APPRO-2023-43 : An Appropriation from Free Cash (account 01-324001) in the amount of $50,000 to Public Works Highway Department (#422).

Transcript (~9 min @ 1:40:25)

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▶ 1:40:21 Speaker 3: Vice chair Jamal Ladine? Yes. Councilor McMaster? Yes. Councilor Ella? Yes. Councilor Eccles? Yes. Councilor Gepe? Yes. Councilor Stewart? Yes. Counselor Che? Yes. President Greg? Yes. And Chair gli? Yes. That's nine. Yes. Unanim. Okay.

▶ 1:40:39 Leila Migliorelli: This order will be brought to the full counsel. The next meeting with a recommendation for passage. Next is appropriation 2023 dash 43 in appropriation from free cash account 0 1 3 2 4 0 0 1 in the amount of 50,000 of the Public Works Highway Department 4 22.

▶ 1:40:57 Speaker 1: Thank you. Um, so this is another typically annual request, um, that goes toward traffic, calming traffic safety, um, any of the ancillary items that we, we do tend to get a lot of requests over the course of the year, especially from ward counselors on behalf of their constituents. Um, for things like the rapid flashing beacon signals, solar speed feedback signs, um, we, in the memo that we prepared, we showed a list of all the things we've done by way of, um, traffic calming and complete streets type work in the last several years. It's getting to be a nice long list. It takes up about four pages now. Um, just the R RF BS alone, I believe is 20 installations of the rapid flashing begins. Um, and one other thing that we would definitely look to do with some of this year's money is the traffic calming toolkit. As we are nearing the end of that contract with Neighbor Ways and starting to pilot some locations with the, um, speed humps and whatnot that we've purchased. If we find there's a need for more traffic calming materials to enable us to pilot more locations at once, we would look to this money, a little bit of this money to spend on that as well.

▶ 1:42:18 Speaker 4: Thank you. Questions,

▶ 1:42:23 Speaker 4: councilor Ella?

▶ 1:42:24 Christopher Cinella: Um, thank you. Um, is, um, one of these, um, flashing beacons gonna go on the crosswalk of Starbucks Main Street? I've seen numerous situations over the years and, uh, today I saw someone eating a salad with her phone in her hand,

▶ 1:42:40 Speaker 3: go right through eating a salad with the phone, Walter.

▶ 1:42:45 Speaker 1: So it's always been, it's, it's been on the list for years. Um, it's never risen to the top of the priority list because I think our general feeling was that visibility there is not visibility of the pedestrians is not so much the issue. There's the Bumpouts and the Ballards. And so when a pedestrian is standing there, if someone is paying any attention at all, it's very obvious that someone's waiting to cross the street. Whereas say on Alpa Street or Franklin, people are going 40 miles an hour and when someone's waiting to cross, a lot of times the drivers don't even notice them and just keep blowing by. Um, we, we are considering adding one there, but it is sort of up in the air how much it's gonna really help because I think the drivers who aren't stopping, it's not because they don't see the pedestrians and maybe they're, maybe the flashing beacon will, um, alert their attention a little bit more, but that beacon's gonna be flashing all the time because people are constantly, during the daytime, people are constantly crossing there. And I wonder if people will also stop paying a lot of attention to it. But if it's, if it's a priority location in the minds of the residence of Melrose and you know, police and D p w sign off on it, then we could certainly put the next one there if that's where people would like to see it.

▶ 1:44:08 Christopher Cinella: Well, I'd like to go on record to say that I would, so, okay. Thank you. Thank

▶ 1:44:11 Speaker 4: You President

▶ 1:44:13 Jen Grigoraitis: Greg Roache. Thank you Madam Chair. Um, as the Ward six counselor, I'll, I'll second counselor Sonnel since that's in the ward. Um, I just think with the parklet there's, there's a lot of, I think visual distraction. I don't, I don't see how it hurts, um, for us to put it there. Um, but I, a bigger question I have is when you said, you know, we are making a decision, can you talk a little bit about who is we and how are we, how and how the, we prioritizes the ranking order. I know we never have enough money to do all of the requests, but how are those decisions made?

