HomeMy WebLinkAbout2005/04/04 - ADMIN - Minutes - City Council - Study Session CITY OF OFFICIAL MINUTES
ST. LOUIS CITY COUNCIL STUDY SESSION
PARK
April 4, 2005
The meeting convened at 8.39 p m
Councilmembers present: John Basill, Phil Finkelstein, Paul Omodt, Susan Sanger, Sue Santa,
Sally Velick and Mayor Jeff Jacobs.
Staff present. City Manager(Mr. Harmening), City Engineer(Ms. Hagen), Engineering Project
Manager (Mr. Olson), Public Works Director (Mr. Rardin) and Recording Secretary (Ms
Stegora-Peterson).
1. Review of Bikeways Improvement Project—Project No. 2001-1000
Ms. Hagen presented the report. Louisiana will be a designated bikeway.
Councilmember Basill asked why they were different? Ms Hagen responded that the yellow
bike routes were for more experienced bikers. Some routes weren't good for younger riders
Councilmember Sanger asked if the $475,000 included the Hwy 25 pedestrian bndge or the
Hwy 100 off-road. Ms. Hagen responded no.
Councilmember Sanger asked if the estimate was for signs and striping only. Ms. Hagen
replied that was the amount in the budget, the figure would probably be less, but they hadn't
gotten a good cost estimate.
Councilmember Sanger believed that was an astronomical amount for signs and striped lanes
and was not sure if that was the best use of their money The money should go toward the
pedestnan bridge and better safety. They could post maps of designated bike trails without
using that money for signs
Councilmember Finkelstein agreed.
Mayor Jacobs stated that people wanted a sense of where the main trails were.
Councilmember Sanger indicated a map had already been done and should be posted on the trails.
Mayor Jacobs agreed and thought they could also show the location of major roads, schools
and other landmarks or trail systems
Councilmember Santa had heard an interest in signs as well. Hutchinson/Spur had no
signage and Three Rivers had not maintained it very well Biking was a big deal on that
section and many people got lost
Mr Rardin stated that his last discussion with Ms Walsh was that they were working with
Three Rivers on signage and other amenities since Three Rivers was the responsible party
Study Session Minutes -2- April 4, 2005
Councilmember Finkelstein thought they could get more "bang for their buck" installing
flashing lights for people to stop at major intersections.
Mayor Jacobs had questions whether designated bike trail should be treated like pedestrian
crosswalks. There was a concern for safety when not all dnvers stopped.
Other Councilmember's expressed concerns about safety.
Councilmember Finkelstein believed the money would be better spent on flashing lights at
locations such as Wooddale, Beltline Blvd,Texas and Virginia Avenues.
Councilmember Basill believed staff had done a nice project and it was important, but they
needed to prioritize. He would like to see signs with distance and directions, etc. as well as
safety component for drivers to know there were bikers. They could look at other projects
first and maybe do this later.
Mr. Harmening asked if cost was the primary factor or if they should get bids?
Ms. Hagen stated they hadn't done a lot of analysis and wanted to see if this was the
direction the Council wanted to go. It could be a lower figure; bidding would not be an issue.
Councilmember Sanger thought this was not a big priority. Anything short of designated
bike lanes did not meet safety regulations. Would this encourage people to bike there when
they shouldn't? She requested a legal opinion.
Ms. Hagen indicated that bike routes met the established criteria for more experienced riders,
but didn't mean they were safer.
Mayor Jacobs thought some people needed more education on the trails descnptions. There
needed to be better signage telling people location, landmarks, etc.
Councilmember Finkelstein asked if that was something businesses could sponsor?
Councilmember Sanger believed they needed to differentiate signs with locations and if this
was a bikeway, etc She wanted to know if there would be a liability9
Mr. Harmening believed what he was heanng was that the Council though this was not a
high priority at this time, yet they had an interest in better signage along the regional route
and concerns about the Wooddale, Beltline and Virginia crossings. They would look at the
crossings identified further and talk with Three Rivers about maintenance.
Councilmember Santa expressed concerns about visibility at those crossings.
Councilmember Finkelstein suggested a public/private partnership for the signs.
f,.
r
Study Session Minutes -3- Apn14, 2005
Mayor Jacobs believed that was worth exploring further.
Councilmember Santa asked what the "cloud" segments were on the map? Ms. Hagen
responded that was where the trails could extend to other communities Should they pursue
this with other communities?
Mayor Jacobs thought they could work with other communities as well.
Councilmember Sanger indicated they could also show where other trails connected.
2. Adjournment
The meeting adjourned at 9:00 p.m.
City Clerk Mayr