the condition of the streets. He stated that what this appropriation will do is allow for the city to raise the level, the condition of the streets. He stated that their proposal is to invest $850,000 on mostly arterial or business/commercial type streets, some in residential areas, but going for the higher traffic volume streets that get the most wear and tear and the most axel loads from trucks. With $850,000 they can address City Plan goals of transportation infrastructure support urban design and economic development by putting these important elements of the transportation network in good shape. Mr. Gilot stated that people use these roads everyday to get from where they live to where they work and around to visit folks and they are important for safety and they are important for the local economy to move goods and services. He asked for the Council’s favorable recommendation. Councilmember Varner asked if the first 2.3 million was local roads and streets and motor vehicle highway. Mr. Gilot stated yes, and actually all the materials he thinks were funded out of motor vehicle highway. He stated they used local roads street for some match money to get federal funds back. Mr. Gilot stated that he did skip over the signal, the signal is for the intersection of Western Avenue and Laurel and that will facilitate ingress/egress for major events at the Kroc Center. He stated that it was discussed how they will control that signal, they might let it rest on green until loops or cameras would actuate traffic needing to come out of the Kroc Center or from the parking lots on the north side of Western Avenue. It will also aid pedestrian safety with push button actuation for that or they might put it on a synchronized timing, but at any rate they will not program it in a manner where it causes congestion on the Western Corridor particularly as close as it is to Chapin, it will either be actuated or synchronized. This being the time heretofore set for the Public Hearing on the above bill, proponents and opponents were given an opportunity to be heard. The following individual spoke in opposition to this bill: Greg Burkowski, 20155 Roosevelt Road, South Bend, Indiana, advised that he is all in favor of the road construction money, but we don’t need anymore darn traffic lights. It’s hard enough getting out of South Bend any direction you go. He stated that there is a traffic light at Chapin and Western, have one and will still have one at Western and Walnut which is just four block to the west. This way with the proposal we will have a traffic light at Western and Chapin, traffic light just two blocks at Western and Laurel, there has got a better way to get people in and out without sticking another traffic light in there. In Rebuttal, Mayor Luecke advised that they believe that the location of the traffic signal is appropriate as Mr. Gilot has said they will time it so that it does not impede traffic but allows safe ingress/egress from this marvelous new facility and will also provide pedestrian safety component with the push button signals for walks so that individuals who may have parked across the street can safely cross there as well. He asked the Council for their favorable consideration. Councilmember Henry Davis asked what corner the light will be on? Mr. Gilot advised that the light will have signal heads that face in four directions, so it will effect north/south; east/west traffic. Mr. Davis asked if it would be a four way stop at that corner? Mr. Gilot stated yes. 8