▶ 1:44:43 Speaker 1: So it's a combination of, so when someone requests one, whether we think it's a great location or not, it goes on the list automatically with a note of who requested it and when and why. Um, and then the police department between the police chief, the Traffic Safety Officer, Sergeant C**k and our highway division personnel who end up being the ones to install the signs, um, and myself, that we're pretty much, and engineering may get involved. I used to be involved when I was in engineering. Now I'm kind of still carrying the ball for the D p W end. Um, it's largely, we look at speeds, frequency of people crossing crash data. Um,

▶ 1:45:30 Speaker 1: and you know, I mean some of it is frankly just gut feeling of where the worst spots are to cross because we just know from having crossed in certain locations every time we put in a new crosswalk when we, when the traffic commission votes on it, I've typically gone out with the measuring wheel and seen what the site distances are and walked back and forth across the street multiple times in those spots to see how it feels before we vote on it. Um, so, you know, a lot of it is just that sort of anecdotal information too. Um, and then sunlight is a major factor. So if an area has a lot of tree cover and we don't think the solar signs are gonna work, the hardwired signs are a whole different price point. And so we typically try to go for places where we can put a solar sign.

▶ 1:46:17 Speaker 2: Thank you. That's really helpful.

▶ 1:46:21 Speaker 4: Anyone else? Councilor Stewart?

▶ 1:46:25 Robb Stewart: Thank you Madam Chair. Ms. Perce, I just wanna thank you for, uh, heating the, the requests that I had made. Um, it's made a big difference on the two locations within my ward. Uh, so thank you. Uh, look forward to seeing more. Um, the one, the one question is that you have a list of, it says that they have been or will be installed, right?

▶ 1:46:46 Speaker 1: Yeah, those are the, we have two that we ordered. Um, I can't remember if I listed them separately. We have two that we ordered that we were waiting for them to come in, so they just hadn't been installed yet. And I think that is Maine at Kingsley and Maine at Mount Vernon. Okay. Oh, in Lebanon Beach. I think all three of those have not been installed, but they've been ordered and are either about to come in or, um, you know, we ordered them months ago, so we should have the any day now.

▶ 1:47:12 Speaker 6: Sure, sure. Well anyways,

▶ 1:47:14 Robb Stewart: it makes a big difference to Bob's market as well as for the, the seniors going over to the Milano. So thank you very much. I appreciate that. You're welcome. Thank you ma'am. Chair.

▶ 1:47:21 Speaker 4: Yep. Thank you. Um, councilor Carm Shady,

▶ 1:47:24 Manjula Karamcheti: Um, thank you for being here and it's just so helpful to have the list and see all the streets and be able to cross reference with our wards. Um, just curious about Franklin Street near Warren, the new crosswalk, cuz there were concerns given it is the gateway or the way to get to the accessible playground. Um, in the memo it says completed during, this will be completed in the 2022 construction season. So just,

▶ 1:47:48 Speaker 1: Oh, did I forget to change it to 2023? It was in the prior memo. It was listed as something we were going to do in the 2022 construction season. Yeah, I missed that. Um, it didn't get done because of, uh, curbing shortages and our contract with aggregate last year. They had a handful of things that they just didn't get to from our list because they didn't have the materials. Um, but we have a lot of confidence that DNR now that they've won this year's contract, that they will do it this year.

▶ 1:48:16 Manjula Karamcheti: Okay, good. Yeah, just critical in terms of if we're wanting kids and families to be able to get to that accessible playground, that is generally speaking where most people are getting to it. Yeah. Are a good majority of the neighborhoods.

▶ 1:48:31 Speaker 1: So, and we have set aside some money for sidewalk repairs on Warren Street too. That approach to the playground is not terribly good. So, um, we hope to make that better too, for, again, the same reason, if it's the inclusive playground, it has to be accessible to get there.

▶ 1:48:45 Speaker 2: Exactly. Thank you.

▶ 1:48:49 Speaker 4: Questions. Anyone else?

▶ 1:48:54 Robb Stewart: Council Stewart? Yeah. Shall I'll just make a recommendation to, uh, I recommend this to the full counsel. Second.

▶ 1:49:01 Speaker 4: Motion to recommend made by Counselor Stewart. Seconded by Counselor Eccles. Anyone on discussion? I'm seeing none. Mr.

▶ 1:49:10 Speaker 3: Clerk, Vice chair Jim Aldine? Yes. Councilor mc Commander? Yes. Councilor son? Yes. Counselor Eccles? Yes. Councilor Garrette? Yes. Council Gepe? Yes. Councilor Stewart? Yes. Council Che? Yes. President Gregs Yes. And Chair Elli? Yes. That's nine. Yes. Unanimous

▶ 1:49:28 Leila Migliorelli: That will be brought to the full counsel with recommendation for passage. Next is appropriation 2023 dash 44 in appropriation from free cash account zero one dash 3 2 401 in the amount of 66,500 to Public Works cemetery department 4 91.